Cell Biol Educ 2(1): 25-28 2003
DOI: 10.1187/cbe.02-03-0005
© 2003 American Society for Cell Biology
A Successful Educational Collaboration between Scientists and Educators: Microscopic Explorations
Lincoln Bergman*, and
Caroline Schooley
,
* Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS),
Lawrence Hall of Science No. 5200, University of California, Berkeley,
Berkeley, California 94720-5200, and
Microscopy Society of America, Box 117,
Caspar, California 95420
Submitted March 28, 2002;
Revised December 5, 2002;
Accepted January 8, 2003
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ABSTRACT
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The teacher's guide, Microscopic Explorations: A GEMS Festival
Guide (Brady and Willard,
1998), is the result of a partnership between Great Explorations
in Math and Science (GEMS), a program of the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS),
the public science and curriculum development center of the University of
California, Berkeley, and the Microscopy Society of America (MSA).
Microscopic Exploration supports the MSA's low-cost national outreach
program and, also, reaches a very large educational community as part of the
GEMS series. Some of the lessons learned through the extremely successful
MSA/LHS collaboration are summarized here in hopes that they may be
instructive to other scientists and educators as they launch their own
partnerships and collaborations.
Key Words: microscopy • educational collaboration
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INTRODUCTION
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Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) is a nationally recognized
supplementary enrichment curriculum series of more than 70 inquiry-based
teacher's guides and pedagogical handbooks for elementary and middle school
that can be aligned with leading standards and benchmarks for educational
excellence. GEMS is a program of the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS), the
public science and curriculum development center of the University of
California, Berkeley. GEMS is dedicated to developing high-quality
inquiry-based materials rich in science and mathematics content, and all units
undergo a thorough two-stage regional and national trial-testing process to
gather and analyze detailed feedback from teachers and diverse student
populations. The program also has the benefit of being part of one of the
leading research universities in the world, and many LHS programs, including
GEMS, often work in collaboration with leading scientists, mathematicians, and
education researchers on the Berkeley campus and/or in the University system.
Since GEMS' founding in 1984, more than 1.5 million guides have been
distributed. There is a growing national and international network of GEMS
sites and centers and there are now more than 2000 active GEMS associates
nationwide—educators who have taken part in intensive GEMS professional
development institutes and, in turn, reach many more teachers. Last year
alone, more than 21,000 teachers participated in in-service workshops and
summer institutes presented by the LHS. LHS curriculum materials are used in
over 20% of the nation's schools.
The Microscopy Society of America (MSA) is a vigorous professional society
of close to 4000 members, founded more than a half century ago. The membership
is an unusual mix of scientists, engineers, and technologists in diverse
fields of biological, materials, medical, and physical sciences and
technology. Although professional education is an important Society activity,
precollege educational outreach is a new initiative, begun in 1994; it has
been designated Project MICRO (Microscopy in Curriculum—Research
Outreach). A preliminary literature search by the MSA (now available as an
expanded bibliography on the Web; see Web Sites Cited) demonstrated the need
for an educationally sound teacher's manual to support the MSA's desire to
expand and improve the use of the microscope as a tool for inquiry science in
the classroom. The MSA is a small society without the staff, budget, and
expertise to develop an education program independently. The MSA also realized
that independently developed materials, whatever their quality, often are not
readily accepted by teachers and school districts, and turned to the LHS for
advice. The early decision to collaborate with the LHS has proven to be a very
wise one, even though the first contact between MICRO and the LHS was a result
of lucky geography rather than educational wisdom. The MSA sponsored the
development of the guide and collaborated closely throughout the classroom
testing, revision, and publication process. Based on LHS advice, middle school
was selected as the educational level that would benefit most from the MSA's
limited capacity for an outreach effort.
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DEVELOPMENT OF THE COLLABORATION
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The MSA's initial goal was to support its members as classroom volunteers
in an effort to bring microscopy to K–8 schools. The early clarity of
MSA goals was very important and helpful—the MSA emphasized that they
sought a unit that would convey to students that microscopes are essential and
invaluable in a wide spectrum of scientific investigations and can enliven
student curiosity and inquiry into many fields of science. They envisioned a
unit that, while it might well include the more typical pondwater activities,
truly exemplified this multidisciplinary message. The goal was observation and
inquiry, not the teaching of "microscopy."
