Science in the City
A collaboration with Jeremiah E. Burke High School, Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Overview
The EcoTarium is collaborated with grade nine and grade ten science and special education teachers at J.E. Burke High School, focusing on providing them with professional development in science content, pedagogy, and computer technologies in the field of Urban Ecology.
Summary
Over the summer of 1998 Franklin Park was used as a "living laboratory" for urban ecology research; through this experience teaches have experienced the park as a resource for applying the scientific method, including observation, data collection, and presentation. Teachers incorporated the content, teaching approaches and techniques, and computer applications into their classroom teaching and learning, through the development and implementation of lessons and activities based on their experiences with the collaboration. All activities, lessons, and workshops are grounded in the Massachusetts State Science and Technology Curriculum Framework as well as the Boston Citywide Learning Standards and Curriculum Framework.
Outcomes
The goals of this collaboration were to have teachers:
- Learn how to use a variety of computer technologies;
- Learn how to integrate computer technologies into classroom teaching and learning;
- Learn teaching approaches and techniques which can be used to train students on how to use various computer technologies though activities which are integrated into the curricula;
- Integrate workshop and program science content, computer technologies, and teaching approaches into their general classroom teaching and learning;
- Participate in after-school professional development workshops, a summer institute, and related one-on-one and group planning; and
- Develop, revise, test, and implement a lesson unit based on the science content, pedagogy, computer technologies, and Franklin Park activities experienced during the collaboration.
See the Massachusetts DOE profile for the Boston Public Schools or J.E. Burke High