ABSTRACT
Physics, Physiology and Technology (PP&T) is a ninth/tenth grade laboratory science curriculum under development by the Curriculum Research and Development Group (CRDG). It provides a knowledge base for further study of science in high school and for a citizen’s understanding of how knowledge in science and technology is constructed. PP&T recognizes that physics provides the intellectual base for studies of modern chemistry and biology and as such should be studied first.
It is currently being field-tested by 12 teachers in ten high schools on Oahu. Based on feedback from these teachers we have found that additional materials are needed (computer-assisted modulesplus stand-alone setups) designed for students with either low stannine scores or who are intellectually or physically challenged to enhance student learning. These materials will also help out-of-field teachers improve their content knowledge and pedagogy since it will show them improved ways to present the physics concepts.
We request $ 33,781 to develop these materials. They will be designed for use in traditional as well as in a PP&T physics course. We estimate that the cost per pupil per term is $15.36.
INTRODUCTION
There is a recognized need to improve physics and math instruction in high schools throughout the nation and in Hawaii. The usual sequence of courses in high school is biology, chemistry and then physics. If students learned physics and its associated mathematics before biology and chemistry then teachers could build upon this knowledge in later science courses. The result would be a richer experience for all concerned. Only 20% of graduating high school students ever take a physics course (Maintaining Momentum, American Institute of Physics, NCES 1999-080, 1999). Perhaps this is because it comes last in the sequence.
Physics, Physiology and Technology (PP&T) is a ninth/tenth-grade science course that integrates important topics in physics with the physiology of the human body. Students first engage in scientific inquiry through laboratory experiments that yield physics anomalies and then learn how these anomalies are resolved. Thus students improve their knowledge and skill in physics and mathematics.
PP&T is currently under development by the Curriculum Research and Development Group (CRDG) at UH Manoa. The major units of the course are: Kinematics, Dynamics, Statics, Fluids-Liquids and Gases, Energy, Waves, Sound, Light, and Electricity and Magnetism. The Kinematics, Dynamics, Statics, and Energy Units are substantially complete. They have all been written, student-tested and revised. The concepts are set, activities have been created, exercises written, a test bank is available to instructors and the teacher’s notes have also been written. The other units are in various stages of completion and the completed units should be available for field-testing starting in the Spring of 2004.
This past summer 10 out-of-field high school teachers received PP&T training during a six-day workshop. All will be teaching either physics or physical science courses during the 2003-2004 school year even though they have a minimal background in physics. The workshop was evaluated by Dr. Paul Brandon, the Evaluation Officer of CRDG. His interim report is included in this proposal in the Appendix.
Professor Brandon’s conclusions were:
“The interview results were strongly favorable for the program. Teachers valued the philosophical foundation and inquiry-based pedagogical approach of the PP&T course. They thought the methods of the course would encourage heterogeneous student participation, and they said that using affordable, everyday laboratory materials was invaluable to providing students with many opportunities to perform experiments. They expressed some concern over the lack of discussion about PP&T workshop goals. However, the participants recommended that the PP&T course workshop be advertised more widely and in greater detail in the future so as to attract more participants and better orient them towards course content.”
NEED FOR COMPUTER-ASSISTED EDUCATION AND STAND-ALONE SETUPS
PP&T materials were developed and used in two schools on Oahu prior to our Summer 2003 workshop. They were the UH Lab School and Hanalani School. Two teachers in these schools plus the workshop teachers are currently using PP&T materials with their classes and report positive results. However, many of their students, especially those with low stannine scores, would benefit greatly from increased exposure to the subject matter. Unfortunately class time is limited because of the amount of subject matter teachers must cover in these courses. To help remedy this situation we propose to develop both computer-assisted interactive lessons and individual setups of laboratory activities. Both would allow students with low stannine scores to spend the amount of time they need to learn the subject matter without impeding the progress of the class. In addition the individual setups would allow physically challenged students to do the activities with the aid of another student under minimum supervision by their teacher and at a time and pace that is right for them. These materials would be written so that they could be used in traditional physics classes as well as in PP&T classes. We believe that all teachers would benefit from using these materials with their students because the teacher’s understanding of physics concepts and the way to present them to the class would be improved.
