ED 401: Teaching Elementary
School Science
Call Number: 49499
Monday 6:00-8:45
PM
2101 Sangren Hall
Fall - 2004
I. General Information
|
Instructor Marcia
Fetters 2438
Sangren Hall Kalamazoo,
MI 49008 Phone: 269/387-3538 FAX: 269/387-2882 e-mail: marcia.fetters@wmich.edu Homepage: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~mfetters |
Office Hours Monday /Tuesday 1:30-3:00 Additional hours by appointment. |
Required readings
v
National Research
Council (2001) Classroom Assessments and the National Science Education
Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
v
National Research
Council (2000) Inquiry and the National Science Standards Washington,
D.C.: National Academy Press.
v
Kwan, T., Texley, J.,
(2003) Exploring Safely: A
guide for elementary school teachers Arlington, VA, NSTA Press:
v
Michigan Curriculum Framework available at:; http://cdp.mde.state.mi.us/MCF/
v
MICLiMB available at: http://www.miclimb.net/
v
Teaching strategies for
inclusive science classrooms http://www.enc.org/features/focus/archive/special/resources_v10n2/inclusive/
v
Additional reading will
be provided.
Recommended
Texley, J., Kwan, T.. (2003) Investigating
Safely: A guide for middle school
teachers Arlington, VA, NSTA Press
National
Research Council. (1996). National Science Education Standards.
Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Or available on-line at:
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309053269/html/index.html
II. Course Goals
Soon
you will be preparing to take over science classes of your own. You will be responsible for the well
being and the learning of the students in those classes. One of the goals of this course is to
prepare you for those responsibilities.
No one will expect you to be an accomplished professional--that will
take years--but I hope that you will be a Òwell-started beginner,Ó prepared to
learn from your experiences as an learner and teacher and from your work other
colleagues, cooperating teachers, and members of The Western Michigan
University faculty. There is a lot
that you will have to learn to become a well-started beginner. Some of that learning is discussed
below.
Beginning your apprenticeship in the activities of
teaching
You
will spend a lot of time during the coming year practicing--with help and
guidance--activities that you will engage in as a teacher, and that means a lot
more than just teaching classes.
As you already know from previous courses, teaching is a more complex
profession than it appears to be when you are a student. Even if we limit the discussion (as we
will for now) to just what teachers have to do to carry out classroom
instruction, there are two factors that make learning to teach difficult and
complex. First, you must learn about
all of the activities that a teacher engages in as he or she plans, carries
out, and follows up on lessons.
Second, you will have to prepare for the number and diversity of the
students that you will teach.
Preparing for all the activities of teaching: Comprehension, transformation,
instruction, evaluation, reflection.
Much
of the work that teachers do occurs before or after their students are in the
classroom, while they are preparing to teach, grading papers, or reflecting on
the lessons that they have taught.
During the coming year you will have opportunities to practice all of
those activities, by themselves and in combination. In this course, we will describe those activities using the
terminology of Suzanne Wilson and Lee Shulman, who describe teaching as a
cyclical process involving five steps:
1. Comprehension. The first activity
involves understanding the content and the students that you will be
teaching. Neither of these kinds
of understanding is easy to achieve.
The content understanding that you need for teaching is deeper and more
complex than the understanding you need when you are just taking courses, and
your students will have many complex and interesting ideas that can both aid
and interfere with their learning.
2. Transformation. The
second activity is planning what you will do in the classroom. This involves transforming the content into forms that will make it
understandable, interesting, and meaningful for your students, as well as
helping your students to master the language and practices of science.
3. Instruction. The third activity,
instruction, is the one that you are most familiar with from your experience as
a student. Beneath the surface
activities, though, instruction has a Òhidden structureÓ that is more cyclical
than linear, and that you must master in order to promote your studentsÕ
engagement and understanding.
4. Evaluation. The fourth activity
includes giving tests and assigning grades, but it includes a lot more,
too. There are many different ways
to assess what your students understand and how their understanding is
changing. You need this
information as much to evaluate your own teaching as to assign grades to your
students.
5. Reflection. In the long run, your
quality as a teacher will depend not so much on what we teach you in this
course as on your ability to learn from experience; learning from experience
depends on the reflection that you do before, during, and after you teach. If you do it well, reflection leads to
new and deeper comprehension, and you are ready to begin the cycle again, doing
all the activities better than you did before.
Preparing for the number and diversity of your
students.
Teaching
is made more complicated--and more interesting--by the fact that you are
responsible for a lot of students, and by the fact that those students
are different, from each other and from you, in many ways. How can you teach them in ways that are
fair to all the different students in your class? You have studied the nature and effects of diversity in some
of your previous courses. In this
course, our focus will be on helping you learn to manage your classroom so that
all of your students are engaged and improving their understanding, and so that
the differences among your students can be an asset rather than a liability.
