PROBE GK-12
Students as Researchers Workshop - February 5, 2007
The University of New Hampshire in collaboration with nine school districts in New Hampshire has created graduate Fellow and lead teacher partnership teams to advance inquiry-based instructional practices in high school science teaching. Each team consists of a lead teacher from one of the partnership high schools and a UNH graduate or pair of undergraduate students in science, mathematics, and engineering [STEM]. UNH discipline-based faculty mentors will counsel and facilitate the marshalling of resources on behalf of the Fellows and PROBE teams.
The PROBE project began with the recruitment, selection, goal setting, and the pairing of Fellows with partner schools and teachers in Spring 2004. Fellows and teachers participated in established UNH-based summer inquiry programs designed for precollege students and science teachers. This summer activities culminated in a week-long summer PROBE institute with a structure based on the National Research Council's Inquiry in the Classroom Continuum. The institute helped to prepare Fellows and lead teachers with tools for analyzing different modes of inquiry which they have experienced in the summer inquiry programs and will be moving to articulate through the targeted high school programs. During the academic year each PROBE team continues to work with the lead teacher's partner school to implement instructional habits that nurture inquiry behaviors by teachers and students. This begins with the use of inquiry-based lessons and authentic science and mathematics problem solving experiences and develops to include student-centered research projects as a part of students' science learning experience.
GK-12 PROBE Project:
- Fellow Application for 2006-2007 Project
- GK-12 Fellowship Presentation
- School/Teacher Commitment Specifications
- Original Press Release