"What do you teach a first grader about astrophysics?": Undergraduate science majors' experiences with reflective tensions in a science service-learning course
Session Format
Conference Session (20 minutes)
Location
Room 1005 West-Wing
Abstract for the conference program
Undergraduate STEM instructors adopt service-learning pedagogies to help students gain real-life experiences in their fields. A hallmark of service-learning is an emphasis on reflection to enhance student understanding. This interpretive case study examined the reflective tensions experienced by sixteen undergraduate science majors enrolled in a cross-age peer teaching, science service-learning course. Undergraduates were paired with local elementary and middle grades teachers to design and implement hands-on, inquiry-driven science lessons for twelve weeks. Students reflected on classroom experiences both individually (weekly journal entries) and collaboratively (case-based focus group discussions). Current findings suggest that the undergraduates experienced tensions in four distinct ways: science content, teachers and administration, students, and societal issues. University faculty interested in science service-learning can expect to hear the experiences of science majors in the classroom, research-based suggestions for improving student reflection in service-learning courses, and view a successful model of undergraduate service-learning in its 15th year.
Proposal Track
Research Project
Start Date
3-3-2017 10:45 AM
End Date
3-3-2017 11:45 AM
Recommended Citation
King, Gretchen P., ""What do you teach a first grader about astrophysics?": Undergraduate science majors' experiences with reflective tensions in a science service-learning course" (2017). Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019). 10.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/stem/2017/2017/10
"What do you teach a first grader about astrophysics?": Undergraduate science majors' experiences with reflective tensions in a science service-learning course
Room 1005 West-Wing
Undergraduate STEM instructors adopt service-learning pedagogies to help students gain real-life experiences in their fields. A hallmark of service-learning is an emphasis on reflection to enhance student understanding. This interpretive case study examined the reflective tensions experienced by sixteen undergraduate science majors enrolled in a cross-age peer teaching, science service-learning course. Undergraduates were paired with local elementary and middle grades teachers to design and implement hands-on, inquiry-driven science lessons for twelve weeks. Students reflected on classroom experiences both individually (weekly journal entries) and collaboratively (case-based focus group discussions). Current findings suggest that the undergraduates experienced tensions in four distinct ways: science content, teachers and administration, students, and societal issues. University faculty interested in science service-learning can expect to hear the experiences of science majors in the classroom, research-based suggestions for improving student reflection in service-learning courses, and view a successful model of undergraduate service-learning in its 15th year.
