Poster #5 - Biomechanics to Reveal a "Truth" of Science Teaching

• In Event: 51.082 - MTCC Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: 51.082-2 - Science Teaching and Learning SIG Poster Session

Abstract

Elementary teachers often have weak preparation for science content. A training was developed to introduce elementary teachers to biomechanics, the study of the body in motion, an innovative approach that can serve as a foundational and accessible context for teaching and learning abstract science concepts. This study examines how twenty elementary teachers initially understood biomechanics and inquiry-based science learning, and how those understandings changed. While teachers initially described reliance on existing curriculum resource guides and standards to plan science lessons, through collaboration with content and education experts, their approach to teaching science was transformed. Based on the outcomes of this study, we propose ways to support teachers in incorporating innovative concepts into their science teaching.

Authors

• Anne Karabon, University of Nebraska Omaha

• Michelle Friend, University of Nebraska - Omaha

• Neal Grandgenett, University of Nebraska - Omaha

• Amelia Lanier, University of Nebraska - Omaha

• Kota Takahashi, University of Nebraska - Omaha