Science education is an opportunity to build new theories of learning and rigorously test existing theories of learning. In one project, we are developing new theoretical models for the long-term development of engagement with a content area (science, as career, as avocation, as way of thinking). In the other project, we are testing the strength of cognitive science theories by putting them to the test of systematically modifying science curricula according to core cognitive science principles.

Science Learning Activation Lab (ActLab). The Science Learning Activation Lab is a national research and design effort to learn and demonstrate how to activate children in ways that ignite persistent engagement in science learning and inquiry. Led by the Learning Research Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California Berkeley, and SRI, International, the Lab is conducting research to identify the characteristics of young children that are predictive of successful science learning and future participation in science, as well as to design learning environments that promote such outcomes. Working with a team of national experts, the Activation Lab has developed a theoretical framework to guide our investigation in systematic ways across learning settings. Our research will explore and define the elements of an activated learner, the trajectory of predicted outcomes, and the learning experiences that support or maintain activation.

The 21st Century Research and Development Center on Cognition and Science Education. Can we improve science education through cognitive science principles of learning? Cognitive science has now been around for 40 yrs as a strong discipline. Have we progressed far enough to make a difference in real world applications? ln this center-level effort, we team across Pitt, Penn, and Temple to systematically modify and test our cognitive-science based modifications to popular instances of hands-on and textbook based middle school science curricula and then conduct large scale efficacy trials of the resulting materials.