Computers to Enhance Science Education

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This Leadership Activities project is a joint venture of the Baltimore City Public Schools and the Johns Hopkins University School of Continuing Studies. The project involves 40 middle school and 10 high school teachers in activities to increase the application of computer technology in the science classrooms of the Baltimore City schools. It is an outgrowth of a successful pilot project involving high school science teachers during 1986. The target population contains a high percentage of minority and disadvantaged students. Two groups of 20 middle school science teachers will receive 12 days of instruction in computer awareness, operating procedures, word processing, database and spreadsheet use, software evaluation, labortory interfacing, programming, and individual project development. Teachers will have ample opportunity to "practice with feedback" and will receive follow-up coaching by a support coordinator and leader teachers after the training program. Leadership training will be provided to 10 high school and 10 middle school teachers who will provide peer support in the school setting. In addition, 15 leader teachers will develop a series of model science lessons that integrate computer technology into the present curriculum during a five-week summer session. Project staff from Johns Hopkins will also provide continuing assistance to the project teachers. Formal associations of the teachers to continue the work of the project will be established. Participants will be selected in pairs from middle schools that feed the high schools involved in the pilot project. Criteria have been established for the selection of the middle school trainees, the leader teachers, and the curriuclum developers.