Concepts and findings from research on identity development are employed to better understand why current science teacher preparation programs are failing to prepare teachers who are able and choose to implement the vision for science education articulated in professional standards. Identity theory is used as a theoretical lens to make sense of and better address some of the unique challenges of becoming a reform‐minded science teacher, a professional identity that does not reflect the common norm in the profession; these challenges include the emotional risk and possible need for “repair work,” lack of familiarity with and buy‐in into complex practices of inquiry, and the need for opportunities to participate in competent practice and have this participation acknowledged. Two basic design principles for science teacher preparation are identified as a result of this analysis: (a) the need to create safe places and scaffolded ways for beginning science teachers to try on and develop their identities as reform‐minded science teachers, which may include capitalizing on the unique opportunities of practice teaching in out‐of‐school contexts; and (b) the need to offer opportunities to be recognized, by self and others, as reform‐minded teachers through ongoing, structured, and supported reflection. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 91:822–839, 2007

ABSTRACT:One of the primary challenges facing designers today is how to design curricular innovations that are appealing and useful to teachers and at the same time bring about transformative practices. While we as a learning sciences community are relatively adept at facilitating innovative case examples, we need more empirical work that examines how curricular innovations become implemented across multiple classrooms. In this paper we examine a series of four teachers implementing our technology-rich, project-based curriculum. We then analyze and discuss each of the four cases across two themes by (a) examining how the project-level question was contextualized to meet local needs and (b) examining the cultural context that surrounded the implementation of the curriculum. Our interpretations suggest that contextualizing the curriculum is ultimately a local phenomenon that arises as a result of a number of factors, including students' needs, students' goals, teachers' goals, local constraints, and teacher's pedagogical values. These cases illuminate the importance of school and classroom cultures in the learning process. Ultimately, curriculum designers need to acknowledge that their designs are not self-sufficient entities; instead, during implementation, they become assimilated as part of the cultural systems in which they are

ABSTRACT:A core challenge facing science educators is how to develop and support the implementation of project-based, technology-rich science curriculum that is consistent with international calls for a "new approach" to science education while at the same time meeting the everyday needs of classroom teachers. In this article, we discuss the challenges of scaling out university-developed, project-based curricula, providing a contextualizing frame for the articles that constitute this current issue of Science Education. Specifically, we overview (1) what constitutes and why implement inquiry-based, project-focused learning environments, (2) the role of integrating technology to support their implementation, (3) the value of engaging in design experiments for their development, (4) the importance of allowing for local adaptation, and (5) the process of curricular diffusion. In our thinking, the process of dissemination is not simply "rubber-stamping" the same program into multiple contexts; rather, the process of large-scale adoption involves additional, individual teacherdirected design, fitting, and adaptation for local circumstances.

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