T164 Reaching the Next Generation: Tales of Successful Strategies and Frustrating Challenges from Teaching Earth-Science Courses For Pre-Service Elementary Teachers

Tuesday, 11 October 2011
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Room 208AB

THE “INVESTIGATIVE SCIENCE” SERIES – INTERDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE CONTENT COURSES FOR ELEMENTARY EDUCATION MAJORS

Paper number: T164-6
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:05 AM – 9:20 AM

Authors

Abstract

Winona State University has the distinction of being the first teacher’s college west of the Mississippi River and has always had a strong tradition of education programs. In 2003-2004, the two science content courses required for elementary education majors were completely redesigned through an interdisciplinary collaboration of faculty from the College of Science and Engineering (Geoscience, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry) and the College of Education. This cross-college, interdisciplinary effort resulted in a two-semester sequence entitled “Investigative Science” where the four science content areas would be team-taught in an inquiry-based, laboratory-style classroom. Labs were designed such that the activities would transfer to the students’ future classrooms and inexpensive materials were used to demonstrate that you don’t need a high-tech laboratory to teach science. The objectives of the courses are to provide elementary education majors with a supportive and small classroom experience where they can explore the science content they would need for their future careers and to help them become more comfortable with their own abilities in science.

From the initial teaching of the Investigative Science sequence in 2003-2004 to today, its design has changed to accommodate a larger number of students, the various preferences of the faculty who teach in the program, and ever-tightening budgets. The sequence is still interdisciplinary, but the first semester now focuses on Physics and Chemistry and the second semester on Earth, Space, and Life Sciences. The courses are no longer team-taught, but the faculty involved meet regularly for planning and support purposes. Two sections of each course are offered every semester, resulting in 120 elementary education majors participating in the sequence each semester. The objectives and goals of the courses have not been altered, but much has been learned in the evolution of these courses. There are still many challenges to an interdisciplinary approach to science content courses for elementary education majors. This contribution will discuss the challenges, successes, and lessons learned in implementing the Investigative Science sequence and will focus on the content, lessons, and course design of the second semester covering Earth, Space, and Life Sciences.