Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

[Physltest] [Phys-L] Re: "Effective" teaching methods



Off and on I have taught science courses for in-service elementary
teachers. A couple times this has been "graduate-level" classes for
in-service teachers working for their masters in education. I put
"graduate level" in quotations because the physics was less than
high-school level even though the teachers were getting graduate
(education) credit. Many times I have conducted workshops ranging from
one day to one week for which the teachers got continuing-education
units (CEUs).

In the beginning these teachers surprised me. Now I am no longer
surprised... just depressed. Nearly to a person they have no desire to
learn any science. A few are in it only for the CEUs and/or because
their principal told them to do it. Another group wants that, but also
would like specific usable projects to use in the classroom.

Continuing the use of the acronym CARP, that's exactly what these
teachers want to be with respect to science. They even admit it. Every
time I try to teach the teachers some science, they complain they are
not there to learn science. They are there to get demos and hands-on
stuff they can use in the classroom. At this point we have a discussion
about what it means to be a teacher. I ask them how they get their
materials for teaching English, or social studies, or reading. They do
have resources, but they mostly figure this stuff out themselves. My
wife, who teaches fifth grade, has designed and implemented many "units"
on all types of topics in language arts, creative writing, history,
geography, math. Most teachers are used to doing this. But they don't
develop lessons or units or activities (whatever you want to call them)
in science. Why? Because they don't know enough science to pull it
off. So I tell them that's why I'm there... to teach them enough about
a few science topics that they can figure out "units" they can do that
are appropriate for their age level and the resources they have
available.

They say, "Forget it. It ain't gonna happen."

I say, "Come on, this is what you do for the other things you teach.
You just need to learn some science so you can teach science the same
way you teach your other subjects."

They say, "Give it up. It ain't gonna happen."

One first grade teacher even said, "I don't care that the state
curriculum says I have to do this. I write in my lesson plans I am
teaching science, but it's just a lie. I just skip it. I don't do any
science at all." At this point several other teachers agreed they do
the same thing. They said, "Just give us the CEUs and let us go. Quit
trying to change the world."

I could go on for quite some time, but you get the idea. The typical
elementary education teacher doesn't know any science and doesn't want
to know any science. If they are forced to teach science, they will do
it by being a CARP. Some of these teachers are very dedicated and very
creative when it comes to teaching reading, writing, etc. They
understand that, they like it, and that's why they became teachers.
Teaching science is one of those evil things they avoid if they can, and
they CARP it if they can't avoid it.

So how do we proceed? Do we give them CARP material, or do we try to
teach them some science? I have all but given up on the in-service
teachers, but I still try to teach science to in-college pre-teachers.
However, I have even hit some stumbling blocks here. The Chair of the
Education Department has declared the science courses required for
elementary pre-teachers is not what they need. She has stated that
rather than having the college students take actual science courses,
they should take science-education courses where they learn what
materials are available and how to use them. In other words, the Chair
of Education at my institution endorses the CARP method of teaching
science and is fighting for her department to "teach science" to the
el-ed majors rather than the Science Department.

Good grief!


Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics and Chemistry
Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu
_______________________________________________
Phys-L mailing list
Phys-L@electron.physics.buffalo.edu
https://www.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l