University Connections: Pre-service Teacher Training Adrienne Rodriguez-Zermeno, Phillip Dukes, Ruth Hunter   Abstract I. Initiating Reform II. Developing Partnerships III. The Selection of Materials IV. University Coursework V. Alignment of Educational Experiences   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Abstract Teacher training and preparation is central to the success of science education reform. The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College have created undergraduate courses designed to give pre-service teachers the content knowledge and confidence they need to successfully teach physical science at the elementary school level. These courses implement hands-on, inquiry methods and science content which are directly linked to the content they will be teaching in the classroom. I. Initiating Reform One of the first questions that a community considers as it plans for its future education needs would be: “Is reform necessary?” In Brownsville, Texas the answer to that question was yes. Brownsville, with a population of 150,000, is located on the US/Mexico border and has a relatively low educational attainment compared to the national average. Only 51% of the adult population has graduated from high school and/or received a GED; only 17.6% has gone on to receive a postsecondary degree. This percentage of people with a postsecondary degree is far below the national figure of 30.8%, or state figures of 28.4% (2000 Census). Brownsville is a youthful city where 34% of the population is below the age of 18 and only 10% is above the age of 65. Science education reform is recognized as essential to the economic development and future of south Texas. Go back up Brownsville is in a relatively isolated region creating a closed educational system. The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College (UTB/TSC) trains the majority of the teachers working in the region’s school districts, and 95% of the UTB/TSC student body come from the local community. Being an open enrollment university, UTB/TSC is charged with educating anyone with the desire to learn. This means that many of the entering freshmen find it necessary to complete a number of pre-college developmental education courses. Comprehensive science education reform is necessary for the developmental future of the educational system K-16. The next question a community seeking reform should ask is: “Is reform possible?” In Brownsville, Texas the answer to that question was yes, but only through a community wide collaboration. Recognizing that the problem was community wide, the solution had to be as well. In 2000, a courageous group of school board members decided to invest the state allocated “text-book” fund and six million dollars of local school district funding towards switching grades K-5 from a textbook based science curriculum to a hands-on and inquiry based science curriculum. To date more than 50,000 K-5 students have had the experience of learning science by doing science as the Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) shifted away from text-books to hands-on, inquiry teaching methods. A strong partnership has developed in the ensuing years contributing to the reform effort success through teacher training, material resource center support, workshops, and student investigations. Go back up   II. Developing Partnerships Central to this partnership is the Brownsville Alliance for Science Education ENLACE (BASE/ENLACE) project which was created in 2001 with a grant from the Kellogg Foundation and Houston Endowment Foundation. ENLACE (ENgaging LAtino Communities for Education) is a nationwide initiative dedicated to increasing the number of Latino high school and college graduates. This collaboration spans across 7 states through 13 different sites. ENLACE is essentially about tapping into the energy and resources of partner institutions and communities to unleash the skills and learning ability of Latino youth. BASE is unique in that it is the only ENLACE component that focuses on improving the community through science education reform. BASE/ENLACE housed in the College of Mathematics, Science and Technology at UTB/TSC was able to serve as a liaison between the school district and the university. Changing attitudes towards science education in a city of 150,000 is no simple task. BASE took to heart the ENLACE spirit of weaving together various entities to make a stronger whole. Go back up III. The Selection of Materials As BASE/ENLACE began, BISD was taking the first step in science education reform by switching from textbooks to FOSS kits. Over 1000 elementary teachers received training in kit methodology from Delta Education, and BASE/ENLACE recruited university faculty and staff volunteers who provided training in all areas of science content. Brownsville has many dedicated teachers but is similar to the national average in that the vast majority of elementary teachers have a limited science background. Those teachers who have taken science at the college level usually took only Biology or Geology; only a few teachers at the elementary level have taken courses in Physics or Chemistry. In the ensuing years, additional workshops have been held for K-5 teachers both through mandatory in-service days and through voluntary Super Saturday workshops. Workshops have also been held for middle school and high school teachers regarding various topics such as science fair project preparation and Teaching Newton’s Laws to High School students. This past year, 628 K-12 math/science teachers that took 6 hours of content training taught by a collaboration of BISD and UTB/TSC trainers. The volunteer services of university faculty and staff coordinated by BASE/ENLACE has not only met a training need, but at a savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Teacher training actively engaged university professors and school district personnel and teachers. It was beneficial for both groups; because it gave the teachers knowledge they were lacking to teach science with confidence, and provided university personnel