Learning to Teach While Learning to Learn

该项目的目的是开发和测试振兴地球科学入门课程的模式。这种方法是双管齐下的：(1)使用适当的基于计算机的技术，让学生参与大型科学入门课程中的建构主义、探究式活动，以及(2)帮助入职前教师批判性地分析这些课程中使用的教与学策略。该项目的目标是调整和振兴两门科学入门课程，并开发与之配套的科学方法课程，供职前教师同时学习。将开发Java模拟，为学生提供自然的学习环境，并允许教师和学生分析学生的努力和思维过程。这些方法将在北爱荷华大学的类似科学课程中进行测试。该项目将：1)通过重组课程以整合建构主义、探究式活动来改进大科学入门课的学习，2)通过鼓励学生教师在学习科学的同时专注于自己的元认知来加强职前教师的科学教育，3)提供以学习者为中心的、由探究驱动的模拟和管理软件，该软件将在互联网上广泛使用，用于K-12和大学科学课程4)为职前教师示范教学技术的使用5)通过修改第二地球科学领域的入门课程来证明该模型可转移到其他科学学科，以及6)提供教学软件设计框架，以用于未来基于探究的模拟的开发。

The purpose of this project is to develop and test a model for revitalizing introductory geoscience courses. The approach is two-pronged: (1) to use appropriate computer-based technology to engage students in constructivist, inquiry-based activities in large introductory science courses, and (2) to help enrolled pre-service teachers critically analyze the teaching and learning strategies used in these courses. The goals for this project are to restructure and revitalize two introductory science courses and to develop companion science methods courses to be taken concurrently by pre-service teachers. Java simulations will be developed to provide natural learning environments for students and to allow instructors and students to analyze student efforts and thought processes. These methods will be tested in similar science courses at the University of Northern Iowa. This project will: 1) produce a collaborative model to improve learning in large introductory science classes by restructuring the classes to integrate constructivist, inquiry-based activities, 2) enhance pre-service teacher science education by encouraging student teachers to focus on their own metacognition while learning science, 3) provide learner-centered, inquiry-driven simulations and management software which will be widely available on the Internet for use in K-12 and college science courses 4) model exemplary uses of instructional technology for pre-service teachers 5) demonstrate the transferability of the model to other scientific disciplines by revising an introductory course in a second geoscience area, and 6) provide an instructional software design framework for use in the development of future inquiry-based simulations.