| 英文摘要: | According to the Pew Research Center, results from the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures every three years the reading ability, math and science literacy among 15-year-olds, placed the U.S. an "unimpressive 35th out of 64 countries in math and 27th in science." Compared to the 34 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. ranked 27th in math and 20th in science. Given the important contribution that the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines make to U.S. innovation and competitiveness, there have been several high level reports calling for improved STEM instruction in our nation's schools. Research studies on effective practices for teaching and learning about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines have documented the significant impact made when these subjects are taught using pedagogies that emphasize hands-on, inquiry-based learning. These tactics help students gain not only the scientific content knowledge, but also a greater understanding of the process of scientific inquiry. Even better learning outcomes can be achieved if problem-based or place-based approaches are incorporated, because linking the science to issues that are relevant to people, their communities, and society in general, helps to reach both the cognitive and affective domains of the learner. Indeed, new national standards for STEM teaching clearly emphasize the integration of scientific practice within classroom instruction as being a best practice. Preparing teachers to use these pedagogical methods effectively is essential for successful implementation, but difficult to provide at a national scale. The challenge, then is to identify model programs for professional development that can be scaled up, in order to transform STEM teaching throughout the country.
This project supports a pilot effort to create six regional science fairs for K-12 students whose projects are designed around the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program protocols and campaigns. The GLOBE program, now celebrating its 20th year of operation, is a global, hands-on science and science education program that engages students and teachers in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting authentic environmental data. There are now 114 countries using GLOBE in the classroom, with several tens of thousands teachers trained in the GLOBE protocols. Working with a leadership team of 16 GLOBE partnerships (2-3 per region), this project is recruiting an additional 44 partner-teacher-student teams in the U.S. to participate in the regional 1.0-1.5 day events. As part of this effort, experienced GLOBE partners are providing monthly webinars and blogs in order to mentor teachers, to promote higher quality implementation of GLOBE research in the classroom. The goal of the science fairs is to foster a stronger community connection among the U.S. GLOBE partners, promote GLOBE as a model program for effective science teaching on a national and international level, and provide opportunities and resources that motivate teachers to implement authentic research projects in their classrooms. The six regional competitions serve as a venue for honoring outstanding teams who are unable to attend other GLOBE student conferences, annual partner meetings, or GLOBE Learning Expeditions. It is anticipated that these regional science fairs will become an annual event, should the pilot effort prove successful. |