LINKING K-12 TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING IN K-12 CLASSROOMS

Earth science is by its very nature, interdisciplinary. To understand the Earth, one must understand the roles played by chemistry, physics, and biology, and how they interact within the Earth system. The national science education standards suggest that students in K-12 schools learn science by engaging in their own investigations, in order to answer their own questions. In Ohio, a new statewide high stakes test is being developed. All students must pass all test sections, including a science section, in order to graduate from high school. The test is not based on science content knowledge, but a students’ ability to understand the processes of science. However, many classroom teachers are hesitant to allow students to participate in inquiry-based learning. Many teachers question their own science content knowledge and their own ability to perform scientific investigations. In order to assist teachers in bringing inquiry science into their classrooms, Wright State University faculty developed a long-term professional development program called Project RISE (Rural Integrated Science Experience) This project, funded by the Ohio Board of Regents through the Eisenhower Professional Development Program, brought 24 teachers from six Ohio school districts on four day summer field trips to the modern ocean at Sandy Hook, New Jersey and the ancient ocean recorded in the Appalachian Mountains and Coastal Plain of Virginia. A week-long laboratory experience followed to allow participants to test water and soil samples, identify fossils, and discuss ways that the materials could be implemented into their classrooms. A month long internet course followed in the fall and teachers collaborated to discuss inquiry-based learning, develop classroom activities, and get feedback from others before facilitating the inquiry-based activities. Formative assessment of the project suggests that the K-12 teachers increased their science content knowledge and became more comfortable with their ability to lead inquiry science investigations.