Researching a Dinosaur Dig: The Approach of a Research Lab to a Collaborative Science Initiative
Michael P. Marlow
Stanley V. Kyed
University of Colorado at Denver
Abstract
The University of Colorado at Denver’s Inquiry Science Doctoral Laboratory is interested in the learning and practice of students, teachers, scientists, and researchers. Members of the laboratory, who include doctoral students and faculty from the School of Education and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty, collaborate to engage science teachers in paleontology research, develop curricular materials, and create the foundation for a future science center. Laboratory members will describe their collegial approach to research and practice, and also detail research findings from a professional development initiative featuring a “dinosaur dig” with prominent paleontologists.
Integrating Content to Enhance Understanding
Michael P. Marlow
Kathy Rosborough
Sachem LFBM
University of Colorado at Denver
Abstract
The program was designed to meet the following objectives: (a) increased knowledge of science discipline, (b) knowledge of inquiry-based pedagogy, (c) skill development in teaching in a standards-based classroom, and (d) support for implementing science inquiries in classrooms. The program goal was to help experienced science teachers do authentic inquiry-based science in their classroom. The pilot group was comprised of experienced, successful teachers, traditional in nature that had not done authentic inquiry prior to the program but had expressed interest in learning how to do so successfully. The project objective was to investigate the teacher’s attitudes about their readiness to implement an authentic inquiry.
Using GIS in Paleontology Field Studies
Deborah Thomas
Joanna Wright
Jordan Hand
University of Colorado at Denver
Abstract
Geo-technologies (geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS) and remote sensing) have a variety of applications in earth science, geology, and paleontological applications. Recent projects in paleontology, in particular, have implemented these technologies for creating inventories of sites (Foss & Sherman, 1997) and for resource management (Reynolds, 1997). The Denver Museum of Nature and Science (2003) has also started using geo-technologies to support educational and research in the museum setting. The emergence of the use of geo-technologies for paleontological applications serves as an illustration of how these technologies can be incorporated into the learning environment at Como Bluff. This article describes the potential for the use of geo-technologies at this paleontological area and provides a specific example of how teachers can incorporate them into the field learning experience.
Dino on Board: The Language of a Dinosaur Dig
Stanley V. Kyed
Michael P. Marlow
Karen Johnson
University of Colorado at Denver
4:45 pm August 7, 2003; Nail Quarry, near Como Bluff Wyoming
I am the last to leave the “quarry” today. With the Blazer is in granny gear I slowly inch up a rutted road leading from Nail Quarry to the top of Como Bluff Wyoming, near the site of Butch Cassidy and the Hole in the Wall Gang’s famous Union Pacific train robbery. The “victim” of our modern heist shifts a bit as the rear wheel slips into a rut, so I stop to place a seat belt around the victim’s “jacket.” Looking up, I see Dr. Bob’s dirty red 4-Runner stopped at the top of the bluff, making sure I get out safely; or perhaps, soaking in the reverence naturally following another day exploring the “perpetrators” and “victims” of the Jurassic era.
I chuckle slightly as I glance for one last look at the quarry in the rearview mirror where I can see the reverse image of the phrase “Dino on Board” etched in the Jurassic dust coating the rear window and silently vow to not wash it until Dr. Bob’s finger drawing of the victim’s femur, a Camerasaurus, fades from view. I begin again the long climb out of the quarry with my right hand behind the passenger seat bracing the Camerasaurus femur as if to reassure, “It’s OK.” There is a “dinosaur on board!”
The Development of a Sense of Professional Self During a Dinosaur Dig
Stanley V. Kyed
Michael P. Marlow
Susan Connors
University of Colorado at Denver
Abstract
Promising work continuing the science content education of teachers has followed calls for the improvement of professional development practices by concentrating on immersion in the professional culture of science, collaboration in networks, inquiry experiences, and work with scientists (Lewis, 2002; Loucks-Hoursley, Hewson, Love, & Stiles, 1998; Sparks, 2002). The effect of sustained professional development conducted in accordance with these principles has been shown to have a positive effect on investigative teaching practices and investigative classroom culture (Supovitz & Turner, 2000).
In this paper we describe an emerging conceptual framework developed to explain the changes we have seen in teachers participating in a series of sustained professional development activities offered by the Rocky Mountain Science Inquiry Project. This description represents a group of our colleagues; scientists, educators, and educational researchers, who for the past three years have worked to offer experiences immersing participants in paleontology experiences including inquiry-based coursework, laboratory, and field experiences (Marlow, Wright, & Hand, 2003).
The Role of Field Paleontology on Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Inquiry Science
Karen Johnson
University of Colorado at Denver
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the affects of a series of inquiry-based workshops for teachers that focused on field paleontology. The workshops consisted of five all day sessions and culminated with a weekend trip to a working dig site. Teacher attitudes, beliefs and confidence regarding inquiry-based teaching practice were measured before the first workshop and at the end of the last workshop. In addition, interviews were conducted after the weekend field experience to understand specific impacts of the experience on their beliefs about inquiry teaching, working with “real” scientists, and how they perceived that this experience has influenced their teaching practice.
An Auto-ethnography of a Dinosaur Dig from the Perspective of Two Participant Teachers
Kathy Stanley
Amy Riter
Northglenn High School
Northglenn, Colorado
Abstract
Two teachers who have completed the paleontology sequence, which includes classroom coursework and a weekend-long dinosaur dig field study, will relay their experience from an auto-ethnographic perspective. The teacher participants report an appreciation of the mutual respect existing between the paleontologists and the teachers. They also report a greater awareness of being a scientist as an outgrowth of the field experience. In their narrative the participant teachers will identify specific interactions and events that led to their personal conclusions.
The Role of the Principal in Teacher Professional Development
William Berube, Ph.D.
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
Joan Gaston
Wyoming Department of Education
Riverton, Wyoming
Joseph Stepans, Ph.D.
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
Abstract
The role of the principal in supporting professional development activities of teachers appears to be crucial to the success of the professional growth of teachers (Stepans, 2001). The purposes of this paper were to: (a) examine the changing role of the school principal, (b) discuss the new meaning of instructional leadership for the principal, (c) review exemplary professional development practices and strategies for teachers, schools and districts, and (d) learn from one school district’s long-term implementation of a professional development process. Perhaps the biggest recent shift in the role of the principal is toward being the instructional leader of a school. Teacher perceptions of the principal as instructional leader can have a major impact on the school culture and the success of professional development of teachers. If the teachers think their principal is only a manager, the culture of the school and professional development will reflect that. The results of surveys administered to the teachers and principals in Riverton, Wyoming indicated that the principal’s role and involvement in professional development activities is key to their success.The Riverton experience with the WyTRIAD process demonstrates the power of the principal’s role in professional development, the positive results of a high-quality professional development program, and the positive instructional leadership perceptions teachers had of their involved principals.
Bridging Classroom, Culture, and Community: Implications for Situated Learning
Kim Kennedy White
University of Colorado at Denver
Abstract
Situated learning theory offers promise in connecting learning to student interests and furthers the contextual relevance of knowledge. Proponents of situated learning argue that through social interaction, authentic activity, and participation within communities of practice, students are better able to construct meaning in practical ways so that knowledge can be applied outside of school settings. The author provides an overview of situated learning, applies theoretical concepts to specific situated examples, and considers the implications of situated learning as a means to strengthen student engagement.