MIDDLE SCHOOL EARTH SCIENCE IN ISMAM AT EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

ISMAM (Enhancing Inquiry-Based Science and Math in Appalachian Middle Schools), a GK12 NSF grant, is a collaborative venture between Eastern Kentucky University and six middle schools in southeastern Kentucky. It comprises 12 teams: two each in earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, math, and computer science. Each team has 1 EKU faculty, 1 graduate or upper-level undergraduate fellow, and 1 middle school teacher. As a faculty member, in 3 ½ years I have worked in earth/space science with two schools, two graduate fellows, and four teachers.

These middle schools, in small cities and poor rural counties, lie in the EKU service region, potentially producing future EKU students. Primary goals of this program have been to improve student interest in, and enthusiasm for, science and math by introducing components of inquiry and technology to middle school science and math classrooms. Fellows help to build inquiry units for the teachers, and assist in the classroom 10 hours a week, with mentoring and classroom visits by university faculty. All units are built to address components of Kentucky and national educational standards.

Middle school is an ideal time for students to connect science to their immediate environment. Successful units can utilize simple physical materials and equipment, such as laminated local topographic and geologic maps, physical groundwater models, and calculator-connected temperature and pH probes to examine such things as map reading, and to determine the rock types and water availability and quality in their surroundings.

Computer-based units are critically important, but are a greater challenge because middle school computer labs are over-booked, under-maintained, and generally reserved for word processing. And, most rural Appalachian students still have no computer/internet access at home. Therefore, ISMAM purchased a batch of laptops, software, and digital microscopes for science-only use that are shared between the six schools.

Assessment of long-term contributions of this program is difficult. Certainly, mid-career teacher expertise is improved, and student achievement is enhanced with the fellow in the classroom. The most lasting contribution may be the continuing cooperative efforts between the middle schools, and between them and the science and math faculty at EKU.