GK-12: Project FULCRUM - Building Partnerships

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT FULCRUM: BUILDING STUDENT-SCIENTIST- TEACHER PARTNERSHIPS - Give me a long enough lever and a place to stand and I can move the Earth - Project FULCRUM is a teacher-scientist-teacher educator collaboration that will place graduate and undergraduate science students from the University of Nebraska in grades 4 - 8 in the Lincoln Public Schools to form partnerships with teachers. The goals of this collaboration are: 1) Enhance 4'h _ 8,h grade students' opportunities to team science by increasing access to inquiry-driven experiences in content areas that satisfy national and state science standards; 2) Assist teachers in feeling more comfortable and knowledgeable about teaching science; 3) Provide students with diverse role models by involving women and other underrepresented groups at all levels; 4) Improve student attitudes regarding their involvement in and future study of science; 5) Help GK-12 fellows improve pedagogical, communication and teamwork skills, thus enhancing future employment opportunities; 6) Assess the short- and long-term impacts of the program on the elementary and middle schools, the teachers at those schools and the GK- 12 fellows; 7) Strengthen the UNTL - LPS partnership by establishing an infrastructure that facilitates interactions between teachers, teacher educators and scientists; and, 8) Piomote long-term cooperation between scientists and teacher educators at UNL to stimulate additional joint activities impacting. K- 12 education. Project'FULCRUM is based on school-centered teams that include a graduate and an undergraduate GK-12 fellow, a lead teacher, other classroom teachers, faculty scientists and pre-service teachers. GK-12 fellows will form partnerships with teachers at their school to increase the inquiry component of existing activities and to develop new activities that introduce the students to science content, and to the relationship of science to people and society. Fellows will attend a summer institute to introduce them to inquiry learning. Seminars throughout the school year will help them understand their role in the classroom. The lead teacher will mentor the fellow and assist the Pls in gathering and evaluating. data from their schools. Pre-service teachers will share a common methods course and will discuss experiences from the program as part of their course. Internal and external assessments will monitor whether the program is meeting the needs of the students. 0086358