BSCS Partnering with Washington State LASER

BSCS is partnering with Washington State LASER to bring the BSCS National Academy for Curriculum Leadership (NACL) to districts in the state of Washington. The NACL is an in-depth, three-year professional development experience for district science leadership teams. Through the NACL, school and district leaders build on their capacity to design, implement and sustain an effective high school science education program that features research-based instructional materials. With a focus on student achievement, the leadership teams support teachers as they implement new instructional materials, improve their classroom practice, and develop professional learning communities.

With major support from the Battelle Foundation and Agilent Technologies Foundation, the first cohort of thirteen teams from Washington and one from California completed the program in 2004. The second cohort of twelve teams from Washington and one from Alaska is completing its second year of the program.

For more information, email us at NACL.

BSCS and Cincinnati Public Schools working together to deepen inquiry understandings

BSCS is currently in discussions with Cinciannati Public Schools (CPS) to provide PD for K-8 science content specialists, beginning in June 2009 through the spring of 2010. The conversation is focusing on working with the science specialists and teachers of Cincinnati Public Schools to deepen their understanding of inquiry, to incorporate inquiry into classrooms, and to develop best practices for science teaching. BSCS staff have worked with the secondary science faculty during the 2008-2009 school year and will provide similar opportunities for the elementary faculty during the 2009-2010 school year.

This work has built over the year and has included immersion experiences in inquiry, guidance in analyzing student work, and practice analyzing student discourse in science classrooms. These experiences have helped science teachers and specialists improve their teaching practice as they come to a deeper understanding of how inquiry is used to teach science. Ultimately, the goal of this work is to help teachers use practices that will lead to better student understanding.

For more information, email us at PDcenter.

BSCS hosts advisory committee meetings

On 16-17 March, BSCS hosted an advisory committee meeting to discuss the creation of a curriculum supplement aimed at teaching middle school students about rare diseases and scientific inquiry. This project is part of contact awarded to BSCS in October 2008 from the National Institutes of Health's Office of Science Education. Attending the meeting were advisors with expertise in medicine, genetics, patient advocacy, science education, and multimedia development.

Meeting participants reviewed and discussed the goals, objectives, and assumptions of the project. Committee members spent time discussing the design of the supplement and establishing the major concepts that will guide the future development of the curriculum.

During a second NIH advisory committee meeting held 14-15 April, participants discussed the creation of a curriculum supplement focusing on evolution and medicine.

For more information, email us at CDcenter.

BSCS partnering with Seattle Public Schools

BSCS is working with secondary science teachers in Seattle Public Schools to develop leaders in science content and pedagogy. Over the course of a year (10 workshop days over four separate meetings), BSCS is helping teachers develop knowledge and skills in teaching science as inquiry, (in a way that is consistent with how people learn), deepen their content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, use assessments to facilitate learning in a diverse student population, and implement high-quality instructional materials with fidelity.

For more information, email us at PDcenter.

BSCS working with WGBH

BSCS is working with the WGBH Educational Foundation to update several online Teachers' Domain courses designed to promote inquiry, enhance pedagogical knowledge, and update teachers’ science content knowledge. Teachers' Domain professional development courses provide teachers with resources and strategies to develop effective and innovative instruction. The online courses use an inquiry-based learning model, include online discussions, and utilize video, graphics and simulations from the Teachers’ Domain collections.

For more information, email us at CDcenter.

Five-year collaboration with the University of Georgia and Augusta State University

BSCS is beginning work on a project with scientists and science educators at the University of Georgia and Augusta State University. This five-year collaborative project is funded by the National Institute’s of Health (NIH) Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program.

The purpose of the project is to create curricular materials to help high school students learn about and conduct inquiries into the effects of diabetes. The inquiries will use high quality 3-D models and animations of anatomical and physiological processes. Students will collect and analyze data from 3-D models and animations.

For more information, email us at CDcenter.