The Collaborative Classroom-Based Inquiry and Fellows Program

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

Title of Project: The Collaborative Classroom-based Inquiry Project Institution: University of California, Davis PI/Co-PI: PI: Evelyn Silvia; Co-PI: Wendell Potter Number of fellows per year: 7 graduate; 7 undergraduate School District Partners: Dixon; Folsom-Cordova; Natomas; Vacaville Unified Target audience of the project: K-12 Setting: 1 Rural; 3 Suburban NSF supported disciplines involved: Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Geology, Life Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics Narrative Summary: The Collaborative Classroom Based Inquiry (CCBI) project connects University of California-Davis (UCD) graduate and undergraduate students with K-12 grade mathematics and science teachers who are conducting classroom-based inquiry. The fellows deepen their understanding of the issues of teaching and learning by working side-by-side with expert teachers who research their own pedagogy.. The subject matter expertise of the fellows contributes to the teacher-researchers' work by adding a different lens to their analysis of student learning. The K-12 grade students benefit from the collaboration as they receive research-based instruction, informed by systematic data collection on student learning as well as the latest results of research in the disciplines of mathematics and science. Fellows and teachers work together in the summer to explore teacher-research techniques, the State Standards in their subject matter area, and curriculum design. During the school year they collect data in the K-12 classrooms about what K-12 students know and understand in specific mathematics or science content areas and design curriculum that reflect that data. Fellows apprentice with the mentor teacher-researcher taking up various instructional tasks such as facilitating group work or class discussions, presenting class demonstrations, teaching specially designed curriculum units using large group guided-inquiry techniques, and leading the students in lab work. Evaluation of the project includes analysis of student learning, case studies of teacher-research groups as well as surveys of all participants on beliefs about the nature of science and mathematics as well as perceptions of sound pedagogical practices. The intellectual merits of this project include, for the Fellows, opportunities to experience an inquiry stance toward their teaching so that they strive to constantly improve their practice by focusing on student learning; K-12 teacher-researchers gain a deeper understanding of science or mathematics content areas; and the K-12 students gain an enriched understanding of mathematics and science. Through their research on the project, UCD faculty better understand how teacher-research contributes to teachers' learning and in particular how a subject matter focus enhances the teacher-research process. The program has broad implications. The research-based curriculum will reach approximately 3000 K- 12 students with whom participating teacher -researchers work. The Fellows' pedagogical knowledge and orientation to attend to student learning will impact the university students they will eventually teach. Findings from the teacher-research project will be shared with other teachers at conferences and through the CCBI website and the curriculum developed will be made available through the CCBI website. This project is partially supported by funds from the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.