a glimpse into the surrounding school systems. As university professors volunteered their time to do training for BISD teachers, relationships were formed. Each group developed a clearer understanding that they were working towards the same goals; quality education for the children and young adults of our community. Go back up IV. University Coursework As the need for science content by all teachers became more evident, sporadic workshops were not enough. Working in collaboration with the School of Education and College of Mathematics, Science and Technology new courses were developed to teach physical science content training. Two courses were created at the graduate level and two courses at the undergraduate level (Physical Science for Education, Levels I & II). Scholarships were made available for in-service teachers; to date approximately 113 area teachers have taken the graduate courses. These courses are taught out of the Department of Physics and Astronomy by instructors with a background in science education. The undergraduate courses are designed to primarily give the pre-service teachers the content background they need to prepare their students as well as the confidence to feel comfortable with teaching science in an inquiry based, hands-on way. The courses use a variety of current teaching methodologies and equipment based not only on the FOSS kits but also on other laboratory equipment. This ensures that the pre-service teacher is not dependent on a certain set of curriculum. The courses integrate lectures and labs. Students carry on a variety of investigations in a group setting to construct their understanding of the natural world. The content of the courses is based on the National Science Education Standards and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. In the Level I course students learn about properties of matter, mixtures, solutions, chemical reactions, forces, motion, and energy. One of the investigations that students carry out is making slime. Students mix glue, water, and food coloring in a bowl. In their science journal they record observations about the mixture. In a separate bowl they mix water and borax powder. Concepts such as characteristics of mixtures and solutions are able to be discussed with these two simple mixtures. Then the students pour the glue mixture into the borax solution and are able to see instantly a chemical reaction. This leads to discussions about chemical and physical changes. In the second part of the course students learn about electricity, magnetism, heat, waves, sound and light. One of the investigations that the students design and conduct is about static electricity using a balloon and paper. Each laboratory table designs their own experiment with the same equipment. Students discuss their proposed experiment and topics such as dependent, independent and control variables. Students learn how to construct investigations to answer a scientific question. As the students develop the lab they are able to make quantitative and qualitative observations. Each lab group presents their finding to the class and then the class as a whole discusses characteristics of static electricity. Following this activity the instructor lectures on the electrostatic force as well as electrical charging. Since the students then all have a shared basis of understanding, the lecture becomes more concrete for the students. As testimony to the benefit of these courses, the school of education has added the undergraduate courses to the degree plan for teachers seeking EC-4 certification. This policy was instrumental to the success of the course. The undergraduate course has gone from one section with 20 students to five sections with a combined enrollment of 160 students, a total of 398 students and pre-service teachers have taken both courses. Since the course is dependent on group interaction, it is important to keep the size of the class limited to 32 students. One of the keys of reform lies in preparing teachers properly. Teacher training and education has been a constant emphasis of the BASE/ENLACE program. From content training necessary for successful implementation of the FOSS kits, to courses developed at undergraduate and graduate levels, and all the workshops, BASE/ENLACE has strived to help with excellence in science content. Although the teachers benefit from this increased level of education the true winners are the students in their classes for years to come. Go back up V. Alignment of Educational Experiences As reform efforts continue it is important to systemically change all of K-16 science education. In an effort to improve undergraduate education, research is being done about the effectiveness of computer simulations using the algebra based general physics laboratory. These Physics based Java Applets, known as Physlets provide the students with a learning environment that allows the students to concentrate on a single concept. Physlets are rigidly created so that they obey all natural laws. Students are allowed to manipulate selected variables to see the effect these variables have on the entire situation. In the Kinematics: Understanding Motion laboratory, students manipulate the velocity of a car and are able to see how the change in motion affects position, velocity and acceleration graphs. In the traditional setting this experiment of creating graphs would be more time consuming. Using Physlets, students can make a variety of changes and notice subtle differences. Initial findings show comparable student understanding between groups using the Physlet laboratory and the traditional laboratory. The improved courses at the university level have a positive impact on improving education throughout various levels of the students’ education. The steps taken to date in Brownsville, Texas towards science education reform will reap benefits to be seen well into the future. The collaborations between the university and the school district not only benefit the current students but move our community to the overall goal of science education reform. Go back up