Successful STEM Education and Education for Life and Work: Some Critical Connections and Implications

James Pellegrino, University of Illinois at Chicago
The 2012 NRC Report Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century discusses the meaning of terms such as “deeper learning” and “21st century skills” and considers how such constructs are connected to contemporary STEM education standards and frameworks. The implications of this for successful STEM education and for college and career readiness will be considered in this session.


About the Presenter:
James Pellegrino, Professor and co-Director of Learning Sciences Research Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago
James Pellegrino’s work is focused on analyses of STEM learning and instructional environments with the goal of better understanding the nature of student learning and the conditions that enhance deep understanding. He also serves on technical advisory committees (TAC) overseeing state assessment programs, as well as the state consortia funded under the Race to the Top assessment initiative (SBAC, PARCC, DLM, and NCSC). Pellegrino has received multiple grants from the National Science Foundation and Institute of Education Sciences for projects focused on STEM education across K–16, including leadership of a major NSF-funded project to redesign Advanced Placement courses and exams in biology, chemistry, and physics. He has headed several National Academy of Science/National Research Council study committees focused on issues of teaching, learning, and assessment. Pellegrino chaired the Study Committee on the Foundations of Assessment and the Study Committee on Deeper Learning and 21st Century Skills. He currently co-chairs the Study Committee on Developing Assessments of Science Proficiency in K–12. He was a member of the Study Committee on Test Design for K–12 Science Achievement; the Study Committee on Science Learning: Games, Simulations and Education; and the Study Committee on Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards. He is a fellow of AERA, a past member of the NRC Board on Testing and Assessment, and an elected member of the National Academy of Education. Pellegrino received his BA from Colgate University and his PhD in Experimental and Quantitative Psychology from the University of Colorado.