Elementary school teacher Daniela Doenhoefer didn’t feel comfortable teaching science.
Growing up on the Winnebago Indian Reservation in northeastern Nebraska, Doenhoefer said she was never encouraged to study science.
But after spending a week in June at UNMC, immersed in a workshop focused on teaching science to young children, Doenhoefer has changed her mind.
“I’m excited about incorporating what I’ve learned into my curriculum,” Doenhoefer said.
|
|
The four-day workshop is part of a $1.3 million Science Education Partnership Award grant Maurice Godfrey, Ph.D., principal investigator and associate professor of pediatrics at UNMC, and co-investigator Roxanna Jokela, director of the Rural Health Education Network at UNMC, obtained in 2006 to strengthen the math and science curriculum of American Indian youths on reservations in Nebraska and South Dakota.
During the workshop, the teachers learned about American Indian content standards from Carol Rempp, coordinator of Native American Education with the Nebraska Department of Education, and how to incorporate those standards along with the state standards to meet the needs of their students.
Rempp also talked about teaching in a way that matches the unique learning styles of American Indian students.
The teachers also learned simple strategies for incorporating literacy into a science curriculum through storytelling, as well as how to teach basic anatomy to the very young.
“I have a better understanding of how to incorporate science into reading and math,” Doenhoefer said. “For example, I can have my students read about the birds and plants native to Nebraska and combine that with hands-on activities, such as going outside to look for those plants.
“It’s really going to get my students engaged and provide them with a fresh perspective on science.”
At the end of the workshop, each of the teachers were presented with a white lab coat to take home with them, as well as supplies, such as magiscopes, animal puppets, anatomy posters and organ vests, to take back to their classroom.
“Teachers are the front line in getting students excited about science. Through our SEPA program we hope to bring the joys of science to teachers,” Dr. Godfrey said. “The teachers, in turn, will bring hands on science to their students. Having a science literate public should be the goal for all science professionals. Working with teachers will bring us closer to that goal.”