Project One
	The goal of this project is to promote thinking about the nature of science and thus begin the building of a solid theoretical framework upon which your classroom and laboratory teaching will be based.

Your instructor will help you organize yourself into small working groups. These groups will be maintained until midsemester when they will be shuffled.

Part I: Teaching science as process:

Should teaching the various processes (observing, hypothesizing, classifying, etc.) associated with the scientific method be a major focus in the biology classroom and laboratory? Can the processes of science be effectively taught?

1) Read and be prepared to discuss the follow articles:

• Millar, R. and R. Driver. 1987. Beyond Processes. Studies in Science Education. 14: 33-62.
• Millar, R. 1994. What is 'scientific method' and can it be taught? In: Teaching Science, R. Levinson ed., Routledge Press.
• Finley, F.N. 1983. Science Processes. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 20: 47-54.

Your instructor has prepared a list of questions to assist your group in thinking about these articles. Go over these questions in your small group and be prepared to talk about the issues raised in these articles when we come back together for a large group discussion.

Working in your small group

2) Draft a two-page paper arguing the thesis that "Good science must be taught as process"

3) Draft a two-page paper arguing the thesis that "The emphasis on science as process has played a major role in producing the sorry state in which science education presently exists."

Your instructor will read and react to your draft. You will be given an opportunity to rewrite the paper prior to its being graded.

To begin your research for this project, consult the [Project One Resource Page] which contains a bibliography that should help you get started.

Part II: Inquiry based teaching:

• Teaching science as discovery
• Active learning in the science classroom
• Teaching critical thinking skills in the sciences
• Hands-On Science

1) Each member of your group should read several of the articles listed in the bibliography which describe what is meant by "inquiry based teaching", "teaching science as discovery", "active learning", "hands-on science", and "teaching critical thinking skills".

2) To complete this part of Project One, search available resource literature for biology classroom teachers and locate suggestions for at least five classroom activities that your group considers to be good inquiry based teaching. For each activity, indicate how inquiry methods are involved; also indicate if active learning is occurring, if critical thinking skills are being practiced, and if discovery methods are used,. Note: you should go to the [Project Three Resource Page] as well as the [Project Eight Resource Page] for suggested classroom activities.