What does three‐dimensional teaching and learning look like?: Examining the potential for crosscutting concepts to support the development of science knowledge

Abstract Science education reforms focus on the integration of three dimensions: disciplinary core ideas (DCIs), scientific and engineering practices (SEPs), and crosscutting concepts (CCCs). While research has examined the role of DCIs and SEPs in teaching and learning, little research has explored how the CCCs might be integrated. This research proposes an approach for integrating the CCCs into instruction to support students to understand the utility of the CCCs before applying them to make connections across science ideas. Using lessons co‐developed with the teacher who enacted them, this design experiment describes a teacher's use of the three dimensions to support student learning. The findings use students’ conceptual models and classroom dialogue as evidence to illustrate the roles that the CCC played in opportunities to learn. The CCCs appear to play three roles: (1) they implicitly served as a frame for the classroom activities and dialogue, (2) they explicitly framed a discussion to develop students’ understanding about their use as a lens to examine the phenomenon, and (3) the components of the CCC appeared in students’ conceptual models highlighting aspects of their understanding. This research has implications for how learning environments can be developed to support students’ learning of three‐dimensional science knowledge.