Education Summit:
Interdisciplinary Science
and Science Education
Project TEACH
& Interdisciplinary
Science
Teacher Education Alliance of
Colleges and High Schools
Keith Clay, GRCC Co-Director
Bruce Palmquist, CWU Director
For further information…
Keith Clay: kclay@grcc.ctc.edu
 Bruce Palmquist: palmquis@cwu.edu
 Interdisciplinary Science:
www.ivygreen.ctc.edu/ids
 Project TEACH:
www.projectteach.org
 This presentation:
www.ivygreen.ctc.edu/kclay/ids

Teacher Education
Is there a shortage?
Washington had 3000 vacancies for
elementary and 5000 vacancies for
secondary in 2001-2002.
(OSPI)
But recent graduates of elementary
teacher education programs have had
trouble finding jobs. (Seattle Times, Daily Olympian)
Teacher Education
The Need in Washington
 Top 5 teaching shortages forecast ‘02 – ‘07




Special Education 72%
Mathematics 51%
Science – Chemistry 44%
Science – Physics 38%
 Science – Biology 38%

Washington now has a MS Math & Science
endorsement with no programs in place

Districts are recruiting elementary & middle
school math/science specialists
Project TEACH
“Strategy 3”
To strengthen math and
science for elementary
schools.
Math for elementary
teachers sequence
3-qtr., Interdisciplinary Science sequence
Courses model interactive teaching and
require active learning
GRCC Project TEACH
Interdisciplinary Science
Three-quarter sequence
for elementary education
and other liberal arts majors
Interdisciplinary approach
includes biology, geology,
physics, and chemistry
Inquiry-based with little lecture
Projects introduce education students to
national standards and/or EALRs
Interdisciplinary Science:
What is the K-8 Curriculum?
INQUIRY
According to OSPI
30%
SYSTEMS:
Ecosystems,
Circuits,
Rock cycle,
Nerves…
Rockets,
Solar system,
Spiders…
40%
30%
DESIGN
Interdisciplinary Science:
What is the K-8 Curriculum?
 Teacher
Certification: the “big” systems are…
 Physical
Science,
 Earth and Space Science,
 Life Science.
 The
method of learning science is inquiry.
 The use of science is part of science.
Interdisciplinary Science:
What are the WA Standards?
EALR: Ess. Acad. Learning Requirement
 WASL: Wa. Assess’t of Student Learning
 SCIF: Science Curr. Instr. Frameworks (they
write the EALRs)
 SALT: Sci. Assess’t Leadership Team (They
write the WASL)
 All online: www.k12.wa.us/curriculumInstruct

Interdisciplinary Science:
…and the Nat’l standards?
 “The
Standards” = NSES
 Written
 “The
by the National Academy of Science
Benchmarks” (for Science Literacy)
 Written
by AAAS Project 2061
(Amer. Assoc. for Advancement of Science)
 “The Atlas”
 Written
(of Science Literacy)
by AAAS Project 2061
 Students can read this!!
Future K-8 Science Teachers:
CC/Univ. Recommendations
DRAFT Recommendations:
 Require college-level science courses in physical,
life, and earth and space sciences.
 Require 10 qtr credits (5+ lab), 15 recommended.
 Courses should target future elementary teachers.
 Address knowledge and skills in the endorsement
competencies for elementary teachers.
 Emphasize inquiry, history and nature of science.
 Engage future teachers in hands-on, inquirybased learning.
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Student Challenge
 Attract
future elementary teachers to a new
yearlong science course
 Integrate
biology, chemistry, geology, and
physics into an inquiry lab setting
 Make
it cohesive, cumulative, and interesting
 Make
it challenging, not intimidating
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Student Challenge

MYTH: Elementary ed majors won’t take more
science courses than absolutely necessary.

REALITY: Almost all of our elementary ed
students stick around for two quarters and many
are staying for three.

