Promoting Early Learning in Science and Mathematics Through an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Teacher Preparation Course

通过跨学科本科教师预备课程促进科学和数学的早期学习

• 批准号: 1244978
• 负责人: Ellen Blinderman
• 金额: $ 25万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-09-15 至 2017-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1244978&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Promoting; Early; Learning; Science; Mathematics

This project is developing, conducting, and disseminating an undergraduate-level course designed to increase the confidence and ability of early childhood education (ECE) students to teach science and mathematics to young children. It leverages the strengths of the partnering institutions: (1) the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS), the public science center at the University of California, Berkeley; and (2) Los Medanos College (LMC), a community college located in Pittsburg, CA, which serves a large number of students pursuing certificates and degrees in ECE. LHS has been a leader in developing and teaching hands-on, developmentally appropriate science and mathematics programs for people of all ages for over four decades. LMC brings educational expertise in child development and teacher preparation. The Child Study Center on the LMC campus serves as a site for field experiences, observations, and collection of authentic documentation of real-world classroom activities.The project is based on the idea that preparing teachers to teach early childhood science and mathematics is most effective when they themselves manipulate and investigate concrete materials, take time to develop and test ideas, and experience a supportive and collaborative environment that nurtures their curiosity. The course is tailored to meet the needs of the large number of community college ECE students who are "nontraditional learners." The focus on nontraditional college student development is important in addressing the needs of diverse populations entering ECE. Early childhood educators often lack a background in science and mathematics, and they often doubt their capacity to effectively facilitate teaching and learning in those areas. In light of what is known about the importance of early science and mathematics experiences for young children, it is critical that early childhood pre-service and in-service teachers acquire the appropriate blend of science and mathematics content and pedagogical skills to increase confidence and attitudes toward science and mathematics teaching.As part of the evaluation, the project team is collecting and analyzing data to understand the impact of the course on ECE students' content knowledge, understanding of developmentally appropriate pedagogy, and confidence in and comfort with engaging young children in science and mathematics. The investigators are also developing a course guide, along with supporting instructional materials, to allow the course to be implemented in early childhood programs at colleges and universities nationwide. Ultimately, the project is designed to promote change and improve community college coursework and practical experiences related to teaching science and mathematics in early childhood settings.

该项目正在开发、实施和传播一门本科课程，旨在提高幼儿教育学生向幼儿教授科学和数学的信心和能力。它利用了合作机构的优势：(1)加州大学伯克利分校的公共科学中心劳伦斯科学馆(LHS)；(2)位于加利福尼亚州匹兹堡的洛斯梅达诺斯学院(LMC)，这是一所社区学院，为大量正在攻读欧洲经委会证书和学位的学生提供服务。四十多年来，LHS一直是为所有年龄段的人开发和教授动手的、适合发展的科学和数学课程的领导者。LMC提供儿童发展和教师培训方面的教育专业知识。LMC校区的儿童学习中心是一个实地体验、观察和收集真实世界课堂活动真实记录的网站。该项目基于这样一个理念，即当教师自己操纵和调查具体材料、花时间开发和测试想法、体验支持和合作的环境以培养他们的好奇心时，准备教授幼儿科学和数学是最有效的。这门课程是为满足大量社区学院幼儿教育学生的需求而量身定做的，这些学生是“非传统学习者”。把重点放在非传统大学生的发展上，对于满足进入幼儿教育的不同人群的需求很重要。幼儿教育工作者往往缺乏科学和数学背景，他们经常怀疑自己能否有效地促进这些领域的教与学。鉴于早期科学和数学经验对幼儿的重要性，幼儿职前和在职教师必须获得科学和数学内容与教学技能的适当结合，以增加对科学和数学教学的信心和态度。作为评估的一部分，项目小组正在收集和分析数据，以了解课程对幼儿课程内容知识的影响，对适合发展的教育学的理解，以及让幼儿参与科学和数学活动的信心和舒适感。调查人员还在制定一份课程指南，以及配套的教学材料，以便在全国高校的幼儿项目中实施这门课程。最终，该项目的目的是促进改变和改进社区大学的课程工作和与幼儿环境中的科学和数学教学相关的实践经验。