Proposal deadline: Saturday, May 23, 2009
Acceptances (no later than): Saturday, June 27, 2009
Revisions for Proceedings: Saturday, August 29, 2009
Crossroads 2009 Begins: Sunday, September 20, 2009
Submit papers to: sciedxroads@gmail.com
Science Education at the Crossroads
20-22 September 2009, Portland, Oregon
Science Education at the Crossroads (www.sciedxroads.org) is an ambitious working conference designed to explicitly address problems and pursuits in the field of science education. Rather than having people share work they have finished, presenters at Crossroads describe the sources of concern and efforts to resolve those within their practices. Each attendee of the Crossroads Conference is a presenter/participant during the Incubator sessions which are in turn based upon a Vexation and Venture format.
To participate, submit a paper proposal by May 23, 2009 as an email attachment to sciedxroads@gmail.com. Early submissions are welcome and encouraged as well. Accepted work will receive substantive feedback (no later than June 27, 2009) from the conference organizers about modifying your writing to make it accessible, meaningful and generative to a wider audience. Your revised paper will appear in the Proceedings that is posted to the conference website and printed for the conference itself. As a result, all participants can preview all presentations before arriving at the conference. This process promotes two types of mental preparation: clarifying your own thoughts along with becoming aware of other attendees’ perspectives. Each proposal, Proceedings paper, and conference presentation consists of two components along with a special theme:
A Vexation
What is it that "vexes" you about some aspect of science education – anything ranging from the personal to the global? This is your opportunity to articulate a particular frustration you have regarding science education. Beyond simply venting, you are to describe the source of your frustration, the reason the issue is so troublesome, and the implications of this vexation if left unresolved. Many different possibilities exist, as is evident from previous years’ proceedings (see sciedxorads.org). The key is to describe your vexation so others can understand and engage in the problem you are considering.A Venture
Related to the aspect of science education that vexes you, you have likely considered paths you could take toward alleviating the vexation. Beyond simply identifying a vexation, your venture describes a possible course of action you might initiate to resolve, diminish, conquer, or overcome your vexation. It is not expected that you have yet begun your venture. Instead, we envision that you are approaching a crossroads where a decision must be made about an appropriate venture for your vexation. By identifying potential ventures you provide an entry point for others to confer with you. Describe the ventures, large or small, that seem candidates for you in order to push past your vexation.The Theme: Social Capital
Additionally, you are to attend to this year's theme: Social Capital. Social capital is an inherent property of community relationships. Within a group network, social capital is represented by the trust among individuals and their sense of obligation to each other, the flow of information among the actors within the network, and the interactional norms and expectations that sustain the collective good. In particular, consider how your proposal is describing an investment in social capital — How can you invest in relationships on any of a number of levels which will create trust, increase information flow, or enhance interaction, especially over the long term — especially as it relates to your Venture.
Proposal Submission
Your two-part proposal is to be no more than 1500 words in length. If you need to include references, please include these on a separate page as we will collect these and assemble them together at the appendix of the Proceedings. The two headings for your proposal are “Vexation” and “Venture” and are to be submitted as a single document in which you plainly describe the two components. Your submission should be made electronically as a Word or "rtf" attachment to sciedxroads@gmail.com on (or before) the May 23rd deadline. We will review all proposals and provide feedback via email by June 27th. The feedback should be considered and incorporated into the revied paper. Our efforts will be to help you in making your vexation and venture accessible and generative for a wider audience.
Proposal feedback for your proposal serves to confirm that your acceptance and is your signal to make the necessary registration, travel, and lodging arrangements. Because of the modest size of this conference, it is important that you to complete these tasks no later than August 29th.
You are to submit the final version of your paper no later than August 29th, 2009. The format remains the same as for your proposal: a vexation and venture in no more than 1500 words. We will post your paper on the Crossroads Conference website as well as providing hard copies of the Proceedings when you arrive. Having the Proceedings in both formats will allow everyone to preview the sessions as well as consult the papers during the actual conference. The goal is to spark new initiatives, promote fresh lines of inquiry, and create networks for ongoing support and collaborations.
The Proceedings represent your first effort at translating a vexation and venture into something that is shared with the larger group. By making these personal views available to others you create a space for advancing your understandings by inviting others to confer with you. For some participants, the Proceedings might be a sufficient outlet for resolving vexations and advancing ventures. However, we anticipate that for others at Crossroads the Proceedings will serve as an intermediate step for writings that should ultimately reach a wider audience than just those who attend our conference.
Your presentation will occur in the context of an Incubator Forum. You are to articulate your vexation/venture combination, identify its source(s), indicate its significance, and invite feedback, insights, and suggestions for the other participants. In contrast with typical conference presentations where the person at the front is seen as the provider of expertise (or an authority to challenge), the presenter is seeking support from the audience. We will supply facilitators and moderators to assist in the process. These will be arranged as breakout sessions with multiple Incubator Forums occurring simultaneously.
Unlike a typical "conference," we will NOT supply projectors and screens for the Incubator Forums. You might elect to bring handouts to distribute but we expect most participants to rely upon the Proceedings as the written outlet for their ideas. Our expectation is that the Incubator Forums will consist of 8 to 12 participants, so a circle of chairs will be more conducive to genuine discussion than a formal presentation from the front of the room.