Promoting Active Learning Strategies in Biology (PALS)

长期以来，科学领域一直提倡使用主动学习策略，但全国各地的高中科学教学仍然高度说教。本项目通过考察两种基于研究和大学测试的学习策略在高中课堂中的潜力，解决了这一长期存在的问题：面向过程的指导性探究学习（POGIL）和同伴指导。POGIL策略最初是为化学课开发的，而同伴指导则是在物理课中开发的。这两种学习策略将适用于生物课的实施，目的是确定哪种策略最有希望提高学生的成绩和对科学的态度。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学上取得成功的贡献。这个项目的专业发展模式和材料的创建汇集了高中生物教师、大学生物教师和科学教育专家。该项目将进行设计和开发研究，通过对所比较的教学方法有经验的高中教师和大学教职员工的合作，反复开发教学材料。之所以选择在生物学中使用适应性学习策略，是因为生物学是全国各所学校最常教授的科学课程，而且在进行该项目的州，这是毕业所必需的。为了比较两种教学方法的效果，42对教师将被随机分配到三个治疗组：POGIL、同伴教学或传统教学。教学方法的结果将根据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的保真度来衡量。

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.