Science in the City

In 2002, Dr. Lee Anne Bell, the Director of Barnard's Education Program, hired five undergraduate student teachers initiated the Science in the City curriculum project. The project used the questions and concerns that children living in urban neighborhoods bring to the study of science as a starting point for the creation of a curriculum that draws upon local venues and resources for examining scientific questions.  The five undergraduates researched and developed a list of venues in New York City that lend themselves to the study of science, examined science materials and curriculum guides from New York State and the National Science Education Standards, and met with a consultant to discuss project-based and constructivist approaches to urban science education. Based on their research, the students created an interdisciplinary science-based curriculum entitled, "Science in the City: Nature in Your Neighborhood" integrating mathematics, health, reading, writing, poetry, and art to guide elementary school students in their scientific exploration of the plant life in their neighborhoods.  The curriculum has now been distributed to all of the third grade teachers at P.S. 75 (on Manhattan's Upper West Side) and to teachers at Middle School 226 (in Ozone Park, Queens).  Copies of the curriculum have also been provided to all of the elementary student teachers in Barnard's Education Program to use in their student teaching placements at various elementary schools in Manhattan.  In addition to providing a curricular product that has been distributed free of charge to local schools, the Science in the City project provided useful training for the undergraduates who developed it.

Science in the City Professional Development Seminar

Assistant Professor of Education Maria Rivera piloted the Science in the City Professional Development Seminar (autumn 2005 semester). This seminar brings together in-service teachers from PS 75, a local New York City public school, pre-service teachers from the Barnard Education Program, and undergraduate science majors. The objectives of the seminar are to enhance science teaching and learning at PS 75 through teacher professional development; to prepare pre-service teachers in the Barnard Education Program to teach elementary school science; and to provide science majors with an introduction to science education and an opportunity to explore science teaching as a career.

Participants in this weekly seminar included undergraduate students and  teachers from PS 75.  Some seminar meetings are held at the American Museum of Natural History, facilitated by William Schiller, a botanist and museum educator.  The theme of "urban forestry" is used to engage participants in inquiry-based investigation at the museum in the Hall of the New York State Environment and in the Hall of Biodiversity. Participants attend field trips to the Inwood Park Nature Center, Black Rock Forest, and Van Cortlandt Park to further investigate and develop their knowledge of urban forest ecology. The Van Cortlandt park field trip is led by Dr. Hilary Callahan, a plant evolutionary ecologist from Barnard's Department of Biological Sciences. 

For the undergraduate participants, the core activities in the seminar include the completion of 20 practicum hours of classroom observations as well as planning and implementing science lessons in classrooms at PS 75.  In addition, undergraduate students and PS 75 teachers collaborate to develop Science in the City unit plans aligned with the science curriculum at PS 75.  The seminar has been well-received by the participants, a strong partnership with the museum was established, a more effective focus for the museum visits was developed, a new content theme of astronomy was planned, and the partnership has expanded to include another New York City public school.