🚀 go-pugleaf

Caltech initiated a science in the schools project with (not for) the Pasadena, 
CA schools system.  Its acronym is SEED and KCET produced a video about the 
project in 1989 or 90.  The project has been going since 1986.  Its basic 
premise was that there were more practicing scientists in the 2nd grade than 
any other age, you learn science by doing science and that teachers did not 
need to learn science as much as to learn how to teach science.  That 
especially teachers should not need more credit hours but a way to make 
teachers participants and their students lab ASSISTANTS. 

Biology prof Jerry Pines and James Bouvier or Powers (my crpytic notes faulty 
here) would be the Caltech contacts.  They felt that the NSF projects in the 
1960s (post Sputnik) and others have generated tremendous and amazing materials 
that were rarely put into practice or supported.  The SEED kits have support 
that monitors the kits to replace consumables and refurbishes other elements.  
Remember the dead batteries or missing pieces when doing science in elementary 
school.  Education students mainly have a science background of watered-down 
science.

The instruction is a week session of teachers divided by grade level taught led 
by a mentor teacher.  In the class may be an adminsitrator and usually (?) a 
"real scientist and frequently another community member susch as a musician, 
artist.  the core activity is doing the kits and the object is to mess around.  
Projects I listed in my notes include: clay boats, mystic powders, what is a 
seed, pendulums, batteries and bulbs.  The SECOND YEAR training involves going 
over the kits AGAIN with emphasis on teacher-to-teacher sharing.

One unexpected non-linear result was the way teachers associated the kits with 
the rest of the curriculum.  (Ex. clay boats with social studies_ Shape of 
boats, what function it served, etc.) The Pasadena Unified School District is 
65% "disadvantaged."  There are other resources through the Smithsonian and 
don't forget k12's own Tom Barner's Brown Bag Homework experiemnts done with 
minimal materials or $ needed.  (1:321/120 ?)

 --- msged 2.07

 
 


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