Science "by Inquiry for the Future Elementary Teacher

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Science "by Inquiryfor theFuture Elementary
Teacher

• Jim Alouf, Education, alouf_at_sbc.edu
• Jill Granger, Chemistry, granger_at_sbc.edu
• Hank Yochum, Physics and Engineering,
  hyochum_at_sbc.edu
• Sweet Briar College

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Whats Going on Here?The need to connect
research and practice

• National education agendas encourage an
  investigative approach to the teaching and
  learning of science
• But in practice, the majority of in-service
  elementary teachers are reluctant to move away
  from a more traditional lecture and worksheet
  based approach in the classroom.
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• Recognizing a disconnection between theory and
  practice science and education faculty have been
  working with in-service elementary teachers
  through in-service development programs on
  Inquiry based teaching
• Start at the source pre-service elementary
  teachers.
• In 2002, we began an NSF-funded project to
  develop new courses in "Science by Inquiry",
  specifically designed to meet the educational
  needs of future elementary teachers in terms of
  content and skills as well as pedagogy.

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Science by Inquiry Courses

• Four Course Curriculum

Physics By Inquiry
Chemistry By Inquiry
Earth Science and Environmental Geography
Life Science By Inquiry
Classes are Lecture/Lab format, meet for 6 hours
per week, and students earn 4 credits per course.
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Inquiry?

• Introduce undergraduates
  to the process of science
  investigation as a tool for
  learning science content.
• Introduce science as a discipline which is
  critically dependent on communication skills.

Guided Inquiry
Structured Inquiry
Hands-On
Open Inquiry
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Why approach Teacher Education in Science via
Inquiry?

• Inquiry is inherently a hands-on and minds-on
  experience
• Best practices in science education for meeting
  the needs of diverse learners, for teaching
  science as a process (skills), and for showing
  science in application

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A ProfessionallyRelevant Curriculum

• Focus on Science by Inquiry
  allows the pre-service teacher
  to approach
  science from a
  pre-professional vantage
• Based on content areas specified in the National
  Science Standards and the Virginia Standards of
  Learning
• Topics divided between the series of specialty
  courses with minimal overlap
• Our background in teacher education has taught us
  that teachers need to experience hands-on,
  inquiry-based science in order to teach hands-on,
  inquiry-based science

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Project Progression
50K in NSF-funding 2002-2005
Course Development
Supplies and Materials
Evaluation And Travel
Teacher Ed Com.
External Eval.
In-Service Consultants
PxI
CxI
LESxI
Enrollment total was 81, with an average class
size of 13.5. A total of 12 students finished
all of the required courses.
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Course Content Development

• Review of Virginia Standards of Learning for K-6
  in science (and math)
• Standards were updated in 2003 and course was
  realigned at that time
• Divide strands among courses such that all
  strands are incorporated in the course sequence
• For Example Chemistry by Inquiry, focus on
• Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic
• Matter
• Chemistry by Inquiry shares topics
  in some strands with the
  other
  Inquiry courses
• Life Processes and Living Systems
• Force, Motion, and Energy
• Resources

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Courses utilize a variety of general and
content-specific resources

• Inquiry and the National Science Education
  Standards, NRC
• Douglas Llewellyn, Inquire Within Implementing
  Inquiry-based Science Standards, Corwin Press
• The Physics by Inquiry course utilizes a
  single-text, Physics by Inquiry developed by
  McDermott
• The Chemistry by Inquiry course utilizes a
  variety of research based and field tested
  materials
• Lawrence Hall of Science, Full Option Science
  System
• Lawrence Hall of Science, Great Explorations in
  Science and Math
• Science and Technology for Children (STC) -
  available through Carolina
• Other materials developed from various sources,
  tested with in-service teachers during
  professional development workshops

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Overcoming Barriers

• Identify faculty members who have similar goals
  and values with respect to science education and
  the role of scientists to lead reform
• Utilize state-mandated changes in licensure
  requirements to get involved in curricular
  changes
• Build relationships with faculty in the Education
  department
• Gain Administrative support for faculty and
  facilities

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Evaluation Process

• Iterative process which included planning,
  implementation, and summative review completed
  the cycle twice between spring 2002 and spring
  2005
• Course materials and student evaluations were
  reviewed by in-service teacher consultants as
  well as project evaluator
• Project faculty met/communicated on regular
  basis project director reported to Teacher
  Education Advisory committee annually
• Project evaluator made annual site-visits and met
  with in-service consultants as well as project
  faculty.

