Building Physical Science Content Knowledge of Pre-Service Elementary Teachers

这个项目是一个IUSE：EHR Exploration and Design Tier for EMBA Student Learning项目旨在为非科学专业的学生提供强大的物理科学学习体验，特别是职前小学教师专业。 具体目标是：一是增加职前国小教师的自然科学内容知识;二是增加与自然科学相关的教育学知识;三是改变非自然科学专业的自然科学本科教师的教学实践与方法。如果这种方法是成功的，那么接受过这种教育的教师将更好地让他们的小学生参与丰富的学习活动。此外，这门课程有可能被用于职前小学教师以外，扩展到所有本科非科学专业，并有助于更科学literately population.Using基于设计的研究方法，本项目将研究的成功模式，使科学的意义（MSS）的专业学习课程的K-8教师，以确定导致成功的关键因素。使用MSS和情境学习框架，该项目将设计，开发和提供非主要的物理科学内容课程。该课程将采用适当的教学方法设计，并与数学和识字相结合。 本课程的目的是加深职前国小教师的科学内容知识与科学教育学知识，使他们能更好地准备进入未来的教室。该项目打算采用一种趋同-平行混合方法，比较一个治疗组（新课程的学生）和一个控制组（传统课程的学生）。这个设计包括定量的工具，探讨职前教师的科学和科学教学法的理解的变化。研究的定性部分整合了访谈、人工制品和参与者观察的数据，沿着使用焦点小组。该项目的成果有可能促进对如何改善高等教育中的科学教学的理解，为其他人提供一个可以建立的知识基础。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This project is an IUSE: EHR Exploration and Design Tier for Engaged Student Learning project that seeks to provide robust learning experiences in physical science for non-science majors, specifically pre-service elementary teacher majors. The specific aims are to: 1) increase pre-service elementary teachers' physical science content knowledge; 2) increase their science-related pedagogy knowledge; and 3) change the teaching practices and approaches used by instructors of physical science undergraduate courses for non-science majors. If this approach is successful, then teachers who received this education will be better positioned to engage their elementary students in rich learning activities. Furthermore, this curriculum has the potential to be used beyond pre-service elementary teachers, extending to all undergraduate non-science majors and contributing to a more scientifically literate populace.Using a Design-Based Research approach, this project will examine the successful model of the Making Sense of Science (MSS) professional learning courses for K-8 teachers to identify key elements that led to success. Using MSS and a situated learning framework, the project will design, develop, and deliver a non-major physical science content course. This course will be designed with appropriate pedagogical techniques and integrated with mathematics and literacy. The aim is that this course will deepen the science content knowledge and science pedagogy knowledge of pre-service elementary teachers, so they will be better prepared to enter their future classrooms. The project intends to employ a convergent-parallel mixed methods approach to compare a treatment group (students in the new course) to a control group (students in the traditional course). This design includes quantitative instruments that explore changes in the science and science pedagogy understandings of the pre-service teachers. The qualitative component of the study integrates data from interviews, artifacts, and participant observations, along with the use of focus groups. The results of this project have the potential to advance understanding of how to improve science teaching and learning in higher education, providing a knowledge base upon which others can build.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.