SCIENCE-MATH NEXUS PROJECT DESCRIPTION

 

1.  OVERVIEW

 

It is generally agreed that hands-on, inquiry-based learning experiences will more accurately communicate the nature of science and math to students because such endeavors provide contexts for students to think critically, engage in meaningful investigations, engage in discourse, and use the tools of science and mathematics to aid in their investigation and communication efforts (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1993; National Academy of Science, 1996; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000; National Science Foundation, 1996; Ruby, 2001).  In addition, a hands-on, inquiry-based approach to science and mathematics increases the likelihood that students from a more diverse set of backgrounds will continue taking additional science and mathematics courses after meeting the minimum requirements (Bristow, 2000; Carter, 2001; Ferreira, 2001).  Ultimately however, inservice teachers and preservice teachers must also be afforded exposure as well as opportunities to observe, design, and implement science and mathematics experiences which utilize a hands-on, inquiry-based approach (Heflich, 2001; NCTM, 2000; NETS, 2000; NSES, 1996).   Sixth through twelfth grade science and math students in the Rutherford County School System (RCS) are not routinely engaged in hands-on, inquiry-based science and mathematics.  The Science-Math Nexus project will provide a mechanism for engaging middle and high school students and teachers in meaningful, inquiry-based learning experiences.  In addition, the Nexus will provide opportunities for Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) preservice teachers to develop and teach hands-on inquiry-based learning experiences by:

 

 

The project will engage several groups of stakeholders in a partnership.  These groups include:

 

 

While a small number (less than 20%) of teachers in RCS utilize hands-on, inquiry-based science and math methods, the practice is not widespread throughout the system due to the inherent risks involved in relinquishing control of the classroom.  This project will seek to engage inservice teachers in professional development opportunities held in intense summer workshops and throughout the school year that will assist them in becoming more comfortable with the challenges associated with implementing hands-on, inquiry-based activities.  The project will also provide opportunities for inservice teachers to build and develop essential skills for mentoring preservice teachers as well as colleagues at the entry level.  RCS 6-12 grade teachers who supervise field experiences and student teaching will work closely with university faculty to insure the appropriateness of activities and the implementation of hands-on, inquiry-based methods in science and mathematics, which accurately communicate content and processes.  In the process, the inservice teachers will become “clinical faculty” and not merely the teachers in whose classrooms we place students. The relationships that the inservice teachers develop with each other and with MTSU faculty will create a reliable support system that will encourage ongoing endeavors to reform science and mathematics teaching within RCS. 

 

The PreK-12 Environment—Tennessee

 

In Tennessee, opportunity does not equal success—and the state is not known as an educational leader.  A large number (84%) of adults in Tennessee have not attained a baccalaureate degree (Chronicle of Higher Education, September, 2001).  The adult population of Tennessee is ranked 43rd among all states in percent of adults completing a bachelor’s degree; 35th in per-capita income rate; has the 20th highest poverty rate; and, there are only 6 states with a higher dropout rate (Chronicle of Higher Education, September, 2001).  Only 76% of Tennesseans over 25 years of age have earned a high school diploma and only 16% of adults in Tennessee have completed a bachelor’s degree (Chronicle of Higher Education, September, 2001).   Smoking and teenage pregnancy rates are among the highest in the country. Tennessee has no state income tax (or lottery) and funding for education at all levels is uneven and uncertain.  Nearly 43% of Tennessee preK-12 students qualify for free or reduced lunch (Table 13, Appendix III).  Rutherford County teacher salaries are below the state average, which are below the national average (Table 20, Appendix III).  Tennessee requires a written test for beginning teacher licensure but received an overall grade of “C = 75” on teacher quality.  The state claims to provide incentives for national board certification (Quality Counts 2002:  Improving Teacher Quality), but only 40 teachers in the state are national board certified.  Only 55% of the state teachers hold degrees in the subject they teach as compared to 63% nationally.  A major is required for initial licensure in secondary but not in middle grades.  Tennessee provides some time and dollars for ongoing professional development for teachers, though it most often involves development activities outside the subject area.  Tennessee pre-service teachers are required to complete a 15-week student teaching program. 

 

The state of Tennessee has recently undergone a review of its science and math curriculum frameworks.  In September 2001, the State Board of Education approved new frameworks for all sciences and implementation will begin in school year 2002-2003.  The 6-8 science frameworks are built around an integrated curriculum with components of physical, earth, and life science at each grade level. The life science component is linked directly to the performance indicators of the Biology I course, usually taught at the 10th grade level.  Biology I has been designated as a Gateway subject for end-of-course testing.  Students who are in the 9th grade during school year 2001-2002 must score at a proficient level to receive a diploma (Table 10a – 10b, Appendix III).  The need to vertically align the inquiry-based experiences has never been greater nor has there been a better time to initiate the process.

 

The PreK-12 Environment—Rutherford County Schools

 

The Rutherford County School district is the sixth largest school system in Tennessee (Table 1, Appendix III). Its diverse student community of nearly 27,000 students includes more than a thousand whose native lands include Asia, Africa, South and Central America, Europe, and former Soviet states.  The district has 33 schools and one Adult High School. The rapid growth of Rutherford County has necessitated the building of eight schools in the span of four years.  This number includes two high schools (9-12) and three middle schools (6-8). By the time the 10-year building program is completed in 2010, 13 new schools will have been opened.  In spite of a low turnover rate in the teacher workforce over 50 new teachers are hired each year to meet the demand. This influx of new teachers into the system presents a challenge in maintaining a high level of continuity from year to year as school faculties are divided in order to staff new buildings.

