Carnegie Science Center and Grow Up Great Science

• In Event: Preschool Science: Emerging Best Practices in Increasing Young Children’s Access to Science

Abstract

1. Objectives

This paper examines an effective partnership between the Carnegie Science Center (CSC) and 130 early childhood classrooms in its metropolitan area. We show how, by providing teacher professional development, classroom resources, and family support, the CSC improved the frequency and quality with which teachers and families involved children in science activities.

2. Perspective(s)

In an inquiry approach to science learning, teachers or parents operate as guides who support children in investigating real-world problems through hands-on activities. This highly constructivist and collaborative approach emphasizes children’s deep engagement with the process of scientific reasoning and action rather than memorization of facts. Teachers and parents often need support to engage children in this non-traditional manner. The current study investigates whether the CSC’s intervention improved (a) the frequency of classroom and home science activities, as well as (b) the quality of these activities.

3. Methods

In this mixed-methods study, a science intervention was conducted over one year. In fall and in spring, 59 teachers were surveyed and interviewed on the frequency and nature of their science instruction, and they provided sample science lesson plans. Families (n= 38) were surveyed in fall and spring regarding how and how often they engaged their preschoolers in science activities at home.

4. Data sources

CSC Science Intervention
CSC provided 15 hours of professional development to partnering teachers, as well as two classroom visits to model science instruction with students. In addition, CSC produced and provided videos of students engaging in science investigations at school and home. Each educator also received an in-depth curriculum guide, including strategies for generating open-ended questions and conducting classroom activities.
Teachers also received support in the form of classroom science kits including tools such as magnifiers, magnetic wands, and insect habitats. Kit included a set of activity cards with procedures for engaging individual students or groups in science investigations.
In addition, family materials included family science backpacks with books, materials, and lesson plans for simple science activities to be done at home. Further, the CSC delivered family events in the schools featuring hands-on science activities.

Measures
Researchers asked teachers and families how often they taught about science. Researchers collected an example of teachers’ science lesson plans and rated them on a 15-item rubric (possible range = 0 to 30 points, with higher scores reflecting better lessons). A parallel rubric was used for families’ activities.

5. Results
The majority of teachers served by the CSC provided science activities several times per month, higher than has been observed in other settings (see La Paro et al., 2009). The quality of the activities observed was at the upper end of the “medium quality” range.

Families increased the frequency of science activities, with more than half doing science at least weekly. Activities were of higher quality than those observed in typical settings.

6. Scholarly significance of the study

This study shows how a science center can partner with preschool teachers to provide professional development that can increase children’s access to high-quality inquiry learning about science.

Author

• Wendy Brenneman, Carnegie Science Center