2007 SCIPIE Conference:

  What makes teaching and learning about science and mathematics difficult?
  

   2007 SCIPIE conference will be held November 1-3, 2007, at the West campus of the Arizona State University.

   The second SCIPIE conference will bring together researchers researchers to examine diverse responses to

   the question: "What makes teaching and learning about science and mathematics difficult?" The achievement,

   cultural, and affective barriers that many students face make the teaching and learning of science particularly

   interesting for our members. Although educational psychologists have traditionally made significant contributions

   to science education, recent research has had less impact in science education. This limited impact is particularly

   distressing considering the problem of science and mathematics literacy in the Southwest.

  This year's Theme
  

   The theme for this year's SCIPIE conference "What Makes Teaching and Learning about Science and Mathematics

   Difficult?" grew from a newly funded synthesis project Evolution Challenges. During our 2005 conference, one

   session and the keynote address focused on issues regarding religion and science. These sessions drew

   broad interest from our membership. Inspired by the interests and the discussion Sarah Brem (ASU), Gale Sinatra

   (SCIPIE member at large; UNLV), and Margaret Evans (University of Michigan) proposed (to the National Science

   Foundation) a synthesis project. This synthesis project brings together developmental, educational, and cognitive

   psychologists as well as experts from the fields of museum science; biology, and genomics. The goal of the project

   is to synthesize current expert knowledge concerning the challenge of teaching and learning about evolution. This

   project is the first (of many we hope) funded research project to come from a SCIPIE working meeting.
  

   To support the efforts of Sinatra, Brem, and Evans, SCIPIE is providing logistical support for their capstone

   conference which will run in conjunction with the SCIPIE meeting. Additionally the SCIPIE membership will have

   an opportunity to hear three leading researchers discuss their scholarship on the challenges related to the

   teaching and learning of evolution.