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

标题：匹兹堡城市学校推广科学伙伴关系机构：匹兹堡大学PI/Co-PI： Joseph Grabowski（PI），Jennifer L.卡地亚（co-PI）每年研究员：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：城市学校： 化学、生物科学、物理学天文学、地质学行星科学、数学、神经科学。叙述：在小学和中学阶段，有充分证据表明，良好的科学教学存在障碍，其中最值得注意的是，在过于拥挤的课程中，很少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，如宣传和公共事务司使用的全选项科学系统课程。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，它更加强调学生的探索性经验，减少了所要涵盖的“事实”和“专题”的绝对数量，但这些材料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内容知识，无法让学生围绕自由和开放源码软件课程中的经验性经验概念进行丰富的讨论。 我们选择了能源这个“大创意”作为主题，因为它与PPSD中使用的许多自由和开放源码软件单元相吻合。采用一个概念性的主题将使团队之间更好地衔接，并为学生提供“概念上的一致性”。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（选择代表STEM人员的多样性）之间建立伙伴关系。资金将支持12个由小学/中学教师、STEM研究生和本科生组成的团队，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，以确定在学校一天的时间来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适合年级的自由和开放源码软件单元，并设计和向其他PPSD教师提供相关的专业发展讲习班，以传播经过验证的方法。一个项目协调员，从教育教师的学校的协助下，将提供相关的查询教学法和教学方法（强调建模和论证）与国家科学教学标准中所描述的一致的支持。 外部评估员将监督评估工具的设计和数据规划，进行实地考察，并收集、分析和报告项目目标进展情况的数据。更广泛的影响：增加教师对课程内容的了解是我们项目的一个重要目标，但这绝不是唯一的目标。我们还预计，GK-12研究员将获得宝贵的见解城市学校教学的复杂性和有效的教学策略，无论是通过培训活动，他们接收和提供的指导，与其他参与者的讨论，以及他们与学校学生的互动。在每年夏天的准备课程和后续工作中，将特别强调科学的本质，作为社会话语支持的“意义”奋进。这种科学观虽然与当前科学教育的改革运动相一致，但对大多数STEM学生（以及许多K-12教师）来说仍然是新的，而且相当陌生。因此，我们与团队的工作将包括明确讨论科学探究的性质，策略的例子，让小学/中学学生在论证和解释相关的经验现象，并反思分析团队成员提供的指令。 所有的GK-12活动将有助于建立PPSD教师和STEM教师和皮特学生之间的联系（目前完全缺乏），而具体的活动，如家庭科学之夜和每月通讯，将连接项目人员与学校学生的家庭。 该项目得到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.