At SDSU, the Answer to Science Education is Elementary
CONTACT: Timothy McKernan, (619) 594-5204, mckernan@mail.sdsu.edu
SAN DIEGO, February 9, 2000 -- Elementary school children in San Diego are getting a little help as they learn the fundamentals of science from graduate students at San Diego State University. The Partnerships Involving the Scientific Community in Elementary Schools Project (PISCES), funded by a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, puts SDSU graduate students in K-6 classrooms, assisting teachers during science instruction.
"We know students aren't getting adequate scientific training early on," said Walt Oechel, professor of biology at SDSU and director of the University's Global Climate Change Research Group as well as one of the principle investigators of PISCES. "That is largely due to a lack of formal teacher training. The goal of PISCES is to provide K-6 teachers with an in-class resource and help develop science skills at the earliest stages of education."
For example, Oechel said, studies indicate by the middle school years a large percentage of girls tend to start perceiving science as a masculine field.
"If we can provide them with a solid foundation in scientific principles before they reach early adolescence, that can go along way toward giving them the confidence that they can succeed in science as well or better than any boy."
PISCES fellows will soon be in seven school districts in San Diego and two Alaska - an outgrowth of Oechel's global warming research activity on the Alaskan tundra.
Joan Miller, a fourth-grade teacher at Carrolton Hills Elementary School in Santee, calls PISCES an "awesome concept" that helps get students motivated.
"I require the students to keep a journal of their experiments, but most of them weren't very enthusiastic about that. When our mentor, Jeanne Burch, came to class in a lab coat and showed them her journal, they saw that's how real scientists do their work. The journals my students keep now are fantastic."
For her part, Burch said the experience has been as educational for her as for Miller's students. "I didn't have any idea how much I would love this," she said, adding that all PISCES fellows are required to take a teaching seminar conducted by SDSU College of Education faculty before going in the classrooms. "In all the time I've been in college, I didn't give a thought to teaching. Now I'm considering getting a credential. Working with the kids has been a terrific experience."
San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, SDSU has grown to offer bachelor's degrees in 76 areas, master's degrees in 58 areas and doctorates in 11. Stephen L. Weber is the University's president.
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