 

Rutherford County is the second fastest growing county in Tennessee.  Its population of 172,000 enjoys its proximity to neighboring Nashville, to the northwest, and the resources available at MTSU, located within the city limits of Murfreesboro, the county seat. With its diversified industries, low unemployment, aggressive housing, and good schools, Rutherford County’s growth is expected to continue.  For the school year 2001-2002 there are 1891 certified employees in RCS.  Slightly over 50% of them have advanced degrees (see Tables 19a – 19b, Appendix III) .  The presence of MTSU in the community allows RCS teachers to continue their education during the school year.  The link between these two partners is evident.  The success of the science and math programs in grades 6-12 in RCS is greatly influenced by the methodology taught at MTSU as can be seen from the following table:

 

Table 24, Appendix III:  Percentage of RCS Teachers Graduating from MTSU

Group

Math

Science

9-12

61%

70%

Middle School

80%

80%

 

The RCS district has a commitment to technology.  By the end of school year 2002-2003 it is planned that there will be over 7,000 computers operational in the schools, or one for every 5 students.  All schools are connected to the Internet.  In school year 2001-2002, every 6-8 student was provided with a calculator and every Algebra I student was assigned a TI-83 calculator.  The district website maintains a number of programs to assist the science and math teacher.

 

The laboratory facilities available to the 6-12 students vary.  The older, more crowded schools may have some science classes taught in traditional rooms, although laboratory rooms are available when scheduled.  The most recently constructed middle and high schools have complete laboratory-classrooms for all science courses and math classrooms equipped with the latest technology.  The RCS district equips each new school with laboratory materials, equipment, and supplies from lists drawn up by teacher committees. As a new building is occupied, the materials are on hand for the teacher to use.  Additional data can be found in Appendix III.

 

The Higher Education Community—Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)

 

With over 20,000 students in Fall 2001, MTSU, located 30 miles southeast of Nashville, is the second largest and the fastest growing university in the state of Tennessee.  MTSU is a major comprehensive university with five academic colleges and a college of graduate studies and MTSU is the institution of choice for mid state valedictorian and salutatorians.  MTSU’s thirty-nine academic departments offer undergraduate degrees in 61 areas of study, master’s degrees in 32 areas, and doctoral degrees in 5 fields.    Growing from a teachers college, teacher preparation is still a major focus of the university as is evident from the number of preK-12 teachers trained at MTSU—over 25% of all teachers in the state of Tennessee and more than any other two universities combined.  The College of Education and Behavioral Sciences (CEBS) has over 4,000 majors, the largest of any college at MTSU (MTSU Fall 2001 Fact Book).  Only 32 of these students are currently declared as secondary science and mathematics education majors.  Something must be done to attract more qualified students into the science and mathematics teaching fields.

 

Secondary science and math preservice teachers major in the College of Basic and Applied Science and minor in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences.   The science college contains content experts who specialize in the education of preK-12 teachers such as the math, biology, and chemistry education faculty who are co-PIs on this grant (see Table 25).  In the CEBS there are pedagogy experts who focus on science and mathematics teacher preparation.  Each 6-12 grade preservice teaching major takes a methods class, YOED 3100—Methods and Strategies for Teaching—in which they focus on general methodology and teaching strategies such as effective lecture, Socratic Seminar, classroom simulation, PBL (Problems-Based Learning), and debate.  In addition, preservice students are required to take YOED 4000—Managing the Classroom for Instruction.  Both courses require limited field experience.  The MTSU Mathematics Department offers two methods courses specific for mathematics majors where the pre-service teachers learn hands-on, inquiry-based teaching methods.  While the science departments offer special courses aimed at teachers, BIOL 3000—Life Science for Elementary Teachers and PSCI 4030—Experimental Physical Science, both are specifically designed for elementary education majors.  Although the expertise exists to teach such courses at the secondary level, at this time there are no courses offered specifically designed to assist preservice teachers in building the knowledge and expertise required to successfully implement hands-on, inquiry-based lessons at the secondary level.  A course focusing on science teaching at the secondary level will be developed as part of the Science -Math Nexus project.

 

MTSU has a strong history of partnering with preK-12 school systems and developing young men and women’s interest in STEM disciplines.  The College of Education and Behavioral Science—a partner in the Renaissance Group—also supports and sponsors the following long-running activities and established centers, which assist, nurture, and strengthen the university-community partnership.  A list of more than 20 recent projects with which MTSU faculty have been successfully involved are included in Table 27 in Appendix III.

 

Project Need – RCS and MTSU

 

The Rutherford County School district operates a hands-on, inquiry-based science center that serves grades K-5.  Originating from a small, local initiative, the kit-based science program received a major infusion of training and materials through a systemic change grant written by Tennessee State University.  The grant has expired and the RCS district now funds the training of K-5 teachers and the resupply of the associated kits.  Students who leave the influence of the training and hands-on approach of the K-5 inquiry based science program enter the middle grades to find teachers who offer a more traditional, textbook based program.  The effectiveness and momentum of the K-5 inquiry program is weakened, if not lost altogether, in many middle grade classrooms.  Hands-on laboratory experiences in 6-12 science and math are inconsistent, even within the same school.  The advent of standards-based testing is having its impact on the process of science.  Too many high school teachers are turning to the less demanding teacher-centered instruction as the means to produce acceptable test scores.  As a result, students are not actively engaged in the nature of science and are less inclined to seek additional science and math elective courses in high school.  Tennessee requires three credits each of math and science for a diploma.  The number of students taking elective science and math classes is very small:

 

Student Enrollment in Elective Science and Mathematics Courses in RCS

Group

9th Grade Enrollment

Enrolling in 1 Elective

Enrolling in 2nd Elective

Science

400+

80 (20%)

10 (2.5%)

Math

400+

150 (37.5%)

50 (12.5%)

 

Although MTSU preservice science and math education majors are introduced to hands-on, inquiry-based science and math teaching methods, they are not given opportunities to observe and practice these approaches due to the lack of classrooms where the methods are being implemented.  There is a disconnect between what preservice teachers learn in methods classes and what they experience when they visit classrooms in the public schools.  Secondary preservice science majors have NO science methods class, only a general methods course taught by the College of Education.  The general methods class currently offers limited field experiences, and usually not in classrooms using inquiry-based activities. 

