We use Paper Chase as a team science model to engage interdisciplinary learners in research. Paper Chase is a structured collaborative writing approach for rapidly disseminating research findings and serves as a collaborative active learning professional development program for students at a southeastern university. We evaluated the impacts across…

The Lawrence Hall of Science implemented a two-phase project, Building Understanding in Language Diverse Students, to modify school group workshops and drop-in public programs to better support linguistically diverse students and visitors. As we applied language support strategies developed for the school group workshops to additional areas of the…

Professional development in chemistry doctoral programs has traditionally relied on the skills and opportunities embedded within the requirements of the Ph.D. program being sufficient for employment. As a result, little emphasis is usually placed on career planning and exploration within the doctoral curriculum. Additionally, the support provided…

Undergraduate education incorporating active learning and vicarious experience through education outreach presents a critical opportunity to influence future engineering teaching and practice capabilities. Engineering education outreach activities have been shown to have multiple benefits; increasing interest and engagement with science and…

This paper explores the effectiveness of networking in promoting inquiry-based science education (IBSE) through raising the self-efficacy of science teachers to take ownership of more effective ways of teaching students, supported by stakeholders (Holbrook & Rannikmae, 2010). As PROFILES project (Professional Reflection Oriented Focus on…

Raising standards through inquiry-based science education (IBSE)--what are the challenges for pre-service teacher education? What do ongoing teachers and active teachers learn from each other when planning, conducting and evaluating minds-on and hands-on IBSE activities in the classroom? What do they learn "beyond" IBSE? The Bremen…

There is a dearth of studies in science education that are both comprehensive and focused on rural schools. Thus, this brief is in the form of a research report on the impact of an externally funded, five-year professional development project. The project involved approximately 1500 teachers on the student achievement of approximately 20,000 K-6…

Undergraduate college "science partners" provided content knowledge and a supportive atmosphere for K-5 teachers in a university-school professional development partnership program in science instruction. The Elementary Science Education Partners program, a Local Systemic Change initiative supported by the National Science Foundation,…

A summer project in which middle school teachers worked with scientists to increase their knowledge of current scientific developments is described. Teacher's logs and notebooks, research scientists' logs, and the education advisor's log were used to compile a multidimensional description of the project's evolution and outcomes. (KR)

This article features the workshop titled Exploring New Environments, developed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's DESTINY Traveling Science Learning Program. Exploring New Environments is a teacher professional development model based on the idea that teachers are also learners who thrive when given the means and encouragement…

Like many sectors in society, the teacher preparation community is working to address challenges the nation faces in relation to global competitiveness. This document highlights institutions around the country that are preparing tomorrow's teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Well-known shortages of…

Described are the rationales for the Engineering Practices Introductory Course Sequence (EPICS) program at the Colorado School of Mines, and the McMaster Problem-Solving (MPS) program at McMaster University. The professional development model used in these programs is discussed. (CW)

Project Texas is a professional development program for K-8 teachers from districts serving underrepresented populations in order to develop teacher knowledge of Texas' eco-regions. The program provides a meaningful context modeling integration of field experiences, investigative activities, problem-solving strategies, and cooperative learning…

Describes a long-term in-service training program for physics teachers grades 7-12 designed to enhance teachers' subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge. Teachers' opinions of the program were examined using a survey. Results suggest that the courses and activities that were most valuable for day-to-day teaching were those in which…

This exploratory study examines the impact of a professional development program where a K-16 networked learning community approach was implemented to provide training and support for technology integration in science education. The study presents findings from a three-year project with five cohort groups that included 17 student teachers, 17…