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Project Descriptions

Retaining and Mentoring Teachers through Math and Science in School Gardens

August 1, 2003 - July 31, 2008 | Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks, Informal/Formal Connections
This model science teacher retention and mentoring project will involve more than 300 elementary teachers in "Lesson Study" of inquiry science around school gardens. Drawing on the rich resources of the University of California Botanical Garden and the science educators at the Lawrence Hall of Science this project will develop Teacher Leaders and provide science content professional development to colleagues in four urban school districts. Using the rich and authentic contexts of gardens to engage students and teachers in scientific inquiry opens the opportunity to invite parents to become actively involved with their children in the learning process. As teachers improve their classroom practices of teaching science through inquiry with the help of school-based mentoring they are able to connect the teaching of science to mathematics and literacy and will be able to apply the lesson study approach in their teaching of other innovative projects. Teacher leaders and mentors will have on-going learning opportunities as well as engage participating teachers in lesson study and reflection aimed toward improving science content understanding and the quality of science learning in summer garden learning experiences and having context rich science inquiry experiences throughout the school year.

Funders

NSF
Funding Program: TEP
Award Number: 0243557
Funding Amount: 1523858

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Katharine Barrett
    Principal Investigator
    University of California-Berkeley
  • Jennifer White
    Former Principal Investigator
    University of California-Berkeley
  • Discipline: Ecology, forestry, and agriculture | Education and learning science | General STEM | Life science | Mathematics
    Audience: Parents/Caregivers | Elementary School Children (6-10) | Middle School Children (11-13) | Educators/Teachers | Museum/ISE Professionals
    Environment Type: Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks | Professional Development and Workshops | Informal/Formal Connections | K-12 Programs

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