• Visit
    • Calendar
    • After Dark Thursdays
    • Buy Tickets
    • Exhibits
    • Museum Galleries
    • Artworks on View
    • Hours
    • Getting Here
    • Visitor FAQ
    • Event Rentals
    • Field Trips
  • Education
    • Professional Development Programs
    • Free Educator Workshops
    • Tools for Teaching and Learning
    • Learning About Learning
    • Community Programs
    • Educator Newsletter
  • Explore
    • Browse by Subject
    • Activities
    • Video
    • Exhibits
    • Apps
    • Blogs
    • Websites
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Partnerships
    • Global Collaborations
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Arts at the Exploratorium
    • Contact Us
  • Join + Support
    • Donate Today!
    • Membership
    • Join Our Donor Community
    • Engage Your Business
    • Attend a Fundraiser
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Thank You to Our Supporters
    • Donor & Corporate Member FAQ
    • Host Your Event
    • Volunteer
  • Store
  • Visit
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Calendar
      • Today
      • This Week
      • Online
      • After Dark Thursday Nights
      • Arts
      • Conferences
      • Cinema Arts
      • Free + Community Events
      • Fundraising Events
      • Kids + Families
      • Members
      • Special Hours
      • Private Event Closures
    • Prices
    • Hours
    • Getting Here
    • Museum Map
    • Free Admission and Reduced Admission
    • Accessibility
    • Tips for Visiting with Kids
    • How to Exploratorium
    • Exhibits
    • Tactile Dome
    • Artworks on View
    • Cinema Arts
    • Kanbar Forum
    • Black Box
    • Museum Galleries
      • Bernard and Barbro Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomena
        • Tactile Dome
          • 1971 Press Release
        • Black Box
        • Curator Statement
      • Gallery 2: Tinkering
        • Curator Statement
      • Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Reflections
        • Curator Statement
      • Gordon and Betty Moore Gallery 4: Living Systems
        • Curator Statement
      • Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits
        • Curator Statement
      • Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
        • Wired Pier Environmental Field Station
        • Curator Statement
    • Restaurant & Café
    • School Field Trips
      • Getting Here
        • Bus Routes for Field Trips and Other Groups
      • Admission and Tickets
      • Planning Guide
      • Reservations
        • Field Trip Request Form
      • Resources
    • Event Rentals
      • Full Facility & Gallery Bundles
      • Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery & Terrace
      • Moore East Gallery
      • Bechtel Central Gallery & Outdoor Gallery
      • Osher West Gallery
      • Kanbar Forum

      • Weddings
      • Proms and School Events
      • Daytime Meetings, Events, & Filmings
      • Happy Hour on the Water

