sponsored by the national science foundation under grant no. her-0315060 helping future elementary...
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Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Helping Future Elementary Teachers to Learn Science the Way We Expect them to
Teach ScienceWestern Washington UniversityWestern Washington University
Susan DeBari (Geology)Susan DeBari (Geology)Scott Linneman (Geology)Scott Linneman (Geology)Deb Donovan (Biology)Deb Donovan (Biology)Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez (Biology)Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez (Biology)Andrew Boudreaux (Physics)Andrew Boudreaux (Physics)Emily Borda (Chemistry)Emily Borda (Chemistry)Ed Geary (Science Education Director)Ed Geary (Science Education Director)Dan Hanley (Institutional Research)Dan Hanley (Institutional Research)
Whatcom Community CollegeWhatcom Community CollegeBernie Dougan (Geology) Bernie Dougan (Geology) John Rousseau (Biology) John Rousseau (Biology) Sara Julin (Physics)Sara Julin (Physics)
Skagit Valley CollegeSkagit Valley CollegeBen Fackler-Adams (Geology)Ben Fackler-Adams (Geology)Brad Smith (Geology)Brad Smith (Geology)Val Mullen (Biology)Val Mullen (Biology)Paul Frazy (Chemistry)Paul Frazy (Chemistry)
Everett Community CollegeEverett Community CollegeAlecia Spooner (Geology) Alecia Spooner (Geology) Pamela Pape Lindstrom (Biology)Pamela Pape Lindstrom (Biology)Rene Kratz (Physics)Rene Kratz (Physics)
NW Indian CollegeNW Indian CollegeTerri Plake (Geology)Terri Plake (Geology)
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
The pre-service emphasis:The pre-service emphasis:• Future elementary teachers (~190/yr accepted into the program) enter the university with weak science backgrounds
• Large lecture classes (the pre-existing option) do not provide a coherent learning experience that meets their needs (i.e. how we want science taught in schools)
• Science methods and practicum courses therefore had been spending significant time focusing on elementary science content rather than content-specific pedagogy
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Where did we start?Where did we start?
Highly influenced by research on learning: How People LearnBransford et al. (2000)
Key Findings– Engaging Preconceptions– Developing a conceptual framework
– Metacognition
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Where did we start?Where did we start?
Highly influenced by Physics and Everyday Thinking curriculumhttp://cpucips.sdsu.edu/web/pet/
Emphasizes– Preconceptions– Doing and thinking– Metacognition
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
PET features (that we adopted):
–Individual thinking and writing, small group discussion, whole group discussion–Energy diagrams–Whiteboarding–Instructor’s role: questioning
Classes are small (max 27)
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
The Curricula:The Curricula:
• All have modules (chapters) with multiple activities, each of which consists of a learning cycle
• No lectures: curriculum is frontloaded
SCED 201 SCED 202 SCED 203 SCED 204
CHEMISTRY AND THE INFORMED CITIZEN
Geology & Everyday Thinking
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Key Finding #1Key Finding #1: Addressing prior : Addressing prior conceptionsconceptions
Each activity within a chapter begins with “Initial Ideas”– “On your own, write down what you think….”– “Discuss your answers in your group. Prepare
a whiteboard that illustrates your ideas and be prepared to share it with the class”
ON YOUR OWN
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GROUP
PRESENTS TO CLASS
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Key Finding #1Key Finding #1: Addressing prior : Addressing prior conceptionsconceptions
1. Share initial ideas in a small group
WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE?
2. Represent range of ideas on whiteboard
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Key Finding #1Key Finding #1: Addressing prior : Addressing prior conceptionsconceptions
4. Generates class discussion
3. Share with the class
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Key Finding #1Key Finding #1: Addressing prior : Addressing prior conceptionsconceptions
Example
• Direct comparison of 3 different “initial ideas”
• No discussion of “right” or “wrong” at this stage.
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
UTILIZE MANIPULATIVES, DATA, AND EXPERIMENTS
Key finding #2: Conceptual frame-work & sense-making
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Key finding #2Key finding #2: Conceptual frame-: Conceptual frame-work & sense-makingwork & sense-making
• Sense-making: Continuous writing, discussing, whiteboarding
• Framework: Knowledge builds from previous chapters
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
SENSE-MAKING IS NOT THE INSTRUCTOR’S ROLE
Key finding #2: Conceptual frame-work & sense-making
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Key finding #3Key finding #3: Metacognition: MetacognitionStudent thought process is tracked in writing Student thought process is tracked in writing from initial ideas through analysis questions from initial ideas through analysis questions to summarizing questions. to summarizing questions.
