Summer Physical Science Institute for Middle Level Teachers (6-9)

Title of Project:
Summer Physical Science Institute for Middle Level Teachers (6-9)

Project Director:
Dr. Meera Chandrasekhar, University of Missouri, Columbia
Dr. Bruce McClure, University of Missouri, Columbia

Lead Institution:   University of Missouri, Columbia

Grade-level Focus:  Middle School (6-9)

Credit Hours to be Provided:   3.0 Graduate Credits

Understanding in Physics and Chemistry emerges from examining phenomena associated with tangible objects. Phenomena can then be related mathematically to physical laws, which helps connect to the ?big ideas? behind the concept. Following this philosophy, the proposed three-week Physical Science Summer Institute brings together concepts and experiential learning activities in Physics and Chemistry. The institute will be taught by faculty in Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Science Education, aided by two teaching assistants from the science disciplines. It is designed and planned in collaboration with two teachers, a principal, and a science coordinator. The integrated lecture-lab style uses hands-on activities that model inquiry methods, quantitative analysis, problem solving, and experimental design. Content and pedagogy will be enhanced through take-home kits that allow teachers to perform all the activities with their students immediately. These kits are invaluable, especially to rural schools.

A.  Project Management Plan and Collaborative planning

Project Personnel, Roles and Responsibilities: The collaborating team will contribute specific planning and teaching expertise: Dr. Chandrasekhar will be responsible for overall management and Physics content, Drs. McClure and Keller for Chemistry content, and Dr. Volkmann for inquiry, pedagogy, and recruitment. Materials will be coordinated by a staff member in Physics. Teacher-consultants, Catherine Carpenter and Sara Torres ( Lange Middle School science teachers) and Thomas Schlimpert (principal, Lange Middle School ), will work in partnership to design level-appropriate content, inquiry-based pedagogy and management strategies. Dr. Rebecca Litherland (Science Coordinator) will provide guidance and coordinate activities within the Columbia School district . Two teaching assistants from the content departments will assist with the course, and will provide expertise and support for the participants. The external evaluator will evaluate the project. CVs are attached in Appendix I.

Collaboration and Planning: The collaborating team has discussed curriculum and needs extensively. The teacher consultants provided positive feedback on the science content, but recommended a greater focus on two strands: the need for students to understand accuracy of measurements and the need for teachers to use a variety of assessments. The Columbia Science Coordinator recommended that teachers maintain journals during the institute to support reflection and that teachers focus on student work samples in order to ascertain growth.

The four PDs, who are science and science education faculty at MU, have met several times and extensively discussed specific aspects of implementing inquiry and the 5E learning model. Columbia School District teachers have also been intimately involved over several years in evaluating content, level, and pedagogy of both physics and chemistry curricula.

Recruitment was discussed and a decision was reached to e-mail selected schools from the list in the RFP in an attempt to identify prospective participants, ascertain teacher needs and analyze school data. A short description of the Institute was sent on Oct 27, 2003. Positive responses were obtained from several schools, Additional information and a copy of Appendix III) were sent to the teachers/principals of these schools on Nov 11, 2003. Schools who have signed letters of commitment are listed in Appendix III. The remainder of the participants will be recruited at state and local conferences, through mailings, personal contact, and with assistance from the Missouri Partnership for Educational Renewal (MPER).

B.   Data-Driven Project Design

Needs of schools: We have had discussions with teachers regarding their needs in the institute. The teachers are interested, enthusiastic, and have stated that they did not feel adequately prepared to teach Physics and Chemistry at the middle level. This data is in agreement with the well-known need for better-educated teachers in the physical sciences. The need is particularly acute in rural areas where teachers may have multiple preparations per day. Fear of Physics and Chemistry is also well documented among middle level teachers¹

Targeted Schools: The teachers/schools that responded fit two categories: suburban schools (e.g., Lange Middle School in Columbia ), and rural schools (e.g., Slater High School). These schools share the following challenges: high percentages (more than 30%) of students on free or reduced lunch and poor performance on the science MAP (7^th or 10^th grade was chosen as appropriate for the school). Profiles of these selected schools are shown in Table I. Twenty-four teachers will be accepted to the Institute, serving an estimated 80 students each (=1920 students served).

