Teaching Scientist Volunteers about K-12 Science Education,

Pedagogy, and Partnership

University of California San Francisco

Science & Health Education Partnership (SEP)

Patricia S. Caldera & Jean MacCormackpcaldera@sep.ucsf.edu & jmaccormack@sep.ucsf.edu

Who are we?• SEPFounded by Bruce Alberts and David Ramsey in 1987

• Scientist volunteersGraduate and health professional students, postdocs, research specialists, and staff

• SFUSD120 schools K-12 57,000 students

Mission: To promote partnership between scientists and educators in support of high quality science education for all K-12 students

2005-2006 SEP Participation

• 60 Partnership Teams

• 108 Classrooms with scientists

• 15,000 Students• 400 Teachers• 200 UCSF Volunteers• 20 High School Interns

• 90% of SFUSD Schools

Why Teaching Workshops?

•Lesson observations

-Lecture/demonstration

-Few students actively involved

-Inappropriate level

-Over ambitious

•Initiated in 1996

Things to consider when Teaching

Besides choosing a subject...

• Who are the students?

• What do they already know about the subject?

• How can all students be engaged?

• How do I know what they have learned?

“My favorite science lesson was all of them.”

Who are the students?

• Visit to Classroom

• Teacher PartnerRely on your

teacher partner!

Cognitive Development

a cell

• PiagetConcrete vs Abstract7-11year olds think mostly in the concrete (3rd - 6th grade) 12-13 year olds can start thinking in the abstract (7th grade)• Use of modelsModels of what we cannot seeSize of models3D drawingsSections/maps

or a doughnut

What do they already know about the

subject? Pre-Assessment• ProteinWhat comes to mind when you hear the word protein?How is this object

like a protein?How is this object not like a protein?

How can all students be engaged?

• Lesson Plan

• Teaching Strategies

Anatomy of a Lesson Plan

• Learning Goals– Content goals– Process goals– Inquiry

• Assessment of Student Learning– What do they already know?– What did they learn?

• Teaching Strategies– What will the students be doing?

• Materials Management– Materials for all

• Time Management– How much time is there?

• Classroom & Student Management– Expect the unexpected

Strategies for Engaging All Students

Give all students an opportunity to... •talk about scienceBrainstorm, practice wait-time, reporting from small groups, encourage students voices, many responses to a question

•handle materialsHave available enough materials, hands-on activities, work in small groups

Strategies for Engaging All Students

• think on their ownWait-time, open-ended questions, time to write, think-pair-share

• practice science for themselvesKeep your hands in your pockets, answer questions with questions

How else can students practice science for

themselves?• Essential features of inquiry– Levels of inquiry

• Exploring student questions– Investigable questions

Essential Features of Inquiry

• Engages in scientifically oriented questions• Gives priority to evidence in responding to the question

• Uses evidence to develop an explanation• Connects explanations to scientific knowledge• Communicates and justifies explanation

Reference: Inquiry and the National Education StandardsNational Academy of Sciences (NRC 2000, p. 29)

Who makes the decisions?

Teacher or Student• Posing a question• How can the question be answered?

• Design a test• Is it a fair test?• Data collection• Does it make sense?

• Share and discuss results

What did the students learn?

• Assessment– Wrap-up– Test– Science Journal

• As a volunteer/teacher what did I learn?– How did the lesson go?

AcknowledgementsPatricia Caldera, Liesl Chatman, Jennifer Chu, Margaret Clark, Helen Doyle, Andrew Grillo-Hill, Sabine Jeske, Jean MacCormack, Katherine Nielsen, Steve Ribisi, Claudia Scharff, Marcelle Siegel, Rebecca Smith, Tracy Stevens, Erin Strauss, Elisa Stone and Kimberly Tanner

This project was previously funded by the National Science Foundation and is currently funded by the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health (Grant No 5R25RR018504-03)

What participants said...

“In the past I think I’ve focused mostly on making a memorable/flashy demonstration and then using the kids curiosity to propel the lesson, with me asking the leading questions to guide them to the right answer. I had never thought of letting the kids come up with their own questions.” “The anatomy of a lesson plan was significant to me because I have not had any experience in devising a lesson and wasn’t sure where to begin.”