Research-based studies indicate that it is not enough to only provide innovative curriculum materials to teachers. Prior research indicates the need to combine opportunity for teacher professional development with innovative curriculum materials (Borko, 2004; Luft, 2001; Parke, & Coble, 1997). The Fossil Finders project addresses this need by providing pilot teacher cohorts with professional development prior to implementing the Fossil Finders Investigation and Curriculum Unit and developing on-line professional development materials teachers, and for other natural history museums, as well as resource centers through video clips and podcasts.

The Fossil Finders project incorporate aspects of best practices of science professional development into our work with teachers during the development, implementation, and refinement of our online-based professional development materials.

During our summer professional development program, Fossil Finders program staff is committed to supporting teachers in learning about paleontological, geological, and biological evolutionary subject matter, as well as the nature of scientific inquiry. Teachers will learn subject matter through the modeling of lessons that can be used with their own students.  An important strategy we intend to employ is engaging teachers in authentic experiences in science inquiry as learners themselves, by emphasizing personally exploring the natural world.  This is because the nature of the roles taken on by the classroom teacher is key to creating an inquiry-based learning environment in classrooms (e.g. Crawford, 2000, 2007).

The overall structure of the professional development component related to subject matter will involve providing resources, modeling teaching lessons using constructivist approaches, ensuring communication with scientists at the PRI during the summer and on-line during the academic year, and conducting follow-up visits to classrooms for pilot. We advocate sustained involvement, rather than a one-week summer workshop, and involve our pilot teachers to two years of association with the project.

We believe it is important to develop a collaborative environment of trust and mutual sharing, aligned with a community of learners, in which teachers work with partner teachers and the members of the Fossil Finders team of researchers and curriculum developers. One particular issue is to identify where teachers are, what are their concerns, their present level of subject matter expertise, and goals for their classrooms, at the beginning of engaging in the actual professional development week.  We intend to situate teachers as learners in a workshop setting, and explicitly help make connections with the subject matter of evolutionary concepts and the nature of science.

Fossil Finders project recruited its first cohort of teachers for a summer professional development program to meet these goals.  Teacher participants will be piloting the Fossil Finders Investigation and Curriculum Unit in their classrooms in the fall of 2008 and will be involving their students in authentic research using fossils.  Next summer, the Fossil Finders project will welcome another group of teachers from around the country for the summer professional development program. The current cohort will be invited back for continued professional development and to share their insights on implementing this innovative instructional approach.

For more information on applying to the Fossil Finders Project and Summer Professional Development program in 2009, please see the brochure or contact us.