THE UNIT BOX APPROACH: A NOVEL FACET OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS TEACHER PREPARATION

Authors

  • Mitchell E. Batoff Jersey City State College

Abstract

The Unit Box is an innovative development in elementary school teacher preparation. Its construction is the principal assignment in a science methods course evolved by the author over a six year period at Jersey City State College. Each student in the course (college seniors in most cases) assembles a materials-centered, inquiry-oriented, multimedia unit package. Its core is a commercially available unit of study that has been tested in many classrooms. Units of a modular nature are used and they may be teaching units, resource units, or quasi-resource units. Students put together their Unit Boxes outside of class, during a five or six week period prior to beginning the student teaching experience and use the Unit Box during student teaching. In sorne situations, where the methods course is taught in the schools, students prepare their Unit Boxes over a fifteen week period concurrent with the apprentice teaching experience. In either case, the Unit Box provides an opportunity for apprentice teachers to do with children the kinds of teaching-Iearning they experienced in their methods course; with materials at hand an ideal can become a reality not a pious wish.

Author Biography

Mitchell E. Batoff, Jersey City State College

Mitchell E. Batoff is Associate Professor of Science Education at Jersey City State College. Dr. Batoff has twenty years of teaching experience at all levels, from kindergarten through graduate school.

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Published

1974-09-01

How to Cite

Batoff, M. E. (1974). THE UNIT BOX APPROACH: A NOVEL FACET OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS TEACHER PREPARATION. McGill Journal of Education / Revue Des Sciences De l’éducation De McGill, 9(002). Retrieved from https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/6980

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Articles