Initial ideas
Activities within the chapter: analysis/interpretation questions
Summarizing questions
Chapter reflection
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Key finding #3Key finding #3: Metacognition: MetacognitionStudent thought process is tracked in writing Student thought process is tracked in writing from initial ideas through analysis questions from initial ideas through analysis questions to summarizing questions. to summarizing questions.
Initial ideas
Activities within the chapter: analysis/interpretation questions
Summarizing questions
Chapter reflection
“What visible features on Earth’s surface provide evidence for energy transfers within Earth? Where do these features occur? Are they distributed randomly over Earth’s surface or do they occur in discernable patterns?”
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Key finding #3Key finding #3: Metacognition: MetacognitionStudent thought process is tracked in writing Student thought process is tracked in writing from initial ideas through analysis questions from initial ideas through analysis questions to summarizing questions. to summarizing questions.
Initial ideas
Activities within the chapter: analysis/interpretation questions
Summarizing questions
Chapter reflection
“As you just did for the Atlantic Ocean, follow all the plate boundaries and look for patterns in your specialty data”
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Key finding #3Key finding #3: Metacognition: MetacognitionStudent thought process is tracked in writing Student thought process is tracked in writing from initial ideas through analysis questions from initial ideas through analysis questions to summarizing questions. to summarizing questions.
Initial ideas
Activities within the chapter: analysis/interpretation questions
Summarizing questions
Chapter reflection
“Create a new plate boundary scheme based on the data from all four scientific specialty data sets”
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Key finding #3Key finding #3: Metacognition: MetacognitionStudent thought process is tracked in writing Student thought process is tracked in writing from initial ideas through analysis questions from initial ideas through analysis questions to summarizing questions. to summarizing questions.
Initial ideas
Activities within the chapter: analysis/interpretation questions
Summarizing questions
Chapter reflection
“Compare the direction of plate movement arrows to the plate motion arrows you and your classmates drew in Activity 1. Discuss and try to explain any discrepancies”
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Key finding #3Key finding #3: Metacognition: MetacognitionStudent thought process is tracked in writing Student thought process is tracked in writing from initial ideas through analysis questions from initial ideas through analysis questions to summarizing questions. to summarizing questions.
Initial ideas
Activities within the chapter: analysis/interpretation questions
Summarizing questions
Chapter reflection
“Re-examine your plate on the 3-D bathymetric/topographic map of Earth in the Initial Ideas. What evidence can you now see that these boundaries exist?
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Key finding #3Key finding #3: Metacognition: MetacognitionStudent thought process is tracked in writing Student thought process is tracked in writing from initial ideas through analysis questions from initial ideas through analysis questions to summarizing questions. to summarizing questions.
Initial ideas
Activities within the chapter: analysis/interpretation questions
Summarizing questions
Chapter reflection
“How do you see your efforts in this cycle as relating to the way that scientists do their work?“
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
What constitutes a What constitutes a ““chapterchapter””??
• Overall purpose• Activity (several per chapter)
– Purpose– Focusing question – Initial ideas: individual, group, class
– Single or multiple experiments– Embedded discussions– Summarizing questions & final discussion
• Chapter summarizing questions
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
ALL WWU elementary ed majors:
•One quarter of constructivist physics (PET; =SCED 201) REQUIRED•Year-long constructivist science sequence (PET, GET, LSET, CIF; =SCED 201-204) RECOMMENDED•Science methods course (SCED 480) and science practicum course (SCED 490) that focus on use of exemplary curricular materials. REQUIRED
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Gains in Science Education Students’ Content Knowledge (Fall 2005 to Spring 2008)
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
Content Test Scores for Science Education vs. Traditional Lecture/Lab Science
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
** Significantly higher pretest scores for 20X students ^^ Significantly greater gains scores for non-20X students
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060** Significantly higher component score for 20X students
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
How these courses connect WWU and the feeder
community colleges (Everett, Skagit, Whatcom, Northwest
Indian)
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060
For further information:PET: http://cpucips.sdsu.edu/web/pet/
GET: Susan DeBari ([email protected])
LSET: Deb Donovan ([email protected]) http://www.smate.wwu.edu/smate/LSETpublic/resources.html
CIF: Emily Borda ([email protected])