Education Summit:
Interdisciplinary Science
and Science Education
Project TEACH&
Interdisciplinary Science
Teacher Education Alliance of Colleges and
High Schools
Keith Clay, GRCC Co-Director
Bruce Palmquist, CWU Director
For further information…
Keith Clay: [email protected] Bruce Palmquist: [email protected] Interdisciplinary Science:
www.ivygreen.ctc.edu/ids Project TEACH:
www.projectteach.org This presentation:
www.ivygreen.ctc.edu/kclay/ids
Teacher Education Is there a shortage?
Washington had 3000 vacancies for elementary and 5000 vacancies for secondary in 2001-2002. (OSPI)
But recent graduates of elementary teacher education programs have had trouble finding jobs. (Seattle Times, Daily Olympian)
Teacher Education The Need in Washington
Top 5 teaching shortages forecast ‘02 – ‘07 Special Education 72% Mathematics 51% Science – Chemistry 44% Science – Physics 38% Science – Biology 38%
Washington now has a MS Math & Science endorsement with no programs in place
Districts are recruiting elementary & middle school math/science specialists
Project TEACH “Strategy 3”
3-qtr., Interdisciplinary Science sequenceCourses model interactive teaching and
require active learning
To strengthen math and science for elementary schools.Math for elementary teachers sequence
GRCC Project TEACH Interdisciplinary
Science
Inquiry-based with little lecture
Projects introduce education students to national standards and/or EALRs
Three-quarter sequence for elementary education and other liberal arts majors
Interdisciplinary approach includes biology, geology, physics, and chemistry
Interdisciplinary Science: What is the K-8 Curriculum?
According to OSPI
SYSTEMS:
Ecosystems,Circuits,Rock cycle,Nerves…
Rockets,Solar system,Spiders…
INQUIRY30%
40%
30%
DESIGN
Interdisciplinary Science: What is the K-8 Curriculum?
Teacher Certification: the “big” systems are…Physical Science,Earth and Space Science,Life Science.
The method of learning science is inquiry.The use of science is part of science.
Interdisciplinary Science: What are the WA Standards? EALR: Ess. Acad. Learning Requirement WASL: Wa. Assess’t of Student Learning SCIF: Science Curr. Instr. Frameworks (they
write the EALRs) SALT: Sci. Assess’t Leadership Team (They
write the WASL) All online: www.k12.wa.us/curriculumInstruct
Interdisciplinary Science: …and the Nat’l standards?
“The Standards” = NSES Written by the National Academy of Science
“The Benchmarks” (for Science Literacy) Written by AAAS Project 2061
(Amer. Assoc. for Advancement of Science)
“The Atlas” (of Science Literacy) Written by AAAS Project 2061 Students can read this!!
Future K-8 Science Teachers: CC/Univ. Recommendations
DRAFT Recommendations: Require college-level science courses in physical,
life, and earth and space sciences. Require 10 qtr credits (5+ lab), 15 recommended. Courses should target future elementary teachers. Address knowledge and skills in the endorsement
competencies for elementary teachers. Emphasize inquiry, history and nature of science. Engage future teachers in hands-on, inquiry-
based learning.
Interdisciplinary Science: The Student Challenge
Attract future elementary teachers to a new yearlong science course
Integrate biology, chemistry, geology, and physics into an inquiry lab setting
Make it cohesive, cumulative, and interesting
Make it challenging, not intimidating
Interdisciplinary Science: The Student Challenge MYTH: Elementary ed majors won’t take more
science courses than absolutely necessary.
REALITY: Almost all of our elementary ed students stick around for two quarters and many are staying for three.
We had 55 IDS students on the fall, of which 45 claimed a primary interest in elementary ed. 26 took 102 and 103, some took other lab sciences.
Interdisciplinary Science: The Curriculum Challenge
Inquiry-based and Hands-on:Less than 20% of time in lecture
Students are often self-guided
Coherent & Cumulative:GRCC uses a “Climate” theme
Links to the “real world”
Interdisciplinary Science: The Curriculum Challenge Get your science faculty together
Make a list of “key topics”
Be prepared to throw the list away
Your students will show you what they need to learn
Interdisciplinary Science: The Curriculum Challenge Length, Area, Volume: is this science?
Heat radiation, Vapor pressure, Plate tectonics, Photosynthesis: are these?
Can your students learn about the second group of subjects without the first?
Interdisciplinary Science: The Curriculum Challenge
So be creative…
Rainfall –
What’s an inch of rain?
If an inch of rain falls on the rain gauge at the right, how deep will the water be?
Interdisciplinary Science: The Curriculum Challenge
Hydrology – what’s the discharge of a river?
