Design based research and the model of educational reconstruction: a combined approach to design successful science instruction

Abstract

One of the main challenges that science educators face is to develop teaching-learning sequences that both engage students and that convey the science content successfully as well. In particular new curriculum topics such as topics of modern physics pose challenges for teachers and educators because of a scarcity of teaching experience and learning resources. What is needed is a powerful and flexible methodological framework that can guide the design of new instructional material. We argue that a combination of Design Based Research and the Model of Educational Reconstruction provides such a framework. To exemplify the efficacy of such a combined approach, we present two educational projects that have leveraged the Model of Educational Reconstruction and Design Based Research successfully to bring topics of modern physics to science classrooms.