New, GK-12: Fostering Scientific Creativity by Building Connections and Improving Science Communication Skills

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New, GK-12: Fostering Scientific Creativity by Building Connections and Improving Science Communication SkillsCarl E. Renshaw (Department of Earth Sciences and Thayer School of Engineering)Vicki May (Thayer School of Engineering)Nancy Serrell (Director of Outreach)Cynthia E. Tobery (Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning)Janet Zullo (Department of Education) Dartmouth CollegeStudent interest in science and math declines during middle school as attitudes shift toward viewing science not as a creative process of discovery, but instead as ?facts to memorize? and ?boring?. This project seeks to transform graduate education in all of the STEM disciplines at Dartmouth by building on existing partnerships with five local school districts to foster in middle school students the scientific creativity we scientists find so appealing. Supported by training in strategies shown to foster creativity as well as in principles of teaching and learning, Graduate Fellows are paired with a middle school teacher for one year. During this time Fellows use their research and science backgrounds to work with partner teachers to develop hands-on, educationally sound, active, inquiry-based lessons that emphasize the creative aspects of building connections between research and curriculum -- from simple exercises to promote better brainstorming and idea generation to more in-depth visualization and creative writing techniques. Fellows are encouraged to share with middle school students not only an appreciation for the discipline and rigor of science but also for the individuality and imagination involved. In so doing, Fellows improve their communication skills through interactions with diverse audiences and gain a more contextualized and nuanced understanding of their research by learning to view their work from alternative perspectives. More broadly, this program improves middle school students? and teachers? attitudes toward science and facilitates the building of connections to existing knowledge among participants, which has been shown to improve learning.