This collaborative project of Southern Illinois University's Colleges of Science and Education with the surrounding school districts, is designed to increase both the amount and the quality of science education in southern Illinois elementary schools. It will provide summer teacher training and a variety of follow-up activities during the school year, and ongoing support from the university scientists. For the inservice training, two options will be available to the teachers. The first option will be a five week course, which includes a two-week practicum; the second option will be a more condensed two week course. The five-week course will involve thirty teachers each summer for three summers, and the two week course will involve thirty teacher each summer for the last two summers of the grant. Teachers involved in the more extensive course will act as mentors for the teachers involved in the shorter program. The inservice will focus on techniques of promoting active learning through experimentation and on the processes and concepts of science in order to foster teachers' competence and confidence in their ability to teach these subjects. During the summer laboratory component teachers will work with small groups of children using a process-oriented science curriculum. At the same time, parent volunteers will be trained to assist these teachers during the school year with the teaching of their new science program and to support their efforts in the community. This project will, therefore, be developing a model for how scientists working with the education faculty of their university and with school system administrators, teachers, and parents can have a major impact on the teaching of science at the elementary school level. The cost sharing will be 54% of the NSF portion.
