Interdisciplinary

Science Workshop

Project TEACH&

Interdisciplinary ScienceTeacher Education Alliance of Colleges and High Schools

Keith Clay, Co-Director

For further information…

Keith Clay: kclay@grcc.ctc.edu Interdisciplinary Science:

www.ivygreen.ctc.edu/ids Project TEACH:

www.projectteach.org This presentation:

www.ivygreen.ctc.edu/kclay

Project TEACH The Full Cycle of Teacher The Full Cycle of Teacher

PreparationPreparation1. High

School2. Community

College

3. University College of Education

4. K12 Beginning

TeacherMentoring

Teacher Education Is there a shortage?

In the next 10 years, America needs to hire 2.8 million new teachers. (DOE, 2002)

Washington had 3000 vacancies for elementary and 5000 vacancies for secondary in 2001-2002. (OSPI)

But recent grads of elementary teacher education programs have had trouble finding jobs. (Seattle Times, Daily Olympian)

Teacher Education The Need in Washington Rural schools report shortages in all areas

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”

Mathematics for elementary teachers course sequence

3-qtr., Interdisciplinary Science course sequence

Courses model interactive teaching and active learning

To strengthen math and science for elementary schools.

Project TEACH Math Curriculum

Three quarter sequence covers foundations of: Arithmetic Geometry Probability and statistics

Content class taught through interactive methods

Students are introduced to WA State’sEssential Academic Learning Requirements

Linked to mentored field experiences with exemplary elementary teachers

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: 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 have 55 IDS students now, of which 45 claim a primary interest in elementary ed.

Interdisciplinary Science: The Curriculum Challenge

Inquiry-based and Hands-on:Less than 20% of time in lectureStudents are often self-guided

Coherent & Cumulative:GRCC uses a “Climate” themeLinks 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 ChallengeSo 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 to be determined

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.

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 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 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 WritingENGL 111 – Writing in the Humanities

ENGL 180 – Children’s Literature

Humanities/Fine ArtsSPCH 100 – Basic Speech Communication10 credits from ART, MUSIC, DRAMA or DANCE

Social SciencePSYCH 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 CourseHL ED 190 – First Aid and Personal Safety

ScienceIDS 101 – Interdisciplinary Science IIDS 102 – Interdisciplinary Science IIIDS 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 EducationEDUC 172.1 – Tutoring in the Elementary SchoolsEDUC 110 – Child DevelopmentEDUC 197 – Introduction to Special EducationEDUC 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