      • Rentals FAQ
      • Event Planning Resources
      • Rental Request Form
      • Download Brochure (pdf)
    • Groups / Tour Operators
      • Group Visit Request Form
    • Exploratorium Store
    • Contact Us
  • Education
    • Black Teachers and Students Matter
    • Professional Development Programs
      • Free Educator Workshops
      • Professional Learning Partnerships
      • Teacher Institute
        • About the Teacher Institute
        • Summer Institute for Teachers
        • Teacher Induction Program
        • Leadership Program
        • Teacher Institute Research
        • CA NGSS STEM Conferences
          • NGSS STEM Conference 2020
        • Science Snacks
          • Browse by Subject
          • Special Collections
          • Science Snacks A-Z
          • NGSS Planning Tools
          • Frequently Asked Questions
        • Digital Teaching Boxes
        • Meet the Teacher Institute Staff
        • Resources for Supporting Science Teachers
      • Institute for Inquiry
        • What Is Inquiry?
        • Watch and Do Science
        • Inquiry-based Science and English Language Development
          • Educators Guide
            • Conceptual Overview
              • Science Talk
              • Science Writing
            • Classroom Video Gallery
              • Magnet Investigation
              • Snail Investigation
            • Teacher Professional Development
            • Project Studies
            • Acknowledgments
          • Conference: Exploring Science and English Language Development
            • Interviews with Participants
            • Plenary Sessions
            • Synthesis, Documentation, and Resources
        • Workshops
          • Participant Portal
          • Fundamentals of Inquiry
            • Summary Schedule
          • BaySci Science Champions Academy
          • Facilitators Guides
          • Commissioned Workshops
        • Resource Library
        • Meet the IFI Staff
      • Resources for California Educators
      • K-12 Science Leader Network
      • Resources for Supporting Science Teachers
      • Field Trip Explainer Program
      • Cambio
    • Tools for Teaching and Learning
      • Learning Toolbox
      • Science Snacks
      • Digital Teaching Boxes
      • Science Activities
      • Tinkering Projects
      • Recursos gratuitos para aprender ciencias
      • Videos
      • Exhibits
      • Publications
      • Apps
      • Educator Newsletter
      • Exploratorium Websites
    • Educator Newsletter
    • Advancing Ideas about Learning
      • Visitor Research and Evaluation
        • What we do
        • Reports & Publications
        • Projects
        • Who we are
      • Center for Informal Learning in Schools
    • Community Programs
      • High School Explainer Program
      • Xtech
      • Community Educational Engagement
      • California Tinkering Afterschool Network
        • About
        • Partners
        • Resources
        • News & Updates
        • Further Reading
  • Explore
    • Browse by Subject
      • Arts
      • Astronomy & Space Sciences
        • Planetary Science
        • Space Exploration
      • Biology
        • Anatomy & Physiology
        • Ecology
        • Evolution
        • Genetics
        • Molecular & Cellular Biology
        • Neuroscience
      • Chemistry
        • Combining Matter
        • Food & Cooking
        • Materials & Matter
        • States of Matter
      • Data
        • Data Collection & Analysis
        • Modeling & Simulations
        • Visualization
      • Earth Science
        • Atmosphere
        • Geology
        • Oceans & Water
      • Engineering & Technology
        • Design & Tinkering
        • Real-World Problems & Solutions
      • Environmental Science
        • Global Systems & Cycles
        • Human Impacts
      • History
      • Mathematics
      • Nature of Science
        • Measurement
        • Science as a Process
        • Size & Scale
        • Time
      • Perception
        • Light, Color & Seeing
        • Listening & Hearing
        • Optical Illusions
        • Scent, Smell & Taste
        • Tactile & Touch
      • Physics
        • Electricity & Magnetism
        • Energy
        • Heat & Temperature
        • Light
        • Mechanics
        • Quantum
        • Sound
        • Waves
      • Social Science
        • Culture
        • Language
        • Psychology
        • Sociology
    • Browse by Content Type
      • Activities
      • Blogs
        • Spectrum
          • Arts
          • Behind the Scenes
          • News
          • Education
          • Community & Collaborations
          • Science
        • Eclipse
        • Studio for Public Spaces
        • Tangents
        • Resonance See & Hear Blog
        • Fabricated Realities
        • Tinkering Studio: Sketchpad
        • Exploratorium on Tumblr
      • Exhibits
      • Video
      • Websites
      • Apps
        • Total Solar Eclipse
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Land Acknowledgment
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Impact Report
    • Awards
    • Our History
      • 50 Years 1969–2019

    • Leadership Cabinet
    • Board of Trustees
    • Board of Trustees Alumni
    • Staff Scientists
    • Staff Artists

    • Arts at the Exploratorium
      • Artworks on View
      • Artist-in-Residence Program
      • Cinema Arts
        • History and Collection
        • Cinema Artists-in-Residence
        • Resources and Collaborating Organizations
        • Kanbar Forum
      • Center for Art & Inquiry
        • Begin Here
          • Lessons
            • Bob Miller/Light Walk
            • Ruth Asawa/Milk Carton Sculpture
          • Workshops
      • Resonance
        • About the Series
        • See & Hear
        • Past Seasons
      • Over the Water
      • Black Box
      • Upcoming Events
      • Temporary Exhibitions
      • Arts Program Staff
    • Teacher Institute
    • Institute for Inquiry
    • Explainer Programs
    • Studio for Public Spaces
    • Exhibit Making
    • Partnerships
      • Building Global Connections
        • Global Collaborations
          • Projects
          • Approach
          • People
          • Impact
      • Partnering with Science Agencies
        • NASA
        • NOAA
      • Partnering with Educational Institutions
      • Osher Fellows

    • Job Opportunities
    • Become a Volunteer

    • Contact Info
    • Newsletter
    • Educator Newsletter
    • Blogs
    • Follow & Share
    • Press Office