Table I. Sample Profile of schools	# Potential Participants	Free/Red Lunch ?02	2001Step 1/ Progressing	2002Step 1/ Progressing	Teacher with Reg. Cert.
Slater High School	2	31.58%	75.6%	62.9 %	94.4%
Lange Middle School	4	34.29%	66.3	71.9	93.7
NorthWest High School, Pettis County R V	3	40%	60 (7th) 71.9 (10th)	58.6 (7th) 75 (10th)	100%
Other Interested schools: LSE Middle School, Boonville R1 (3 teachers), see App. III; Chilhowee R-IV (2-3 teachers) ? letter, but no App. III yet; Bland Middle School 2-3 teachers ? App. III not received as of submission date;

Sequence of Science Content to be taught:

The Physical Science content areas are: Electricity, Magnetism, Atoms, Molecules and Bonding (Table II). Each content area is divided into modules with six to twelve sequenced activities to investigate the concept in depth. The sequence within a module is based on the 5-E learning cycle² (illustrated in Table III). Quantitative, problem solving, and assessment activities are woven into each module.

Table II: Concepts to be presented at institute

SIMPLE CIRCUITS	BATTERIES, BULBS AND SWITCHES	BATTERIES
•  Voltage •  Current •  Resistance •  Series and parallel circuits •  Path of current in circuits •  Mixed series and parallel circuits •  Power and energy in an electrical circuit	•  Closed circuits •  Contact points •  Circuit elements: bulbs, switches, batteries, buzzers, motors, light emitting diodes (LEDs), and photoresistors	•  Voltage of a battery •  Fruit, vegetable, and liquid batteries •  Electrodes and electrolytes •  Batteries in series and parallel •  Chemical reactions in batteries
STATIC ELECTRICITY	RESISTORS AND CAPACITORS	MAGNETS AND MAGNETISM
•  What is static electricity? •  Attractive and repulsive forces between charges •  Coulomb's law, electric force •  Charging by conduction, induction, and grounding •  Using and making an electroscope •  Charges and particles: protons neutrons and electrons. Measuring electron charge.	•  Good and bad conductors •  How resistance varies with length •  Potentiometers •  Charging and discharging capacitors, time constants •  Capacitors in series and parallel	•  Magnetic poles and forces •  Magnetic fields •  Magnetism of the Earth •  The strength of magnets •  Working with a compass •  3-D magnetic fields •  Electromagnets •  Producing electricity from magnets •  Electromagnet Projects
Magnetic Materials	Elements	Compounds, Chemical Re act ions
•  Synthesis and properties of ferrofluids •  Synthesis and testing of a high temperature superconductor •  Synthesis and testing of magnetic garnets	•  Investigating and classifying elements •  Emission Spectroscopy •  Determining atomic weight •  Pressure-Temperature-Volume of gasses •  Atomic mass of gas •  Analysis of gases in breath •  Diffusion of gases	•  Electrolysis of water •  Reacting elements •  Reactivity of metals •  Countering Corrosion

Lessons begin with teachers' questions posted on a large tablet and discussed as modules progress. Through the questions, instructors can identify misconceptions and areas of curiosity. The questions offer an excellent forum for discussion and peer learning.

This multilevel sequential approach conveys the thrill of scientific investigation. Students and teachers will see that simple concepts can be used to understand complicated phenomena, and applied to build a gadget or solve a practical problem. These activities will familiarize teachers and students with simple scientific instrumentation (such as digital voltmeters) that they will use in high school or college laboratories.

Steps in learning process	Table III: Illustration of 5E learning-cycle to our activity sequence on magnetism.
Purpose of step	Example of activity sequence
Engage	Student makes connection between past and present learning experiences; interest excited	The Magnet Chase, Love you, Hate you - Two game-like activities involving magnets
Explore	Student manipulates materials to actively explore concepts, processes or skills	Pole Finder - identification of magnetic poles in several different kinds of magnets
Explain	Focus students' attention on previous activities; opportunities to develop explanations or hypotheses; introduction of formal labels or definitions.	Discuss findings from pole finder activity; Student Reading Page - Magnetic Poles
Elaborate	Extend conceptual understanding; practice desired skills; deepen understanding;	Mapping Magnetic Fields
Evaluate	Encourage students to assess understanding and abilities; teacher evaluates learning	Magnetic fields of multiple magnets--Problem-solving activities

 

Standards-based curricula:

The Physics modules, which have been published as a CD-ROM,Exploring Physics, Electricity and Magnetism, have been extensively tested and are keyed to the Missouri Frameworks and the National Science Education Standards. All participants will get a copy of the CD. The Chemistry modules that address the composition and properties of matter: elements, compounds, and bonding will be drawn from Part 3 of the STC/MSProperties of Matter Curriculum. The STC/MS curricula were developed with NSF funding specifically to create challenging, engaging, standards-based curricula for middle school. The Lessons and Inquiries are explicitly linked to the National Science Education Standards³. Each Lesson contains a discussion of relevant student misconceptions.

