Curriculum Research Development Group

HIGHLIGHTS
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The Science Section continues to research effective uses of the Hawai‘i Interactive Television System (HITS) to provide professional development and support to teachers using new curricula. Three in-service programs are being developed for HITS.
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CRDG contributed more than $50,000 worth of science, mathematics, and literature textbooks, benefitting more than 400 teachers and 10,000 students in Hawai‘i public schools.
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CRDG provided professional development for more than 1,600 science, mathematics, civics, and art teachers in Hawai‘i, on the mainland, and outside the U.S.
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Year in Review 2003

FOCUS AREA 01.
MATHEMATICS & SCIENCE EDUCATION

Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching (FAST)
FAST is a multidisciplinary program emphasizing the concepts and methods of physical, biological, and earth sciences, and their relation to local environments. Students in grades 6–10 devote most of the time in each course to conducting laboratory or field investigations. They construct their own records of investigations, validate hypotheses, and create generalizations that form the conceptual base of modern science.

During 2003, FAST materials were revised based on data collected in recent use in Hawai‘i and nationally. FAST also is being studied in three National Science Foundation funded research projects.

Phase-I Study of the Effects of Professional Development and Long-Term Support on Curriculum Implementation and Scaling-Up (Scaling-Up Project)
This National Science Foundation research project examines the impact of the professional development provided in CRDG’s FAST program. In collaboration with Stanford University and Sonoma State University, CRDG researchers are preparing alternative versions of FAST professional development and assessment instruments to study the implementation and outcomes of FAST. Work in this phase will be used in a follow-up experimental national study to compare the current version of professional development with the alternatives.

CRDG Professional Development
CRDG faculty provided professional development for over 1,600 K–12 teachers.
  Number of Teachers by Area
  Hawaii Nationally Internationally
Science 215 89 168
Mathematics 402 37 546
Civics     126
Art 31    

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