The Fulcrum Institute Program

TheFulcrum Institute is a series of three courses that focuses on improving the teacher's understanding of physical phenomena and science pedagogy through hands-on investigations, Inquiry-based science sessions, and classroom research.

Course 1 Launch:At Tufts University-Jan. 24, 2009: A one day meeting at Tufts University that provides participants with an overview of the coming program. Participants also have the opportuntiy to roll up their sleeves and do a hands-on activity such as investigating what the masses and volumes are of the stuff in your everyday environment.

Course One: Online-Jan. -May 2009: Some of What Matters About Matter
In the science strand, teachers experience inquiry first-hand as they investigate a series of everyday phenomena. These investigations give them an opportunity to look closely at materials and objects around them, to observe phenomena that they may not have noticed before, and to develop a deep understanding of density as a property of matter.

The teaching strand introduces a model of investigation. Teachers analyze their experiences in the course and use four video cases (Grades 2, 4, 5, and 8) to make their understanding of inquiry more explicit. The case studies provide opportunities to think about what children do when engaged in inquiry and what teachers do to support their learning.

The Fulcrum Summer Institute: At Tufts University-July 13-17, 2009
The Fulcrum Summer Institute has three strands: Science, Teaching, and Science Leadership.

In science you investigate gaseous, liquid, and solid matter. During the week, you investigate the difference between gases and condensed (solid and liquid) matter and your understanding of mass, volume, and density becomes increasingly nuanced. You investigate a variety of physical phenomena, including diffusion, compression, and thermal expansion, and you consider and evaluate different models representing matter that describe and explain phenomena at the microscopic level.

In teaching you take a close look at one physical science unit from your curriculum in order to determine 1) key science concepts and ideas, 2) how best to ensure grade-appropriate understanding of these ideas, and 3) how unit ideas and concepts at your grade level contribute to a K-12 learning trajectory. You also conduct a literature search to find out what children commonly believe about the key ideas in your unit.

In science teacher leadership you become aware of essential perspectives, skills, and knowledge held by science teacher leaders. You then identify your own next step toward leadership that may begin in your classroom.

Course Two: Online-Sept. -Dec., 2009: Conceptual Distinctions: The Case of Heat and Temperature
Heat and Temperature are often confused with each other, and in this course, participants work to disentangle these related but fundamentally different concepts. They use probes to measure temperature change as they explore heat transfer in the environment around them. They use computer software to explore and explain thermal phenomena using a particulate theory of matter that depends on thinking of matter as composed of microscopic atoms and molecules.

The teaching strand addresses formative assessment, that is, classroom assessments that inform instruction. In their study of assessment participants (a) develop skills for eliciting and interpreting scientific ideas held by students; (b) become familiar with research about children's science ideas; and (c) consider possible strategies to encourage further development of students’ scientific understanding in an everyday classroom environment. During the course participants maintain a log documenting the evolution of their classroom assessment practices and understanding of assessment for learning. Based on their learning, participants set goals for incorporating new formative assessment strategies into their teaching.

Course 3 Launch: At Tufts University- Jan. 23, 2010
A one-day face-to-face session. Investigating global data sets and the meaning of spatial and temporal averages will help participants to prepare for Course 3. Participants will watch and discuss classroom video cases using lesson study as a model. Defining science leadership for participating schools is also an important goal for the day.

Course Three: Online- Jan.-May 2010: Earth's Energy Balance
In this course participants tackle a sustained inquiry of how Earth's temperature is maintained by the flow of energy from the sun. This is a story about energy and it is approached in two different ways. First, participants explore light; they use a lamp as a light source to investigate properties of light, and how it interacts with matter. Second, they apply what you learn about light in a semester-long investigation of the global energy balance of Earth. Participants work with scientific models, maps, satellite images, and quantitative data. In hands-on investigations, they use physical models, light probes, temperature probes and spectroscopes to investigate light and its interaction with matter.

Building on work with assessment from the previous course, participants come to understand formative assessment as an integral part of the teaching-learning process that takes place at each stage of scientific inquiry. They also learn to enlist their students and school colleagues as partners in formative assessment in order to move student learning forward.

Milestone Event at TuftsUniversity: A weekend in May or June 2010: A celebration of accomplishment!

Throughout the Program, participants are interviewed about their ideas and learning and they study video of their own teaching and their own students doing science. The videos serve as a context for reflecting on and promoting children’s learning.