Science in the Schoolyard
A collaboration with the Spencer - East Brookfield Regional School District, Massachusetts.
Overview
The EcoTarium and the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District are continuing to collaborate on a professional development program for primary grade science teachers started during the 1997-98 school year. The focus of the collaboration is on inquiry-based science which integrates computer technologies while utilizing the local landscape for open-ended science investigations and learning.
Summary
Participants include teachers from grades 1-4 The goal of working with the same grade levels as in 1997-98 is to continue to provide in-depth, ongoing training and support in an effort not only to change teachers' attitudes towards and comfort with science, but to develop a community of teachers in Spencer-East Brookfield who are involved in on-going efforts to change their teaching approaches and improve their students' learning experiences. By providing ongoing support for both new and continuing participants, we hope to achieve more wide-spread change and collaboration among teachers.
Goals
- Facilitating teachers' understanding of the scientific process in the classroom;
- Providing models and applications of the use of the local environment for science-related investigations;
- Providing opportunities to experience the integration of computer technologies into classroom teaching and learning in grade appropriate ways;
- Facilitating teamwork and sharing among teachers, both within and between grades and schools;
- Facilitating teachers' ability to recognize potential applications of computer technologies into classroom teaching and learning; and
- Supporting teachers in the development of new or the modification of existing lessons which reflect the above-listed goals.
By the end of the 1998-99 school year participants will be expected to have developed a new lesson based on the workshop activities or to have implemented several of the specific workshop activities into their classrooms. Teachers will be asked to document their progress through the development of a lesson plan for the new lesson and/or through examples of student work from activities.
See the Massachusetts DOE profile for the Spencer - East Brookfield Public Schools.