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: kclay@grcc.ctc.edu Bruce Palmquist: palmquis@cwu.edu 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