Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12)http://gk12-uiuc.nethttp://gk12-uiuc.net

Sharon L. Comstock, Bertram C. Bruce, GSLIS Luisa Rosu, Rita Davis, Curriculum & Instruction, UIUC

Delwyn L. Harnisch, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Overview

The Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) program, currently administered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in partnership with NCSA, has involved 32 teams in 15 middle and high schools throughout Illinois. Teams include graduate students in science, mathematics, engineering, and social sciences working with teachers to integrate the use of computer-based modeling and scientific visualization. Key to the program’s success has been the use of inquiry-based learning methodologies to enhance learning opportunities.

GSLIS participants have included Dr. Bertram Bruce (co-PI, Evaluation Co-Lead, Mentor), Dr. Umesh Thakkar (Program Manager), Keren Moses Joshi (Fellow), Bharat Mehra (Evaluation), Brent Palmer (Program Management), and Sharon Comstock (Evaluation), as well as support from the Community Informatics Initiative.

We are grateful to the National Science Foundation for support of the GK-12 Graduate Teaching Fellowship Program (Grant # 0086455).

“…it helps me to understand what we are talking about by seeing rather than hearing what happens.”

“Being taught without extensive technology would have affected my year a lot. A lot of the technology used diagrams and animations and those explained a lot to me. Without those, I would not have learned or understood as much.”

“It helped save time and make information clearer to me. It also gave me visuals for things that I wouldn’t have been able to picture from just reading about . It helped me understand amino acid sequences a lot.”

Teams gather for an end-of-year forum to reflect on successes and challenges

Fellows and teachers participate in hands-on workshops, featuring Biology Student Workbench, Inquiry Page and iLabs

Selected Publications

•Karulkar, M. Modeling in the Chemistry Classroom, IL-TCE Annual Conference, St. Charles, IL, March 1-3, 2006. •Gabric, K., Comstock, S.L., Moore, S., Harnisch, D., Shope, R. Bruce, B. C. & Buell, J. What Science and Technology Mean to the High School Learner: Impact of the NSF GK-12 Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education Intl. Conf. Annual (15th Annual Conf., March 1-6, Atlanta, GA). •Harnisch, D. Comstock, S.L., Bruce, B.C., & Buell, J. Development of Professional Learning Communities: Factors within the NSF GK-12 Program Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education Intl. Conf. Annual (15th Annual Conf., March 1-6, Atlanta, GA), XX. •Buell, J Harnisch, D. Bruce, B.C Comstock, S.L., ., & Braatz, R. New Tools Supporting New Partnerships: Technology Development within the NSF GK-12. Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education Intl. Conf. Annual (15th Annual Conf., March 1-6, Atlanta, GA), XX. •Comstock, S.L. "Making the Case for Story: Learning Technologies in K-12 Environments," Midwest Qualitative Research Conference, University of St. Thomas (9th Annual Conf. June 18-20, 2003, Minneapolis, MN), 10. •Harnisch, Delwyn; Comstock, Sharon L.; Thakkar, Umesh; Moore, Steve; Bruce, Bertram C.; Jakobsson, Eric; Abbott, Gypsy; & Gabric, Kathy. "Scientists Becoming Teachers: Lessons Learned from Teacher Partnerships," Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education Intl. Conf. Annual (14th Annual Conf., March 24-29, Albuquerque, NM), 79. •Comstock, Sharon L., Bruce, Bertram, & Harnisch, Delwyn (2003). "Inquiry Page: Collaborative Technology into Practice," Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education Intl. Conf. Annual (14th Annual Conf., March 24-29, Albuquerque, NM), 43. •Comstock, S., Bruce, B.C., Harnisch, D., & Mehra, B., "Fostering Inquiry-based Learning in Technology-rich Learning Environments: The Inquiry Page in the GK-12 Fellows Program," Proceedings of the AACE World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications, Denver, CO, (June 24-28, 2002). •Comstock, S., Harnisch, D., Bruce, B.C., & Mehra, B., "Who's Teaching Whom? Scientist/Teacher Teams and Administrative Strategies," Proceedings of the AACE World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications, Denver, CO, (June 24-28, 2002). •Mehra, B., Bruce, B.C., Harnisch, D., and Comstock, S. "Complexities in Development of Educational Collaboratories as a Socio-Technical System: A Situated Study of the GK-12 EdGrid Graduate Teaching Fellowship Program." In: N. Callaos, M. Loutfi, and M. Justan (editors), Proceedings of The 6th World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics SCI 2002, Volume VIII Concepts and Applications of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics II, Orlando, Florida, (July 14-18, 2002), pp. 188-194.

• Students overcame anxiety about technology when given a clear objective• Higher participation levels in the classroom and in students’ free time => increased responsibility for learning• Artifact creations => more complex thinking and problem solving• Improved information literacy skills• Increased awareness and interest in the subject

•Acts as a resource, curriculum map, and tool for student work•iLabs support content management, collaboration, and community-building

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Inquiry Page & iLabs

•Open source, web-based tools •Framework for inquiry-based learning

Conclusions

• Modeling technologies supported authentic inquiry, engaging students in synthesis of ideas• Students were able to generate data and use applications in independent problem solving• Students demonstrated an increased ability to make connections between class work and the larger world• Tools became an inspiration for inquiry, and inquiry-based design

Impact on Learners