We (CRISTaL) are a group of UNH faculty who focus on DBER. That stands for Disciplinary-Based Education Research. This is research that is grounded in a particular discipline, like chemistry, biology, physics, or mathematics, but which focuses on the unique issues of learning and teaching within that discipline. This research area was recognized and highlighted in a recent National Research Council report “Disciplinary Based Education Research” (National Academy Press, 2012). For decades, the University of New Hampshire has welcomed and supported such scholarly activity.
The future of education in STEM lies in promoting fundamental research about how students learn the ideas of chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology, and those of other science areas. How do we make teaching and learning not just good but better than it has ever been? That won’t happen by promoting the image that good teachers only need to be passionate and engaging. Good teachers also need to be aware of the epistemological structure of their discipline, recognize pernicious learning challenges within that subject matter, and realize how pedagogic structure and classroom dynamics support or interfere with learner’s construction of understanding. This is all wrapped up in the term “pedagogical content knowledge” (Shulman, L.S. (1986), “Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching”, Educ. Researcher, 15 (2), 4-14).
