Case Studies of Elementary Student Inquiry in Physical Science

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

9986846 HAMMER The project is designed to address two pressing needs of professional development in elementary science education. First teachers need better preparation in science; second they need preparation in understanding students' scientific thinking. Both are essential in meeting the objectives in recent state and national standards for science education, especially those of promoting student inquiry. The proposal is to develop a volume of written and video case studies as materials to be used to promote teachers' substantive investigation of student inquiry in science. This development will take place in collaboration with a group of 24 elementary school teachers whom the PIs will recruit directly from local schools. The PIs will work with these teachers over three years in month-long summer institutes and in two-hour, bi-weekly meetings during the school years. The meetings will integrate teacher study of physics with their study of students' reasoning in physics. The summer institutes will include adaptations of existing introductory courses in the areas of force and motion and electricity and magnetism. The final project will be a collection of case studies selected from what the teachers produce and organized to illustrate a progression of sophistication in student inquiry. The expectation is that the materials will be useful for preservice teachers as well as for experienced inservice teachers, including those developing applications for NBPTS certification.