The proposal seeks to bring together for a 3 day conference scholars from 3 academic communities: 1) the learning sciences; 2) science studies; 3) educational research. The structure of the conference has two parts. The sessions on the first day of the conference will be devoted to discussion of issues about the nature of scientific inquiry and inquiry models of learning. The sessions on the second day will continue the focus on inquiry models but also begin to ask questions and raise issues about aligning models of scientific inquiry into curriculum, instruction and assessment models. There will be representation from each of the 3 scholarly communities: learning sciences, science studies, and educational research. There will be two summary panel groups composed of educational researchers. The entire proceedings of the conference (e.g., presentations, comments, and discussions) will be published as an edited volume and made available as a CD. Symposium session presentations on the outcome of the conference will be submitted to American Educational Research Association, National Association for Research in Science Teaching, and the History of Science Society. In addition, the recommendations and issues emerging from this conference will inform the framework and content for the Critical Issues Conference of the 2005 International History and Philosophy of Science and Science Teaching, Leeds, England.
