February 21, 2014
Pre-service Teachers Design and Run Event at Science Olympiad
February 15, 2014, ECU Elementary Science Concentration pre-service teachers assisted in the Experimental Design event for Science Olympiad at East Carolina University. This event included 7 stations that engaged middle and high school students in STEM thinking. The stations were developed in the fall semester by pre-service teachers in an informal science course, and carried out by pre-service teachers enrolled in science methods, earth science, and/or life science courses in the concentration. Pre-service teachers monitored students working at each station and as the students rotated amongst stations. After the middle school and high school event, pre-service teachers developed a system of scoring student work. The entire process from start to finish was a success. The stations developed for the Experimental Design event have been recognized state wide and utilized at other Science Olympiad competitions. This was a remarkable learning experience for pre-service teachers who were both the event developers and the volunteer workers at the competition.