The Rising Tide Project: Changing How University Researchers and Secondary Educators Work Together

Coastal Carolina University, Conway SC

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Rising Tide Project: Changing How University Researchers and Secondary Educators Work Together The Rising Tide Project raises the level of scientific awareness and confidence on a local level by making collaboration between researchers and educators the norm, rather than the exception. Teacher/student teams, each consisting of one local high school teacher and one Coastal Carolina University (CCU) undergraduate, work with CCU marine science faculty mentors on summer research projects. Each team participates in a different local marine-related research project. Using the methodology and data from its research experience, each team designs locally relevant discovery and inquiry based classroom activities for high school students. Activities are designed in a web-based format, tested and assessed in the classroom, and incorporated into the South Carolina Aquarium's web site where they become part of the Aquarium's statewide aquatic curriculum. The goals of this program are to improve the scientific competence of local high school science teachers and enable local high school science teachers to motivate their classrooms by incorporating classroom activities based on locally relevant scientific research that is pedagogically sound and is consistent with national and state standards.