Impacting the Higher Education Institution:

The Physics Department has recently begun a new course, Physics 33, for Elementary Education Majors, which has been taught three times by Dr. Chandrasekhar. This required course has, and will continue to benefit from experiences with in-service teachers and collaboration with Science Education faculty. Teaching Assistants for the summer institutes are particularly benefited, and receive advance training that is invaluable during the semester when they help teach Physics 33.

C.   Project Objectives, Activities, and Characteristics

Specific Objectives of the project:
Goal 1: Increase participants' understanding of physical science concepts and content, explicitly coupled with quantitative analysis integrated with algebraic and logical thinking for in-depth understanding. Concepts addressed are electricity, magnetism, atoms, elements, compounds, and bonding (Energy and Matter strand).
Objective 1: Participants will manifest gains in understanding Physics and Chemistry concepts.

Goal 2: Advance participants' knowledge of new hands-on activities with a focus on inquiry and problem solving, supported by materials kits for immediate implementation of activities.
Objective 2: Participants will demonstrate knowledge and application of inquiry and experimental design in teaching Physics and Chemistry concepts.

Goal 3: Promote self-confidence in conceptual and quantitative aspects of physical science.
Objective 3: Participants will report increased self-confidence with physical science concepts, particularly in the quantitative aspects.

Goal 4: Enhance understanding of physical science concepts among students of participants.
Objective 4: Student scores on unit tests will improve compared to school scores on the MAP for these objectives. (this part will be done in collaboration with outside evaluator, and is not discussed in this proposal)

These objectives are linked to the followingDESE initiatives: Scientific Inquiry, Matter and Energy in the Missouri Science Frameworks.K-16 initiativesaddressed are: Development of mathematical thinking for students; parents (in our case, teachers) should not "pass on" negative attitudes, experiences, or anxieties about mathematics to their children; active participation of arts and sciences departments in the design and implementation of teacher preparation programs; middle school programs incorporating the knowledge and skills, particularly algebraic thinking, necessary for high school classes; alignment between MAP and new curriculum expectations.

Competencies to be acquired and shared by participants include enhanced understanding of Physics and Chemistry concepts, quantitative skills, inquiry and problem-solving skills, and an immediately applicable set of hands-on activities to support the knowledge learned.

Proposed project activities and fulfilling objectives; integrating inquiry and instructional technology:

This Institute is designed to be the second of a three-year cycle and will focus on the content areas of electricity, magnetism, elements, atoms, molecules, and. bonding. The third year will include heat, optics, astronomy, materials science, and biochemistry. The first year (2003) addressed forces, motion, energy, properties of matter, and chemical properties. The topics in each year's Institute are carefully chosen to integrate Physics and Chemistry and to address a broad spectrum of physical science topics that are aligned with state and national standards.

The Institute addresses the need for middle level (6-9) teachers to be well prepared in the physical sciences. The Institute will consist of 15 six-hour days of summer institute, two follow-up Saturdays during the academic year, and one-day visits to school sites.

Objective 1: Participants will take part in three kinds of learning activities. First, working in teams, they will learn Physics and Chemistry through carefully sequenced inquiry-based hands-on activities that promote conceptual and quantitative learning. Second, they will deepen their quantitative understanding through five afternoon sessions specifically designed to assist teachers analyze and solve physics and chemistry problems. Third, they will participate in pedagogy workshops where participants will develop inquiry-based activities and generate alternative assessments. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on what they are learning and begin to address the question of how to support student learning. Participants will share student work and share strategies for solving instructional problems. Activities will include transforming cookbook labs to inquiry, developing imbedded assessments, and designing engagement, exploration, and application activities to use in middle school science instruction. The content has been expressly chosen so that macroscopic concepts discussed in the Physics segment (e.g., electrostatics) mesh with microscopic concepts in the Chemistry segment (e.g., bonding), continually connecting specific phenomena to big ideas in science. One of the prominent features of this institute is that it projects a view of science as an interconnected, interdisciplinary subject where many phenomena are connected by common threads.