Caroline Schooley has functioned as the MSA's Project MICRO Coordinator
since its inception; she went to the LHS for advice on how to begin an
outreach program. At first, both LHS staff and Schooley were unsure about the
benefits of collaboration. Schooley discovered immediately that she understood
neither current educational concepts nor the jargon used by educators.
Fortunately, a 1-week workshop for scientists interested in education,
sponsored by the National Sciences Resource Center, was available at that
time. The workshop was an invaluable introduction for a noneducator. The
understanding of current educational methods gained at that workshop helped
Schooley work closely with the guide's senior author, Susan Brady, then of the
LHS, to develop the guide prototype. Brady's thesis research had used
microscopy extensively, and she had taught children's microscopy classes at
the LHS, which made her uniquely qualified to write content for a
microscopy-centered guide. The first local MSA-sponsored trial went well; San
Francisco–area microscopists helped local teachers try the prototype
manual in their classrooms. The prototype was entirely consonant with the GEMS
approach, so the GEMS staff—not the MSA—made the decision to
include Microscopic Explorations: A GEMS Festival Guide
(Brady and Willard, 1998) in
the GEMS series. This was a fortunate development for the MSA. In addition to
curriculum development and publication experience, GEMS staff brought other
expertise: a rigorous classroom trial-testing process, familiarity with
current pedagogical approaches and national science standards, awareness of
the needs and limitations of K–12 schools and classrooms, a network of
thousands of dedicated science teachers nationwide, and an earned reputation
for quality that facilitates acceptance of new manuals in the GEMS series.
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THE PUBLICATION PROCESS
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Following the decision to make Microscopic Explorations a GEMS
guide, other LHS staff became involved with the project. Microscopic
Explorations coauthor and GEMS Network Director Carolyn Willard, a former
teacher with 20 years' of classroom experience, made revisions based on the
trial test feedback and crafted the step-by-step instructions for teachers,
students, and volunteers that are such a helpful part of the manual. Lincoln
Bergman, GEMS Associate Director and Principal Editor, coordinated the
development, refinement, and production process. Michael Isaacson, an MSA Past
President and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies of the College
of Engineering at Cornell, and Caroline Schooley, who taught electron
microscopy at UC Berkeley before her retirement, both contributed special
technical sections. Many MSA members contributed the literary quotations used
in sidebars, as well as several illustrations. From the start, both
institutional partners were willing to learn from one another. That is perhaps
the most important lesson of all, and there is no doubt that mutual dedication
to shared educational goals is crucial to the success of this kind of
collaboration.
GEMS units strongly support the inquiry-driven approach to science,
standards, and recommendations advocated in the National Science Education
Standards (NSES) (National Research
Council, 1995), Benchmarks for Science Literacy (Project
2061) (American Association for the
Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1993), and other leading national
and regional guidelines for excellence in science education. GEMS' experience
in writing in alignment with national standards produced a guide that can be
used to meet a variety of "hands-on science" requirements. The
NSES emphasize that inquiry into authentic questions generated from student
experiences is the central strategy for teaching science, and that is indeed
the main "focus" of the GEMS unit. In addition, the NSES state
that students, even at the grade 1–4 level, should have the
"fundamental ability to ... employ simple equipment and tools
... such as ... magnifiers ... and
microscopes" (NRC, 1995,
p. 122). That may be a "national standard," but it certainly is
not supported in many schools. Microscopic Explorations develops that
ability, and the learning station format can lead directly to in-depth study
of the content introduced at each station; it can be an introduction to more
intensive investigations of selected topics.
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THE "FESTIVAL" FORMAT
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Given the MSA goal of representing the use of microscopes in many fields of
scientific endeavor, GEMS also brought some valuable experience in devising
activities that utilized a learning station/festival format. In 1990, a
research study conducted at the LHS focused on families in a science discovery
room using tabletop learning activities. The study suggested that these
tabletop exhibits could be excellent classroom learning stations. At the same
time, the LHS had been developing large-group outreach programs for schools,
some of which were organized as "festivals" with inquiry-based
learning stations. Further testing revealed successful classroom teacher and
student experience with learning stations. This approach, because it allows
students to proceed at their own pace and make their own discoveries, can be a
particularly effective mode of presentation for activity-based science and
mathematics. As a result, a number of GEMS teacher's guides utilize this
approach, such as Bubble Festival, Mystery Festival, Build It! Festival,
Math Around the World, and Microscopic Explorations; information
on these titles is available at the GEMS web site.
