Project INSPIRE: Investigations in Science for Pre-service Teachers: Promoting and Producing Inquiry-based Relevant Exercises

2001年秋天，基恩州立学院的科学系和教育系设立了一个新的学位课程。这个学位课程被称为普通科学学位，提供新罕布什尔州小学或中学科学认证。该学位开设了三门顶点课程：科学网络I、科学网络II和现象科学。该项目的目的是让K-8职前教师接触到中小学科学教学的发现和探究方法。通过将示范材料适应于顶点课程来实现目标。俄亥俄州立大学的Aubretch和McEnnis开发的基于探究的数学和物理课程设计以及knely和Kowalczky开发的风筝项目被改编为现象科学。此外，由加州大学伯克利分校的Lowery开发的全选项科学系统（FOSS），由Worth和Sandler开发的NSRC/STC，以及由教育发展中心开发的Insights都被改编为Web of Science I和II。小学教师回避科学教学并不罕见，该项目的目标是帮助他们打破这种模式，使他们不再完全依赖教科书进行教学。除了科学内容外，这些课程还为职前教师提供了基于发现和探究活动的实践经验，学生在合作小组中作为“科学家”进行互动。职前教师，以及他们的学生，学会质疑、分享想法、实验、观察、预测、记录和用证据解释想法。学生们了解到科学不仅仅是事实和新词汇的收集，而且是一个探究和发现的过程。他们培养了富有成效的科学态度和科学思维，并将这些技能渗透到课程的其他方面，包括阅读和数学。在职前教师内化了发现和探究活动的内容和教学法之后，他们将这些经过改编和修改的课程带到当地学校。该项目直接解决了加强学生学习、教师发展和将技术融入教育的主题。在完成这三个课程后，职前教师能够计划有效的基于探究的课程。

Interdisciplinary (99) In the Fall of 2001 the Division of Sciences and the Division of Education at Keene State College instituted a new degree program. This degree program, called the General Science Degree, provides approved New Hampshire certification in Elementary or Middle School Science. Three capstone courses were created for this degree: The Web of Science I, The Web of Science II, and Phenomenal Science. The objectives of this project are to expose K-8 pre-service teachers to the discovery and inquiry approach of teaching science to elementary and middle school children. The objectives are achieved by adapting exemplary materials to the capstone courses. Designing Inquiry Based Courses in Mathematics and Physics developed by Aubretch and McEnnis at The Ohio State University and the Kites Project developed by Knisely and Kowalczky are adapted in the Phenomenal Science. Furthermore, Full Option Science Systems (FOSS) developed by Lowery at UC Berkley, NSRC/STC developed by Worth and Sandler, and Insights developed at the Educational Development Center are adapted in the Web of Science I and II. It is not uncommon for elementary teachers to avoid teaching science, a goal of the project is to help break this pattern and to free them from relying solely on textbooks for instruction. In addition to science content, these courses provide pre-service teachers with hands-on experience with discovery and inquiry based activities where students interact as "scientists" in cooperative groups. The pre-service teachers, and consequently their students, learn to question, share ideas, experiment, observe, predict, keep records, and explain ideas with evidence. Students learn that science is not just a collection of facts and new vocabulary, but also a process of inquiry and discovery. They develop productive scientific attitudes and scientific thinking with skills that spill over into other aspects of the curriculum, including reading and mathematics. After the pre-service teachers have internalized both the content and the pedagogy of discovery and inquiry based activities, they then take these adapted and modified lessons to local schools. The project directly addresses the themes of enhanced student learning, faculty development and integration of technology into education. After completing these three courses, pre-service teachers are able to plan effective inquiry based lessons.