 

2.  PLANNING HISTORY

In the Fall of 2001, professors in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences (CBAS) began to discuss their concerns regarding the education of new secondary science teachers. It was noted that while the mathematics department has retained some voice in the education of mathematics teacher, the sciences such as chemistry and biology have not. Faculty members in the sciences felt that it was crucial for preservice secondary teachers to understand the nature of doing science and to learn to help students model the process of scientific discovery.  Dr. Michael Rutledge from Biology and Dr. Amy Phelps from Chemistry met with the dean of CBAS and with the director of the new NASA/Tennessee Center for Science, Math and Technology Education (TCASMT) to discuss possible avenues for the sciences to connect in a more meaningful way with pre-service teachers.   Several calls for proposals, including the Centers for Learning and Teaching, were reviewed as we sought a way to fund our increased participation in science teacher education.  This renewed interest in secondary science teacher education occurred within the university while outside the university incredible growth in Rutherford County Schools (RCS) revealed a shortage of qualified science and math teachers at the middle school and high school level.  A new coordinator for science and math education in RCS was named, Mr. Joe Nunley and he established the goal of increasing the number of quality science and math teachers and encouraging them to get students more involved in hands-on, inquiry-based learning.   RCS has made a real commitment to classroom technology and is anxious for teachers to put this technology into use with students in hands-on settings in both science and mathematics.  Rutherford County had some outstanding science and math teachers like Laura Martin at Oakland High School and Pat Wilson at Central Middle School.  As leaders in their schools, these expert science and math teachers saw a need to impact student learning and the training of new teachers in a more dramatic way.

 

In the Spring 2001 semester, the dean of CBAS, Dr. Thomas J. Cheatham contacted Dean Gloria Bonner of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences (CEBS) to discuss the increased participation of the natural science departments in pre-service science teacher training. The submission of a targeted Math Science Partnership proposal to fund our efforts was also discussed as this program was seen as one that would support change in areas where we saw great need.    On Monday, January 14, 2002 at 3:00 pm key personnel from MTSU’s departments of Educational Leadership, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics met with RCS personnel from the Central Office and individual schools to discuss how we might proceed. These Monday afternoon meetings were held weekly between key personnel as we refined our vision, goals and objectives, and a solution to the key issue facing RCS 6-12 grade students and teachers.  Key personnel include: Tom Cheatham, Dean of Basic and Applied sciences, Michael Rutledge, Department of Biology, Laura Martin, Chair of Science, Oakland High School, Dovie Kimmins, Mathematics Department,  Dorothy Valcarcel Craig, Educational Leadership, Donald Snead, Educational Leadership, Amy Phelps, Department of Chemistry; Tammie Brown, Educational Leadership; Joe Nunley, Rutherford County Schools and Myra Norman, MTSU Sponsored Program Office.  MTSU and the Rutherford County Schools are good neighbors and collaboration between the RCS system and MTSU is not a new idea.  RCS and MTSU have a symbiotic relationship that goes back many years and involves a number of joint projects such as:

 

 

MTSU depends heavily on Rutherford County to provide classrooms for preservice teachers at all levels to do their field experiences and student teaching.  The two groups have collaborated a number of times on Eisenhower grants in math and science education for K-12th grade teachers and this group felt a strong commitment to do something for 6-12th grade teachers and students.  The newly established NASA/Tennessee Center for Science, Math and Technology Education is just another example of the interest that the university and the community has in increasing our commitment to teachers in math and science. 

 

3. RESULTS FROM PRIOR NSF FUNDING

While the proposers have been involved with NSF funded projects in the past five years, no one has been a PI on an NSF grant that is related to this effort.

 

4.  GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND BENCHMARKS

 

The overall goal of the Science-Math Nexus project is to bring the benefits of hands-on inquiry science to students in grades 6-12 of Rutherford County Schools, while building relationships that will enable more teachers, both current and future, to implement hands-on, inquiry-based science and math with confidence.  This project will assist all participating teachers in becoming more prepared to engage students in science and math in a way that is consistent with the nature of science.  The hands-on, inquiry-based approach will encourage and inspire more students to pursue science beyond the required courses thereby increasing the number of students in the science-math pipeline. 

 

This targeted proposal will address specific issues in one large middle Tennessee county that involves over 27,000 rural and suburban students.  Due to the design of the project, the model could be easily replicated in other school systems across the state and beyond.

 

The Science-Math Nexus project has four objectives:

 

1.        RCS 6-12 students will engage in hands-on, inquiry activities in mathematics and science and communicate these results outside the classroom to students and professors at MTSU. (MSP Goal 1)

2.        Preservice teachers of science and mathematics will engage in field experiences and internships where hands-on inquiry approaches will be supported and encouraged and they will communicate their results to others facing similar situations. (MSP Goal 2)

3.        Inservice teachers will participate in professional development where they would become clinical faculty and help establish a supportive atmosphere conducive to hands-on, inquiry approaches while building collegial relationships with professors of science, math and education. (MSP Goal 3)

 

4.        RCS 6-12 grade teachers and students will have access to on-line resources and materials that support and foster the use of hands-on, inquiry-based, investigative methods and will utilize technology as a forum to communicate between schools the results and challenges faced while trying to do science and math. (MSP Goal 1, 2, & 3)

 

The Science-Math Nexus project team expects the effective partnership created as a result of this project to provide additional graduate-level credit focusing on how to use hands-on, inquiry-based methods to teach science and math to 6-12 grade students for all RCS in-service science and mathematics teachers.  The credit will be available through intensive summer workshops at MTSU and continuous academic year seminars held on site at the RCS schools. Science and math teachers teaching out of field will gain additional credits that will help them gain certification in their teaching area.  It is expected that 100% of such teachers will participate in the project. 