Objective 2: Participants will investigate Physics and Chemistry phenomena through inquiry. In keeping with the constructivist philosophy, the content is sequenced in terms of the 5E instructional model so that concepts are introduced with an everyday experience and developed through an application in modern day technology. As participants progress through the modules, they will engage scientifically oriented questions; give priority to evidence, develop and evaluate explanations; formulate explanations from evidence; evaluate explanations in light of alternate explanations; and communicate and justify their proposed explanations⁴. Evidence of participants' ability to conduct inquiry will be demonstrated as they perform investigations in the summer institute. Evidence of their ability to teach through inquiry will be demonstrated as they enact the institute curriculum during the academic year.

Objective 3: Elementary and middle school teachers are familiar with concepts in life and earth sciences. However, many of them have not taken a course in Physics or Chemistry, and often feel intimidated by the material. This lack of self-confidence transfers to students. Through this Institute, teachers' confidence is enhanced through their increased knowledge base, multiple-step problem-solving ability, and understanding of technological applications.

Objective 4: Follow-up activities during the academic year will require that participants teach chosen activities, and model related pedagogy. In addition to the kits teachers receive, they will have access to more sophisticated materials and access to the expertise of the instructors for content-related advice. Teachers will document student achievement in multiple ways (as per overall evaluation plan).

Objective 5: We will involve more MU faculty in K-12 Education. This objective addresses a need among higher education faculty.  Several faculty are interested in collaborating with teachers in professional development, but do not have an easily available structure whereby they can interact with them.  Therefore, in the course of our summer institute and follow-up sessions we will invite MU faculty to meet teachers, and make them aware of the science needs of K-12 educators.  We will invite three to six faculty during the cycle 2 activities to give one-hour talks on their research areas.  Speakers will be chosen to be those who are known for their interesting presentations, and who will present on topics that are related to those in the summer institute.  Following their presentation there will be a period of time scheduled for informal interactions. The side benefit of this activity is that it will put teachers in contact with MU faculty other than those who directly teach the institute.  These contacts will be useful, for example, when students ask interesting questions or students wish to pursue science projects and need to talk to professionals in the field.

The Physics segment of this Institute has enjoyed great success over the past ten years in the form of the Exploring Physics extra-curricular program and summer institutes. The hands-on materials are effective, robust, and inexpensive. They will use a CD-ROM (Exploring Physics, Electricity and Magnetism), make extensive use of instrumentation such as digital voltmeters, and computer collection of data and data analysis using the computer. The Chemistry labs at MU have probes that are routinely used for data collection. The Physics labs also have computers at each desk that teachers will use. The CD has hands-on activities with a rich set of supporting links (content knowledge, problems, animations, etc. See www.exploringphysics.com for demo). Favorable reviews of this CD⁵ suggest that it is a successful model.

The Chemistry segment will use Lessons and Inquiries from the Science and Technology Concepts for Middle Schools^TM (STC/MS) Properties of Matter curriculum developed by the National Science Resource Center. Drs Keller and McClure have participated in a two-year NSF funded project and have used Properties of Matter for teacher development. They have met with middle school teachers and gained direct insight into classroom implementation of the curriculum. Where appropriate, the Inquiries will be modified to match the 5E learning cycle (Table III).

Addressing needs with effective professional development:
As participants investigate physics and chemistry phenomena, they develop evidence-based explanations and build confidence in their ability to think scientifically. Solving problems, conducting long-term projects, and developing lessons based on the 5E model provides teachers with new tools that improve science education.

If students are to be successful in science, they must feel that learning is meaningful. The Institute's use of the 5E instructional model guides teachers in the use of strategies that engage students from the start of a lesson sequence. Students will feel successful as they explore physical science phenomena and construct explanations that are consistent with their observations. Students will experience science as meaningful as they experience success.

A vital aspect of the project design is the take-home kit. They will allow teachers to help students connect everyday experiences to their understanding of Physics and Chemistry. The availability of these kits will allow the teacher to impact students immediately. While the cost of the kits is significant, we believe they are key to the success of this program.

Value of standards-based curriculum: The 5-8 Missouri Grade Level Expectations, Missouri Science Frameworks (MSF) and parallel National Standards are addressed by this proposal. As teachers design and complete individual science studies, develop evidence-based explanations, and investigate properties of matter, forms and sources of energy, they will address the standards on inquiry (I), properties of matter (III), and physical science (IV).

