The Project was inspired…

3. Our four year project was inspired by the Private Universe project The Project was inspired… • by the Private Universe Project

4. Dick Konicek is a professor emeritus at UMASS Amherst and has been a science educator for the past 52 years teaching at all levels. He recently published a book with NSTA Press on teaching science through inquiry entitled Everyday Science Mysteries and is completing a second volume due to be published in April 2009. • Page Keeley is the current president of NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) and is the Senior Program Director for Science at the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance. Her work at the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA) involves leadership and professional development for teachers and leaders in both Maine and nationally. She is also a best selling author of several books on science assessment. • Joyce Tugel A Science Specialist at the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA). Her work at the MMSA is primarily focused on the areas of teacher leadership, mentoring, new teacher support, and science professional development, which includes national support for the Curriculum Topic Study project. Joyce is a co-author of Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 2. .

5. not The World is^Flat A Professional Development Model to Identify and Change Science Misconceptions Funded by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education’s Improving Teacher Quality program

6. Our Goals • Train prospective and veteran teachers identify student misconceptions • Develop strategies to change misconceptions • Evaluate success

7. Our Partners • Springfield Science Museum • Springfield Schools • Springfield College Our consultants Maine Alliance for Science and Math

8. Our Audience • 30 elementary schools • 15 science resource teachers • 45 classroom teachers • 24 pre-service teachers per year

10. VIDEO (2 min) Marisa elicits student responses

12. Reasons for choosing B (hotter inside) • “We wear mittens to keep us warm witch means the mitten is hot.” • “…on a winter day mittens warm you up…” • “…mitten captures the air and makes it hotter.” • “…the heat in the mitten is like a blanket it covers the thermometer…on the table…is no warmth around the thermometer.”

13. VIDEO (2:19 min) Marisa engages students to explore mitten problem

15. Students responses post • “…there is no main source of heat in the mitten.” • “…mitten needs your hand to make your hand warm because your hand is letting out the heat from your body heating up the mitten.” • “…mitten doesn’t have heat engry in it so you would have to put your hand in the mitten so it would change.”

16. VIDEO (4:00 min) Marisa evaluates student’s understanding

17. Annual Cycle

18. Needs of Seeds “Seeds sprout and eventually grow into young plants called seedlings. You want to try to sprout some seeds. Put an X next to the things you think you need to provide for those seeds in order for them to sprout.” __ water __ light __ soil __ darkness __ air __ warmth __ food __ Earth’s gravity __ fertilizer Explain your thinking. Describe the “rule” or reasoning you need to decide what a seed needs in order to sprout.

20. Mrs. Timmons asked her class to share their ideas about what causes the different phases of the moon. This is what some of her students said: Mona: The moon lights up in different parts at different times of the month. Jared: The phases of the moon change according to the season of the year. Sofia: Parts of the moon reflect light depending on the position of the earth in relation to the sun and moon. Drew: The earth casts a shadow which causes a monthly pattern in how much of the moon we can see from Earth. Trey: Different planets cast a shadow on the moon as they revolve around the sun. Oofra: The shadow of the sun blocks part of the moon each night causing a pattern of different moon phases. Natasha: The clouds cover the parts of the moon that we can’t see. Raj: The moon grows a little bit bigger each day until it is full and then it gets smaller again. It repeats this cycle every month.

22. Museum Results Answers Data

23. Self-efficacy Results

24. Physical Science • N = 26 • *significant at the alpha level < 0.001 • Confidence levels in all areas significantly increased immediately after the workshop