This project is designed to increase the comfort levels of elementary teachers on science and technology topics in a four week residential setting followed by an academic year program which will include weekend retreats and networking and technology up-date conferences. Fifty-seven teachers and twenty-eight school administrators from Southern California will participate in the workshop each year during the two year project. Teachers selected to attend the workshop will be mentor or outstanding general subject teachers with little or no formal training of science. The school administrators will accompany their teachers and participate two days during the summer session followed by one day during the school year and attendance at the up-date conference. Their instructions will be based on the California State Department of Education, Science Unit model. The program's goals to implement and give direction to this project will be: (1) Strengthen the content background and teaching of selected elementary teachers in science and technology and (2) Strengthen the background of elementary school administrators relative to science planning, instructional strategies and program evaluation. The objectives to obtain these goals will use a variety of effective teaching strategies and techniques to accomodate a number of different learning modalities. The staff is highly qualified with a broad range of experiences in teacher education and in the science disciplines. The program will be enhanced by the utilization of the resources of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California State Polytechnic University of Pomona. "Comfortable Approach to Teaching Science" follows the Guidelines of Teacher Preparation and Enhancement and should further its aims by providing appropriate continuing educational developement opportunities for elementary teachers who lack science backgrounds for the courses they teach.