We had 55 IDS students on the fall, of which 45
claimed a primary interest in elementary ed. 26
took 102 and 103, some took other lab sciences.
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Curriculum Challenge
Inquiry-based and Hands-on:
Less than 20% of time in lecture
Students are often self-guided
Coherent & Cumulative:
GRCC uses a “Climate” theme
Links to the “real world”
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Curriculum Challenge
 Get
your science faculty together
 Make
 Be
a list of “key topics”
prepared to throw the list away
 Your
students will show you what they
need to learn
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Curriculum Challenge
 Length, Area,
Volume: is this science?
 Heat
radiation, Vapor pressure, Plate
tectonics, Photosynthesis: are these?
Can your students learn about the second
group of subjects without the first?
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Curriculum Challenge
So be creative…
 Rainfall
–
What’s an inch of rain?
If an inch of rain falls on the
rain gauge at the right, how
deep will the water be?
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Curriculum Challenge
And be more creative…
Hydrology – what’s the
discharge of a river?
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Curriculum Challenge
Textbooks?
 We write our own
www.ivygreen.ctc.edu/ids
 Physics by Inquiry, McDermott and PEG
 Geology Lab manuals (loaned to students)
 Biology text (Smith and Smith – Ecology)
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Instruction Challenge
Who’s gonna teach it?
 Team teach if you can
 Teach it the way that
your students will teach
 Hang on to your faculty
Build
consensus among administrators,
instructors and non-participating faculty
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Instruction Challenge
What if we just lecture?
 Arizona State U (Wyckoff, Hestenes):
There is a direct correlation between
learning and a lack of lectures
 Montana State U (Francis, Adams):
Students in inquiry-based classes are
better problem solvers and retain more
factual knowledge one year after the class.
The Instruction Challenge:
So what is inquiry, anyway?
 Open-ended
inquiry:
 Here’s
a question. Find an answer.
 Here’s some equipment. What do you see?
 “Take this fish and look at it.” (Scudder)
 Guided
inquiry:
 Physics
by Inquiry, Explorations in Physics
 Instructors plan where investigation will lead.
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Instruction Challenge
Teaching by Inquiry is a lot of work!
(for the students and for the teachers)
The payoff for these students is huge.
Some instructors just don’t get it.
Cherish the ones that do.
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Instruction Challenge
What if we just lecture?
 “I was a volunteer at a public
school. I took IDS because I
needed a science credit. When I
saw people teaching science the
way I wanted someone to teach
my kids, the way I wanted to
teach, I decided to become a
teacher and changed my major.
Now I’m thinking of becoming a
middle school science teacher.”
Lori Epperson
IDS alumna
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Results

Students show improved
scores on general science
tests.

Students score significantly
higher on the Science
Attitude Inventory (Moore
and Foy, Miami University)
Lori Epperson
Presenting about Project TEACH
At a national AACC/NSF convention
Interdisciplinary Science:
The Results

IDS students helped create
an elementary education
degree with a minor in
science

IDS and GRCC math alums
now lead the charge for the
middle school math and
science endorsement.
Debbie Hanninen
Helped to lobby CWU to create
the elementary ed/science option
Project TEACH
Associate Pre-Professional
Degree in Elementary Education
English
Science
ENGL 110 – College Writing
IDS 101 – Interdisciplinary Science I
ENGL 111 – Writing in the Humanities
IDS 102 – Interdisciplinary Science II
ENGL 180 – Children’s Literature
IDS 103 – Interdisciplinary Science III
Humanities/Fine Arts
Mathematics
SPCH 100 – Basic Speech Communication
MATH 170 – Foundations of Elementary Math I (Number
Theory)
10 credits from ART, MUSIC, DRAMA or DANCE
MATH 171 – Foundations of Elementary Math II (Geometry)
Social Science
PSYCH 100 – General Psychology
or PSYCH 210 – Developmental Psychology
ANTHR 202 – Cultural Anthropology
or AMES 100 – American Ethnic & Minority Studies
10 credits from courses with prefixes of:
HIST, GEOG, POLI SCI or ECON
Fitness/Wellness
PE – Fitness Course
HL ED 190 – First Aid and Personal Safety
MATH 172 – Foundations of Elementary Math III (Prob. &
Stats)
Professional Core/Practicum
EDUC 170 – Introduction to Education
EDUC 172.1 – Tutoring in the Elementary Schools
EDUC 110 – Child Development
EDUC 197 – Introduction to Special Education
EDUC 270 – Teacher Portfolio Review
CWU at GRCC
Six quarters - Fall, 2002 to Winter, 2004
Classes taught at GRCC and local schools
14-16 credits per quarter
Run through Continuing Education - CWU
Elementary education major, science
education minor, and K-8 certificate
CWU faculty advisor travels from main
campus
CWU at GRCC
3rd and 4th Year Program Specifics
Fall, 2002
PE 334 - PE Methods
SCED 322 - Science Methods
PSY 314 - Human Development
EDF 302 - Students with Exceptionalities
Summer, 2003
SCED 301 - Interdisciplinary Science
EDRD 421 - Teaching Children's Lit.
EDRD 308 - Reading I
SCED 495 - Science Ed. Research
Winter, 2003
MUS 326 - Music Methods
SCED 422 - Advanced Science Methods
EDCS 311 - General Teaching Methods
PSY 315 - Educational Psychology
Pre-Autumn
EDCS 300 - Pre-autumn Experience
Spring, 2003
EDEL 420 - Social Science Methods
EDRD 420 - Language Arts Methods
ART 330 - Art Methods
HED 446 - Health Methods
EDCS 316 - Educational Technology
Fall, 2003
EDEL 323 - Math Methods
EDRD 309 - Reading II
EDCS 444 - Ed. Issues and the Law
SCED 420 - Science Practicum
Winter, 2004
EDCS 442 - Student Teaching
Bibliography
IDS Website: www.ivygreen.ctc.edu/ids
Physics by Inquiry: PEG at UW
(and check out the workshop)
Explorations in Physics, Laws, et al
Atlas (etc.) of Science Literacy: Proj2061
National Science Standards and Inquiry
Asking the Right Questions, Browne and
Keeley
www.projectteach.org