Addressing the 5th grade physical science crisis in Florida's schools

Future science teachers learn "hands-on" physical science

The physical sciences play a central role in every branch of science and engineering, including electronics and the microscopic basis of life. According to the Sunshine State Standards, the blueprint for curriculum in every public school in Florida, every fifth-grade student must build an understanding of the basic concepts of forces, energy and the nature of matter. Of course, this can only happen if the state's grade 3-5 teachers understand these concepts and are comfortable and enthusiastic teaching them. The importance of physical science in the curriculum will be highlighted by the debut of the science section of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in 2003. Few teachers in grades 3-5 have achieved an adequate understanding of the concepts of motion, energy and forces themselves or have obtained the tools necessary to teach these concepts effectively. Some elementary school teachers have recognized this looming crisis in Florida's schools and are actively looking for ways to address it.

To help teachers meet this challenge, the FSU Office of Science Teaching Activities (OSTA), the Center for Integrating Research and Learning (CIRL) at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, and the FSU Department of Physics are offering a pilot workshop for Leon County teachers in grades 3-5 in the summer of 2001 to help them achieve a deep understanding of the central concepts of physical science and prepare them to teach the subject to their own students. The workshop's curriculum is presently being developed by Judy King, the coordinator for science at the Maclay School, in collaboration with Pat Dixon, Director of CIRL and a former middle school science teacher, as well as Ellen Granger, Director of OSTA; Lance King, Director of FSU's "Science On The Move" Outreach Program; and Larry Dennis and Paul Cottle, professors in FSU's Department of Physics.

The workshop will be held July 9-20 and will focus on helping participants build an understanding of the physical science content by using the same equipment for standards-based hands-on exercises that can be implemented in their own classrooms. Linking the workshop curriculum with units that can be implemented in grade 3-5 classrooms is a critical innovation being implemented here for the first time in a content-focused workshop environment. This workshop will focus on motion, energy and forces, and will use a variety of equipment including toy sports cars and electronic devices for measuring speed and acceleration. Some of the materials are being field-tested this year.

The workshop will carry one graduate credit hour in the Department of Physics. The workshop registration is presently at its capacity of 20 participants, and there are five more teachers on a waiting list.

This workshop is intended to be a pilot program, and funding to expand the program in the summer of 2002 is being sought at both the state and federal levels.