By Melanie Peffer
BRIDGES is all about just that – building bridges between various stakeholders interested in science education research, particularly between discipline-based education researchers and learning scientists.
Why do we need BRIDGES?
Here’s a story to help illustrate the role BRIDGES was designed to fulfill in the community.
I made it half-way through my doctoral program before realizing I wasn’t where I wanted to be. I loved molecular biology and research – but I didn’t want to be in a lab full time. I was equally passionate about learning and teaching – but I didn’t want to be in a classroom full time either.
So, I started to explore my options – which eventually led to interning in the education department at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. While I was there, I started brainstorming ways to translate what I did in a molecular biology laboratory each day into a classroom. This led to developing a computer simulation, Science Classroom Inquiry (SCI), to do exactly that for my zoo students.
Well – my students loved the game which led me to consider, “ok – now what?”
Answering that question took me on quite a journey my last year of graduate school – one that involved speaking with people from a wide variety of backgrounds all interested in science education. One repeated observation I made was that everyone I spoke too had similar goals but different ways of reaching those goals and often were unaware of what the other group was doing.
This was confounding to me – each perspective was so important, and yet everyone existed in their own department at the University. And so, I decided to do something different – I graduated with my PhD and went from doing research in a school of medicine to a college of education.
And oh, my what a switch it was.
My experiences going from molecular biology to learning sciences taught me two very important things. (1) That the value of synergistically combining the two viewpoints is invaluable for really understanding how people learn within a discipline (2) There are some major barriers to accomplishing it. How do we overcome these barriers so that we can gain these valuable insights into learning?
This is why BRIDGES was born. Teaming up with fellow interdisciplinary-minded folks (Kristy Daniel, Anita Schuhardt, and Myra McConnell), we collaborated on an NSF funded two-day professional development workshop held as part of the 2020 International Conference of the Learning Sciences. Our goal with the workshop was to help build interdisciplinary connections and foster new collaborations.
The BRIDGES Blog (B2) is designed to let members of the BRIDGES community (and beyond) share insights on interdisciplinarity. These includes perspectives on challenges, opportunities, strategies for success, in both research and teaching endeavors. We include stories from researchers and practitioners, from both social sciences and hard sciences backgrounds.
What areas would you like to see discussed? Where do you think new BRIDGES need to be formed to help improve our understanding of science learning? Tell us more in the comments below!
About the Author:
Melanie is on faculty at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is the author of the best-selling Biology Everywhere: How the science of life matters to everyday life. When not writing, Melanie enjoys playing her flute and piccolo and enjoying all that Colorado has to offer in the great outdoors with her husband and son.