Activity schedule for summer institute and follow-up sessions:
Summer classes will meet for 15 days (tentatively July 5-23, 2004 ) from 9 am-12:30 pm and 1:30-4 pm . Mornings are spent on hands-on activities, discussions for concept development, and quantification. Theoretical aspects and problem solving are integrated into the activities. Pedagogical discussions of inquiry, misconceptions, and experimental design are woven into the content. Our goal is to deliver college-level content supported by activities that transfer well to middle-level classrooms.

Table IV. Contact Hours
With primary instructors
Content	52
Tests: (pre and post)	4
Pedagogy	12
Problem review and independent work on quantitative aspects	20
Follow-up (2 Saturdays)	12
With Instructors/Assistants/Presenters
Gender Equity	2
On-site follow up	6
Total contact hours	108

Eight afternoon sessions address problem solving. Three sessions review math/algebra. The others deal with problems related to Physics and Chemistry. Examples will be followed up with guided practice and homework assignments. Five afternoons are reserved for pedagogy workshops, as described above under activities associated with Objective 1.

The first and last afternoons will be spent in pre- and post- tests (part of course grade). One afternoon will be set aside for a gender equity presentation by an expert in the area (this segment is short and will not be evaluated).

Follow-up activities include teaching selected concepts in their own classrooms, keeping a portfolio of lesson plans and student work samples, and returning to the University for two Saturdays during the academic year (once in fall and once in winter). The morning of each follow-up visit will be spent on new activities related to the content area of the Institute. The afternoon is reserved for reporting on classroom implementation, sharing portfolios, misconceptions encountered (and how to address them), materials management, and teaching techniques. Teachers will also take a short content-based test to gauge retention.

The four PDs and staff will conduct site visits. Classes will be monitored for content accuracy and application of pedagogy, especially inquiry. Feedback will be provided.

Structure of Institute:
Twenty-four teachers teaching grades 6-9 will be recruited. Twelve will be housed in MU dormitories, and the rest will commute. Teachers will work in pairs or teams. They will receive three graduate credits in Physics. We will recommend that at least two teachers from a given school district come to the Institute, to providing mutual support upon their return. We recognize that this may not be practical for some rural schools. Activity equipment is already available at the University of Missouri . The grant will fund participant stipends (see budget). Teachers will receive a kit of equipment worth $500 that includes one copy of almost all activities. (We note that in previous years the kits have been split-funded by the grant and the school district. Given the poverty levels of the current recommended school districts we will not require split funding, which has previously discouraged schools from sending their teachers to the institutes.)

Project Timeline:

Table V: Timeline:	Pre-recruitment of participants by e-mail; (MV, MC) (Initials refer to persons responsible. See Personnel)
Oct-Nov 2003
Feb 2004	Brochures printed and distributed at Interface. Recruitment through MPER, previous contacts, and through RPDCs (MV, MC)
Feb-April '04	Detailed planning of Institute content and schedule; Content reexamined for pedagogical links and consistency (MC, BM, SK, MV, CC, ST, BL)
Late May 2004	Application cutoff date
July 5-23, 2004	Summer Institute. (MC, BM, SK, MV, evaluator)
Oct '04, Feb ?05	Follow up Saturdays (tentative) (MC, BM, SK, MV, evaluator)
Nov ?04 ? May ?05	Follow-up visits at school sites. (MC, BM, SK, MV, evaluator)

 

D.   Dissemination

Local and Regional: Teachers will be encouraged to present in-service institutes in their local school districts. Classroom sets of materials will be made available. Teachers will present activities and projects at NSTA and statewide meetings (STOM and Interface). Articles will be submitted to STOM, MCTM, NSTA, and NCTM publications. McREL, ENC, and Eisenhower Consortia networks will be activated to disseminate the results. We will offer teachers the opportunity of hosting the Exploring Physics extra-curricular program at their schools (based on summer institute content). Previous users include teachers from Columbia, Cairo, Hannibal, Prairie Home, and Iberia.

We will continue to take ideas and results of the summer institutes back to for preservice classes, a process that is quite direct in that two of the PDs are involved in courses with preservice teachers. We will continue to discuss starting courses for preservice teachers in biological sciences and chemistry, and will provide models of how such a course might be started.

¹Weiss, I. R., Banilower, E. R., & Smith, P. S. (2001). Report of the 2000 national survey of science and mathematics education. Chapel Hill, NC: Horizon Research, Inc

²National Academy of Sciences (1998). Teaching about evolution and the nature of science. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

³http://search.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/

⁴National Research Council, 2000.

⁵ Reviewed by NSTA Recommends, http://www.nsta.org/recommends/product.asp?id=13306