Prentice Hall Chemistry - Pearson Education

1 Prentice hall ChemistryResearch OverviewThe scientific research base used to develop Prentice hall Chemistrydescribes how students learn science and provides classroom-basedevidence to validate program efficacy. This body of research alsoindicates key elements of a textbook program that ensure students success: support for reading and mathematics in science, consistentopportunities for inquiry, and an ongoing assessment the following pages you will find summaries of the key concepts ofthe foundational research used to develop our program and specificreferences as to how this research was integrated into Prentice Prentice hall s research is conducted in phases and isongoing. The goal of establishing such rigorous research methods isto ensure that the program developed enables all students to learn theChemistry skills and concepts they need for academic success and foreveryday life.

2 The phases of our research include:(1) Exploratory Needs AssessmentAlong with periodic surveys concerning curriculum issues andchallenges, Pearson Prentice hall conducts specific productdevelopment research, which includes discussions with teachersand advisory panels, focus groups, and quantitative surveys. Weexplore the specific needs of teachers, students, and othereducators regarding each component of the Prentice HallChemistry program.(2) Formative, Prototype Development and Field TestingDuring this phase of research, we work to develop prototypematerials. We then test the materials, including field-testing withstudents and teachers, and qualitative and quantitative evaluationsof different kinds. We receive solid feedback about our lessonstructure in our early prototype testing.

3 Results are channeled backinto the development of the program.(3) Summative, Validation ResearchFinally, Pearson Prentice hall conducts longer-term research basedon scientific, experimental designs under actual classroomconditions. This research identifies what works and what can beimproved in the next revision of Prentice hall Chemistry . PearsonPrentice hall also continues to monitor the program in the marketthrough ongoing dialogue with users. This allows us toperpetually refine our products and provide the best support totoday s and tomorrow s teachers and hall ChemistryScientific Research BasePage 2 of 10In preparation for the NCLB mandates for science anticipated for 2007, Pearson Prentice hall is committed to providing scientific research tosupport the efficacy of our science programs in the study designs will closely follow the criteria of No Child Left NCLB specifies a minimum level of improvement that students mustachieve each year, actual Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

4 Will be reflected inthe research used to validate the hall ChemistryScientific Research BasePage 3 of 10 Inquiry and Prentice hall ChemistryWhat Research IndicatesThe National Science Education Content Standards define inquiry as theprocess in which students begin with a question, design an investigation,gather evidence, formulate an answer to the original question, andcommunicate the investigative process and National Research Council in Inquiry and the National Science EducationStandards (2000), further identifies several essential features of classroominquiry, including the following:1. Who asks the question? That is, who asks the question that focuses theinvestigation ( , What effect does the tilt of the earth have onseasons?)

5 Or What effect does pH have on litmus paper? or Whichantacid best neutralizes acid? )? Is it the student or the teacher/book?In most curricula, these are an element given in the materials. As aneducator you need to look for labs that, at least on a periodic basis,allow students to pursue their own Who designs the procedures? We are speaking here of lab procedures orthe steps in an investigation. Who designs this process for gatheringinformation? In order to gain experience with the logic underlyingexperimentation, students need continuous practice with designingprocedures. Some labs, where the primary target is contentacquisition, designate procedures. But others should ask students todo Who decides what data to collect?

6 This is similar to designingprocedures, but the focus is on the data itself. What data is importantand who determines that? Students need practice in determining thedata to Who formulates explanations based upon the data? Do the text materialsgive the answers? Or do questions at the end of activities makestudents analyze and draw conclusions based on their data? Thebottom line Do the questions make students think?5. Who communicates and justifies the results? Do activities push studentsto not only communicate but also justify their answers? Are activitiesthoughtfully designed and interesting so that students want to sharetheir results and argue about conclusions?Inquiry in Prentice hall ChemistryPrentice hall Chemistry offers the most opportunities to get student to thinklike scientists and enables students to enhance their understanding byparticipating in the hall ChemistryScientific Research BasePage 4 of 10 Prentice hall Chemistry encourages students to develop inquiry skills acrossthe spectrum from teacher-guided to open-ended.

7 Flexible lab options areincluded in every chapter, structured from directed to open-ended providing the flexibility to address all types of learners and accommodateyour class time and equipment requirements. Some focus on contentacquisition, and thus the question and most of the procedures are hall ChemistryScientific Research BasePage 5 of 10 Assessment and Prentice hall ChemistryThe primary goal of NCLB is to provide classroom teachers with better datafro scientifically valid assessment in order to inform instructional planningand identify at-risk students who require intervention. It has been acommon practice to teach a science lesson, administer a test, grade it, andmove on. This practice is a thing of the past. With the spotlight now onimproving student performance, it is essential to use assessment results as away to identify student strengths and challenges.

8 Providing studentfeedback and obtaining student input is a valuable, essential part of theassessment Research IndicatesAn important assessment strategy is to ensure that students have ampleopportunities to check their understanding of skills and concepts beforemoving on to the next topic. Checking for understanding also includesasking appropriate, probing questions with each example presented. Thisenables students and teachers to know whether the skills or concepts beingintroduced are actually DepkaSupervisor of Standards and AssessmentWaukesha, WisconsinIMPLEMENTASSESSP rentice hall ChemistryScientific Research BasePage 6 of 10 Assessment in Prentice hall ChemistryThe assessment strategies in Prentice hall Chemistry will help both studentsand teachers alike ensure student success in content mastery as well as high-stakes test performance.

9 A wealth of opportunities built into the StudentEdition help students monitor their own progress. Teachers are supportedwith ongoing assessment opportunities in the Teacher s Edition and an easy-to-use,Examview . These integrated, ongoing assessment tools assure to support state and national testing objectives, Prentice hall hasdeveloped test preparation materials that model the NCLB the Student Edition Caption Questions: Enhance critical-thinking skills and maximize theeffectiveness of art, graphics, and narrative. Checkpoint: Reinforce students understanding of the materialcovered. Section Assessments: Questions that model the way students thinkand review ans assess the understanding the key concepts. Comprehensive Study Guides and Chapter Assessments: Opportunitiesfor students to check their own understanding and practice valuablehigh-stakes test-taking the Program Resources Examview Computer Test Bank CD-ROM: Provides teachers access tothousands of modifiable test questions, hundreds of which containalgorithmically-generated variable data.

10 Interactive Textbook with ChemASAP: In addition to electronicanimations and interactivities, the Interactive Textbook provides awealth of assessment tools. Students can monitor their progress atpoint of use with ongoing assessment, help tutorials, and instantfeedback. Standardize Test Preparation Workbook: Includes topic-specific testprep items and practice tests that help teachers focus on improvingtest hall ChemistryScientific Research BasePage 7 of 10 Reading Comprehension and Prentice hall ChemistryWhat Research IndicatesModern understanding of comprehension emphasizes the importance of in-depth prior knowledge and how that knowledge is organized. Studiescomparing novices and experts show that the conceptual organization ofexperts knowledge is very different from that of novices.