Union College Graduate Education Program Receives Eisenhower Grant

The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education has recommended awarding a Union College over $25,000 as part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Education Program. This marks the sixth year consecutive year that Union has received an Eisenhower award.

"Properties of Matter: Teaching Middle Grades Chemistry in a KERA Environment," was one of 23 proposals submitted to the state. The summer workshop will focus on the physical and chemical properties that characterize matter. It has been designed to show the gradual progression of developmentally appropriate activities from the upper elementary through middle grades. Teachers who participate will examine several characteristic properties (for example, density, melting and boiling points, and chemical behavior) and investigate how these properties relate to pure substances (elements and compounds) and mixtures. They will engage in a number of inquiries carefully designed to develop understanding of the properties of matter.

Robert Swanson, professor of graduate education at Union, organized the project team, which also includes Vera Lynn Sheets, associate professor of education. Other members are Ramona Jaynes (Corbin Middle School), Linda Lawson (Bell Central School), Sharon Ball (Corbin Middle School), and Demetria Clark (Turner Intermediate School in Wayne County). The team members have been recognized by both state and national organizations for their efforts to improve the quality of education for students, make presentations, and provide leadership in education. Linda Lawson and Sharon Ball are the Kentucky Science Teacher of the Year for the year 2000 for the elementary and middle school levels, respectively.

For each previous Eisenhower project, the staff has made presentations at the annual conference of the Kentucky Science Teachers Association. This includes two pre-conference workshops: Science Sleuths: Solving the Mystery of Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Children’s Literature (1997) and Animal Behavior: An Inquiry Approach (1999). At this year’s conference, graduate students presented Literature Safari activities developed during the from last summer’s RiverQuest workshop. Sheets presented "Reading Rivers, Pondering Ponds," a presentation of literature and music resources available for teachers preparing to use the interdisciplinary River model found in the KDE Implementation Manual.

The Eisenhower Program supports activities to improve teaching and learning of science and mathematics. This year, the Council on Postsecondary Education requested proposals targeting development of curricula in science and technology preparing students for careers in engineering and the new economy. A panel of 16 reviewers from across the Commonwealth—including K-12 teachers, postsecondary faculty, and representatives from the private sector—evaluated each proposal.

December 09, 2000

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