Education Commons^™

Science, Parents, Activities, And Literature: Overview, Results, And Reflections., James Shymansky, Larry Yore, John Dunkhase, Brian Hand

Educator Preparation & Leadership Faculty Works

This study examined elementary school students', parents', and teachers' reactions to instruction implemented by teachers participating in a special professional development program called Science: Parents, Activities and Literature (Science PALs). Specifically, this paper focuses on students' perceptions of their science instruction and attitudes toward science learning, and parents' and teachers' perceptions about science instruction as a function of their experience with an interactive-constructivist teaching approach designed to focus on student ideas, utilization of literature connections, and incorporation of parents as partners. Findings indicate that the Science PALs project successfully improved teachers' content-pedagogical knowledge in specific science units, pedagogical skills and …