MPWG: Experiment Based Physics for Girls in Elementary and Middle Schools

该项目是研究者，密苏里大学物理系教授和哥伦比亚公立学校系统科学协调员之间的合作。第三年的资助将允许开发和实施一个以实验为基础的实践项目，该项目将向五年级、六年级和七年级的女孩介绍物理科学。对于光学、声学、电学、磁学和力学以及能源/火箭等单元，将开发一系列模块。每个人都将通过一系列逻辑顺序的游戏，简单的实验，小工具，玩具，艺术项目和使用简单的科学设备和“哇！”探索式展览的实验室实验来发展一个概念（例如，光的反射）。通过向女孩们介绍观察和使用相同概念的多种不同方式，我们将让她们看到如何在逻辑基础上发展一个简单的概念，以理解复杂的科学现象。通过这个项目，我们希望激发女孩们的积极性，让她们知道科学是有趣的，但更重要的是让她们熟悉简单的科学设备，培养她们的建造和实验技能，以及逻辑推理能力。这项工作最初是为五年级和六年级设立的课外项目，每周两次，持续四周。到1993- 1994学年结束时，光学单元将在18所学校中的7所进行测试，力学单元将在2所学校进行测试。声音和电/磁单位将准备好在1994年秋季进行测试。由于这个项目在女孩、家长和老师中很受欢迎，因此我们提出了一项建议，即扩大努力，将一些材料纳入五年级、六年级和七年级的常规课程，此外还包括哥伦比亚新中学的七年级学生。由于项目的扩大，第三年又开展了下列活动：(a)按年级重新编排教材，并将其分类为课程和课外或联合课程；(b)将教材纳入五至七年级的课程；(c)在新中学（六至七年级）设立课外活动；(d)对5至7年级教师的培训；（五）为一个新的能源和火箭单元开发模块。＊＊＊

9450533 Chandrasekhar The project is a collaboration between the investigator, a professor in the Physics Department at the University of Missouri, and the Science Coordinator of the Columbia Public School system. This third year funding will permit development and implementation of an experiment-based, hands-on program which will introduce girls in the 5th, 6th and 7th grades to the physical sciences. For units in Optics, Sound, Electricity, Magnetism and Mechanics, and Energy/Rockets, a series of modules will be developed. Each will develop a concept (e.g., the reflection of light) through a series of logically sequential games, simple experiments, building of gadgets, toys, art projects, and laboratory experiments using simple scientific equipment and "gee whiz" exploratorium-style exhibits. By introducing the girls to a number of different ways of observing and using the same concepts, we will allow them to see how a simple concept is developed on a logical basis to understand complex scientific phenomena. Through this program, we expect to motivate the girls by conveying that science is fun, but more importantly, familiarizing them with simple scientific equipment, developing their building and experimenting skills, and their capabilities of logical reasoning. This effort initially was set up for grades 5 and 6 as an extra-curricular program, meeting twice a week for four weeks. By the end of the 1993-94 academic year, the Optics unit will have been tested in seven of the eighteen schools, and the Mechanics unit in two schools. The Sound and Electricity/Magnetism units will be ready for testing in the Fall 1994. The popularity of the program among girls, parents, and teachers has resulted in this proposal to expand the effort to integrate some of the material into the regular curriculum for grades 5,6 and 7, in addition to to including the 7th graders in Columbia's new middle schools. The project's expansion led to the following additional acti vities for this third year: (a) reorganization of the material by grade levels and its classification as curricular and extra- or co-curricular; (b) integration of the material into the grades 5-7 curriculum; (c) establishing co-curricular activities in the new middle schools (grades 6-7); (d) training for teachers in grades 5-7; and (e) development of modules for one new unit on energy and rockets. ***