TRAINING PP&T TEACHERS TO USE THE MATERIALS DEVELOPED IN THIS GRANT
We have monies in our current grant to conduct a workshop during the Summer of 2004 for an additional ten out-of-field high school teachers. During this workshop we will devote time to train these teachers in the use of the computer-assisted interactive lessons and stand-alone setups. Teachers without access to laptop computers will be allowed to use the computers in the Physics Department Learning Center, Watanabe 421. In addition there will be further training during the monthly follow-up sessions during the Fall 2004 semester. The ten teachers currently in our program will also be trained in the use of these materials during their Summer 2004 workshop and, as necessary, at their school.
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN UH AND A HIGH NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY (LEA)
Six of the 12 teachers currently in the PP&T program are from schools in medium or high poverty areas as determined by the percentage of students having free or reduced price lunch. They are Campbell (38.8%), Castle (30.9%), Farrington (65%), Leilehua (35.2%) and Waialua (50.7%). Overall, 41.5% of the students in these high schools get free or reduced price lunch. Thus the proposal meets the partnership requirement of cooperation between an institution of higher learning and a local educational association (LEA) from a high need area.
In addition the new teachers who will be recruited this year will also be chosen, whenever possible, from schools in medium and high poverty areas.
EVALUATION OF THE COMPUTER-ASSISTED ACTIVITIES AND INDIVIDUAL SETUPS
The computer-assisted interactive lessons and the individual setups will be field-tested during the 2004-2005 school year by as many as 22 teachers in high schools throughout Oahu. Their comments and those of their students will be used to improve the quality of the materials developed in this grant.
The Principal Investigator will be assisted in this project by Ms. Jennifer McFatridge, Mr. Joe Laszlo and Ms. Serena Shimabukuro. Ms. McFatridge is a graduate student in the Physics and Astronomy Department at UH Manoa and is adept at designing interactive computer-assisted modules. Her work can be viewed on-line at Mr. Laszlo is a retired DOE high school science teacher who was awarded the Presidential Award For Excellence in Science Teaching (1999). He is a completing his doctorate in science education in the College of Education at UH Manoa and is thoroughly familiar with PP&T content and pedagogy. Mr. Laszlo designed and built most of the setups used in the laboratory activities of PP&T. Ms. Serena Shimabukuro is a DOE teacher who is completing her doctorate in Special Education in the College of Education at UH Manoa. Her CV is in the Appendix.
The Principal Investigator, Ms. McFatridge and Mr. Laszlo will develop tests to be used in a pre/post mode to ascertain changes in knowledge and understanding for students who use the computer-assisted activities and/or the individual setups. Students will also be given a questionnaire – developed by the Principal Investigator and Ms. Shimabukuro - to determine any change(s) in their attitude due to their interaction with these activities. The questions will be phrased positively and scored using a five point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).
The tests and questionnaire will be administered by the participating teachers. They will be scored by computer at the UH Manoa Computer Center in Keller Hall.
The external evaluator will be Professor Barbara Klemm of the Department of Curriculum Studies of the College of Education (UH Manoa). Dr. Klemm is an experienced evaluator and science educator whose research includes science and special education. Her CV is in the Appendix.
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
SPRING 2004
Ms. Jennifer McFatridge, will begin writing the computer-assisted instructional materials. Samples of her previous computer-assisted interactive physics activities are available on-line at
Purchase the necessary computer software and the materials needed to construct the stand-alone modules. They will be designed and built by Mr. Joe Laszlo. He has designed most of the laboratory setups for the PP&T program and is thoroughly familiar with the theory and practice of PP&T. We will distribute the interactive computer programs and stand-alone setups as they become available to the current teachers in our program. Mr. Laszlo and Ms. McFatridge will visit the teachers as required to help them implement the activities with their students. The evaluation materials cited above will be developed by the project personnel with input from the teachers currently in the PP&T program.
