A UNIVERSITY/K–12 DISTRICT PALEONTOLOGY SCIENCE NETWORK INQUIRY CONSORTIUM

The Paleontology Consortium

The Paleontology Science Network Inquiry Consortium consists of the University of Colorado at Denver School of Education and Geology Department and 20 Colorado Front Range School Districts. The consortium was initiated in the fall 2000 semester. The initial pilot program began the following spring. The first group of twenty secondary science teachers represented eighteen schools from these districts. The program was designed to meet all of following program objectives.

A) Increased knowledge of science discipline. The teachers were placed in a graduate level paleontology content course titled Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. The purpose of this course was to provide in-depth knowledge of the subject.

B) Knowledge of inquiry-based pedagogy and other advanced teaching method. In the spring 2001 semester the teachers participated in a six Saturday workshop titled Introduction to Paleontology Pedagogy. The purpose of this workshop was to provide teachers both the pedagogy, content and materials needed to carry out the inquiries.

C) Skill development in teaching in a standards-based classroom. In summer 2001 the pilot teachers participated in three field days and a dinosaur dig to gain first hand knowledge of paleontology. The day-long trips investigated dinosaur tracks, fossil plants and insects and sedimentary sequences. The six day dig was in Western Colorado at a university quarry.

D) Support for implementation of new science inquiries into classrooms. The school inquiries will begin in fall 2001. Once questions are identified, the inquiries will be carried out in the fall and spring semesters. The Consortium will provide an interactive conference site and web page to support these inquiries. The participating students will be invited to an Inquiry Day on campus in May 2002 to discuss and display their research results.

Preliminary results indicate that the teachers feel adequately prepared to support their student’s inquiries. When asked about what parts of the preparation program were more or less important they were unable to identify any part that they felt was less important. Ongoing assessment during the student inquiry phase will help us better understand what additional content and experiences teachers will need to successfully support their students.