Barbara A. Crawford
What year did you graduate?
Ph.D from School of Education 1996
What is your present position?
Associate Professor of Science Education,
with tenure, Cornell University, Department of Education, College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences, Ithaca, New York.
What is the title of your dissertation?
Crawford, B. A. (1996). Examining the essential elements of a community of
learners in a middle grade science classroom (Doctoral dissertation,
University of Michigan, 1996). Dissertation Abstracts International, 57,
9624591
The goal of this dissertation research was to examine the nature of a
middle school science classroom during the development of a community of
learners by focusing on the teacher-student interactions and the
connections made by students with people outside the classroom. The first
investigator served as both teacher and researcher in the study. The
teacher used a project-based approach that allowed learners to find
solutions to authentic problems or questions generated by the students.
What did you learn in the program?
As a classroom teacher I began my doctoral program with intuitive beliefs
about how to teach science. During my program at Michigan my intuitive
beliefs became formalized, and I learned of connecting theory to the
practice of teaching science. I learned there are theoretical reasons for
the intuitive beliefs I held. I gained an immense appreciation for
cognitive science learning theories. I learned about systematic ways to
analyze my students’ growth in knowledge and of their nonscientific ideas.
I learned there were professors at Michigan who had similar interests to
mine, and were as passionate about how to create science classrooms that
engage students in asking questions, grappling with data, and
understanding the nature of science. I also learned about the challenges
of developing effective professional development programs for teachers,
and the ins and outs of carrying out large grants. I learned about
designing and crafting a research study and high standards for
presentations at professional conferences. I learned from my peers in the
School of Education who were incredibly talented, and I continue to value
my professional relationships with many of my fellow graduate students.
Influential U of M professors in science education include Professor Joe
Krajcik and Professor Emeritus, Carl Burger, and Professor Elliot Soloway;
these connections continue to benefit my professional career. Others who
have moved on include Dr. Ronald Marx and Dr. Liza Finkel.
Prior to coming to the SOE what did you do?
I was a classroom science teacher in Ann Arbor. Previous to teaching I
worked in a research and development lab in microbiology and as a process
engineer for the 3M Company.