We wish to hold our Summer 2004 workshops in the College of Education Science Education lab (UHS 1-107) since it is better suited for our needs than the room previously used for our workshops (Watanabe 415). However, it needs to be updated so that its users will have wireless computer access. Mr. Paul McKimmy, Outreach and Technology Director COE, has proposed equipping it with an Orinoco AP-500 wireless access point ($350) and we have included that cost in our budget.
SUMMER 2004
Conduct a six-day workshop (July 12-17, 2004) for the current teachers in our program. They will study new topics and also be introduced to the computer programs and stand-alone setups already developed. We will conduct a six-day workshop (July 19-24, 2004) for 10 new out-of-field teachers funded by our current PP&T grant and have them try out the materials developed during the Spring 2004 semester.
Project personnel will continue development of the materials described above as well as assist the teachers in the workshops as needed. Continuous teacher input will be sought to improve the usefulness of project materials.
FALL 2004/SPRING 2005
We are aware that the grant ends September 30, 2004. Nevertheless both the current teachers and the new teachers will field-test the products developed above throughout the school year. We will conduct monthly meetings during the Fall 2004 semester for the 10 new teachers to further instruct them in PP&T topics, evaluate their experiences, and assist them in field-testing our materials. They will attend these meetings since they will be registered for professional development credits and their participation at these meetings is required. The Principal Investigator, Ms. McFatridge and Mr. Laszlo will visit all teachers as needed during the year to give advice and solve any problems that arise. There will be one meeting of the current teachers towards the end of the Fall 2004 semester to summarize and evaluate their experiences with PP&T materials and pedagogy.
COST EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROGRAM
The total budget is $33,781. We will develop materials to be used by 22 teachers. It they are used in only two classes per teacher, then the cost per class is $33,781/44 = $767.75 each term. If we assume that only 5 students per class use these materials (a very conservative estimate) then the cost per pupil is $33,781/220 = $153.55 per pupil each term. These materials are not consumed by usage. If we assume that they will be used in their present form for five years (10 terms) then the cost per pupil is $153.55/10 = $15.36 per term.
These materials can also be made available to other DOE teachers which would further reduce the cost per pupil.
BUDGET
COSTSUBTOTAL
SPRING 2004
PERSONNEL
Ms. McFatridge – Salary$ 2,100$ 2,100
Fringe $ 189$ 2,289
Student help to organize workshop materials$ 1,554$ 3,843
Fringe$ 18$ 3,861
SUPPLIES
Computer Software$ 797$ 4,658
Orinoco AP-500 Wireless Access Point$ 350$ 5,008
Supplies to build stand-alone modules$ 1,500$ 6,508
COST OF ACCESS TO WEB SERVER$ 3,500$ 10,008
TRANSPORTATION$ 200$ 10,208
SUMMER 2004
PERSONNEL
Ms. McFatridge - Salary $ 7,200$ 17,408
Fringe $ 634$ 18,042
Mr. Joe Laszlo - Salary $ 6,000$ 24,042
Fringe $ 440$ 24,482
Dr. Barbara Klemm - Salary $ 3,983$ 28,465
Fringe $ 104$ 28,569
Ms. Serena Shimabukuro – Salary$ 4,000$ 32,569
Fringe $ 352$ 32,921
EVALUATION$ 500$ 33,421
TRANSPORTATION$ 360$ 33,781TOTAL $33,781
BUDGET JUSTIFICATION
SPRING 2004
PERSONNEL
Ms. JENNIFER McFATRIDGE
Jennifer is a physics graduate student who has shown proficiency in writing computer simulations for freshman and sophomore physics courses. Her hourly pay is comparable to what she would earn as a physics teaching assistant and is far less than a professional computer software expert would charge for their services. During the Spring and Summer 2004 semesters she will not be a teaching assistant at UH so she can be employed as a casual hire.
