Dr. Tammy Lee, East Carolina University
Read about it in Science & Children
Thirteen Elementary Education alumni met for a week of professional development on August 1-5. This professional development is part of Dr. Tammy Lee’s research start up grant called PIRATES (Preparing and Inspiring Readiness for Achieving Teaching Excellence in Science). The grant is focused on supporting beginning teachers that were the first graduates of the Elementary Science Concentration. The first summer institute was centered on two main themes 1) to engage beginning teachers in fieldwork with naturalists and scientists to develop a more in-depth understanding of complex systems and 2) to develop and implement science units focused on a “systems thinking” approach. Dr. Lee stated that, “Elementary teachers teach about systems in science throughout K-5. We want teachers to approach teaching about systems in a more explicit manner through clearly defining the system under study.”