Problem Based Science Workshops for Elementary School Teachers

Each summer since 2005 the College of Saint Rose has offered a summer workshop to elementary school teachers on Problem Based Learning. This model centers the educational process around developing a solution to a complex problem.

Each workshop presents the teachers with a complex problem for which they would need to develop a solution. Relevant scientific concepts are presented early in the workshop using hands–on activities. The teachers are then asked to apply these concepts to the problem being addressed. This approach provides a method to reinforce and integrate the material as well as develop critical thinking skills. Finally, the teachers participated in a session which illustrated the similarity between the skills employed in scientific inquiry and the skills employed in English language arts.