    • FY21 Audit Report
    • 990 FY20 Tax Return
    • Use Policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Intellectual Property Policy
  • Join + Support
    • Donate Today!
    • Membership
      • Membership FAQ
      • Member Benefits
      • After Dark Membership
      • Member Events
      • May Is for Members
    • Join Our Donor Community
    • Engage Your Business
      • Corporate Membership
      • Luminary Partnerships
    • Attend a Fundraiser
      • Wonder Funday
      • Science of Cocktails
      • Party at the Piers
        • Event Leadership and Host Committee
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Thank You to Our Supporters
    • Donor & Corporate Member FAQ
    • Volunteer
      • How to Apply
      • Application for Internships
      • Our Contract
      • Application for Individuals
  • Press Office
    • Press Releases
    • News Coverage
    • Events Calendar
    • Photographs
    • Press Video
    • Press Kits
    • Press Visits
    • Exploratorium Logos
    • Recent Awards
    • Praise for the Exploratorium
    • Join Our Press List
  • Store

Masks and vaccinations are recommended. Plan your visit  

Visitor FAQ Buy Tickets Donate Today
Exploratorium
Exploratorium
  • Visit
    • Calendar
    • After Dark Thursdays
    • Buy Tickets
    • Exhibits
    • Museum Galleries
    • Artworks on View
    • Hours
    • Getting Here
    • Visitor FAQ
    • Event Rentals
    • Field Trips
  • Education
    • Professional Development Programs
    • Free Educator Workshops
    • Tools for Teaching and Learning
    • Learning About Learning
    • Community Programs
    • Educator Newsletter
  • Explore
    • Browse by Subject
    • Activities
    • Video
    • Exhibits
    • Apps
    • Blogs
    • Websites
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Partnerships
    • Global Collaborations
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Arts at the Exploratorium
    • Contact Us
  • Join + Support
    • Donate Today!
    • Membership
    • Join Our Donor Community
    • Engage Your Business
    • Attend a Fundraiser
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Thank You to Our Supporters
    • Donor & Corporate Member FAQ
    • Host Your Event
    • Volunteer
  • Store

Exploring Science and English Language Development: Implications for Teacher Professional Learning

A conference hosted by the Institute for Inquiry at the Exploratorium

Plenary Sessions

Plenary presentations provided a context for conference case studies and working groups by exploring fundamental conceptions of science learning and English language development.

Conference Introduction (10:18)

A description of the Exploratorium’s engagement with science inquiry, English language development and teacher professional learning; and the context, rationale and goals for the conference.
Presenter: Lynn Rankin

Science Learning and Language Learners (24:04)

The three dimensions of science learning that comprise the NGSS (science practices, disciplinary core ideas and cross cutting concepts) necessitate the use of language to develop understanding of science phenomena.
Presenter: Helen Quinn

Doing Science With Language: Acquiring English Through Participation (31:22)

New theories of language acquisition and examples of children engaged in productive uses of language reveal how and why science can be a good context for language development.
Presenters: Guadalupe Valdés, Sarah Capitelli

Inquiry with Exhibits: Explore Science & the Use of Language (5:19)

Conference participants are given the opportunity to act as learners as they explore the museum floor in small groups. Later they discuss the role of language in their science investigations.

Lynn Rankin

Lynn Rankin

Director, Institute for Inquiry, Exploratorium

Lynn Rankin is Director of the Exploratorium’s Institute for Inquiry, a national professional development center for K-5 practitioners and leaders of elementary science reform efforts. Lynn has decades of experience in science curricula development, teacher professional development and program design in both formal and informal learning environments. She was a co-founder and faculty member of the Association of Science and Technology Centers' Professional Development Institutes for museum educators; she served on the faculty of the NSF-funded Center for Informal Learning and Schools, a collaboration between the Exploratorium, King's College, and the University of California at Santa Cruz. She has contributed to numerous national publications and committees, including the National Science Foundation’s, Foundations II: Inquiry, Thoughts, Views and Strategies for the K-5 Classroom, the National Academy of Science’s committee to develop Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards and National Institute for Science Education's Committee on Professional Development. She has served as PI on numerous National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Education, and private foundation grants. She leads the US DOE funded i3 (Investing in Innovation) project “Integrating ELD and Science: A Professional Development Approach” and the BaySci Science Champions Academy. Before joining the Exploratorium in 1975, she taught elementary school in the San Francisco Unified School District.

