Hattie Cotton Elementary Teachers Team-up with Vanderbilt Scientists

Hattie Cotton Elementary School is the new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) magnet in Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS). Teachers are spending their summer in professional development sessions focusing on STEM subjects and incorporating STEM into all other areas of the curriculum.

Using Race to the Top funding awarded to the state of Tennessee and a Tennessee Department of Education grant awarded to MNPS, Hattie Cotton Elementary School and the Scientist in the Classroom Partnership (SCP) program have teamed up to bring Vanderbilt University scientists into the elementary classroom one day per week for the 2011-2012 school year helping to gear-up the new curriculum.

Teachers in grades 1 through 4 have been assigned a scientist who will work with them to co-teach hands-on science lessons and help organize special science and engineering projects. Earlier in the summer, these classroom teachers and scientists spent four days in the Scientist in the Classroom Partnership Workshop to establish a working relationship, plan lessons and activities, and hone classroom management and teaching skills.

In July, the teaching teams met again to share their areas of expertise with each other. Focusing on effective instructional strategies and techniques for teaching science, scientists and teachers worked together to bring the scientific community into the learning community.

On Tuesday, July 12, Hattie Cotton faculty and Vanderbilt scientists met at the Martin Professional Development Center to explore teaching inquiry to elementary-aged students. Presented by Jeannie Tuschl, SCP Program Coordinator, in collaboration with the Hattie Cotton scientists, the Inquiry Workshop is based on the Inquiry Institute at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

All subjects can benefit from a hands-on, inquiry approach, an approach that elementary students developed long ago when they played in a sandbox. It's a natural tendency for students of all ages and it fits into all subjects. Inquiry instruction replicates what the scientists do in their labs at Vanderbilt University. On top of that, it's just plain fun and creates a memory for students, resulting in more durable learning.

"The purpose of the workshop is to clarify the nature of hands-on and inquiry-based instruction," Ms. Tuschl said. "Scientists will lead the teachers in conducting three different kinds of inquiry labs to demonstrate how inquiry can be taught in the classroom."

It's all about hands-on learning not only for students but for teachers, as well. "Science professional development must be conducted in the same way the teachers are expected to teach when they return to the classroom. Therefore, any workshop must engage the teachers in hands-on activities as they learn the content or concepts they are expected to take back to the classroom," said Ms. Tuschl.

At Hattie Cotton Elementary School on Wednesday, July 13, teachers and scientists engaged in a session on effective questioning strategies to stimulate quality thinking in students. This session was collaboratively taught by Ms. Tuschl, an educator, and Ms. Julia Dobish, a recent Vanderbilt University graduate in Chemistry, using the teacher-scientist model developed by the Scientist in the Classroom Partnership program.

Once again, this session was conducted with a hands-on approach. Teachers performed a science lab as they identified higher order questions they could pose to students. "It's not enough to just ask students to explain what happened and why," Ms. Tuschl commented. "Teachers must identify questions that help students understand the 'big picture,' the ramifications of an experiment. Students need to see the relevance in every experiment. Even in a simple experiment such as mixing bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and vinegar, we can ask students to think of ways to harness the power in this reaction, thereby, encouraging creative and innovative thought processes."

"The teaching skills that both teachers and scientists gain by learning more about effective science instruction translate into effective instruction in all subjects. Effective questioning is not limited to science class. All subjects benefit from instructors who understand the power of questioning," Ms Tuschl said.

In addition to the comprehensive hands-on science workshops this summer, every teacher at Hattie Cotton Elementary School has been trained since January in the Engineering is Elementary (EiE) program which will serve as a key component of the Hattie Cotton curriculum in the fall. EiE professional development providers teamed up with Vanderbilt associate professor Stacy Klein-Gardner to provide training in biomedical engineering. The EiE program, created by the Museum of Science in Boston, fosters engineering and technological literacy to further promote interdisciplinary K-12 STEM learning. Hattie Cotton teachers have worked to create their own lesson plans for the engineering units that are appropriate for their students and incorporating resources available in the Nashville area.

Focusing on effective STEM instruction is expected to increased student learning at Hattie Cotton Elementary School. With scientists to share their expertise, teachers and students can anticipate a successful and rewarding school year.

Dr. Virginia Shepherd, Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach, established the SCP program in MNPS beginning in 2000. She secured a National Science Foundation GK-12 Graduate Teaching Fellow grant to partner educators in grades 5 through 12 with scientists at local universities. Due to the enormous success of the program in middle and high schools, the program is partnering scientists with elementary teachers for the first time this fall.

Ms. Jeannie Tuschl is an experienced educator with Metro Nashville Public Schools and has been coordinating the SCP for the past 7 years. During this time, she has initiated several programs to provide opportunities for scientists to reach out to the schools and the community through Family Science Nights, the Volunteer Scientist in the Classroom Partnership and Outreach to Inquisitive Students (OTIS), a program designed for middle school students who demonstrate a special interest in science. Initiated by the Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach, these programs frequently include scientists from Meharry Medical College, Tennessee State University, Fisk University, and Vanderbilt University.

Ms. Julia Dobish is the Scientist-in-Residence working with K-6 teachers at Hattie Cotton Elementary and Bailey Middle School, the new STEM magnet school serving grades 5 through 8, to assist teachers as they incorporate STEM into the curriculum. Ms. Dobish has participated in the Scientist in the Classroom Partnership for the past two years at Croft Middle School where she taught science one day per week in an 8th grade classroom.

Participating Hattie Cotton Elementary School teachers and scientists include:

• 1st Grade
  • Teachers: Jane Esslinger, Mary Jo Evans, Heather Rantanen, Lori Stratton, Tanish Wesby, and Kim Greggs (Life Skills class)
  • Fellow: Janina Jeff, Human Genetics
• 2nd Grade
  • Teachers: Andrea Beeman, Kathy Johnston, Kate Sisk, and Sonya Sweeney
  • Fellow: Leah Potter, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
• 3rd Grade
  • Teachers: Nicole DeGuira, Rebecca Fuller (ELL class), Kimberly Head-Trotter, and Camilla Mallicot
  • Fellow: Laura Poff, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• 4th Grade
  • Teachers: Tanya Dixon-Fields, Greta Knudson, and Chalana Pitts
  • Fellow: Lauren Palladino, Physics and Astronomy