Her salary is computed at $15/Hr X 10 Hr/Wk X 14Wks = $2,100 Fringe = $2,100 X 0.09 = $189
Mr. JOE LASZLO
Joe is a graduate student currently writing his doctorate in science education under the supervision of the Principal Investigator and Prof. Barbara Klemm (COE). He will design and build apparatus so that intellectually and physically challenged students can do the lab exercises with the help of a non-challenged student. Mr. Laszlo designed most of the apparatus currently in use in PP&T classes and is adept at the design and construction of the necessary equipment. He will also visit teachers and their classrooms whenever necessary to assist in the implementation of the goals of the program. His services are pro bono during the Spring 2004 semester.
Ms. SERENA SHIMABUKURO
Ms. Serena Shimabukuro will assist the Principal Investigator in the design and evaluation of the testing materials that will be subsequently in the program. She will also advise Ms. McFatridge and Mr. Laszlo on the appropriateness of the materials they design for intellectually and physically challenged students. She will work pro bono during the Spring term since she is on a ten-month appointment with the DOE and will be compensated during the summer.
STUDENT HELP
Student help will be hired at the A2 level to gather, order and organize the materials needed for the summer workshop as well as assemble the kits that the teachers will take away from the workshop for use in their school during the 2004-2005 school year. This work will be done under supervision by the Principal Investigator.
The salary is computed at $7.40/Hr X 15 hr/Wk X 14 Wk/Term = $1,554
Fringe = $1,554 X 0.0116 = $18.00
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
Ms. McFatridge has informed the Principal Investigator of the software she needs and it is listed below. All items are available at the UH Bookstore. The items are:
Adobe Audition 1.0= $ 149 Sound editing.
Adobe Web Collection 6.0= $ 399 Includes Photoshop 7.0, Illustrator, Acrobat, GoLive
Macromedia Studio MX with Flash MX Pro= $249 Includes Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Freehand.
Dreamweaver creates automatic Java Script, which would make web pages easier to create and manage.
COMPUTER HARDWARE
Mr. Paul McKimmy, Outreach and Technology Director, College of Education UH Manoa, has proposed installing an Orinoco AP-500 wireless access point so that UHS1-107, the room where we will hold our summer 2004 workshops, will have wireless computer access. Time will be provided during the workshop for those teachers with laptop computers to familiarize themselves with the computer-assisted modules.
COST OF ACCESS TO WEB SERVER
This covers our share of t he cost of installation and maintenance of the web server and reflects the number of hours of use we envision for the project. It also includes the cost of disk space for web pages on the remote raid server, the backup of web pages (tape archives) as well as the cost of internet connection. The source of these figures is Ms. Diane Ibaraki, the Computer Specialist for the Physics and Astronomy Department.
SUPPLIES
These monies are for the purchase of the materials needed by Mr. Laszlo to construct the stand-alone setups. The estimate is based upon our experience with PP&T teachers during previous workshops.
TRANSPORTATION
This compensates Mr. Laszlo and Ms. McFatridge and the Principal Investigator for trips to the teachers currently in our program (at $0.31/Mile) who will field-test the computer-assisted programs and the stand-alone setups designed by Mr. Laszlo and Ms. McFatridge. Mr. Laszlo and Ms. McFatridge will also collect the evaluation materials (questionnaires and tests) from the participating teachers.
SUMMER 2004
PERSONNEL
Ms. JENNIFER McFATRIDGE
She will continue to design the computer modules throughout the summer and assist the teachers in the use of the computer software during the two weeks of the workshop. She is employed as a casual hire.
Her salary is calculated as $15/hr X 40 hr/Wk X 12 Wks = $7,200
Fringe = $7,200 X 0.088 = $634.
Mr. JOE LASZLO
He will continue to design and construct the necessary stand-alone setups for use in the teachers’ classrooms and supervise their use by the teachers during the workshop. He is employed as a casual hire.
His salary is computed as $500/Wk X 12 Wks = $6,000
Fringe = $6,000 X 0.088 = $440
Prof. BARBARA KLEMM
She is in charge of the overall evaluation of the materials produced and is on a nine month faculty appointment. Her duties will cover the entire time period of the grant (Spring 2004 – Spring 2005) even though the grant officially ends Sept. 30, 2004. She will be compensated for one-half month of her nine-month appointment.