GK-12: The Pittsburgh Partnership for ENERGIZing Science in Urban Schools

标题：匹兹堡促进城市学校科学活力的伙伴关系机构：匹兹堡大学PI/联合PI：Joseph Grabowski(PI)，Jennifer L.Cartier(Co-PI)研究员每年：11名研究生研究员和7名本科生研究员学校合作伙伴：匹兹堡公立学区(PPSD)目标：3至8年级设置：城市学科：化学、生物科学、物理和AMP；天文学、地质学和AMP；行星科学、数学、神经科学。叙述性：在小学和中学阶段，良好的科学教学存在着有据可查的障碍，其中最值得注意的是，过于拥挤的课程中几乎没有时间持续探索重要的科学概念。一种反应是开发了实践工具包，如PPSD使用的全选项科学系统(FOSS)课程。虽然自由和开放源码软件材料是朝着正确方向迈出的一步，因为它增加了对学生探索体验的重视，并减少了所涉及的“事实”和“主题”的绝对数量，但它们本身并不能解决科学教学不足的问题。事实仍然是，太多的教师缺乏必要的教学知识，无法让他们的学生围绕自由/开源软件课程中蕴含的经验经验的概念进行丰富的讨论。我们选择了能源的“大创意”作为主题，因为它适合PPSD中使用的许多自由和开放源码软件单元。概念主题的采用将为团队之间提供更好的衔接，并为学生提供“概念一致性”。智力优势：为了增加对教师的内容支持，我们将在PPSD的3-8年级教师和匹兹堡大学的STEM学生(被选中代表STEM人员的多样性)之间建立合作伙伴关系。资金将支持由中小学教师、STEM研究生和本科生组成的12个团队，以及来自选定学校的数学和阅读专家。鉴于小学课程的时间要求，重要的是要有跨学科的支持，以便在上学期间留出时间教授创新和严谨的科学。每个小组的一项重要活动将是研究和实施职等一级适当的自由和开放源码软件单位，并为其他PPSD教师设计和提供相关的专业发展讲习班，以便传播行之有效的方法。一名项目协调员将在教育学院教职员工的协助下，提供与国家科学教学标准中描述的探究式教学和教学方法(重点是建模和论证)有关的支持。一名外部评估员将监督评估工具的设计和数据规划，将进行现场访问，并将收集、分析和报告实现项目目标的进展数据。广泛影响：增加教师教学知识是我们项目的一个重要目标，但绝不是唯一的目标。我们还期待GK-12研究员将通过培训活动、他们接受和提供的指导、与其他参与者的讨论以及他们与学校学生的互动，对城市学校教学的复杂性和有效的教学战略获得宝贵的见解。在每年夏天的准备课程和后续工作中，将特别强调科学作为一种由社会话语支持的“意义创造”努力的性质。这种科学观虽然与当前的科学教育改革运动相一致，但对于大多数STEM学生(以及许多K-12教师)来说，仍然是新的和相当陌生的。因此，我们与团队的合作将包括对科学探究本质的明确讨论，吸引中小学生参与与经验现象相关的辩论和解释的策略例子，以及对团队成员提供的指导进行反思分析。所有GK-12活动将有助于在PPSD教师和PIT的STEM教职员工和学生之间建立联系(目前完全缺乏)，而具体的活动，如家庭科学之夜和每月通讯，将把项目人员与学校学生的家庭联系起来。该项目得到了数学和物理科学局的部分支持。

Title: The Pittsburgh Partnership for ENERGizing Science in Urban SchoolsInstitution: The University of Pittsburgh PI/Co-PIs: Joseph Grabowski (PI), Jennifer L. Cartier (co-PI)Fellows perYear: 11 Graduate Fellows and 7 Undergraduate FellowsSchool Partner: Pittsburgh Public School District (PPSD)Target: 3rd through 8th grades Setting: Urban Disciplines: Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Geology & Planetary Sciences, Mathematics, Neuroscience.Narrative: Well-documented barriers to good science teaching exist at the elementary and middle school level, most notable of which, there is little time in an overstuffed curriculum for sustained exploration of significant science concepts. One response has been the development of hands-on kits such as the Full Option Science System (FOSS) curriculum in use in the PPSD. While FOSS materials are a step in the right direction in terms of increasing the emphasis on exploratory experiences for students and decreasing the sheer number of "facts" and "topics" to be covered, they are not, in and of themselves, a solution to the problem of inadequate science instruction. The fact remains that too many teachers lack the necessary content knowledge to engage their students in rich discussions around the concepts underlying empirical experiences within the FOSS curriculum. We have selected the "big idea" of energy as a theme, as it fits with many of the FOSS units in use in PPSD. The adoption of a conceptual theme will provide better articulation between teams as well as providing students with a "conceptual consistency". Intellectual Merit: To increase content support for teachers, we will form partnerships between grade 3-8 teachers in PPSD and STEM students at the University of Pittsburgh (selected to represent the diversity of STEM personnel). Funding will support 12 teams of elementary/middle school teachers, STEM graduate students and undergraduate students, as well as math and reading specialists from selected schools. Given time demands on elementary curricula, it is important to have interdisciplinary support in order to establish the time within the school day to teach innovative and rigorous science. An important activity of each team will be to study and implement grade-level appropriate FOSS units and to design and deliver related professional development workshops to other PPSD teachers, in order to disseminate validated approaches. A project coordinator, with assistance from School of Education faculty, will provide support related to inquiry pedagogy and instructional approaches (emphasis on modeling and argumentation) consistent with those described in the National Science Teaching Standards. An external evaluator will oversee assessment instrument design and data planning, will conduct site visits, and will collect, analyze, and report on data on progress toward project goals.Broader Impacts: Increasing teacher content knowledge is an important goal of our project, but it is by no means the only one. We also anticipate that GK-12 Fellows will gain valuable insights into the complexities of urban school teaching and effective pedagogical strategies, both through the training activities, the mentoring they receive and deliver, discussions with other participants, and their interactions with school students. During the preparation course each summer and follow-up endeavors, particular emphasis will be placed on the nature of science as a "sense-making" endeavor supported by social discourse. This view of science, although consistent with current reform movements in science education, is still new and quite foreign to most STEM students (and many K-12 teachers). Thus, our work with teams will include explicit discussion of the nature of scientific inquiry, examples of strategies to engage elementary/middle school students in argumentation and explanation related to empirical phenomena, and reflective analysis of instruction provided by team members. All of the GK-12 activities will serve to establish links (currently completely lacking) between the PPSD teachers and the STEM faculty and students at Pitt while specific activities, such as the Family Science Night and monthly newsletter, will connect project personnel with school student's families. This project is receiving partial support from the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.