ISSN 1087-3430 Vol. 6 - No. 1 - September 2001
Thank you for your interest in the Electronic Journal of Science Education, the first electronic journal of its kind devoted to the timely sharing of science education issues via the World Wide Web. The editors and review board hope you find the enclosed articles academically and professionally valuable.
John R. Cannon, Editor and Publisher
David T. Crowther, Associate Editor and Publisher
University of Nevada, Reno
Table of Contents
Special Feature... An Evolution of Collaboratives within a University:A Conversation among Colleaguesby
Katharine Owens
kowens@uakron.edu
Francis Broadway
Annabelle Foos
and
David McConnell
The University of Akron
Article One
Preparing New Teachers to Teach Science: The Role of the Science Teacher Educator
by
John A. Craven III
Queens College/City University of New York
jcraven@forbin.qc.eduand
John Penick
North Carolina State UniversityPrologue
America is currently facing a shortage of teachers especially in the areas of math, science and technology. This shortage is particularly severe in urban centers such as New York City, where the number of new teachers needed within the next five to ten years is projected at more than twenty five thousand. The political, economic and logistical pressures this need places on large school systems come at a time when teacher education programs in the state are being forced to reduce the time spent in schools of education. Consequently, the trend in cities such as New York is for administrators to look for expedient operations capable of producing large numbers of teachers quickly. This paper seeks to challenge the prevailing attitudes toward teacher education. With a focus on science education, we attempt to articulate the expert knowledge and skills needed to prepare exemplary science teachers. We argue that before the public's mandate for scientific literacy for all Americans can be achieved, familiar views about the teaching and learning of science must often be challenged through processes requiring time, expertise, and support in professional programs purposely designed to develop exemplary science teachers. In doing so, we hope to define the role the science teacher educator as it pertains to meeting the current goals of science education.
Article Two
by
Beth Shiner Klein, Ed.D.
State University of New York at Cortland
kleine@cortland.eduJuanita Jo Matkins, Ed.D.
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
jjm7k@virginia.eduand
Starlin D. Weaver, Ph.D.
Salisbury University
sdweaver@salisbury.eduAbstract
This article describes the continuation of a project that used collaborative technologies to team teach elementary science methods courses across three different public institutions. Student outcomes for the project indicated positive change in comfort with technology and understanding science education issues. Each of the three faculty members involved in the project share their unique stories of implementation and outcomes as a result of participating in this project.
Editor's Note: Many thanks to the authors for submitting this manuscript in Acrobat PDF. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, please click on the "Get Reader" graphic below to download the program free of charge. Once the Acrobat Reader loads the article, use the back button on your browser to return to the EJSE.
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Article Three
Development and Evaluation of a Standards-Based Approach to Instruction in General Chemistry
by
Eugene P. Wagner
The University of Pittsburgh
ewagner+@pitt.edu
and
Warren J. DiBiase
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Abstract
Operation CHEM1251 is an on-going project designed to implement a Standards-based approach to instruction in the general chemistry curriculum at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The project is a collaborative effort between the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Middle Grades, Secondary, and K-12 Education. Implementation of such an approach has shown an increase in both student performance and attitude toward chemistry. A Standards-based approach to instruction includes, but is not limited to, block scheduling the entire enrollment of one lecture class into the same laboratory sections and learning experiences structured in a learning cycle format. Analysis of the data gathered during this project indicates that this is the first time in five years that any day-time first semester general chemistry course section scored significantly higher than other concurrent sections on both departmental exams and the American Chemical Society's Nationally Standardized End of Semester Exam.
Special Section: Resources and Programs in Higher Education
compiled by David T. Crowther, Associate Editor, EJSE