LESSONS FROM DEVELOPING A WORKSHOP FOR SECONDARY SCIENCE TEACHERS

In the late 1980s, Project 2061 was developed with a vision of achieving scientific literacy through science education in the U.S. (AAAS, 1990). Subsequently, the National Science Education Standards (NSES) (NRC,1996) were developed to be used to guide K-12 science education. State Frameworks were then revised to include guidance from the NSES; while state standards vary, Illinois Learning Standards for Science do incorporate NSES. Emphasis was on developing citizens who would be able to understand the scientific issues that affect their lives. Classroom methods used to impart this information were to be heavily inquiry-based (NRC, 1996). The National Science Education Standards (1996) actually require students to understand what is “the nature of science,” as well as to understand science as a human endeavor. In support of all these goals, we developed and tested a three day workshop on paleontological topics for ~15 secondary science teachers (grades 7-12) on Eastern Illinois University’s campus in Charleston, IL in June 2011. Eastern Illinois University (EIU) has a reputable teacher education program, from which many of the science teachers employed within surrounding school districts in rural, east-central Illinois have graduated. The workshop was funded through an Education and Outreach Grant from the Paleontological Society.

The first day of the workshop consisted of content instruction in the form of mini-lectures, discussions, and hands-on inquiry activities. On the second day of the workshop, we led a trip to the Illinois State Museum which will included a “behind the scenes” tour to better understand the role of paleontological collections in scientific research. The third day, we led the teachers on a field trip to the Charleston Stone Company Quarry and field sites around Illinois and Indiana.

We count the workshop as a success, but there are lessons we learned putting this together and would like to share our successes and our lessons with others.