Date of Award
2-1-1991
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Advisor
David Flight
Committee Member
Charles Faires
Keywords
activities, assessment, conferences, curriculum, demonstrations, elementary, expository teaching, grade levels, hands-on learning, inservice program, inventory, laboratory, materials, methods, North Carolina Standard Course of Studies, objectives, principal, procedures, science instruction, teachers, union county
Abstract
This practicum had four components. The first part involved assessing the current status of the science instruction at all grade levels in Union County. The assessment included investigation of teachers’ methods and procedures for teaching science, and their attitude toward science. The second component involved the continuation of the science lab at the writer’s school. The writer was responsible for assembling science materials from throughout the school, ordering new materials from school funds made available for the lab, preparing a science lab schedule for teachers kindergarten through grade five, and compiling an inventory list of lab materials for each teacher. As the third part of this practicum, the principal had an on-going science inservice program that continued to run for a two year period of time. Teachers were encouraged by this principal to join and attend state and national science conferences. The fourth part of this practicum developed an alternative to continual expository-type science teaching. A booklet of hands-on science activities and demonstrations was compiled for use by all grade level teachers. In compliance with North Carolina’s mandated science curriculum the booklet had at least one activity for each stated objective in the Standard Course of Studies Handbook.