Delaware GK-12 Partnership:
Improvement of Science Education in Vocational Technical High Schools through Collaborative Learning and Coteaching
(poster jpg, poster pdf [71Mb!])

	Presenters:	Anissa Brown (1), Carol Buswell (2), Michael Kittel (2), Ralph May (2), Katie Skalak (3)
	P.I.’s:	George Watson (4), Kate Scantlebury (5), Amy Quillen (6), Deborah Allen (1), Richard Donham (7) and John Madsen (3)
	(1) Department of Biological Sciences, Univ of Delaware, Newark, DE, (2) Science Department, Howard High School, Wilmington, DE, (3) Department of Geological Sciences, Univ of Delaware, (4) Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Univ of Delaware, (5) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Univ of Delaware, (6) Instructional Services, New Castle County Vocational Technical School District, Wilmington, DE, (7) Mathematics and Science Education Resource Center, The University of Delaware

The University of Delaware and the New Castle County Vocational Technical School District (NCCVT) have initiated a GK-12 partnership in which nine full-time UD graduate students in the sciences are selected annually to serve as Fellows. In the first year of this project, Fellows have been paired with high school science teachers from NCCVT. These pairs, along with the principal investigators (PIs) of this program, have formed a learning community focused on examining and reflecting on current issues in science education while specifically addressing critical needs in teaching science in vocational technical high schools.

During summer workshops and in follow-up meetings facilitated by the PIs, the Fellows have been introduced to a number of innovative teaching strategies including problem-based learning (PBL) and Coteaching. Fellow/teacher pairs have begun to develop and teach PBL activities that are in agreement with State of Delaware science standards and that support student learning through inquiry. Fellows also have engaged in Coteaching with their teacher partner. In this “teaching at the elbow of another”, Fellows gain a better understanding of and appreciation for the complexities and nuances of teaching science in vocational-technical high schools.

As a result of their Delaware GK-12 activities, Fellows have enhanced the science classroom experience for high school students while simultaneously gaining insight for themselves into current issues of science education. Furthermore, Fellows have grown in their ability to communicate scientific understandings to an audience with multiple and diverse learning needs.