IUPUC Division of Education faculty members Aija Pocock, Ph.D., Allison Howland, Ph.D., and Kate Baird, Ph.D., along with students Carina Cole, and Carolyn Arbuckle will present at the 2011 Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) International Conference on January 18-22 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The presentation is titled “Building a model of shared language through inquiry-based science instruction: using Lego WeDo as the instructional platform for field-based experiences.”

Attendees will learn the presenters’ findings from using Lego WeDo as an instructional platform. By integrating the new science concepts with learners’ prior knowledge and experiences from their various cultural backgrounds, teachers can maximize language and content learning for all elementary students. 

According to their proposal submission, the Division of Education faculty at IUPUC are critically examining their existing beliefs and re-evaluating their assumptions about teaching competencies required in increasingly global settings enhanced by new technologies.

The ASTE 2011 International Conference theme “Explore the Boundaries” challenges individuals to examine the limits imposed by existing knowledge and practices. It highlights the need to find new ways to lower the barriers to innovation and to strengthen relationships with partners in ways that reframe existing problems and open doors to new possibilities.

Pocock is a clinical assistant professor of ESL, Howland is an assistant professor of Special Education, Baird is a clinical assistant professor of Science Education, Cole is a junior student, and Arbuckle is a sophomore student in the Division of Education at IUPUC.