Several faculty members from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) are enhancing science education for students of all ages.
“The need for high quality science teachers in elementary, middle and high schools is greater than ever before,” said Department Chair Laura Henriques. “Our faculty are receiving prestigious grants and serving on state and national committees dedicated to improving science education for students in preschool through high school in Southern California and throughout the world.”
Providing a Head Start on Science
Bill Ritz, Director of "A Head Start on Science," spoke to faculty at the China National Institute for Educational Research in Beijing and to educators at a science education conference in Chendu, China about his book, A Head Start on Science: Encouraging a Sense of Wonder. The book, published by National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Press in June, offers 89 hands-on science activities that allow children to tap into their own sense of discovery and uncover answers on their own. It has been recognized nationally as one of the best guides for teaching science to young learners. The China National Institute plans to incorporate the book’s inquiry-based activities in kindergarten classes and has expressed an interest in having the book translated into Chinese.
Meeting the Need for Teacher Training
Susan Gomez-Zwiep and Bill Straits, assistant professors in science education, are working with West Ed's K-12 Alliance to provide professional development for kindergarten through second-grade teachers at two Southern California school districts. The project is being made possible due to a $1 million grant from the California Post Secondary Education Council.
There is a need to enhance professional development for kindergarten through second-grade teachers in California because the emphasis in those grades has been on teaching reading and mathematics and little attention has been given to science. Gomez-Zwiep and Straits, both former middle school science teachers, will focus on offering summer workshops and year-long professional development activities for teachers in the Garvey and Montebello Unified school districts. The project will incorporate strategies for English Language Learners and will be linked with the districts' English Language Development Institutes.
Science Connections Inside and Outside the Classroom Assistant Professor Jim Kisiel is serving on a CSU advisory board looking into how informal science institutions – museums, aquariums, science centers and similar places – can be more formally linked with teacher preparation and inservice activities. Kisiel is working with other science educators to examine teacher professional development in these settings and determine how the CSUs might help support such efforts. The project, funded jointly by the Chancellor’s Office and The Boeing Company, will continue through early 2008 and is directly in line with additional work Kisiel is conducting.
Next spring, Kisiel will begin studying how people learn from touch tanks, which allow visitors to feel sharks, sea stars, urchins and other marine life in aquariums. The project, conducted in partnership with Oregon State University with $135,000 in funding from Oregon Sea Grant, will help science educators and aquarium curators better understand specifically how people use and benefit from touch tank experiences.