Workshop Physical Science: Project Based Science Education for Future Teachers, Citizens, and Parents

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The Workshop Physical Science Project is a major effort to increase the effectiveness of science education for our future K-8 teachers, parents, and citizens by developing a sequence of introductory laboratory courses in physical science. We seek to integrate guided inquiry with student- directed projects in order to help students acquire a better understanding of what practicing scientists actually do. This hands-on approach is aimed at changing the focus of introductory science courses from covering a large number of topics-which promotes memorizing facts and formulae- to helping students develop science process skills that will give them the confidence to undertake future investigations independently. A modular design of the curricular materials will provide ample flexibility for instructors at other colleges and universities to adapt the program to their own environments. These materials will be developed for use in teacher preparation programs, general studies courses for non-science majors, and courses designed to inspire freshmen and sophomores to pursue science as a major. This proposed four-year project began in September 1994 under a three-year grant from the Charles A. Dana Foundation, with the expectation that additional funds would be solicited for its completion. We are asking FIPSE to underwrite approximately half of the costs for project years two and three, and all of the costs for year four. This will allow us to create and evaluate cutticular materials for a two- semester course sequence and to complete a two-year pilot test of the materials at three different institutions, Dickinson College, the University of Nebraska, and Moorhead State University in Minnesota. In addition, a portion of the funds will be used to initiate an active dissemination program in the fourth year of the project involving talks, articles, and workshops, as well as consultations with several institutions interested in using the materials.