 

It is expected that students who learn science and math by hands-on, inquiry-based methods will enroll in additional elective high school classes in science and math.  The Math-Science Nexus team expects a 20% increase within two years of the project completion date in the number of students electing to enroll in more than the minimum science and math courses in high school.  The principals, science and math coordinators, and counselors will be involved in the hands-on, inquiry-based workshops and seminars to make them aware of the Science-Math Nexus project and provide inspiration for them to encourage 6-12 grade students into elective math and science courses and careers.  The team expects a 10% increase in the number of RCS graduates who enroll in college as STEM majors within two years after the end of the project. 

 

The development of a series of hands-on, inquiry-based activities for each science and mathematics class in 6-12th grade and the teacher and student on-line, reflective journaling will lead to improved curriculum and, eventually, to new instructional materials and resources that integrate and incorporate these methods to inspire students into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers.  The web site will chronicle the inquiry-based activities developed for each class.  By the end of the project, activities will be developed and published on-line for all science and math classes for which we have interested 6-12th grade teachers and pre-service teachers-in-training.  (See Objectives and Benchmarks in Appendix)  

 

5.  PROGRAM DESIGN

 

Science-Math Nexus Vision

 

In the spirit of recent recommendations for reforming science and mathematics teacher preparation (NRC, 2001), the Science-Math Nexus is designed to improve science and mathematics education by forging meaningful partnerships between major stakeholders in educational reform: school district, university, professional society, business, and governmental agencies.  The linkages formed in the project will work to address the local need to engage all RCS students in a challenging hands-on, inquiry-based science and math curriculum—one recommended by professional organizations concerned with the quality of science and mathematics education (AAAS, 1993; NAS, 1996; NCTM, 2000; NSF, 1996). The Science-Math Nexus provides a professional development model that promotes and supports the use of hands-on, inquiry-based science and math.  The Science-Math Nexus project model is illustrated below:

 

 

 

 

Science-Math Nexus Project Model

 

MTSU Pre-service

Science/Math

Teachers
 
                                                                                                                                                                                Materials,  Classrooms                                                                        “Real World” Science/Math                                                                                                                                              Content Expertise                                                                                                

Field Experience/                                                                                  Hands-on,

Rutherford

County

Science/Math

Students
 

Middle

Tennessee

State

University’s

Science, Math,

Education

Faculty
 
  Internship                                                                                            Inquiry-based                                                                                                  Mentor                        Science/Math                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Hands-on, Inquiry-based                                                                                                                               Science/Math                                                                       Report, Reflective Dialog                                                                                                                      via Online Journal                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    T                             Teacher                                                  Hands-on, Inquiry-based                                                       Institute                                                         Science/Math

                                                                                                               

Rutherford County

In-service

Science/Math

Teachers
 
                                      Resources

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Present                                                                                                                                                                                   Results at the                                                                                                                                                                        Jr. Academy                                                        Materials,                                                              Content

Tennessee Academy of

Science
 

Tennessee

Center for the

Advancement of

Science, Math,

Technology

Education

 
 
                                                Classrooms                                                           Expertise                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                “Real-World”

Science/Math

Industrial

Partners
 
                                                                                                Applications                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

In this partnership the university will provide the science, math, and educational theory/knowledge base and the school district will provide the laboratory in which pre-service science and math teachers observe and implement hands-on, inquiry-based science and math activities. Inservice teachers, upon completing the science-math teacher institute and updating their pedagogical content knowledge base, will act as “clinical faculty,” mentoring preservice teachers during their field experiences and teaching internships.  Thus, preservice teachers will observe and engage 6-12 grade students in hands-on, inquiry-based science and mathematics in a supportive environment.  A current need of many university teacher training programs is to remedy the disconnect between what pre-service teachers learn in methods courses are “best practices” of teaching science and mathematics (hands-on, inquiry-based) and the actual practices they observe in the field.  This project will forge a partnership that impacts the way preservice teachers are educated and will provide meaningful professional development for inservice teachers.  It is consistent with the notion of “clinical schools” and the Professional Development School model (Abdal-Haqq, 1998; Levine, 1997; The Professional Development School, 1991) which stresses building a collegial learning community in order to successfully connect theory and practice.  In addition to improving the quality of science/math education, the project has the potential to increase the capacity of science/math teachers, as exposure to hands-on teaching techniques as a student has been identified as an influential motivating factor to entering the teaching profession by teachers recognized for exemplary classroom performance (Longo, 1994) .   The Nexus partnership will realize the educational advantages of hands-on, inquiry-based science and math teaching strategies: increased learning and achievement (Bedderman, 1982; Brooks, 1988; Carter, 2001; Case, 2001; Mattheis, 1988; Saunders, 1984; Ruby, 2001), improved student attitudes toward science and math (Bristow, 2000; Carter, 2001; Ferreira, 2001; Jaus, 1977; Kyle, 1988; Kyle, 1985; Rowland, 1990), and improved skill proficiency in processes of science (Mathiaeis, 1988).  Most importantly, research shows that students who are disadvantaged economically or academically gain the most from activity-based programs (Bedderman, 1982; Davsion, 2000).  Thus, hands-on, inquiry-based science and math instruction has the potential to reduce the achievement gap between majority and minority and/or disadvantaged students, corresponding with educational vision of No Child Left Behind (2001).

 

Impact of Science-Math Nexus Project

 

The Science-Math Nexus project has the capacity to significantly impact almost all 25,000+ students and the 250+ science/math teachers in the RCS System who teach 6-12 grade as well as all MTSU preservice science/math teachers.  The science/math teacher institutes are designed to serve 30 inservice teachers and 30 preservice teachers each year.  Over the 5-year duration of the project, we anticipate 150 Rutherford County science/math teachers to participate in the Science-Math Nexus Institutes—this accounts for approximately 60% of Rutherford County Science/Math Teachers.  Some RCS teachers already use inquiry-based methods, maybe around 20%.  Another 25% of the teachers will retire or leave for other reasons within the next five years.  These will be replaced with teachers who have studied hands-on, inquiry-based methods.  The net impact will be that 100% of the 6-12th grade science and math teachers in RCS will be impacted over the five years of this grant. 

