Award Abstract #0536536
Integrated Apprenticeship in the Teaching of Elementary Science (IATES)

NSF Org:	DUE Division of Undergraduate Education
Initial Amendment Date:	April 11, 2006
Latest Amendment Date:	April 11, 2006
Award Number:	0536536
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Duncan E. McBride DUE Division of Undergraduate Education EHR Directorate for Education & Human Resources
Start Date:	July 1, 2006
Expires:	June 30, 2010 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$199517
Investigator(s):	David Schuster david.schuster@wmich.edu (Principal Investigator) Ralph Vellom (Co-Principal Investigator) Charles Henderson (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	Western Michigan University 1903 West Michigan Avenue Kalamazoo, MI 49008 269/387-8298
NSF Program(s):	CCLI-Phase 1 (Exploratory)
Field Application(s):	0000099 Other Applications NEC, 0116000 Human Subjects
Program Reference Code(s):	SMET, 9178, 7494
Program Element Code(s):	7494

ABSTRACT

Physics (13) This project is developing and testing a program for elementary educators that:

__ integrates the design of the science content and science teaching methods courses,

__ adopts an apprenticeship instructional model,

__ develops science content within an explicit processes-of-science epistemological framework, promoting understanding of inquiry and the nature of science.

__ develops pedagogical content knowledge along with content understanding

__ builds on proven features of the existing courses

Project activities involve the joint development of curricula for a physics course for pre-service teachers and the elementary science teaching methods course. The apprenticeship instructional model is common to both courses, and science content, cognition and method will be interwoven. Epistemology regarding the nature and processes of science is explicit, and inquiry pedagogy is modeled throughout. The project is producing course materials and problem sets that embody these curriculum features. The university is collaborating with several regional community colleges and extension centers in the development of the program and local implementation

Intellectual merit

This project involves several new instructional design features that work together with proven pedagogy to address recognized problems in science teacher preparation: (1) Conventionally, science content and science teaching methods courses are separate, and usually offered by different colleges; (2) Regular science courses are usually taught in presentation mode, rather than modeling the inquiry approach that teachers will be expected to use in their own classrooms; (3) Epistemologically, most content courses tend to present science as final-product knowledge, with little emphasis on the nature and processes of science; (4) During their studies, students tend to view themselves as students meeting requirements rather than as developing professional teachers. The project team includes faculty from both the college of arts and sciences and the college of education who are specialists in both a science discipline and science education, with considerable experience in curriculum development and science teacher preparation. The current elementary education program, which the project team helped to build and is used as the foundation for this project, has been recognized as exemplary. In addition, the university has a large number of elementary education majors, a fact that will facilitate the collection of convincing evaluative data.

Broader Impact

Effective preparation of teachers better equipped to teach science leads to greater student interest in science and ultimately a more scientifically literate population. The project impact includes a large number of prospective teachers at the university. In addition, regional community colleges and extension centers have articulation arrangements with the university and are participating in the development and administration of the new courses. Furthermore, the teacher preparation issues addressed are national problems; since many institutions have similar structural arrangements, the project can serve as a prototype influencing adoption elsewhere. The curriculum materials produced also support dissemination and broaden the impact.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

D Schuster, A Undreiu and B Adams. "Multiple modes of reasoning in physics problem solving, with implications for instruction," AIP Conference Proceedings, v.951, 2007, p. 184.

Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.