Abstract
During the summer of 2000, twenty teachers came from rural schools throughout Texas to take part in the Lone Star Dinosaur Field Institute. Hosted by the professional developers at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, the Institute is a premiere immersion-type professional development program designed to give teachers the opportunity to work with paleontologists as they excavate the fossil remains of large Pleurocoelus dinosaurs. In this case study, teachers' understanding and knowledge, attitudes and emotions, and resources are examined in the context of the design and collaborative relationships of this science learning community. Using Lave and Wenger's interpretive framework of legitimate peripheral participation, the issues of equity, efficacy, authentic activity, and nature of science are discussed in relation to current trends in science teacher professional development.
Stiles, Thomas William (2001). Doing science: teachers' authentic experiences at the Lone Star Dinosaur Field Institute. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2001 -THESIS -S745.