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Outcomes - In Students Content Knowledge and
Students Attitudes toward Science(from external
evaluators final report)

• Students test/exam results demonstrate that
  substantial science content was learned and
  furthermore that the courses stimulated them to
  want to learn more science.
• 100 of students agreed with the statement What
  I learned in this class will be useful to me in
  my classroom work as a teacher of science.
• Students experienced the scientific process and
  gained more positive attitudes toward science.

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Outcomes - Developmental (from external
evaluators final report)

• Course evaluations and end of course survey
  results provide evidence that effective science
  pedagogy was transferred from the faculty to the
  future elementary teachers. (Additional
  follow-up will be needed to determine if that
  pedagogy gets transferred into the elementary
  classroom.)
• Faculty development was enhanced through
  interactions among the faculty, the external
  evaluator, the Advisory Committee, and the
  Education Department. Evidence of the science
  facultys increased expertise was seen by the
  evaluator through review of the syllabi, course
  materials, and interviews.

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Challenges Met Pedagogy(from external
evaluators final report)

• Student resistance to the inquiry approach
  Some students struggled with making decisions on
  their own, possibly a result of the novelty of
  the inquiry approach to them at this late stage
  in their education.
• Managing student frustration during the inquiry
  process The stronger students digest the
  course deeper and see inquiry as a way to teach.
  Many find that what they thought was good
  science, isnt, and that what they thought was
  good science teaching isnt.

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Challenges Met Facilities(from external
evaluators final report)

• Creation of appropriate teaching spaces
  traditional science labs were deemed
  inappropriate for these courses because of lack
  of flexibility, lack of maneuverability, poor
  seating options, and visual obstructions.
  Furthermore the space did not model what a future
  teacher would encounter professionally.

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Formative Issues from the Faculty

• Breadth and Depth
• The Virginia Standards of Learning are content
  rich, making it difficult for faculty to give
  every topic sufficient attention at what the
  College Faculty deem collegiate-level. For
  example, an understanding of the Periodic
  Table how is that Standard implemented in the
  course and what level of understanding should the
  pre-service teachers be held accountable?
• Reconciling Content and Pedagogy
• The design of the courses is such that, in
  addition to providing content, they are also to
  serve as pedagogy courses/models for the
  undergraduate students. Science faculty are, to
  varying degrees, uncomfortable in this role. How
  is expertise gained and what professional
  development opportunities are available?

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Lessons Learned New Directions, Sustainability

• Pre-Professional Courses for Elementary Education
  students are not appropriate for fulfilling
  general education requirement primarily because
  of different student motivations for learning.
• Teaching Load considerations Each course
  currently gets counted as 50 of full load
  (course plus lab equivalent). Departments find
  this difficult to staff in consideration of
  courses needed for major programs.
• Moving Life Science to its own course and
  combining Earth Science with Environmental
  Geography because of content load was a
  significant recommendation.
• Continued faculty development in science
  education is desired.
• A Long-term follow-up project will be needed to
  see how these newly trained teachers put their
  experiences to use in the classroom.
• Sequencing the science courses and linking them
  with appropriate pre-service courses in math are
  desired.

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Acknowledgements

• National Science Foundation, CCLI, AI track,
  award 0126968
• Michael Bentley, Department of Theory and
  Practice in Teacher Education, University of
  Tennessee, Knoxville
• Mary Haines-Johnson, Joe Seagle, and Ingrid
  Sherwood Nelson and Amherst County Public
  Schools
• Other members of the Sweet Briar College faculty
  including those who served on the Teacher
  Education Advisory Committee 2002-2005
• Contact Us Jim Alouf (alouf_at_sbc.edu), Jill
  Granger (granger_at_sbc.edu), Hank Yochum
  (hyochum_at_sbc.edu)