Higher Education Commons^™

The Science Studio – A Workshop Approach To Introductory Physical Science, S. R. Chaudhury

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the Science Studio, an innovative workshop approach for instruction in a physical science course that combines aspects of traditional lecture and laboratory. The target audience for this introductory course is non-science majors, including prospective teachers. An inquiry-based, technology-rich learning environment has been created to allow students hands-on, in-depth exploration of topics in physics, and earth and space science. Course philosophy, course development, and sample activities are described in this paper, along with outcomes from a project-wide evaluation of the Virginia Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (VCEPT), an investigation of change in student attitudes and …

A Future Teachers Conference – A Vehicle To Retain, Inform, And Inspire New And Prospective Teachers, J. Kasabian, L. Fathe, J. M. Dewar

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The Los Angeles Collaborative for Teacher Excellence (LACTE) Future Teachers Conference is a day-long learning event for beginning and pre-service K-12 math and science teachers. The Conference provides information, resources and connections tailored to the needs of prospective and new teachers. A unique aspect of the conference is that a group of new and future teachers serve as partners with college faculty on the planning committee. Thus the Conference not only serves to educate new and future teachers, but also provides leadership training for the planning team members; and, the presence of prospective and new teachers on the planning team …

The Milwaukee Idea: A Study Of Transformative Change, Jon F. Wergin, Jane Grassadonia

Teaching and Learning Publications

Through an initiative called the “Milwaukee Idea,” the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UW-Milwaukee) is striving to become a scholarly partner with its host city and to have that partnership energize the university’s teaching, research, and service activities. Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher conceived the Milwaukee Idea in 1998 as a way to capture the spirit and potential of the university’s urban location and character. This study assesses the extent to which the university has transformed itself through this recommitment to community engagement and whether UW-Milwaukee’s new urban mission is likely to be institutionalized in the coming years.

Zimpher knew from the start …

Contents

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Title Page

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

The Virginia Collaborative For Excellence In The Preparation Of Teachers, R. W. Farley, W. E. Haver

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Case Studies From An Integrated Mathematics And Science Course, P. E. Mcneil

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Revision Of A Non-Euclidean Geometry Course Based On The Van Hiele Model Of The Development Of Geometric Thought, M. P. Sheckels

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the revision of a course in non-Euclidean geometry to incorporate active student learning. The design of the course and the sequence of lessons were based on the van Hiele model of the development of geometric thought.

Thinking About Geometry: Laying A Foundation For Future K-8 Teachers, L. D. Pitt

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

A Model General Education Science Course Involving Humanities And Sciences, Education, And Medical School Collaboration, J. P. Chinnici

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This article described an innovative general education biology course for non-science majors, BIOL 102-Science of Heredity (SOH), stressing active student learning and collaboration [1]. The course has three components. The lecture is taught by J. P. Chinnici and several undergraduate "teacher apprentices"; students receive a classnotes packet, take in-class quizzes, and interact to work on genetic worksheets; incentives include reviewing books, visiting a science museum, and finding albino squirrels. Recitations are taught by graduate students in the Department of Human Genetics; student activities include preparing a family pedigree, writing a term paper, reporting orally and in writing on several media …

Enhancing Finite Mathematics With Global Awareness, D. L. Hydorn

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the project of modifying the course, Finite Mathematics, to meet a Global Awareness course requirement. The components of the revised course are described, including topics, in-class activities, and student evaluation methods, along with a summary of the results of a general education assessment of the course.

The Use Of Dramatic Demonstrations To Enhance The Motivation And Learning Of Chemistry Students, H. A. Rowe

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

As part of the Virginia Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (VCEPT) project, a series of demonstrations was incorporated into Chemistry 100: Man and Environment, a science course taken by non-science majors including many prospective K-12 teachers. Dramatic chemical demonstrations were first presented to the undergraduate students by the instructor, and then they used demonstration activities to teach each other during the semester. Finally, these undergraduates presented to the K-6 students in the Norfolk Statue University (NSU) Summer Children’s College. The perceptions of science by the undergraduates at the beginning and end of the course were assessed using …

