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Northwest Missouri State University

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The Refracted Image Newsletter

Volume 1, Issue 2
Winter 2006

In this issue...

PRISM logo

    Promoting
    Reasoning and
    Inquiry in
    Science and
    Mathematics

Lead Not Lecture

This issue features an interesting article that makes the case for leading students in learning rather than lecturing them. This philosophy is foundational to inquiry-based instruction. From the Director's desk contains information you can use to inform the curriculum committees at your school regarding the positive correlations found in the research between hands-on science instruction and improved communication arts achievement. Be sure to note that the effect is enhanced by the number of years students spend in a science program, making the case for beginning science instruction in the primary grades.

Read the full article  View Word Document

Copyright 2006 © The George Lucas Educational Foundation www.glef.org

From George Lucas Education Foundation

"Articles on this web site may be reproduced in limited numbers for nonprofit and educational use, as long as The George Lucas Educational Foundation copyright notice is included, and any other credit, byline, and copyright notice attributable to a specific article is also reproduced."

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Video Conference Update – April 8

DNABecause several of our mentor/coaches will be attending the NSTA conference in California over this weekend, we will be operating 5 sites only for this one video conference. They will be

  1. McKemy Center (at Northwest) - Rhea
  2. Maryville Technical School (at Maryville HS) - Malm
  3. Liberty site (replaces NKC site) - Lucido
  4. Discovery Center (at Springfield) - Cloyd
  5. Grand River Technical School (at Chillicothe) - Smith

We will not operate at the South Harrison site in Bethany.

Please be sure to notify Pele as to which site you will be attending.

Our focus for the conference is "Teaching Cells and Cell Structures Through Inquiry". We will be sharing our mind map of the topic, and also demonstrating classroom activities which include extracting your own DNA and exploring what and how substances move through the membranes of the cell. This will be a fun session and who wouldn’t like to capture their own DNA? In order to make sure everyone has the materials they need to complete the activities, we need to know who is attending at each site. If we don’t have this information you will have to be an observer rather than a participant.

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Change in Parking Lot Policy

CarPlease note that you will be responsible for purchasing a parking pass for use during the summer institute. The pass can be purchased at Student Services in the lobby of the Administration Building on the first day of the institute (July 5). The cost for the permit is $15. PRISM is no longer authorized to issue complimentary passes. This policy extends equally to all students and employees of the program.

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Preparing for the 2006 Summer Institute

There are just a couple of things I need to ask you to do in preparation for the 2006 Summer Institute. First, please make sure you have all of the paperwork and requirements completed for admission to the Graduate School. You will not be allowed to enroll in classes unless you have been admitted. If you cannot enroll in the classes, you will be dropped from the program because admission to the grad school was part of the agreement you entered when you were accepted into the PRISM program. If you have questions, please call Teri Immel at 660.562.1144.

Another activity that we will complete is the Survey of Enacted Curriculum or SEC. It is the same survey you took last summer. I would suggest that sometime between now and the beginning of the summer institute you make a list of the topics you covered in your science curriculum this past year. For those teachers who teach science only classes, please answer the survey in regards to the first middle school science class you taught on Mondays during the regular school day of the 2005-06 year. Teachers who have self-contained, all subjects classes will respond in reference to their regular class regardless of when you taught science. If you have questions, please send me query or call me at 660.562.1497.

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From the Director's Desk

If the first decade of the 21st century has a mantra, it will be standardized test scores. Pressure has increased to bring scores to specified levels in order to show acceptable annual yearly progress, a part of the requirements of "No Child Left Behind" legislation. In Missouri, we recently completed the realignment of the levels of testing from the previous 5 step configuration to a new 4 step package. In a recent release, Dr. Kent King, State Superintendent of Schools, called the new standards “both rigorous and reasonable”. The new "cut scores" will allow more Missouri school children to score in the Proficient and Advanced categories. This new scoring also brings Missouri MAP tests into a similar configuration as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) commonly referred to as “the Nation’s Report Card”. The NAEP testing is used as a standard for inter-state comparisons and no state testing program may have academic standards that exceed the NAEP. You can read more about the revised levels at the DESE web site.

