Scientists' Perspective on Introducing Authentic Inquiry to High School Teachers During an Intensive Three‐Week Summer Professional Development Experience

Abstract

The Information Technology in Science (ITS) Center for Teaching and Learning was a National Science Foundation funded program to provide high‐quality professional development for 7–12th grade science teachers. The subgroup on which this paper focuses was immersed in an innovative approach to understanding chemistry of the environment. The group was comprised of 10 high school science teachers representative of science classes taught at all grade levels (9–12th). A team of four university professors led the group. The professors developed inquiry modules and communicated some of the intricacies of their research for adaptation to the participants' classrooms. This paper communicates the successful implementation and lessons learned by scientists during the course of an inquiry‐based curriculum during summer 2005. The process and pace at which the material was covered, qualitative information about the attitudes of the participants towards the curriculum, and implications for professional development from the point of view of the science team leaders will be discussed. Analysis of time spent with participants revealed the progression and type of activities chosen for the professional development experience were effective. Results from informal participant interviews revealed they were most comfortable in incorporating inquiry into their classrooms after having been immersed in it themselves.

Professional Development for Technology-Enhanced Inquiry Science

“…In addition, a majority of teachers were challenged to integrate technology-enhanced instruction with science learning goals and/or existing curriculum in the first year. Most teachers used the technology to replicate what they were already doing (Kershner et al, 2010; Penuel & Yarnall, 2005; Rodrigues, 2006), or teachers were challenged to integrate the technologies into their instruction or used the technology to teach standards not aligned with the technology activities (Rodriguez et al, 2005; Ruebush et al, 2010), or some teachers did not use the technology at all because they did not think it helped them to address learning goals (Blumenfeld et al, 2000; Penuel et al, 2007; Penuel, Fishman, Gallagher, Korbak, & Lopez-Prado, 2008; Penuel & Means, 2004).…”

“…In most of these programs, the mentor also visited the classroom to model enactment strategies and help teachers to navigate the spontaneous technical challenges (Guzey & Roehrig, 2009; Rodriguez et al, 2005; Valanides & Angeli, 2010). In the other tool-focused programs, teachers utilized the information presented in a professional development workshop to design a technology-enhanced lesson on their own or with their colleagues (Cantrell & Knudson, 2006; Kershner et al, 2010; Meichtry & Smith, 2007; Penuel et al, 2008; Penuel & Yarnall, 2005; Ruebush et al, 2010; Yarnall et al, 2006).…”

Teaching GLM Concepts: Explicating the Connections

“…Students present and critique each other's models, noting the utility of each model, and its limitations. The black box experiment has been used in science classrooms and in the professional development of science instructors (Ruebush, Sulikowski, & North, 2009;Ruebush, Grossman, Miller, North, Schielack, & Simanek, 2010). A rubric is available to qualify students understanding of models (c.f.…”