Promoting Active Learning Strategies in Biology (PALS)

长期以来，科学界一直倡导使用主动学习策略，但全国各地的高中科学教学仍然高度说教。本项目通过研究高中课堂上两种基于研究和大学测试的学习策略的潜力来解决这一长期关注的问题：面向过程的指导性研究性学习(POGIL)和同伴教学。POGIL策略最初是为化学课堂开发的，同行教学是在物理课堂上开发的。这两种学习策略将被调整为在生物课上实施，目的是确定哪种策略对提高学生的成绩和对科学的态度最有希望。该项目还将研究这些教学策略对教师关于主动学习的信念的影响，以及这些信念对学生在生物方面取得成功的贡献。这个项目的专业发展模式和教材的创建汇集了高中生物教师、大学生物教师和科学教育专业人员。该项目将进行设计和开发研究，通过高中教师和大学教师在使用所比较的教学方法方面经验丰富的合作，反复开发教材。之所以选择调整学习策略以用于生物学，是因为生物学是全国学校最常教授的科学课程，而且该课程是该项目所在州的毕业必修课。为了比较这两种教学方法的效果，42对教师将被随机分配到三个处理组中：POGIL、同伴教学或传统教学。教学方法的结果将通过教师和学生的概念收获、对科学的态度、个人代理信念和教学实施忠诚度来衡量。

The use of active learning strategies has long been advocated in the sciences, but high school science instruction remains highly didactic across the country. This project addresses this longstanding concern by examining the potential of two research-based and college-tested learning strategies in high school classrooms: Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) and Peer Instruction. The POGIL strategy was developed initially for chemistry classes, and Peer Instruction was developed within physics classes. These two learning strategies will be adapted for implementation in biology classes, with the goal of determining which strategy shows the most promise for increasing student achievement and attitudes toward science. The project will also study the influence of these instructional strategies on teacher beliefs about active learning and the contributions of these beliefs on student success in biology. Creation of the professional development model and materials for this project bring together high school biology teachers, university biology faculty, and science education specialists.The project will conduct design and development research to iteratively develop the instructional materials through a collaboration of high school teachers and college faculty members experienced in using the instructional approaches being compared. Adaptation of the learning strategies for use in biology was chosen because biology is the science course most often taught across schools in the country, and it is required for graduation in the state where this project is being conducted. To compare the outcomes of the two instructional approaches, 42 teacher pairs will be randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: POGIL, Peer Instruction, or traditional instruction. Outcomes of the instructional approaches will be measured in terms of conceptual gains among teachers and students, attitudes toward science, personal agency beliefs, and instructional implementation fidelity.