Barbara Crawford

With her background in laboratory research, two science degrees, and nearly two decades as a secondary science teacher, Barbara Crawford is one of the few researchers addressing the inconsistency between the nature of scientific inquiry and the classroom teaching of scientific inquiry, a critical issue raised by prominent national organizations. The National Science Foundation supports CrawfordÕs work. There is evidence that her work in the area of understanding and enhancing teachersÕ understandings of scientific inquiry and the nature of science, and in particular models and modeling, is having an impact at the international level. Dr. CrawfordÕs research findings connected to teachersÕ knowledge of models and modeling indicate that software scaffolds can support prospective teachers in building and testing dynamic models of scientific phenomena, something prospective teachers report never having done in their undergraduate science coursework. Dr. Crawford was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Research in Science Teaching (NARST), and serves as chair of the NARST Publications Advisory Committee and Editor of the E-NARST News.