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The BUILD Project, `Bridging Understanding, Innovation, Learning, and Development, is a comprehensive, multi-tiered, long term, plan for professional development for teachers. The project also includes a plan of meaningful student involvement designed to attract students to science and related fields.
The professional development plan is anchored in the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) methodology, an approach that grounds students in hands-on, interactive, and inquiry-based activities that spark interest and excitement in science concepts by focusing all learning on "real world" phenomena.
The long-term design of its three component areas distinguishes the BUILD Project from most other outreach efforts:
? Professional Development-Participating teachers will achieve the necessary knowledge base, understanding, and skill level for implementing PBL, developing instructional materials consistent with the PBL methodology and aligned with National Science Education Standards, and developing supporting performance based assessment plans.
? Materials Development-Participants will engage a long term, intensive, highly supported plan of professional development designed to move them through three tiers, the second and third of which are focused on instructional materials development.
? Student Activities-Student participants at grades K-8 will attend a two-week summer camp anchored in PBL instruction. The PBL summer camp will provide an opportunity for students to engage in interactive, hands-on science instruction while also serving as a rich testing ground for piloting newly developed PBL materials.
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