A Course in Scientific Analysis for Prospective Elementary School Teachers

根据目前的国家标准，好的小学科学教师不仅要牢牢掌握所教的科学内容，还必须能够带领学生进行科学探究。后一项要求直接源于这样一种信念，即孩子们在科学探究的基础上学习科学是最好的。不幸的是，未来的教师显然不会仅仅通过在自己的课程作业中对过程进行建模来学习以探究为基础的科学所需的分析技能。他们需要在这些分析技能上得到明确的指导，才能进行自己的科学探索。这个项目是利用科学教育和认知心理学的研究方法，为未来的小学教师开发科学分析单元。学生学习综合过程技能，如识别和控制变量、设计实验和解决问题，以及与这些努力相关的元认知技能。成功完成这些单元的学生应具备从事科学探究所需的技能，并具有领导他人进行探究的能力。正在开发的书面和记录材料足够通用和广泛，足以让其他机构的教员在其现有的内容课程中或之后对这些单元进行排序，或者他们可以将这些单元与正在提供的跨学科科学课程相结合。

According to the national standards now in place, good elementary school science teachers not only need to have a firm grasp of the science content they teach, but they also must be able to lead their students in scientific inquiry. This latter requirement proceeds directly from the belief that children learn science best when it is inquiry-based. Unfortunately, prospective teachers apparently do not learn the analytical skills needed for inquiry-based science simply by having the process modeled to them in their own course work. They need explicit instruction in these analysis skills in order to carry out their own scientific explorations.This project is utilizing methods derived from research in science education and cognitive psychology to develop units in scientific analysis for prospective elementary school teachers. Students learn integrated process skills such as identifying and controlling variables, designing experiments, and problem solving, and the metacognitive skills related to these endeavors. Students successfully completing these units are expected to have the skills needed to engage in scientific inquiry and the ability to lead others in inquiry as well. The written and recorded materials being developed are general and extensive enough to allow faculty at other institutions to sequence these units within or after their already existing content courses, or they may combine these units with an interdisciplinary science course that is being made available as well.