Integration Of Technology In Math And Science Education – A Model For Teaching Elementary And Middle School Pre-Service Teachers, R. W. Fisher, J. D. Ha, J. P. Chinnici

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the development and implementation of a course, Integration of Technology in Math and Science Education, to introduce elementary and middle school pre-service teachers to real technology skills that they can use in their future classrooms. Activities allowed the students to learn technology skills while using the Internet to enrich their content skills and share information with their fellow students. The course was designed to allow students to master a variety of technology skills, and see how these skills can be used appropriately in their future classrooms, while also increasing their comfort level to use the technology and …

Mathematics For Non-Science Majors Chemistry Course, D. D. Shillady

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

A chemistry course developed for non-science majors has been taught at Virginia Commonwealth University for the past five years. CHEM 112 uses current event articles from science magazines to make use of a verbal channel of learning in non-science majors, but some mathematics is necessary. Examples are given of successful presentation of nuclear chemistry and data needed for a balanced discussion of global warming. Manipulation of symbols in balancing chemical and nuclear reactions, simple algebra, and logarithms for pH and unit analysis of simple stoichiometric conversions are fundamental to basic chemistry. The population of a voting democracy could benefit from …

The Impact Of A Clinical Faculty Institute On Participants' Skills For Mentoring Novice Teachers, Grades K-8, J. H. Cothron, G. M. Bass Jr.

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

A seven-day Clinical Faculty Institute was implemented to increase the skills of mentor teachers and to develop a cadre of Clinical Faculty for the four participating colleges and universities. The 128 participants entered with "some confidence" in their ability to mentor novice teachers in areas typically taught in methods courses; whereas, they displayed "minimal confidence" in skills typically taught in supervisory courses. By the end of the Institute, participants showed significant changes in their "self-perceptions" of skills in twenty areas, with post-scores clustering between 3.5 and 3.9 on a four-point scale. Future institutes should focus on supervisory skills and then …

A Collaborative Pre-Practicum Apprentice Program Gives A Community College A Jump-Start In Teacher Preparation, G. F. Childers

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The Virginia Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (VCEPT), funded by a grant from the Division of Undergraduate Education of the National Science Foundation, implemented the VCEPT Pre-Practicum Apprentice Program a couple of years into the grant. Groups of colleges within the Collaborative were to work together to set up an experience for pre-service teachers at their colleges which emphasized mathematics, science, and technology and which gave the pre-service teachers some in-field experience observing instruction in the local schools with lead teachers in these disciplines. Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Virginia Union University (VUU), and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community …

Programs That Work Section, L. D. Pitt

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Tracking Transfer Of Reform Methodology From Science And Math College Courses To The Teaching Style Of Beginning Teachers Of Grades 5-12, E. Judson, D. Sawada

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The purpose of this study was to determine if reformed science and math courses at community colleges and the university were impacting education majors as they began a teaching career. The reformed courses, in contrast to typical lecture classes, implemented inquiry-based methods that emphasized deep understanding of fundamental science and math concepts. Trained evaluators, utilizing the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) gathered a total of 86 classroom observations to gauge the level of reform that beginning teachers (one to three years’ teaching experience) were implementing in grades 5-12. The pre-service experience of the beginning teachers varied from having had zero …

Evaluating Reform Teaching In College Courses – Action Evaluation Is Action Research, G. M. Bass Jr.

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Chrome: A Pre-College Program For Science, Mathematics, Engineering, And Technology, E. G. Wilson

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Mathematics And Science: Collaborative Explorations

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Aims & Scope

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Using Technology Within The Teacher Preparation Program As A Model For Effective Instruction, J. P. Johnson, L. E. Wilkowski

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This article describes a methods course for teachers of elementary science and how it was enhanced to increase students’ abilities and attitudes toward using technology as a tool in teaching science. The course was enhanced as a result of the Virginia Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (VCEPT) project. Prior to this project, the course was known for its constructivist approach, cooperative group activities, and experiential base that allowed students to actually do and teach elementary science. As a result of VCEPT, the class now also features an elaborate technology component. Technology of many types are regularly modeled …