The last three courses of the curriculum will be developed and implemented during the third year of the project. At weekly meetings instructors and the project director monitor class implementation and consider changes in course content and delivery. Feedback from enrolled teachers also helps guide the course revision process. Interviews with the teachers have revealed that the most immediate, valuable outcome of the program has been classroom application. Finally, the project evaluations also show that teachers have become more comfortable and confident using technology and are taking advantage of new resources at the Detroit Zoological Institute and Cranbrook Institute of Science.
Teachers come from very different backgrounds.
Several modifications were made in the original admissions requirements and courses to accommodate diverse backgrounds. Course instruction and selection must reflect that diversity. The courses already developed and implemented have fewer activities than anticipated and contain a much larger reflective component to allow teachers to write, question their knowledge, analyze the results of scientific investigations, and connect learning with previous knowledge. Less is more. The collaboration of university professors, teachers, and non-university science professionals is essential to assure that the program services the needs of practicing teachers and their students.