 

The impact on students will be cascading, as with each year a new cadre of teachers having completed the institute will incorporate hands-on inquiry-based activities in their classrooms.  In the first year, we anticipate that approximately 5000 students (30 teachers x 5 classes x 35 students per class = 5,0000 students) will be impacted by the program.  Subsequent years should impact 60, 90, 120, and 150 in-service teachers resulting in all 25,000+ students in the system being impacted by the project. 

 

All MTSU pre-service science/math teachers will be impacted by the project.  Approximately 30 pre-service math/science teachers will participate in the summer Nexus Institutes and conduct their field experience and/or internship as a part of their professional development model each year.  Over the 5-year duration of the project, we anticipate 150 pre-service MTSU math/science teachers to have experienced the enhanced professional development offered by the project. Inquiry-based seminars and workshops for science and mathematics professors at MTSU who teach classes for pre-service teachers have the potential to impact many science and math majors at MTSU, not just teachers.  Resources developed in the project and changed attitudes of teachers will continue to reach students long after the project ends.  The results of the project will be widely distributed and discussed at conferences such as the Chemical Education Conference, the NCTM Conference, the NSTA Annual Meeting, and the SITE Conference for Teacher Education and Technology.

 

Partnership Capacity

 

The ability of the Science-Math Nexus to effect meaningful science/math educational reform resides in the capacity and readiness for deep engagement by its partners (MSP RFP).  The partners of the Science-Math Nexus include:

 

1.        Middle Tennessee State University: Concerned with ensuring that its teacher education program exposes its pre-service teachers to and promotes the transfer of best practices to the science/math classroom, MTSU seeks to implement an enhanced professional development model.  MTSU educates over 25% of all K-12 teachers in the state of Tennessee, more than any two other universities combined (Table 24, Appendix III).  Three College of Education faculty members (Dr. Dorothy V. Craig, Dr. Donald Snead, and Dr. Tammie Brown) and the dean of the college (Dr. Gloria Bonner) have participated in the planning for this proposal.  They are already committed to inquiry-based methods and have agreed to make changes in the field experience for the science and mathematics pre-service students and to change the placement process so that students participating in this project are placed with in-service teachers who have graduated from the institute. Dr. Craig, Dr. Sneed and Dr. Brown are involved in modifying existing College of Education courses to provide hands-on, inquiry-based field experiences for pre-service science/math teachers.  They will work with university science/math faculty and in-service teachers to develop hands-on, inquiry-based activities.  They will also organize institute seminars and direct project assessment and evaluation.  Dean Bonner will serve as a liaison for the project with the Rutherford County Schools and will provide the administrative assistance for the curriculum changes needed in the MTSU College of Education.  See letter of support, Appendix V.                 

 

Each science department (Biology, Chemistry, and Physics) has its own faculty members trained in science education, as does the mathematics department.  Biology and mathematics are large departments at MTSU with over 30 faculty members each.  Chemistry has 25 faculty members and Physics has eight.  The Nexus project has faculty support from biology (Dr. Michael Rutledge), chemistry (Dr. Amy Phelps), and mathematics (Dr. Dovie Kimmins).  Unfortunately, we almost never have a physics major that is planning to be a secondary teacher.  The biology representative, Dr. Rutledge has been involved in the Renaissance group Title II Teacher Improvement Quality Grant which utilizes the Teacher Work Sample Methodology that focuses on the effectiveness of student teacher instruction on K-12 student progress (Girod, 2002) in which he observes secondary science student teachers during their teaching internships.   Dr. Rutledge will work to develop a methods class for the biology pre-service majors and be in charge of planning for the biology activities.  Dr. Phelps, the chemistry educator, is involved in the development of alternative assessment practices and has taught discipline specific methods courses at other institutions.    She will work with biology to develop a science methods course for 6-12 preservice teachers that uses the methods described in this proposal, and she will be in charge of chemistry and physics activities.  Dr. Kimmins from Mathematics has directed or co-directed five Eisenhower Teacher Enhancement grants over the past five years.  Dr. Kimmins will develop the mathematics activities for the project.  Each of these faculty members from the science college is committed to the success of the project.  The dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, Dr. Tom Cheatham, organized the team and led the planning effort for the proposal.  Dr. Cheatham has considerable experience in project management and will volunteer 10% of his time to assist the Nexus team in its tasks.  He has also pledged release time for the science and mathematics faculty working on the project.  See letter of support, Appendix V.

 

2.       Rutherford County School System:  Having identified the need to improve their 6-12 grade science/math education instruction, the system brings a willingness to participate in a project that promotes and supports the use of hands-on, inquiry-based science and math. Rutherford County Schools consist of 19 elementary, 3 middle, and 8 secondary schools for a total of 30 schools. There are 25,793 students and 1,651 teachers in the 30 schools (Table 1, Appendix III).  There are 268 science and math teachers in 6-12th grades and over 1300 sections of science and math classes are taught each semester (Table 18, Appendix III).  RCS is rich with live laboratories for a project in educational improvement.  Mr. Joe Nunley, the system coordinator for science and mathematics has participated in the planning and will assist the Nexus Team in teacher selection for the summer workshops and serve as the liaison between the county and the university.  Ms. Laura Martin is an experienced science teacher and a science department head at Oakland High School.  She has been involved in the planning of the grant since the beginning and will work with the MTSU faculty to help develop the activities for the project providing a reality check for activities. She will provide the reality check in terms of practicality of the activities.  Both Mr. Nunley and Ms. Martin are committed to the hands-on, inquiry-based methods for teaching science and mathematics.  The Director of Schools, Mr. Watson, is eager for RCS to participate in the Nexus project and will encourage administrators, teachers, and counselors to get involved.  He will also provide substitute assistance for participating teachers.  By involving the system’s in-service science/math 6-12 teachers in the project (Table 5, Appendix III), the system will provide science/math teachers to act as clinical faculty to MTSU pre-service science/math teachers in their field experiences and internships.  The clinical faculty will consult in the development of hands-on, inquiry-based activities and in the training of new cadres of institute participants.  See letter of support, Appendix V.

