Science Teachers Sharpen Skills

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Thirty local teachers are going back to school to conduct experiments they will take back to their classrooms in hopes of boosting interest and test scores in science. During one experiment, set to be conducted Wednesday, July 19, participants will see how much power can be created using vegetables and common household metals as part of the ongoing two-week course at the University of Arkansas.

The course for middle and junior high school teachers presented by the College of Engineering and the College of Education and Health Professions is part of a three-year program intended to boost teachers’ content knowledge and students’ subsequent science test scores.

Shannon Davis, director of research in the College of Education and Health Professions, serves as principal investigator for the program funded by the Arkansas Department of Education. The department awarded $285,000 for the project with a $159,000 cost share between the two colleges.

The project examines the premise that hands-on experiments have proven to be more effective than other methods in teaching children from low-income backgrounds and children learning to speak English, Davis said. Teachers will take a two-week science course at the university each summer for three years, and Davis will analyze data after each year to see whether teachers’ content knowledge increased and their students’ test scores improved. This year, the teachers are from the Rogers, Prairie Grove, Gentry, West Fork, Springdale and Siloam Springs school districts.

Ed Clausen, professor of chemical engineering, and Carol Gattis, director of recruiting for the College of Engineering, serve as co-investigators on the grant. Charlotte Earwood, director of the Northwest Arkansas Education Renewal Zone based in the College of Education and Health Professions, assisted with recruiting teachers for the project. The Education Renewal Zone partners with 18 middle and junior high schools in the area, providing resources and other assistance.

Teachers will learn a variety of science experiments, including the vegetable-based battery test, they can use in their classes. The experiments, which are directly aligned with Arkansas Department of Education science frameworks for sixth through eighth grades, range from producing ethanol to testing acidity levels in a variety of household items.

Each day, participants will be introduced to a new experiment, learn the background of the science and then have time to discuss how to implement the experiments at their schools, Clausen said. Teachers will work in groups according to the grade they teach. They receive a stipend for attending.

The program will give teachers a refresher in areas of science including physical, life and earth/space, Clausen said. It is also expected to raise their enthusiasm and that of their students to learn more.

“A follow-up component allows teachers to provide feedback and presenters to offer further advice on implementing the experiments in the classroom,” Davis said. “A Web site will describe additional experiments and an e-mail discussion group will let teachers trade information about how experiments are working in their classes and give presenters the opportunity to respond.”

The project may result in data that can be published following the three-year period, Davis also explained.

“This is not only a demonstration and intervention project that will benefit schools and teachers, and ultimately students, but also is designed to evaluate the program’s effects,” he said. “We will look at students’ scores to see if they are doing better on their science tests. No teachers or students will be identified, but we can assess the value of the hands-on approach.

“If it doesn’t work to improve students’ learning, we as investigators will be personally disappointed, but the information is still valuable. We will contribute to the knowledge base on what educational methods are effective,” Davis said.