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Newsletter Volume 1 |
Fall 1996 |
New Partnerships
John ZikopolousDepartment of Chemistry
Maricopa Community College
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Newsletter Volume 1 |
Fall 1996 |
The Arizona Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers Faculty Workshop afforded an opportunity for instructors and students from a diverse group of scientific, mathematical, and educational backgrounds to participate as a group in the preparation of inquiry-based science modules during a month this past summer.
USI Collaborative Peer Teachers Pat Shontz and Rick Ramirez work with Steve Platte, Paradise Valley Community College, at ACEPT's Faculty Development Workshop.
The ACEPT project and the Patterns in Nature course provided us, the students, and the instructors a platform to learn and exchange ideas that we would otherwise have found difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate. We worked as a class to develop inquiry-based lab modules for use by science faculty.
Workshop participants included students planning a career in K-12 education, and community college and ASU instructors. As a group we were asked to focus on the preparation of modules incorporating the learning cycle method of teaching. We also concentrated on integrating science and math into the modules that we developed.
Working in teams of faculty and teachers afforded us a unique opportunity to learn how each group, and the individuals within the groups, understood or misunderstood the lessons we prepared and delivered.
John Zikopolous from Mesa Community College assists REU students with a spectroscope.
While using the learning cycle format, it became clear to me that at times the understanding of material was less than expected by our colleagues . This was not due to the complexity as much, as by the delivery of the material. Instructors, like myself, often get so involved in our own areas of expertise, and perhaps the presentation of that expertise, that we do not effectively deliver our lessons to others. This may be especially critical when our students are K-12 instructors who may not be as well versed in a particular area of expertise. It was very helpful to have experienced K-12 teachers as workshop participants. They provided important insight into the challenges we faculty face in preparing K-12 teachers.
The K-12 instructors are, in my opinion, a most critical component of the educational system of our country. They are the ones that meet the children at a most impressionable age and, as such are in a position to extend to them the excitement or insecurities that they feel about science and math. In either case the lesson is one that will stay with the student for many years.
Jim Tyburczy and Robert Grimm, ASU, work with Steve Semken, Navajo CC on a biology module during the summer workshop.
After the ACEPT Work-shop, it is clear to me that any program that enhances the excitement of the K-12 teaching community about science and math should be widely distributed and encouraged. Today's job market, for many people, often requires driven skills. Teachers poorly prepared in math, science and technology can lead to a set of "haves and have nots" in terms of technical abilities and therefore career opportunities. We need to provide our children with the skills they will need to compete in this market.
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