And be more creative…
Interdisciplinary Science: The Curriculum ChallengeTextbooks? We write our own
www.ivygreen.ctc.edu/ids Physics by Inquiry, McDermott and PEG Geology Lab manuals (loaned to students) Biology text (Smith and Smith – Ecology)
Interdisciplinary Science: The Instruction ChallengeWho’s gonna teach it? Team teach if you can Teach it the way that
your students will teach Hang on to your facultyBuild consensus among administrators, instructors and non-participating faculty
Interdisciplinary Science: The Instruction ChallengeWhat if we just lecture? Arizona State U (Wyckoff, Hestenes):
There is a direct correlation between learning and a lack of lectures
Montana State U (Francis, Adams):Students in inquiry-based classes are better problem solvers and retain more factual knowledge one year after the class.
The Instruction Challenge: So what is inquiry, anyway? Open-ended inquiry:
Here’s a question. Find an answer.Here’s some equipment. What do you see?“Take this fish and look at it.” (Scudder)
Guided inquiry:Physics by Inquiry, Explorations in PhysicsInstructors plan where investigation will lead.
Interdisciplinary Science: The Instruction Challenge
Teaching by Inquiry is a lot of work!
(for the students and for the teachers)
The payoff for these students is huge.
Some instructors just don’t get it.
Cherish the ones that do.
Interdisciplinary Science: The Instruction Challenge
What if we just lecture? “I was a volunteer at a public school.
I took IDS because I needed a science credit. When I saw people teaching science the way I wanted someone to teach my kids, the way I wanted to teach, I decided to become a teacher and changed my major. Now I’m thinking of becoming a middle school science teacher.”
Lori Epperson
IDS alumna
Interdisciplinary Science: The Results
Students show improved scores on general science tests.
Students score significantly higher on the Science Attitude Inventory (Moore and Foy, Miami University)
Lori Epperson
Presenting about Project TEACH
At a national AACC/NSF convention
Interdisciplinary Science: The Results
IDS students helped create an elementary education degree with a minor in science
IDS and GRCC math alums now lead the charge for the middle school math and science endorsement.
Debbie Hanninen
Helped to lobby CWU to createthe elementary ed/science option
Project TEACH Associate Pre-Professional Degree in Elementary Education
EnglishENGL 110 – College Writing
ENGL 111 – Writing in the Humanities
ENGL 180 – Children’s Literature
Humanities/Fine ArtsSPCH 100 – Basic Speech Communication
10 credits from ART, MUSIC, DRAMA or DANCE
Social Science
PSYCH 100 – General Psychology
or PSYCH 210 – Developmental PsychologyANTHR 202 – Cultural Anthropology
or AMES 100 – American Ethnic & Minority Studies
10 credits from courses with prefixes of:
HIST, GEOG, POLI SCI or ECON
Fitness/Wellness
PE – Fitness Course
HL ED 190 – First Aid and Personal Safety
ScienceIDS 101 – Interdisciplinary Science I
IDS 102 – Interdisciplinary Science II
IDS 103 – Interdisciplinary Science III
MathematicsMATH 170 – Foundations of Elementary Math I (Number
Theory)
MATH 171 – Foundations of Elementary Math II (Geometry)
MATH 172 – Foundations of Elementary Math III (Prob. & Stats)
Professional Core/PracticumEDUC 170 – Introduction to Education
EDUC 172.1 – Tutoring in the Elementary Schools
EDUC 110 – Child Development
EDUC 197 – Introduction to Special Education
EDUC 270 – Teacher Portfolio Review
CWU at GRCC
Six quarters - Fall, 2002 to Winter, 2004
Classes taught at GRCC and local schools
14-16 credits per quarter
Run through Continuing Education - CWU
Elementary education major, science education minor, and K-8 certificate
CWU faculty advisor travels from main campus
CWU at GRCC3rd and 4th Year Program Specifics
Fall, 2002 Summer, 2003PE 334 - PE Methods SCED 301 - Interdisciplinary ScienceSCED 322 - Science Methods EDRD 421 - Teaching Children's Lit.PSY 314 - Human Development EDRD 308 - Reading IEDF 302 - Students with Exceptionalities SCED 495 - Science Ed. Research
Winter, 2003 Pre-AutumnMUS 326 - Music Methods EDCS 300 - Pre-autumn ExperienceSCED 422 - Advanced Science MethodsEDCS 311 - General Teaching Methods Fall, 2003PSY 315 - Educational Psychology EDEL 323 - Math Methods
EDRD 309 - Reading IISpring, 2003 EDCS 444 - Ed. Issues and the LawEDEL 420 - Social Science Methods SCED 420 - Science PracticumEDRD 420 - Language Arts MethodsART 330 - Art Methods Winter, 2004HED 446 - Health Methods EDCS 442 - Student TeachingEDCS 316 - Educational Technology
Bibliography
IDS Website: www.ivygreen.ctc.edu/ids
Physics by Inquiry: PEG at UW (and check out the workshop)
Explorations in Physics, Laws, et al
Atlas (etc.) of Science Literacy: Proj2061
National Science Standards and Inquiry
Asking the Right Questions, Browne and Keeley
www.projectteach.org