TEEMSS: Technology Enhanced Elementary and Middle School Science

Shari J. Metcalf and Robert Tinker

The purpose of the TEEMSS project was to test the feasibility and educational value of probeware and associated instructional materials in middle school science education. We addressed feasibility through consideration of costs, teacher professional development, and instructional design. In order to test our approach, we developed two middle school science curriculum units, six low-cost probes that interface to handheld Palm computers, and CCLabBook software for the Palms that presents the curriculum, interfaces with the probes for data collection and visualization, and supports guided exploration. The materials were tested by 30 teachers in the first year, and in a follow-up study by 8 of those teachers the second year. We found that teachers were able to conduct the investigations successfully in their classrooms, and that student learning was enhanced through the use of the probes and handhelds. Specifically, students experienced the physical correlation between phenomenon and modeling, which helped them to develop understanding and to confront misconceptions.

Citation: Metcalf, S. J., & Tinker, R. (2003) TEEMSS: Technology Enhanced Elementary and Middle School Science, Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, March 23-26, 2003, Philadelphia

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