Teaching Fellows' Meetings

2007 Physical Science Cohort Fellows' Meetings

The 2007 Physical Science Fellows met in Seattle, Washington for their spring meeting.  On Friday, the fellows engaged in an “Astronomy by Sight” inquiry lesson conducted by the Physics Education Group (PEG) at the University of Washington.  This workshop, part of the Physics by Inquiry (PBI) curriculum, prompts participants to apply observations of the phases of the moon to construct models that can be used for making predictions of physical systems.  In addition to deepening their content knowledge, the fellows investigated the use of inquiry in science classrooms.  Also on Friday, the fellows were invited to observe inquiry lessons being conducted in science classes at Interlake High School.  A panel discussion with the participating teachers from Interlake High School concluded the day.

The fall meeting of the 2007 Science Teaching Fellows was held in Arlington, Virginia. Drs. Randy Bell, Associate Professor of Science Education at the University of Virginia, and Kathy Cabe Trundle, Assistant Professor of Education at The Ohio State University, facilitated a workshop on the Nature of Science (NOS.) This workshop was designed to challenge the fellows’ thinking about the nature of their disciplines and how their knowledge of NOS can be used to teach high school science. They engaged in activities designed to help them explicitly and effectively teach their students the differences between observations and inferences, reminding them of the impact that inferences have had on the entire body of scientific knowledge. They also participated in activities and discussions about the differences between theories and laws and the power that context and existing frameworks that students bring to a subject affect their learning. Drs. Bell and Trundle modeled activities for the fellows that would elicit students’ ideas in science and help the fellows determine their students’ knowledge and beliefs with regard to the nature of the discipline of science.