Fredonia State College Teams Up With Area Schools on Science Program
Posted on: Thursday, 24 February 2005, 09:00 CST
The College of Education at Fredonia State College -- with partnering schools -- is ready to go forward with an experimental program designed to change the way young people learn science.
The "Young Inquiring Scientists Want to Know Project" is a three- year, $3.6 million program funded through the Department of Education and New York State Math Science Partnership Program in cooperation with the Dunkirk City School District. It will help transform science classes to a "hands-on/minds-on" method.
In addition to educators in Dunkirk, teachers from prekindergarten through 12th grade in the Fredonia, Gowanda, Silver Creek and Westfield schools will take part.
They are being joined by educators from two parochial schools -- Northern Chautauqua Catholic School and St. Hyacinth's -- as well as special educators of Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Board of Cooperative Educational Services.
Michael Jabot, assistant professor in the College of Education, and Kathleen Gradel, of the Dunkirk City School District, collaborated on the project.
According to the terms of the grant, more than 300 educators will receive training over three years to learn how to incorporate inquiry-based scientific learning in their classrooms.
Curriculum for students from pre-K through grade 12 will be developed based on New York State standards, and a network of science mentors will be established for the participating educators.
"Our greatest focus in Year One of this project is to establish a baseline of student thinking in the sciences and use that to inform the curriculum that is developed," said Jabot.
"We really want to help develop educators' content knowledge in the context of the areas where students struggle," he noted. "It isn't about trying to teach the teachers everything about astronomy, for example; rather, it is to teach them why their students struggle with specific topics, such as the phases of the moon, or the causes behind the changing of the season and issues along those lines."
In addition, an assessment of the program will be conducted in each district, focusing on student achievement, teacher science instruction competency and comfort, and relevant reform activity.
The project is being directed by a consortium of district representatives.
According to Joanne Russo, leader on the project in the Dunkirk schools, "By essentially 'teaching the teachers,' the project will help teachers and students throughout Western New York develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the sciences, while simultaneously collecting insights into the way young people learn."
Source: Buffalo News
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