Science Partners in Inquiry-based Collaborative Education (SPICE)

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The University of Florida's Museum of Natural History, Center for Precollegiate Education and Training, College of Education, Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research, and Departments of Environmental Engineering Sciences and Zoology, will team with the School Board of Alachua Country to promote science and engineering careers by placing graduate students into classrooms to implement inquiry-based modules on Ecosystem Health and Sustainability. The target will be middle schools in Alachua County with large populations of students from populations underrepresented in science and engineering. Graduate students in Zoology and Environmental Engineering Sciences will be paired with teachers. As a team, they will participate in a summer institute and a workshop to learn and discuss pedagogy associated with inquiry-based learning, to review state and national science standards, and to decide upon specific topics that meet the needs of individual classrooms and take advantage of team members' expertise. Graduate Fellows and teachers will design and modify modules focused on Ecosystem Health and Sustainability. These modules will specifically address national and state science standards, and will stress hands-on exploration of environmental "mysteries". Experimentation, data collection, analysis, and interpretation of results will be stressed. Projects will have immediate relevance to the students' lives and will be posted on a website. All classrooms participating in the project will be furnished with computers and technical support to facilitate this web-based communication. After testing and refinement, modules will be made widely available through summer training workshops, in which kits for implementation of modules will be provided free of charge. Modules and complete instructions will also be made available and widely advertised on the web. To provide mentoring, Graduate Fellows will select from a menu of options for working individually or in small groups with students. Likewise, middle school students will become role models for peers and younger children by participating in already-established science programs designed to provide opportunities for sharing scientific learning. Specifically, the program aims to: o foster middle school students' desire to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, especially within underrepresented groups. o provide support and preparation for Graduate Fellows to pursue a career in education. o improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curricula in the public schools while addressing state and federal standards. Project Title: Science Partners in Inquiry-based Collaborative Education (S.P.I.C.E.) Institution: University of FloridaPI/Co-PI: Douglas Level, Jean Andino, Betty Camp, Roberta Harbrucker, Mary Jo KorolyPartner School Districts: Alachua CountyFinancing: $1,445,013Number of fellows per year: 9 graduateSetting: Rural Target audience of the project: Middle SchoolNSF supported disciplines involved: Science and Engineering