Planting Science Research in Education

Botanical Society Of America, Saint Louis MO

Investigators

Abstract

Plant Science Research in Education is a five-year, full-scale project to implement a program of professional development for teachers and web interface that links scientists with urban classrooms currently targeted for Chicago and St. Louis. Scientist mentors will work with students and teachers through the web to carry out an original "authentic" inquiry project in plant science. The project is collaboration between the Botanical Society of America and Texas A&M University. The classroom intervention involves high school biology students working in assigned teams to generate their own research questions in plant science centered on core biology concepts from the National Science Education Standards. Project will provide for intensive summer workshops for 76 teachers and instructional materials for these classrooms that are anticipated to impact at least 9120 students during the life of the project. The project targets several important demographic groups including rural communities and urban public schools in Chicago and St. Louis. This project includes the Botanical Society of America, The American Society of Plant Biologists in partnership with Texas A&M University and K-12 teachers. It intends to use plants as the paradigm for teaching biology to K-12 students. Furthermore, the plan is to establish a network of mentors and K-12 teachers who will be a part of a learning community. There will be online support for K-12 teachers for this project. Inquiry-based instruction where the students actually pose the research questions is proposed. Anticipated products include (a) web-based platform for collaborative workspace and online discourse; (b) access on line to a nationwide network of scientist mentors and peers; and (c) starter materials for thousands of students to conduct plant experiments.