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Peer-reviewed article

Transforming Elementary Science Teacher Education by Bridging Formal and Informal Science Education in an Innovative Science Methods Course

February 1, 2011 | Public Programs, Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks, Informal/Formal Connections
We investigated curricular and pedagogical innovations in an undergraduate science methods course for elementary education majors at the University of Maryland. The goals of the innovative elementary science methods course included: improving students’ attitudes toward and views of science and science teaching, to model innovative science teaching methods and to encourage students to continue in teacher education. We redesigned the elementary science methods course to include aspects of informal science education. The informal science education course features included informal science educator guest speakers, a live animal demonstration and a virtual field trip. We compared data from a treatment course (n = 72) and a comparison course (n = 26). Data collection included: researchers’ observations, instructors’ reflections, and teacher candidates’ feedback. Teacher candidate feedback involved interviews and results on a reliable and valid Attitudes and Beliefs about the Nature of and the Teaching of Science instrument. We used complementary methods to analyze the data collected. A key finding of the study was that while benefits were found in both types of courses, the difference in results underscores the need of identifying the primary purpose

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  • University of Maryland College Park
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  • riedinger square
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    University of Maryland College Park
  • Gili Marbach-Ad
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    University of Maryland College Park
  • J. Randy McGinnis
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    University of Maryland College Park
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    Author
    University of Maryland College Park
  • Rebecca Pease
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    University of Maryland College Park
  • Citation

    Funders

    NSF
    Resource Type: Research Products
    Discipline: Education and learning science | General STEM
    Audience: Educators/Teachers | Museum/ISE Professionals
    Environment Type: Public Programs | Afterschool Programs | Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks | Professional Development and Workshops | Informal/Formal Connections | Higher Education Programs

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