Grant will help enhance educators' knowledge and skills for teaching inquiry-based science

Lynn A. Bryan, associate professor in the departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Physics, and Brenda M. Capobianco, assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, received a $353,000 grant for their three-year project, called Enhancing Elementary Teachers' Knowledge and Skills for Teaching Inquiry-Based Science.

The project, a partnership with Gary Community School Corp., brought 10 teachers from the school district to Purdue for a two-week intensive workshop in June on both science content and creative teaching methods to help students learn science. Bryan, Capobianco and graduate assistants Leon Walls and Megan Grunert led training sessions that focused on four main areas: physical science, life science, earth science and chemistry.

Bryan said she and Capobianco, both former science teachers, chose to create the project because they have a passion for teaching science, especially to younger students. Gary school officials were interested in becoming a grant partner because they are seeking to raise their students' level of achievement in science.

"Our hope is that these 10 teachers will go back to their schools and disseminate what they have learned, creating a ripple effect," Bryan said.

The grant is part of the Indiana Department of Education Mathematics and Science Partnership Program. The purpose of the competitive grant program, which was created after the implementation of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, is to encourage schools to participate in professional development activities that improve the teaching skills of math and science teachers.

In Indiana, these funds will be used to promote and enhance what is known as the inquiry-based approach to science teaching, which Bryan described as a method through which students can generate knowledge and understanding of science-related concepts by engaging in scientific investigations. Through inquiry-based science, students learn to ask questions about the natural world, design experiments, collect data and use evidence to formulate explanations of science phenomena.

She said that the overarching goal behind Indiana's partnership program is to improve the science instruction in K-6 classrooms in hopes that students will perform better in science on standardized tests.

While at the Purdue summer workshop, the teachers attended all-day sessions focused around interdisciplinary themes. For example, the first week's session theme was forensics, in which teachers learned how to create a "crime-scene investigation" model in their classrooms and teach students how to use science to solve a "crime," as well as how to build electric circuits for constructing a burglar alarm.

Teachers also learned how to use children's literature to enhance elementary science lessons. For instance, teachers were shown how to use the classic children's book "The Little Engine that Could" for both a reading lesson and a science lesson that lets students explore the science behind work, energy and machines.

"Because of the limited time that elementary teachers have to spend on science in the classroom — and the increasing emphasis on raising test scores — it's important for teachers to learn how to integrate scientific principles into other subjects," Bryan said. "This is also helpful because it teaches students that science can be found in everything. It helps to make it more relevant to their lives."

In addition to the two-week training, the Gary teachers also will be visited by the Purdue team on Fridays during this summer to engage in a community-based science experience, such as visiting the Gary crime-scene investigation team. They also will follow the teachers' progress as they develop their lesson plans for the fall. The Gary teachers and the Purdue group will remain in contact during the school year.

Bryan said one of their goals is to bring new teachers into the training each of the next two years and, if there is room, to include teachers from other cities.

She said she hopes that teachers come away with a greater understanding and appreciation of why it is so crucial for elementary students to develop a firm understanding of science.

"The general impression is that students at the elementary age don't have the ability to understand scientific principles," Bryan said. "But kids in elementary school are particularly interested in the whys and hows, and they want to learn how things work. It's a perfect time to capitalize on this natural curiosity."

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Sources: Lynn Bryan, (765) 496-2859, labryan@purdue.edu

Brenda Capobianco, (765) 494-9635, bcapo@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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