Week One July 20-26, 2008

UTEP-UMCE News – Dr. Bill Robertson, Fulbright Scholar, UTEP Assistant Professor

Week One July 20-26, 2008

The following is a summary of the activities that I have been engaged in during the week of July 20-26 as they relate to the work I am doing here at UMCE as part of my Fulbright Scholarship.

Beginnings at la UMCE

I have found my way to the Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencia de la Educación (UMCE) and have set up residence in Ñuñoa, which is where the univeristy is located. I am living near the main plaza and have a 15 minute walk to get to my office in the Physics department. I am sharing an office with Claudio Perez Matzen who has been to UTEP many times, most recently to attend the COE Digital Academy as well as to work with teachers from Juarez in Science Education. I am working with 11 Physics Education Faculty members, who are part of the Facultad de Ciencias Básicas which consists of departments in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Entomology. It is one of 4 Colleges (or Facultades) within the University that also include the Facultad de Artes y Educación Física, Facultad de Filosofía y Educación and Facultad de Historia, Geografía y Letras. More information can be found on their Web page (http://www.umce.cl/).

ECBI (Enseñanza de las Ciencias de la Educación)

On Monday, July 21, I attended a meeting of local universities who were engaged in a program designed to improve the science content of students and teachers in elementary and middle schools. The conference was held in Viña del Mar, which is just one hour north east of Santiago along the coast. The conference was attended by some 12 universities in a program that impacts 260 schools and over 90,000 students. The conference format included an opening plenary session by the conference organizers and hosts as well as an overview of the ECBI program. The main tone of this provided me with some understanding of the common ground we at UTEP share with our colleagues in Chile as it pertains to hands-on learning in a student-centered constructivist environment. The presentations that were given described the use of the learning cycle for developing classroom activities and learning experiences, using inquiry based science and developing templates or guides for teachers to use in lesson preparation. The program reminded me of approaches we have at UTEP which include Peer Led Team Learning (for anyone familiar with this approach, most notably sued and promoted by Jim Becvar in Chemistry), as well as the GK-12 Program which puts graduate science students in MS classrooms 2 days a week to work along side a classroom teacher.

Faculty Meeting with the Physics Department

On Wednesday, July 23, I attended what would be my first of regular weekly staff meetings with the Physics department in order to better understand the new project they are implementing this coming semester as well as to gauge my involvement as both an instructor and evaluator. The 11 professors have divided up 4 modules including Mechanics, Experimental Physics, Mathematical Methods in Physics and the Workshop in the Development of Scientific Thinking. In the 90 minute meeting, there was presented an overview of the 4 areas, with particular attention paid to Mathematical Methods in Physics and the Workshop in the Development of Scientific Thinking. The use of Problem-Based Learning and Constructivist Methodoogies is foremost in the design, development and implementation of these modules. At this time, I am designing an evaluation study that will utilize instruments in order to measure student attitudes toward science and computers, science efficacy, technology use and science content in physics. I am also beginning my plans for evaluating the faculty in science efficacy and technology use. I hope to be able to present my work and ideas at an upcoming faculty meeting.

Meeting with the Director and Staff of Fulbright Chile

On Thursday, July 24, Claudio Perez, my wife Sarah and I met with the Director of Fulbright Chile, Denise Saint-Jean and members of her staff at their offices in the section of Santiago known as Providencia. It is a really nice area that is between Ñunoa and downtown Santiago, and we were given a tour of the offices as well as a meeting with Dr. Saint-Jean. We spoke a bit about our project and our plans for continued growth in collaborations between our 2 universities, as well as opportunities to meet and connect with other Fulbright Scholars here in Chile. This seems to be a rich area for both faculty and students alike. We also talked about having the opportunity to meet with the Director of the US Embassy here in Santiago, who may also have means to provide funding for other types of exchanges. We are planning to meet with him in the next coming weeks as his schedule will allow. Information on Fulbright Chile can be accessed at the Web site (http://www.fulbrightchile.cl/).

Work Requirements and Facilities

I have had to spend some time getting through some of the requirements for living and working here in Chile, which includes registering with the Police and obtaining a Chilean ID card. I have also had to establish my home away from home, a small apartment that is furnished and near to UMCE. I also have been using a computer supplied by my hosts at work which includes all current computer programs, with the added benefit of everything being in Spanish. I am also learning to use the Spanish language keyboard, which I really like, as I do have to prepare all my materials in Spanish for students and staff. All in all, the facilities are great and I will certainly have more to describe as I interact more with students and faculty in classroom settings.