 

3.        Tennessee Academy of Science:  Committed to promoting science in the state of Tennessee, the TAS is a valuable resource for K-12 science education.  Through its Networks Program the TAS will provide scientists and mathematicians to act as content specialists in the development, implementation and refinement of science/math hands-on, inquiry-based activities.  The Tennessee Junior Academy will provide a forum at which Rutherford County science/math students present the results of their inquiry-based activities at a professional meeting.

 

4.        Tennessee Center for the Advancement of Science, Math, Technology Education:  The Center will provide space for science/math teacher institutes, consultation for utilizing NASA developed materials for science/math education, provide mini-grants for carrying out hands-on, inquiry-based activities with students, travel money for teachers to attend national science/math conferences and workshops.  See letter of support, Appendix V.

 

5.        Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce: Thompson Machinery and Power, Bridgestone/Firestone: Concerned with maintaining a scientifically literate workforce these industrial partners will provide examples of real world, workplace applications of science and mathematics. Thompson Machine and Power will provide scientists and engineers who will visit classrooms to share workplace applications of science and math and Bridgestone/Firestone will provide tours of their workplace showcasing workplace applications of science and math.  See letter of support, Appendix V.

 

Science-Math Nexus Proposed Plan

 

While hands-on, inquiry-based learning activities are recognized as being highly effective methods of teaching science and math, reports suggest they are not universally incorporated into science and math education programs (Howe, 1990; National Science Board, 1991; Prather, 1993; Weiss, 1987;). Teachers are often reluctant to use them because they are unfamiliar with them and perceive them to be “riskier” than conventional teaching methods (Koker, 1992; Morey, 1990; Pierce, 2001; Symington, 1983; Tilgner, 1990).  Encouraging teachers to move away from traditional methods of teaching science and math to more student-centered, hands-on, inquiry-based methods is an important aspect of science/math educational reform (AAAS, 1993; National Research Council, 1996).  The Science-Math Nexus Project is designed as a professional development model to achieve this goal.

 

Guided by research that indicates that teachers who experience hands-on, inquiry-based activities in their professional development are more likely to use these highly effective strategies in their classrooms (Axtell, 1998, Hall, 1989; Sotiltile, 1992; Sowards, 2000) teacher institutes will be developed by university science/math/education faculty to provide in-service science/math teachers with an understanding of the educational merits of and practical experience with hands-on, inquiry-based instruction.  During the academic year seminars, inservice teachers, school administrators and counselors and university science, math, education faculty will explore the educational merits of and effective methods for implementing hands-on, inquiry-based science/math.  Teachers will receive staff development credit, or graduate course credit from Middle Tennessee State University by completing the institute.  The institute’s initial stages will occur as a part of the teachers’staff development days and periodic seminars scheduled during the academic school year.  Rutherford County administrators and guidance counselors will participate in the seminars, providing them with an understanding of the educational merits to implementing a hands-on, inquiry-based science/math curriculum.  As a preview of the summer portion of the institute the teachers will engage in a hands-on, inquiry-based science/math activity appropriate for their classroom.  School administrators and counselors will experience this engaging method of learning science and math and build additional background knowledge regarding careers in STEM.

 

During the summer portion of the institute, the teachers will work with university science, math and education faculty in the development and implementation of hands-on, inquiry-based activities aligned with the content standards of the state of Tennessee along with the content and teaching standards recommended by the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2000).  ‘Inquiry kits’ containing basic materials and manipulatives supporting hands-on, inquiry-based science/math activities will be developed and provided for each teacher.  Pre-service science/math teachers will participate in the summer institute, gaining experience with state and national science/math standards and curriculum and instructional design.   During the school year graduates of the institute will implement the activities in their classrooms and act as ‘clinical faculty’ to pre-service science/math teachers who will be placed with them during the field experience component of their YOED 4000 (Managing the Classroom for Instruction) course.  Prior to their field experience, the pre-service science and math teachers will attend seminars conducted by university science/math/education faculty on the educational merits of and effective methods for implementing hands-on, inquiry-based science/math.  The pre-service teachers will then be engaged in hands-on, inquiry-based science/math activities appropriate for the classrooms of their field experience placement.  Supervised and mentored by the in-service teachers (clinical faculty), and supported by university science/math/education faculty, pre-service teachers will observe and engage 6-12 grade students in hands-on, inquiry-based science and math activities.  Scientists and mathematicians from universities and businesses will act as key consultants to the project, acting as content experts to the 6-12 grade students, preservice, and inservice teachers during implementation of the hands-on, inquiry-based activities.  Industrial partners will provide guest speakers and provide tours of their facilities emphasizing “real world” math/science applications to students (letter of support from Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, Appendix V).

 

A web site will be developed whose purpose is to promote and support the use of hands-on, inquiry-based, science and mathematics.  In addition to providing resources for teachers, the web site will be the home of an online science and mathematics journal in which 6-12 grade students will report the findings of their investigations and dialog with other students engaged in hands-on, inquiry-based science and math.  Supervised by faculty, graduate students in the college of Basic and Applied Sciences, will act as “reviewers” of the results providing feedback to the 6-12 grade students on the significance of their activities.  The web site will provide a forum for in-service and pre-service teachers to report the educational outcomes of implementing the project.  It will also provide a forum for in-service and pre-service teachers to reflect on and dialog about educational reform, teacher training, and professional development.  The opportunity to reflectively dialog allowed by the web site is significant to the project as it provides an environment that assists in promoting educational change (Johnston, 1997; Sowards, 2000).

