9355523 Sarquis This project will build upon Teaching Science with TOYS. Through TOYS over 475 K-12 teachers nationwide have brought toy based science into their classrooms using nearly 100 activities. TOYS: CAPS will 1. Actively cultivate district level systemic implementation of toy based physical science education. There will be 180 participants over 4 summers. Teams of 2-3 teachers and one administrator will participate in a 3-week summer workshop which includes working directly with students in a summer camp. Academic year follow up will include fall and spring sessions either at the Miami University host site or a regional University Affiliate site where participants will report on activities share sessions and exchange ideas. In service workshops will be held with the tecnical support being provided by TOYS staff and/or University Affiliates. 2. Over a three year period 18 TOYS graduates per year will undergo extensive 'training' to enhance their pedagogical content knowledge and develop leadership skills to become district Leaders. This program will overlap with the Teacher/Administrator Program (TAP) in which teams of 36 under prepared teachers (grades K-9) and administrators will attend programs run by the TOYS leaders and faculty. 3. University Affiliates (two college or university science or faculty members per summer) will participate to replicate the program regionally to create TOYS centers throughout the US and to implement hands on TOY based activities in local schools. University Affiliates also include toy-based activities in their pre-service science education courses. 4. Through the Teacher/Researcher Program 12 peer writers per year will work with TOYS faculty to research, develop and test activiites and teacher resource modules. In TOYS: CAPS 378 teachers representing 66 district teams and six university affiliates will directly participate over the 41 months of the project. An estimated 3,000 additional teachers will be r eached through in-service and other outreach activities. It is to be noted that academic year programming will focus on regional teams within commuting distance and summer programming will target a national audience.
