Development of an Inquiry-Based Biology Lab Manual for Pre-Service Elementary and Middle School Teachers

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This project is developing a lab manual for an introductory biology content course designed to meet the needs of pre-service elementary and middle school teachers (i.e., undergraduates in training to become K-8 teachers). The manual is based on content standards and pedagogical approaches specified in the "National Science Education Standards" (National Research Council, 1996) and "Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy" (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1994). The intent is to instill in pre-service K-8 teachers, while they are undergraduate biology students, the confidence and background necessary to successfully teach science that is both standards- and inquiry-based when they enter their classrooms. The completed manual is to be published so as to reach a national audience. Intellectual Merit: This project creates an inquiry-based undergraduate biology lab manual that specifically addresses the needs of future K-8 educators. The project takes activities used nationally at the K-8 grade levels and scales them up to a level appropriate for first-year undergraduate biology students. The lab course gives pre-service teachers a rich experience with important concepts as well as familiarity with materials relevant to their chosen profession. Broader Impacts: Prototype versions of the lab manual are used, tested and evaluated in a pre-existing undergraduate biology course dedicated to pre-service teachers. The lab manual is developed with regional input from in-service teachers and undergraduate faculty, both those who have taught pre-service content courses before, and those who are new to the field. McGraw-Hill has expressed an interest in publishing the lab manual. Development of this manual facilitates the creation of undergraduate biology content courses or lab sections specifically designed for pre-service teachers in other institutions.