Project INSPIRE: Investigations in Science for Pre-service Teachers: Promoting and Producing Inquiry-based Relevant Exercises

跨学科(99)2001年秋天，基恩州立大学的科学部和教育部设立了一个新的学位课程。这个学位项目被称为普通科学学位，提供批准的新汉普郡小学或中学科学证书。为该学位开设了三门顶峰课程：科学网络I、科学网络II和现象科学。这个项目的目标是让K-8职前教师接触到中小学科学教学的发现和探究方法。这些目标是通过使示范材料适应顶石课程来实现的。俄亥俄州立大学的奥布瑞奇和麦肯尼斯开发的数学和物理设计探究式课程，以及克尼斯尼和科瓦尔茨基开发的风筝项目，都被改编成了现象科学。此外，加州大学伯克利分校Lowery开发的Full Option Science Systems(FOSS)，Worth和Sandler开发的NSRC/STC，以及教育发展中心开发的Insights都适用于Web of Science I和II。小学教师避免教授科学并不少见，该项目的一个目标是帮助打破这种模式，使他们摆脱对教科书的完全依赖。除了科学内容，这些课程还为职前教师提供了基于发现和探究的活动的实践经验，在这些活动中，学生在合作小组中以“科学家”的身份互动。任职前的教师，以及他们的学生，学会提问、分享想法、实验、观察、预测、记录，并用证据解释想法。学生们认识到，科学不仅仅是对事实和新词汇的收集，也是一个探索和发现的过程。他们培养富有成效的科学态度和科学思维，并将这些技能渗透到课程的其他方面，包括阅读和数学。在职前教师将基于发现和探究的活动的内容和教学方法内化后，他们将这些经过调整和修改的课程带到当地学校。该项目直接涉及加强学生学习、教师发展和将技术融入教育的主题。在完成这三门课程后，职前教师能够计划有效的探究式课程。

Interdisciplinary (99) In the Fall of 2001 the Division of Sciences and the Division of Education at Keene State College instituted a new degree program. This degree program, called the General Science Degree, provides approved New Hampshire certification in Elementary or Middle School Science. Three capstone courses were created for this degree: The Web of Science I, The Web of Science II, and Phenomenal Science. The objectives of this project are to expose K-8 pre-service teachers to the discovery and inquiry approach of teaching science to elementary and middle school children. The objectives are achieved by adapting exemplary materials to the capstone courses. Designing Inquiry Based Courses in Mathematics and Physics developed by Aubretch and McEnnis at The Ohio State University and the Kites Project developed by Knisely and Kowalczky are adapted in the Phenomenal Science. Furthermore, Full Option Science Systems (FOSS) developed by Lowery at UC Berkley, NSRC/STC developed by Worth and Sandler, and Insights developed at the Educational Development Center are adapted in the Web of Science I and II. It is not uncommon for elementary teachers to avoid teaching science, a goal of the project is to help break this pattern and to free them from relying solely on textbooks for instruction. In addition to science content, these courses provide pre-service teachers with hands-on experience with discovery and inquiry based activities where students interact as "scientists" in cooperative groups. The pre-service teachers, and consequently their students, learn to question, share ideas, experiment, observe, predict, keep records, and explain ideas with evidence. Students learn that science is not just a collection of facts and new vocabulary, but also a process of inquiry and discovery. They develop productive scientific attitudes and scientific thinking with skills that spill over into other aspects of the curriculum, including reading and mathematics. After the pre-service teachers have internalized both the content and the pedagogy of discovery and inquiry based activities, they then take these adapted and modified lessons to local schools. The project directly addresses the themes of enhanced student learning, faculty development and integration of technology into education. After completing these three courses, pre-service teachers are able to plan effective inquiry based lessons.