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THE CENTRALITY OF CLASSROOM TRIAL TESTING
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The inclusion of Microscopic Explorations in the GEMS series
initiated a rigorous development process. The GEMS trial-testing
process—as well as some preliminary trials that several local MSA
societies and educators sponsored, guaranteed educational quality and wide
classroom applicability. GEMS units are first pilot tested by the
educator-authors at a school near the LHS. GEMS educators and any
collaborative partners evaluate the prototype unit from the standpoint of
educational effectiveness, need for the content presented, and age
appropriateness, as well as alignment with relevant national standards and
benchmarks. The initial testing led to the development of a GEMS-designated
Phase I (or local) trial version, field tested by at least 24 teachers in the
larger Northern California/San Joaquin Valley region. Based on extensive
teacher and student feedback, scientific review, and staff and partner
observations of local trials, the unit is revised and a Phase II (national)
trial version prepared. This is then tested, again by at least 24 teachers, in
six geographical regions nationwide. This extensive trial process would be
nearly impossible for a scientific society to accomplish and is, therefore, a
major collaboration benefit for the MSA, well worth the developmental year
that it consumed.
The GEMS testing process ensures several things. The detailed input of
teachers and students is central to the development of all activities. All
testing includes a wide range of students and teachers, with emphasis on the
inclusion of historically underrepresented groups. The numerous revisions and
critiques assure that published versions attain a high level of clarity,
educational quality, and scientific integrity. Student work derived from the
testing process provides evidence of student learning and information helpful
in assessing student progress, evaluating educational effectiveness,
determining age and developmental appropriateness, and finding out whether the
activities are challenging and motivating.
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FUNDING
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The decision to center the MSA's outreach effort on the production of a
good teacher's manual gave the MSA a modest initial cost to fund. Preliminary
development was supported by a small amount of National Science Foundation
(NSF) funding, but none of the then-available NSF educational programs offered
categories adequate for project completion. It took 2 years to assemble grants
from multiple sources sufficient to support the development of Microscopic
Explorations: the Cornell University Materials Science Center, the Glaxo
Wellcome Foundation, the Hertz Foundation for the Advancement of Applied
Physical Science, and the Hewlett Packard Foundation. No single entity
contributed over $15,000. In each case, an MSA member employed by the source
organization helped secure the funding. Microscopic Explorations was
first published in 1998 and was reprinted with revisions in 1999. Since its
initial publication almost 7000 copies have been sold. There has been no need
for further funding by the MSA. This is an important point; it means that the
MSA has achieved an ongoing outreach that does not require equally ongoing
grant support.
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IMPLEMENTATION
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A strong national GEMS distribution and support system evolved during the
years that Microscopic Explorations was in development; it has
greatly expanded MICRO's influence and effectiveness. The national and
international growth of GEMS has taken the MSA's outreach far beyond the scope
anticipated for Project MICRO when it began in 1994–1995.
Microscopic Explorations will continue to be part of an extensively
used program indefinitely, without further fiscal support from the MSA. GEMS
manuals can be ordered from most booksellers, the National Science Teachers
Association, and many scientific supply companies. The bulk of the 7000 copies
of Microscopic Explorations that have been distributed is in use by
teachers who either have attended GEMS workshops or have purchased it
independently because they trust the GEMS reputation for quality.
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VOLUNTEER PARTICIPATION
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A major reason for the selection of the festival format for Microscopic
Explorations was that its learning station structure is ideal for
involving outside volunteers such as scientists who are interested in
assisting and/or participating in educational activities. The MSA and its
national network of regionally organized scientists stood ready to assist with
this, as well as to provide microscopes and other expertise. Scientists
invited to the classroom may have a tendency to lecture, to overwhelm with
expertise, or generally to have little background in current approaches in
science education; the result can be a negative experience for teachers,
students, and scientists alike. Several MSA volunteers took part in GEMS
associates training and became conversant with inquiry-based science
approaches, but the lack of easily accessible training programs for scientists
who want to be classroom volunteers continues to be a major problem. Because
one MSA/MICRO goal has been to develop a self-sustaining outreach program that
does not require ongoing grant support, there is no MICRO program staff
available to train classroom volunteers. Although MICRO tries to place
microscopist-volunteers in classrooms, most of the teachers who use
Microscopic Explorations will have little or no interaction with MSA
members; realistically, there are not enough members, in enough locations.
