Teaching Rocks and Minerals in the Hands on Lab: A Teaching and Learning Experience for Pre-credential Undergraduates at CSU Chico

摘要

INTRODUCTION The importance of hands-on activities in learning science at all grade levels has been widely recognized for several decades from the results of a number of studies, including: 1. the development of constructivist learning theory (e.g. Piaget, 1967), 2. the introduction of process-based approaches to science education (AAAS) and 3. the development of "discovery lessons" by the Science Improvement Study (SCIS) at UC Berkeley (e.g. Gagne 1966; Cole, 1991). Better preparation in science and teaching may alleviate some of these concerns, potentially even improving retention rates of science teachers (e.g. MacDonald, 1999) Research in mathematics education reports that pre-service teachers are often aware of teaching strategies outside their own learning experiences but do not feel well prepared to implement new teaching strategies, leading nearly 2/3 of surveyed students to question the feasibility of implementing reform teaching methods in mathematics (Frykholm, 1999).