We know from extensive educational research that students should collaborate on interesting tasks and be actively involved with the material they are learning. Staff found a way to fold together lecture and lab with multiple instructors that should provide an economical solution to the problem. Students work in groups of three at round tables seating nine students. Tangible, hands-on activities and ponderable, interesting questions form the core of the instruction.
Technology provides a focus on physical phenomena.
The project develops, evaluates and disseminates new curricular materials to support this type of learning. The pedagogical techniques should be general enough to encourage similar reforms in other science, engineering, and mathematics classes. Staff learned a great deal about classroom management and how to adapt materials originally developed for smaller groups. These ideas are being collected and will be made available on the web and through teacher workshops. A rich data set of interview and focus group notes, videotapes, field observer notes, teacher journals, and portfolios of student work was collected.