The University of Northern Iowa College of Education - Fall 2007 - (Page 14) UNI College of Education Excellence in Teacher Education children’s scientific reasoning by engaging them in active experimentation. Developed with a National Science Foundation grant, the curriculum is being pilot tested. Zan said sixteen PK-2nd grade teachers were trained to implement the curriculum this coming school year. In addition, a group of teachers travels across Iowa conducting workshops on ramps and pathways and other physical science topics. The math games on the CD help children learn math and the social skills involved, Zan said. “Rather than teachers having to create their own games, we include it all on the CD -- the game board, all pieces, playing cards, and rules.” These elements only need to be printed and laminated to be ready to use. The math CD describes the math skills students are learning, what age levels the games are appropriate for, and suggestions for game variations. Cooking also helps children develop skills in math, science and reading, Zan stated. “Recipes on this CD are rich in math and literacy using measuring, counting ingredients and reading the recipe.” The CD even has pictures for pre-readers to use. The recipes are “real” cooking, according to Zan. For example, the recipe for muffins shows children what happens when they start with muffin cake mix, add water and oil, and then add heat. “That’s chemistry,” Zan said. The Regents’ Center also trained a group of teachers to give workshops on ways to use the cooking CD in early childhood education settings. http://www.uni.edu/coe/regentsctr Building ramps, playing board games develop science and math skills The math and science initiative at the University of Northern Iowa reaches students at all levels, beginning with those in pre-school where these subjects include building ramps, learning to cook, and playing board games. Faculty of the Regents’ Center for Early Developmental Education believe that the foundation for math and science is laid in early childhood education, said Betty Zan, associate professor with the Center. “Early childhood is where children learn that science is about being curious and figuring out how the world works. It’s not about memorizing formulas or learning specialized vocabulary. It’s about doing things – experimenting and seeing how things work,” Zan stated. To help teachers bring a rich variety of science and math into early childhood education, the Regents’ Center produced the Ramps and Pathways DVD on physical sciences, a CD of math games, and a CD on cooking to engage children in math, reading and chemistry. The Ramps and Pathways DVD grew out of the need Regents’ faculty saw for early childhood teachers to know how to do science in a developmentally appropriate way, Zan said. The DVD and math CD were produced using successful approaches from teachers at the Freeburg School, part of the Regents’ Center. Teachers there discovered that building ramps and playing math games had a universal appeal for children. The Ramps and Pathways DVD uses classroom examples to show teachers how they can introduce developmentally appropriate physics and promote Ramps and Pathways 14 Fall 2007 http://www.uni.edu/coe/ http://www.uni.edu/coe/regentsctr
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