Suzanne Lunsford
ABSTRACT
This professional development program has been designed to increase the integrated science content, pedagogical, and technological knowledge of teams of middle and high school teachers in Ohio. The selected schools are high need areas with an overall average from these school districts serving a population of 63% students who are economically disadvantaged. The 24 teachers participating in this program each year serve as catalysts and mentors to other teachers, and has driven curriculum change in these districts. This professional development program has effected these changes by using a three-phase research based approach to classroom educator training with hands-on experiences. Phase I is composed of a one week field experience followed by a week long laboratory experience. The field trip involves participants to the Atlantic Ocean to study the physical and biological processes that interact to form the modern ocean environment compared to the ancient ocean sediments preserved in the Atlantic Coastal Plain around the Duke University Marine Laboratory and research institute. The field experiences are founded in guided and constructivist based questioning content and pedagogical understandings.
Following the inquiry based field trip, participants gathered for a week of laboratory work, participating in inquiry based learning with samples collected from the field, and developing ideas to integrate inquiry with science activities into their own classrooms. Phase II involves a four-week long internet course designed to assist participants in developing classroom applications. The teams of classroom educators have developed, implemented and assessed inquiry based integrated science activities in their own classrooms. Phase III has an on-line course that incorporates Earth System Science with real world topics and scenarios. Support and contact with participants and project personnel is maintained during phase III of the project through frequent interactive web-conferences during the K-12 school year. Teachers participating in this program have been agents of change and have been assisting their districts with leading students to be more versed in the skills that are stressed by the National Science Education Standards and current efforts to improve STEM education.
Education, Informatics, and Cybernetics 