TASC Impact on Student Learning and Classroom Practices
The national science and mathematics standards stress achievement of higher order thinking skills for all students so that students are able to think scientifically and/or mathematically. Curriculum units such as NSF-supported kits are intended to promote higher-order thinking skills through the use of inquiry-based constructivist instruction. The Duke University TASC (Teachers and Scientists Collaborating), funded by NSF since 2002 as a Mathematics and Science Partnership project, has supported inquiry-based science classroom instruction for K-8 teachers by providing 1-2 day professional development workshops focusing on the inquiry process of learning. TASC also supplies and refurbishes NSF-supported kits aligned to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for grades K-8; the kits have been useful vehicles for learning the inquiry process. This program further includes scientists trained to help teachers use specific curriculum kit units.
Based on a service model for professional development, the TASC program's theory of action has been comprised of two goals: (1) train teachers to comfortably use science curriculum kits, and (2) promote the teaching of student critical thinking skills through inquiry-based instruction. The TASC program has sought to train as many teachers as possible through their fee-based service. Currently the TASC program has 11 school system partners in the central region of North Carolina. Some of these school systems have been partners since 2002, while others have become partners in subsequent years. Each partnering school system has implemented the training of their teachers in science kit use in various ways. Some of the school systems have implemented a full training immersion of their teachers while others have selected teachers who received kit training. Teachers in these partnering school systems have also received other TASC professional development services which are designed to provide student opportunities to learn to think critically as scientists.