MICRO reaches some of these teachers with a variety of supplemental
information on its web site, including "Ask-A-Microscopist," a
question-answering service. The MSA will continue to urge GEMS and other
science educators, and other scientific societies, to develop training
programs to help scientists prepare for K–12 classroom experience with
fewer mistakes and more success.
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THE NATIONAL MICRO PROGRAM
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Classroom microscopy can be a much more effective and exciting introduction
to scientific observation when there is a microscopist-volunteer available in
the classroom to support further inquiry and exploration of the microworld.
MICRO can supply those volunteers via the MSA's national network of 30 local
affiliated societies; 10 of them now have local Project MICRO programs (listed
on the MICRO web site), which vary widely in size and scope. One of the
largest programs, in Minneapolis–St. Paul, has a web site (cited below)
that provides enrichment for all of the Microscopic Explorations
activities. Another is a one-microscopist program in the Chicago area; this
volunteer distributes sand samples from around the world to teachers who need
them to present the "sand" unit of Microscopic
Explorations. The Cornell program has a staff outreach coordinator who is
supported by a research center grant; their program presents annual workshops
for Ithaca-area teachers (they have a waiting list of applicants) and Cornell
students from several departments are recruited and trained to be classroom
volunteers who help the teachers who have attended the workshops.
The New England Society for Microscopy has two programs; one circulates
kits of microscopes and Microscopic Explorations materials to schools
in eastern Massachusetts and Connecticut and another is a
microscopist-volunteer program at the University of Vermont. The Vermont MICRO
program has been in operation for just 3 years, but it has an impressive
record. One faculty member and one staff technologist have volunteered
organizational time, and they have recruited an average of 18 University of
Vermont volunteers per year to present a total of 20 Microscopic
Explorations festivals in 16 classes, at three summer science programs,
and at a town fair: 437 students, 25 teachers (including many who attended to
observe and learn), and 78 other volunteers (parents, etc.) participated
(personal communication, Jan Schwarz;
jschwarz{at}zoo.uvm.edu).
This is an excellent example of the far-reaching educational effect that the
GEMS manual and Project MICRO have created. A full list of MICRO local
programs is available at the MICRO web site.
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AN ONGOING PARTNERSHIP
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One of the most important aspects of the collaboration has been that both
partners understand that the partnership needs to be ongoing. The development,
testing, and publication of the teacher's guide were a central task, but the
task did not end there. The partnership between the MSA and GEMS is indeed
ongoing—and our collaboration on this essay is just one more example.
While some of our experience is specificto Microscopic Explorations,
it is our hope that some of the larger lessons of our collaboration will be
instructive to others and can be applied by scientific societies and educators
who aspire to work together.
Corresponding author. E-mail address:
schooley{at}mcn.org.
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REFERENCES
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American Association for the Advancement of Science
(1993). Project 2061. Benchmarks for Science
Literacy. New York: Oxford University Press.Brady, S., and Willard, C. (1998). Microscopic
Explorations: A GEMS Festival Guide. Great Explorations in Math and
Science. Berkeley: Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California
(rev. ed., 1999).
National Research Council (1995). National
Science Education Standards. Washington, DC: National Academy
Press.
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WEB SITES CITED
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"Ask-A-Microscsopist":
http://www.msa.microscopy.com/Ask-A-Microscopist.html.
Cornell MICRO:
http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/microworld.
GEMS:
http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/GEMS/GEMS.html.
Minnesota MICRO:
http://resolution.umn.edu/MMS/ProjectMicro/.
Project MICRO bibliography:
http://www.msa.microscopy.com/ProjectMicro/PMBooks.html.
Project MICRO local programs:
http://www.msa.microscopy.com/ProjectMicro/LocalPrograms.html.
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
