The ACCESS Center has been working for the past six years to develop projects which utilize the science and engineering expertise of faculty at CSLA. In an effort to enhance the capability of middle school teachers who educate pre-college students in the Greater Los Angeles area. We have determined that the most efficient way to influence young students in large numbers and on a long-term basis is to have their teachers become comfortable with laboratory science in the classroom.
For the past two summers, CSLA Biology faculty joined with Caltech's Biology Division to host a five and one-half week science workshop for middle school teachers exposing them to innovative hands-on science curricula. CSLA through the efforts of the ACCESS Center will continue this Teacher Enhancement program for a third year, re-structuring the academy to a three-week period and held solely on the campus of CSLA.
TEACHER TRAINING
Teacher participants are recruited from middle schools with high percentages of minority and economically disadvantaged students. A CSLA biology professor acts as a campus coordinator and three other CSLA faculty members provide leadership and instruction for the academy. A science coordinator with experience both in teaching science in middle schools and in conducting workshops for middle school teachers acts as a liaison between CSLA academic staff and the teachers. This person also assists the teachers in transferring what is learned in the academy and applying it in their classrooms. In this way the academy is rich in content and professional development, and also provides practical assistance in implementing what is learned in the academy. To further assist TSSA teachers with classroom implementation, classroom kits of materials and supplies are provided for use in their schools. Furthermore, two sessions are used to evaluate currently available science materials such as texts, workbooks, or videos that might be used as enrichment materials in their classrooms.
CURRICULUM
"Bottle Biology" is the curriculum that is used in the academy. This curriculum was developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the project promotes science as a tool all students can use to explore the world. Lessons contained within Bottle Biology can be integrated with math, history, social science and other disciplines. Bottle Biology teaches about science and the environment using recyclable materials that are local and inexpensive, dispelling the myth that science belongs only to people with Ph.D's, white coats and labs full of expensive instruments and materials. TSSA trained teachers, are encouraged to work in groups, ask questions, think about the information they collect, predict possible answers, and develop their own methods of inquiry. Further lessons emphasize forming hypotheses and experimental design.
To broaden and strengthen these teachers' scientific backgrounds, TSSA includes lectures and demonstrations on topics related to Bottle Biology. Enrichment for TSSA teachers include: effects of pollution; growth rates; decomposition; fermentation; and the predator-prey systems. Field trips include visits to Caltech’s Seismic Laboratory; the Huntington Library to view the gardens; the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Teacher Resource Center, a walking tour of the CSLA campus and Legg Lake to collect plants, soil and insect specimens; and a trip to the Los Angeles Zoo.
Selected "Alumni" from past academies are invited back each year to share experiences and expertise with “new” attendees, thus providing positive reinforcement to both past and present TSSA participants.