The problem is that while we will begin testing in science in grades 5, 8 and 11 this spring, with the test becoming mandatory in 2007, these science scores are not figured into any calculation that would make high science scores valuable. Only mathematics and communication arts have that status. As a result, school districts have already begun the exodus from science instruction, particularly in the lower grade levels. This is really too bad because there is a mountain of evidence to indicate that long-term student participation in high-quality inquiry-based science instruction results in higher reading scores. And since the emphasis in mathematics is on real world problem solving, wouldn't it make sense for students to use their own data to solve problems? Isn't mathematics the "language" of science?

In 1995 the Fresno Unified School District in California began a mathematics and science reform effort. As part of that program, students were taught science using the Full Option Science System (FOSS), a hands-on inquiry-based program with embedded assessments. Over the life of the project, student scores on the SAT9 subtests for both reading and science improved in classrooms where the FOSS system was employed when compared to classrooms where it was not. The results also indicated a significant difference in gain for students who were in the program for four years when compared to students who were in for less than 4 years. This study concluded that since inquiry-based science promotes the use of critical thinking skills shown to be associated with increased reading comprehension, the relationship between science instructional strategies and reading scores warrants further study to determine the sustainability of test scores in middle and high school, the relationship between science instruction and other indicators of student success and the effects of teacher efficacy on student achievement, among others.

Read the complete story online >>

Another study completed in 1999 in the Valle Imperial Project in Science (VIPS) found that in a group of students that were described as largely poor, rural, and Hispanic, their achievement in science was greatly increased by the use of kit-based science materials. Females, minorities and disadvantaged students also showed greater gains in the hands-on program. This finding was consistent with the findings of Shamansky (1990) who reported a meta-analysis of 81 previous research studies contrasting the performance of students participating in a hands-on, activity based program with the performance of students involved in the more traditional textbook-based instruction. The VIPS study also gave support to the use of the science notebooks as a way to improve overall writing skills. Students participating in the project improved their writing proficiency as evidenced by a comparison of pass rates for students in the science program for 0 years (25% pass rate), 1 year (58% pass rate) 2 years (73% pass rate), 3 years (88% pass rate), and 4 years (94% pass rate). Additionally, students who participated in the science program in the target year scored an 89% pass rate while student who had never participated scored at 58% pass rate. These findings are consistent with those of Shamansky, Hedges and Woodworth (1990) who found that students in lower social economic, rural backgrounds benefit greatly from hands-on science education.

Just one more example. In 2002 Eric Dreier, science consultant for the State of Michigan, released a study that compared the science achievement of 5th grade students in 15 districts representing wide variability in socio-economic status, both urban and rural settings. The independent variable was the use of Science Technology and Children (STC) curriculum materials. When the data is compared over 5 years, students from higher socioeconomic status (SES) districts improved their scores 20.6% while students in the lowest SES districts raised their scores 13.7%. The state average increase was 14%. The highest performing school district in the study had moderate SES. Of the 18 schools in this district, 13 are classified as Title I. Yet they managed to increase their scores 32.4% and have a satisfactory level of passing the test of 50% for students requiring special education services. This is powerful support for the quality of the STC curriculum which is both constructivist and very hands-on. And, this could be a model for other districts seeking to make satisfactory annual yearly progress in Missouri.

I point these studies out for one reason. If you school district is considering eliminating science instruction from the primary grades, share this with them. The results clearly indicate that in order for students to be successful at the 5th grade level, the instruction has to start by at least 2nd grade. And, the instruction needs to be hands-on and inquiry-based. You are in a position to help with this. Share your insights and volunteer to work on the science curriculum committee. I think it is interesting that the scope and sequence of the STC and STC/Middle School programs closely mirror the scope and sequence of the Missouri Grade Level Expectations. Just an observation.

Reference:

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The vision of PRISM II is to create a sustained partnership between higher education and local school districts that will build a cadre of highly qualified individuals capable of teaching science effectively and sharing what they know and do with other teachers. They will utilize research-based instructional strategies to develop student understanding of the concepts and skills of science and mathematics, initiating and sustaining the changes envisioned by No Child Left Behind.

PRISM teachers are committed to a program of sustained professional development through summer institutes, school year classes that meet via distance learning and participation in mentoring and coaching activities.