Pre- and Post-project Questionnaire for Graduate Student Fellows
GK-12: 2003-04

GSF Name:

Date:

Please respond to the following questions.

1. What do you think is meant by the term conceptual-based learning?

    

    

2. What is meant by inquiry-based learning?

    

    

3. List five concepts that you feel are essential for students to understand about biodiversity.

    

    

4. Use the scale below to rate your current knowledge on each of the following:
    

a. California Science Framework	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	no knowledge			highly knowledgeable
b. California Science Content Standards	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	no knowledge			highly knowledgeable
c. National Science Education Standards	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	no knowledge			highly knowledgeable
d. No Child Left Behind legislation	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	no knowledge			highly knowledgeable

5. Use the scale below to rate your level of comfort in working with each of the following:
    

a. High School students	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	UNcomfortable			Very comfortable
b. Middle School students	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	UNcomfortable			Very comfortable
c. K-12 teachers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	UNcomfortable			Very comfortable
d. Undergraduates	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	UNcomfortable			Very comfortable
e. Graduate students	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	UNcomfortable			Very comfortable
f. Faculty	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	UNcomfortable			Very comfortable
g. General Public	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	UNcomfortable			Very comfortable

6. While teaching science, what percent of class time do you feel should be spent on the following activities?
    
• Lecturing
   
• Reading to the students
   
• Having your students read
   
• Group discussion
   
• Hands-on activities
   
• Independent projects
   
• Outdoor explorations or field trips
   
• Other (please explain)

   

   

7. Use the scale below to indicate how well you believe high school students are able to
    

	Poor			Very well
a. Make observations	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
b. Pay attention to detail	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
c. Stay on task	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
d. Complete boring and repetitive tasks	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
e. Ask questions	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
f. Make predictions	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
g. Make inferences	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
h. Pose hypotheses	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
i. Reject hypotheses	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

8. a. Reflecting on your knowledge of the skills necessary for successful fieldwork, list five skills that you feel high school students were capable of learning or using during the project.

    

    

   b. List five skills that you feel high school students had difficulty learning or using during the project.

    

    

9. What do you see as the biggest problem in K-12 science education?

    

    

10. What do you feel was your greatest contribution to the students with whom you worked?

     

     

Reflective Questions

Please reflect on

1. the project itself (this would include comments on the field trips, the collection, and the end of year event, organization and support)

    

    

2. the students

    

    

3. your experience (your highs and lows)

    

    

4. what advice would you offer future GSF?

    

    

Now a Few Specifics

• Can you identify any specific skills that you gained through your participation in the GK­12?

   

   

• What skills were most important in your teaching?

   

   

• What skills do you wish you had had?

   

   

• How has your work with the GK-12 helped and/or interfered with your career goals?

   

   

• How did your participation in this project affect your progress toward your degree?

   

   

• Rate the attitude of your advisor regarding your participation in this project on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being unsupportive/negative and 5 being very supportive and positive. Comments?

   

   

• What was the attitude of your advisor regarding your participation in this project?

   

   

• Can you estimate the average amount of time you spent working on the project per week?

   

   

Teachers

• What were the most important things you learned from your teacher partner?

   

   

• What has been the impact of your teacher-partner on you (e.g., teaching skills, communication skills, career goals, teaching philosophy, other)?

   

   

• What do you think your impact on your teacher partner was?

   

   

• Other comments/reflections on your teacher partner(s)?

   

   

Please rate the following on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest

Please comment on each of the following components of the project:

• Field trips

   

   

• Building a collection

   

   

• End of year presentations, posters, celebration

   

   

• What skills did you gain?

   

   

• What skills were most useful?

   

   

• What advice would you offer future GSF?