 

In subsequent meetings of the institute, the first cadre of in-service teachers (clinical faculty), university science/math/education faculty, scientists and mathematicians from industry will meet to refine existing and develop new science/math hands-on, inquiry-based activities.  As part of a system inservice day, the first cadre of teachers will meet with all science/math teachers in the school system to discuss the results of the partnerships and answer questions from interested future institute participants.   The institute will then begin for the second (and subsequent) cadre of in-service teachers, repeating the sequence of events experienced by the first cadre. 

 

The first cadre of pre-service teachers, having completed their ‘field experiences’, will subsequently be placed with the in-service teachers (clinical faculty) during their Directed Teaching (YOED 4110) course—a semester-long teaching internship.  Mentored by the in-service clinical faculty and supported by university science/math/education faculty, the pre-service teachers will have the opportunity to implement hands-on, inquiry based science and math activities.  The greater time and engagement allowed by the internship will allow pre-service teachers an opportunity to plan and implement hands-on, inquiry-based activities as part of a complete unit of study.  The project implementation timeline provides a more detailed overview of the scope and sequence of Science-Math Nexus activities. Implementation of the Science-Math Nexus will result in a cascading impact on science/math education in the system and the university.  This will potentially result in improved student performance as a result of significant changes in the preparation and continuing education of science/math teachers in Rutherford County.  See Project Implementation Timeline in the Appendices.

 

Additional Resources

 

MTSU commits the use of existing facilities to make the Science-Math Nexus successful, including:

·        A state of the art technology enabled library with over 800,000 volumes

·        University, college, and departmental computer laboratories for pre- and in-service training

·        Mathematics Tutoring Center for summer workshop participants

·        Space in the new library for research and preparation

·        Space in the James Union Building for social functions

·        Laboratory and classroom space for workshops during the summer

·        Aerospace flight simulator laboratory and real flight over Murfreesboro

·        Space in the new Business and Aerospace Building for lectures (State Farm Lecture Hall)

·        Wireless connections from the quadrangle and the university grill

·        Other space as needed to meet the outcomes and objectives of the MSP Program

·        Compressed video and desktop video conferencing equipment

 

Additionally, the following equipment items will be available to the staff and participants of the Science-Math Nexus at no cost to the grant:

·        Pentium laptops (CBAS, Office of Information Technology, Media Services)

·        Digital cameras (CBAS, OIT, Media Services)

·        Video cameras (OIT and Media Services)

·        Audio recorders (Media Services)

·        TVs and VCRs (Media Services)

·        Over 1000 PCs in university computer laboratories and the library

·        Dozens of printers in labs and Walker Library and the Business Aerospace Building

·        Full network connections in all academic buildings

·        Hardware to produce multimedia presentations (Learning Resource Center)

 

Linkages

 

Wherever possible the MTSU Nexus project will cooperate with other preK-12 initiatives.  This list includes:

 

 

  6.  PROJECT MANAGEMENT, STAFFING, AND OPERATION

 

Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) is the lead institution on the Science- Math Nexus project.  MTSU was created in 1911 by the Tennessee General Assembly as one of two “Normal Schools” in Tennessee to train public school teachers and now has 91 years of experience teacher training.  MTSU, having partnered with public schools in over a dozen Eisenhower grants, in US Department of Education Talent Search and Upward Bound programs, in providing enrichment experiences such as the Science Olympiad and Expanding Your Horizons, and in supporting professional development activities for public school teachers, is uniquely qualified to lead a MSP project.  MTSU faculty members have a long history of working with public school systems to address the needs for high quality, standards-based science and mathematics education. 

 

The deans of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences and the College of Education and Behavioral Science will donate administrative time to assist with project coordination, but the actual work required to achieve the goals will be completed by the Science-Math Nexus team consisting of principal investigators Dr. Amy Phelps (CHEM), Mr. Michael Rutledge (BIOL, Dr. Dorothy V. Craig (ED Leadership), and senior personnel, Dr. Dovie Kimmins (MATH), Dr. Donald Snead (ED Leadership), Dr. Tammy Brown (ED Leadership), Mr. Joe Nunley (Science/Math Coordinator for RCS), and Ms. Laura Martin (HS Science teacher in RCS).  Graduate and undergraduate students, engineers and scientists from the real world, school administrators, counselors, and in-service and preservice teachers will also play critical roles in the project.  Project participation for these various groups will be managed by the Co-PIs.  During the implementation phase, the Co-PIs will meet once per week, as they have during the proposal development phase.  Decisions will be made after discussion and careful consideration of alternatives.  The Deans and the RCS Science-Math Coordinator will join the meetings as needed—more frequently in the early stages and less during the later stages.  Major project activities will be divided as follows:

 

Activity

Person in Charge

Create hands-on, inquiry-based science methods class

Rutledge, Phelps, Snead, Brown

Modify existing College of Ed courses to provide inquiry-based field experience

Craig, Snead, Brown, Rutledge, Phelps, Kimmins

Create hands-on, inquiry-based mathematics activities for 6-12th grade students

Kimmins and Snead plus graduate students

Create hands-on, inquiry-based laboratory experiences for 6-12th grade students

Martin, Rutledge, Phelps, Brown and graduate students

Create the web site, on-line discussion and journaling system

Rutledge, Kimmins, Craig and graduate student

Organize the summer workshops for in-service teachers

Phelps, Rutledge, Craig, Nunley, Martin and Kimmins

Organize academic year seminars at participating schools

Rutledge, Brown, Nunley, and Snead

Recruit RCS teachers for project

 

