The initiative is aimed at buttressing teacher preparation in accord with the latest recommendations of the California Council on Science and Technology, which says the state must strengthen elementary school science.
HSU’s program will augment teacher education in liberal studies and child development. Teacher candidates will study inquiry-based science methods and practice them in local schools and science learning settings. Inquiry-based learning emphasizes powers of observation and skills in problem solving, rather than the content and memorization of traditional learning methods.
As part of the Humboldt State effort, the science education pathway within the pending master’s degree in biology will include options for elementary teachers. Here too, attention will focus on inquiry-based science, as will science education professional development for current teachers. The latter will incorporate teacher-based research that monitors student learning outcomes.
Humboldt State Biological Sciences Professor Jeffrey White said, “We are well positioned at HSU and in the region to build on our successful science education programs to increase capacity and develop initiatives to support science learning in elementary schools.”
White directs the Humboldt Science and Mathematics Center, home of the Redwood Science Project. HSU hosts a variety of supplemental programs for teachers and future teachers, in addition to undergraduate and credential programs.
The new report by the California Council on Science and Technology calls for shoring up elementary teacher science, urging action on a variety of fronts. They include aligning community college lower division science instruction with teacher preparation programs. The council also endorsed creation of a statewide K-8 science reform coalition, proposed in 2009 under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.
According to the council, the need to reinforce science is urgent. Currently, 50% of California’s students score at or below basic proficiency. In one recent survey, 80% of the state’s K-6 teachers reported spending 60 minutes or less per week on science; 16% indicated they spent no time on it at all.
Details about HSU science education are available at www.humboldt.edu/~hsmc/, www.humboldt.edu/education/ and www.humboldt.edu/~chld/.