I Want to be the Inquiry Guy! How Research Experiences for Teachers Change Beliefs, Attitudes, and Values About Teaching Science as Inquiry

<p>The nature of science is a prevalent theme across United States national science education standards and frameworks as well as other documents that guide formal and informal science education reform. To support teachers in engaging their students in authentic scientific practices and reformed teaching strategies, research experiences for teachers offered in national laboratories, university research centers, and national field-sites promise opportunities to help teachers update their current understanding of STEM fields and experience firsthand how scientific research is conducted with the end goal of supporting more inquiry-based teaching approaches in their classrooms. This qualitative interpretive study used an adapted Views of Nature of Science and Views on Scientific Inquiry surveys and protocols to investigate changes in 43 practicing teachers understandings about the nature of science and scientific inquiry as a result of participation in one of three summer science research programs. Each program provided participants with research experiences alongside professional researchers as well as activities intended to increase participants abilities to provide inquiry-based science learning activities for their students. Data were collected using open-ended surveys pre-program, post-program and long-term follow-up surveys, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, along with researchers observations and field-notes. Participation in these programs led to small, measurable enhancements in teachers understandings of scientific inquiry and the nature of science. Teachers prior experience with research was found to have the strongest relationship to their knowledge of the nature of science and scientific inquiry. The data in this study provides evidence that research experiences can provide valuable experiences to support teachers improved knowledge of how science is conducted.</p>

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Vitamin B Complex and Bioheat Transfer Projects: 2008 Summer Research Experiences for Teachers at Milwaukee School of Engineering

Volume 7: Engineering Education and Professional Development ◽

10.1115/imece2009-12536 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

Subha Kumpaty ◽

Asha Foster ◽

Alex Hutson ◽

Vipin Paliwal

Keyword(s):

Vitamin B1 ◽

School Science ◽

Bioheat Transfer ◽

Vitamin B ◽

Public High Schools ◽

Research Experiences ◽

Chemistry Students ◽

Effective Learning ◽

B Complex Vitamins ◽

Research Experiences For Teachers

This paper describes the summer research experiences of a high-school chemistry and biology teacher and a middle-school science teacher at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). The first project involved researching B Complex Vitamins at MSOE’s Center for Biomolecular Modeling, developing molecular models using rapid prototyping technology (Z Corp 3D Printer) and creating curriculum modules for teaching the role of B Complex Vitamins to chemistry students in public high schools. A Javascript/HTML for interactive and dynamic presentation for understanding of thiamine (Vitamin B1) via web was written and implemented with Jmol software. A visual inspection of the family of Vitamin B Complex created and the curriculum modules developed during this project provide exciting and effective learning avenues for students in biology and chemistry classrooms. The second project dealt with the study of bioheat transfer and its simulation using MATLAB, and creation of a curriculum module that illustrates heat transfer principles reinforced by implementing the simulation. The teachers enjoyed the interaction with their advisors and the positive environment for their professional development. Details of their projects and experiences along with the evaluation of the program are presented in this paper. The teachers were pleased to be involved in connecting physics, biology, engineering and math into real projects that will motivate the students in their classes to pursue careers in STEM fields.

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Collaborative Multidisciplinary Engineering Design Experiences in IoT (Internet of Things) for Teachers Through Summer Research Site Program

Volume 5: Engineering Education ◽

10.1115/imece2018-87491 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Alireza Karbalaei ◽

Damla Turgut ◽

Melissa Dagley ◽

Eleazar Vasquez ◽

Hyoung J. Cho

Keyword(s):

Internet Of Things ◽

Engineering Design ◽

Technical Development ◽

The Internet ◽

Research Experiences ◽

Train The Trainer ◽

Teachers And Students ◽

K 12 ◽

Research Experiences For Teachers ◽

The University

The objective of the NSF RET (Research Experiences for Teachers) site program hosted by the University of Central Florida is to provide K-12 teachers with a hands-on engineering design experience covering all aspects of the Internet of Things, from the manufacturing of a sensor, to the hardware and software that allows it to connect to the Internet. This program gives teachers learning opportunities to explore the practical use of science for engineering applications, and provide a context in which students in their classroom can test their own scientific knowledge as they recognize the interplay among science, engineering and technology. The uniqueness of this site program lies in the engagement of teachers in various facets of scientific, engineering, and educational methods based on Train-the-Trainer model with rotation in multiple research labs. In order to support the STEM educational services for teachers and students in middle and high schools, our site program aims at creating competent teacher trainers who ensure quality pre-service and in-service teacher education, by providing multidisciplinary experiences that are relevant to the current technical development. Teachers in the adjacent public school districts are primary participants in this site program. Significant efforts have been made to recruit teachers serving underrepresented student populations, and female and minority teachers who can reach out to them. In our RET site program, the participants rotated to four different laboratories with a 1.5–3 week residency in each, where they learned about the practice of engineering in various disciplines at the research laboratories on the university campus under the guidance of faculty and graduate mentors. The teachers presented their learning outcomes in the final week and were invited back to share their educational implementation experiences in their classes. This site program provided teachers with interdisciplinary engineering design experiences relevant to innovative technical development, and helped them develop teacher-driven teaching modules that can be deployed in the classroom.

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