Helen Quinn

Helen Quinn

Professor Emerita of Physics, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University & Committee Chair for Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards

Helen Quinn is Professor Emerita of Particle Physics and Astrophysics at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. She received her PhD in physics at Stanford in 1967.  She has taught physics at both Harvard and Stanford. Dr. Quinn is an internationally recognized theoretical physicist who holds the Dirac Medal (from the International Center for Theoretical Physics, Italy), the Klein Medal (from The Swedish National Academy of Sciences and Stockholm University) and the Sakurai Prize (from the American Physical Society). She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. She is a Fellow and former president of the American Physical Society.  She is originally from Australia and is an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia.

Dr. Quinn has been active in science education for some years. She served as Chair of the US National Academy of Science Board on Science Education (BOSE) from 2009-2014. She served as a member of the BOSE study that developed the report “Taking Science to School” and chaired the committee for the Framework for K-12 Science Education, which is the basis of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that have now been adopted by multiple states in the US. She also served on the committee that developed the report “Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards”. She is a member of the steering committee of the Understanding Language coalition at Stanford University, with a focus on the intersection of science learning and language learning.

Guadalupe Valdés

Guadalupe Valdés

Bonnie Katz Tenenbaum Professor of Education, Stanford University

Guadalupe Valdés is the Bonnie Katz Tenenbaum Professor of Education at Stanford University. Working in the area of applied linguistics, Dr. Valdés' research explores many of the issues of bilingualism relevant to teachers in training, including methods of instruction, typologies, measurement of progress, and the role of education in national policies on immigration. Specifically, she studies the sociolinguistic processes of linguistic acquisition by learners in different circumstances—those who set out to learn a second language in a formal school setting (elective bilingualism) and those who must learn two languages in order to adapt to immediate family-based or work-based communicative needs within an immigrant community (circumstantial bilingualism). Her research in these areas has made her one of the most eminent experts on Spanish-English bilingualism in the United States.

Dr. Valdés is a member of the American Academy of Education, a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and a member of the Board of Trustees of Educational Testing Service (ETS). She is a founding partner of Understanding Language, an initiative that focuses attention on the role of language in subject-area learning, with a special focus on helping English Language Learners meet the new Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards (http://ell.stanford.edu).

Sarah Capitelli

Sarah Capitelli

Assistant Professor, Teacher Education, University of San Francisco

Sarah Capitelli is an Assistant Professor at the University of San Francisco in the School of Education’s Teacher Education Department. Sarah works with pre-service and practicing teachers to support their developing pedagogical practices for teaching bilingual, English learner, and immigrant students. She facilitates a teacher inquiry group comprised of USF graduates and current SFUSD teachers focused on supporting teachers’ systematic examination of student data to improve their teaching practices with English learners. She also coordinates the Bilingual Authorization Program at USF. Additionally, Sarah has been working with IFI at the Exploratorium since 2012, contributing a language development perspective to IFI’s inquiry-based science professional development work.

Previously, Sarah was a kindergarten teacher in Anaco, Venezuela for two years and a first and second grade Spanish-bilingual teacher in East Oakland for six years. She received her MA in Early Childhood Development and Bilingual Teacher Credential from Mills College and her PhD in Educational Linguistics from Stanford University. Her research focuses on young English learners and their teachers and the role teacher inquiry can play in improving pedagogical practices for English learners.

Institute for Inquiry

  • What Is Inquiry?
  • Watch and Do Science
  • Inquiry-based Science and English Language Development
    • Educators Guide
    • Conference: Exploring Science and English Language Development
      • Interviews with Participants
      • Plenary Sessions
      • Synthesis, Documentation, and Resources
  • Workshops
  • Resource Library
  • Meet the IFI Staff



Connect with us!



  •   Sign up for our educator newsletter

  •   Follow #ExploEDU

  •  ifi@exploratorium.edu

Exploratorium
Visit
Join
Give

Pier 15
(Embarcadero at Green Street)
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.528.4444

Contact Us

  • Plan Your Visit
  • Calendar
  • Buy Tickets
  • Getting Here
  • Store
  • Event Rentals
  • About Us
  • Become a Member
  • Donate
  • Jobs
  • Volunteer
  • Press Office
  • Land Acknowledgment

Get at-home activities and learning tools delivered straight to your inbox

The Exploratorium is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our tax ID #: 94-1696494
© 2023 Exploratorium | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Your California Privacy Rights |