Inquiry Science for High School Teachers

The Caltech Pre-college Science Initiative (CAPSI) has initiated a project focused on the professional development of high school teachers.   Our objective in each of the next three years is to help fourty-eight high school science teachers learn to use inquiry science pedagogy and to use inquiry science learning to also improve literacy.   After an intensive summer Inquiry Institute in Caltech labs we will support their efforts as a learning community to effect classroom change during the following year.   The teachers are from predominantly minority classrooms in the Los Angeles area.

The foundation of the project is a four-week summer "Inquiry Institute" at Caltech.   For most of the teachers this is their first personal experience of learning through inquiry in the way that we hope they will lead their students to do.   Caltech labs for teaching physics, chemistry, and biology are used, with a group of ten teachers in each.    Participants are involved in a “curriculum” during which they learn the material taught in the labs through good inquiry pedagogy.   In each lab, instruction is by a team of master high school inquiry science teachers and Caltech instructors from the Caltech lab course.   A literacy expert also trains the teachers in literacy strategies they can utilize in their science classrooms.   Our intended outcomes are (1) significant improvements in student science and literacy knowledge, (2) increased enjoyment, confidence and use of inquiry for both teachers and students in the educational process and (3) student enthusiasm for science, reading, and writing.

Update!----- Our first summer institute was successfully held July 17 to August 11, 2006, with 27 teachers participating from 12 districts in the greater Los Angeles area.   High levels of satisfaction were reported during evaluations, and follow-up planning for the 2006-2007 school year is underway.   Teachers interested in participating next summer can contact the co-directors, Jerry Pine, jpmail@caltech.edu, 626-395-6677 or Scott Phelps, sphelps@alumni.caltech.edu, 626-395-5715.   More information on the plans for next summer will be forthcoming and widely distributed throughout the greater Los Angeles area.   Check out the photos of this summer's institute on this page, coming soon!