Nunley, Martin, Brown

Coordinate MTSU preservice participation

Brown, Snead, Rutledge, Kimmins

 

 

Assessment and evaluation

Nunley, Martin, Craig and Kimmins

 

Once the existing education courses have been modified to include appropriate field experiences, the science methods course is developed, the hands-on, inquiry-based activities and laboratories have been developed and catalogued on the project web site, and the RCS teachers have been retrained using inquiry-based activities it should be easy to continue the project after the NSF funding ends.  MTSU and RCS commit to not only continuing the project partnership but to expanding it.  The MTSU faculty and RCS inservice teacher relationships that have been built during the project will allow collaboration to continue.  Past experience shows that MTSU and RCS will continue to work together.  MTSU will continue to provide seminars and academic year workshops for RCS science and math teachers, school administrators and counselors.  Materials that have been developed during the project will continue to be updated and augmented and made available to new teachers through the project web site.  The changes in the MTSU preservice curriculum will ensure that all future MTSU preservice science and math teachers are experienced in developing and implementing hands-on, inquiry-based methods.  The preservice teachers will continue to complete field experiences within the RCS system.  Once RCS teachers are trained and experienced with hands-on, inquiry-based teaching methods, they will become mentors to other science and math teachers coming into RCS from programs that do not use these methods for training pre-service teachers.  Gradually, as inservice teachers are more comfortable with inquiry-based methods, MTSU faculty members will be less critical to the continued success of the project; except, they must continue to help develop new activities and train pre-service science and math teachers in the methodology.  Of course, the Science-Math Nexus team will participate in the MSP network of researchers and practitioners to bring about systemic change in science and mathematics education across the country. 

 

7.  ASSESSMENT/ACCOUNTABILITY

 

Clandinin and Connelly (2000) suggest that stories illustrate the importance of learning and thinking narratively as one frames research puzzles, enters the inquiry field, and composes field texts and research texts.  Within the context of narrative inquiry, the proposed project will utilize the online environment not only for the dissemination of resources and materials, but also as a means to engage pre-service students, teachers, and 6-12 students in interactive online journaling and dialoging.  Due to the design and nature of the project, assessment and evaluation will employ both formative and summative techniques.  With the assistance of two outside evaluators—one representing a school system with expertise in testing and assessment and one university representative with expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods--evaluation will not only be conducted throughout the grant but will extend beyond the grant period and will provide a model for participants as they

 

·         Move from pre-service interns to practicing teachers-as-researchers,

·         Design content-rich, standards-based math activities and science investigations,

·         Utilize a variety of sound educational methods and techniques within the student-centered classroom environment and 

·         Develop and maintain online resources that foster the use of engaging, inquiry-based science and mathematics experiences. 

 

In order to glean rich and accurate information, assessment and evaluation of the project’s effectiveness will involve all parties—teachers, administrators, counselors, public school students, preservice teachers, and university personnel.  Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods, a variety of data will be collected in order to enable triangulation as a means of true and authentic assessment.  Data collected throughout the project will consist of:

 

Quantitative Data

 

Qualitative Data

 

 Due to the amount of data needed to accurately assess the project’s effectiveness, university faculty and school administrators and personnel will assist participants as they build “archives” of products and materials that will be utilized in the assessment process.  The archives will enable teachers, administrators, public school students, pre-service students, and university faculty to visually chart progress throughout the duration of the project and beyond and further strengthen the partnerships created as a result of the project.  In addition, Teacher Work Sample Methodology (Girod, 2002) data collected as part of Renaissance Group/Title II Teacher Improvement Partnership Grant—currently in the third year of implementation—will be utilized to assist in evaluating 6-12 grade student success.   

 

Data Analysis

 

With the assistance of RCS public school personnel, 6-12th grade student test scores will be analyzed—both pre and post-project.  Statistical analyses will be conducted on data gathered from the pre and post-project attitudinal surveys.  Following the constant comparative method of analysis (Bogdan, 1998; Lincoln, 1985; Strauss, 1990), data—which is qualitative in nature—will be coded and categorized.  This process enables a true assessment of the activities within the classroom environment and provides another means for evaluating the project.  The multiple forms of qualitative data will be examined carefully in order to detect: a) changes in attitudes 6-12th grade students, pre-service students, and in-service teachers may have regarding curriculum, teaching practices, and learning in the areas of science and mathematics, b) changes in student achievement—based on teaching practices, online journaling, standardized test scores, in-class performance, and classroom tests, and c) success in designing and implementing inquiry-based science and math experiences.  The qualitative analysis results will be compared with quantitative findings gleaned from test scores and survey results and will assist in determining the degree of effectiveness, strengths, and weaknesses of the project.  To assist the Team in completing the objectives of the Science-Math Nexus project, outside consultants will be employed at the end of the first, third, and fifth year.  The first visit will be critical to assess one cycle of the project and the implementation of the initial project components.  Adjustments will be made after the first and second visits to improve the project.  The focus of the third visit will be on overall evaluation of the project and a review of policies that are in place to assure the project initiatives will be continued by the partner (after the grant ends).  Two outside reviewers will be engaged—one who is an expert in school system policies and standardized assessment and one who can effectively evaluate university progress and commitment to change in teacher training.  The Science and Math Nexus team is committed to participation in collective activities with other MSP projects to accomplish, on a national scale, reform of science and mathematics education in preK-12.  See Assessment Plan: Data Collection & Analysis Schedule in Appendix IV.

 

Conclusion

 

Hands-on, inquiry-based science and math activities will provide deeper understanding of science and math concepts, increase the number of 6-12 students who enroll in elective science and math courses and major in STEM disciplines in college.  The problem is getting teachers to use these “risky” methods.  The Science-Math Nexus professional development model will accomplish this through a partnership that involves university, public school, professional society, business, and government.  The relationship of each partner to the project is unique and creative.  The impact can be far reaching!