Botany in the Pre-college Classroom:
Setting Up Professional Development
Workshops for K-12 Teachers

Saturday, July 31, 2004

Botanical Society of America Forum

D. Timothy Gerber, University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse
and David W. Kramer, Ohio State University at Mansfield


 
Premises for Action

 
1.  American students are not performing well in science
  • on proficiency tests
  • in comparison with students in many other countries of the world
2.  Explanations for this might include:
  • low value placed on science literacy by our society
  • low value placed on education by our society and by parents
  • poorly designed science curricula which lacks integration with other subjects, e.g., mathematics
  • pedagogy used in science instruction is inappropriate
  • teachers are not well grounded in the methods of science or the content of science
    • facts
    • concepts
    • process of "doing" science
  • inadequate equipment, supplies, specimens
    • budgets are inadequate
    • budgets are improperly managed
  • textbooks and tradebooks have incorrect information
  • professional scientists have taken too little interest in science education at all levels
  • scientists usually are not involved in the training of pre-service teachers except in their own courses
    • some of our own courses are not good models!
    • they often do not know the education faculty and/or do not communicate with them
  • many scientists are even less involved with the continuing education of in-service teachers
  • in spite of the many excellent museums, zoos, and botanical gardens in this country, they often are not well integrated into the educational process (at all levels including the university)
  • recent reliance on the Internet for information is a potential pitfall because of lack of quality control and hands-on materials ready for use in the classroom
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Go Back to Workshop Agenda
Premises
Alternatives
Planning
Examples:  The Teacher Academy at OSU Mansfield The Tulip Project at UW LaCrosse