Promoting engagement and understanding in your
students
As
teachers, there are two basic goals that we have for all our students; we will
label those goals engagement and understanding. At one
level, these are simple ideas that you are already familiar with. Engagement means more than excitement
or enthusiasm; it involves studentsÕ psychological investment in learning. We want our students to be convinced
that what they learn in science classes is important and personally committed
to mastering it. Understanding
means more than Òknowing the content;Ó it means being able to use ideas
for their intended purposes, as well as making connections between scientific
ideas and your personal ideas about the world.
*************
At another level, engagement and understanding are
complex and difficult goals. As we
try to help our students achieve them, we encounter many difficulties and
dilemmas, including the following:
Developing ÒinterestingÓ and ÒrelevantÓ questions
and problems.
We
all know that we are more engaged and understand better if what we are studying
is interesting and relevant. Take
a topic that you will have to teach (NewtonÕs laws, for example, or cellular
respiration). Is that topic
interesting? What would you have
to do to it to make it interesting?
Whose judgment counts when you try to decide whether something is
interesting: biologists? yourself? your students?
What if all your students donÕt agree about what is interesting or
relevant? There are no simple
answers to these questions, but during this course we hope that you will
develop an understanding of what makes things interesting in the eyes of
various people. With the help of
your informed judgment, it is often possible to transform potentially boring or
irrelevant ideas into ideas that will truly engage your students.
Figuring out what to do with the textbook and print
materials.
When
you start teaching, you will probably be given a syllabus or a textbook that
you are supposed to Òcover.Ó If
you think about the variety of ways that your own teachers have used textbooks,
though, it should be clear that Òcovering the textbookÓ can mean very different
things to different people. Some
teachers use textbooks mostly as references, while others work their way
through chapter by chapter, or even page by page. Often, it turns out that even the administrators who tell
you to cover the textbook are not very clear about what they mean by that!
The
problem of what to do with the textbook is further complicated by the fact
that, as we will see, many textbooks are deeply flawed. Promoting true engagement or real
understanding will require you to transform the contents of the textbook in
substantial and difficult ways.
You will begin learning how to make those transformations in this
course.
Making connections.
We
will sometimes talk about understanding as involving Òusefulness and
connectedness.Ó Your students
understand an idea if they can (a) use it for its intended purposes, and (b)
see how it is connected with their own ideas, with other scientific ideas, and
with ideas in other disciplines.
Connections can involve a variety of relationships, including contrasts;
you have made a connection if you can explain how two ideas are not
alike. During this course you will
begin to study ways to help your students understand the interconnected nature
of scientific knowledge, as well as the complex and intricate relationships
between scientific knowledge and our intuitive ways of understanding the world
around us.
Searching for the truth.
Most of your students will have a very simple idea of
what they are learning in science class:
They are learning Òtrue factsÓ about nature. Scientists have a more complex picture of what they
know. For one thing, they
recognize that many important scientific ideas are more important as tools than they
are as facts. Furthermore, they recognize many
gradations in the amount of confidence that they have in claims that they and
their peers make, and they have a complex language to denote differences in the
nature of their ideas and their confidence in them: conjectures, hypotheses, data, facts, theories, and so
forth. Historians, philosophers,
and sociologists of science have an even more complex picture. They describe scientific communities as
developing and refining their ideas though intricate and complex social
processes--processes that can never produce infallible Òtruth.Ó
These
ideas will be important to you as a teacher for two reasons. First, you owe it to your students to
help them begin developing more complex and sophisticated ideas about truth and
falsehood in science and other subjects.
Second, the processes by which scientists develop and refine their ideas
are arguably as important a form of ÒcontentÓ as the currently accepted ideas
themselves. If you want to help
students to be able to solve problems on their own, and to understand how
scientific knowledge changes, then they will need opportunities to participate
in social processes like those of scientific communities. You will investigate these issues in
this course.
Becoming a member of a professional community
Becoming a good teacher is hard work under any
circumstances; it would be impossible if you couldnÕt get a little help from
your friends. Teachers, like
scientists, form communities of professionals that exchange ideas and support
each other as they try to do the work that they all share. During this term you will begin to form
a community that will (hopefully) sustain and support you as you are learning
to teach over the next few years, and to think about the kinds of professional
relationships that you will have with your fellow teachers and with others
after you have completed your program.
Relationships among yourself, your university
instructors, and your cooperating teacher(s).
Some of your most immediate (and perhaps your most
complicated) relationships will develop as you go back and forth between your
university classes and the classrooms of your cooperating teachers. There are valuable things to be learned
in both places, but you will sometimes have to work out the real and apparent
conflicts between what you learn in one place and what you learn in
another. Sometimes you will find
that the disagreements are more apparent than real; at other times you will
find that you are a part of the kinds of conflicts that occur in every
profession. These conflicts will
continue in whatever school you work in after you graduate.
Your relationships with us and your cooperating
teachers may sometimes be strained for another reason. Learning anything new and difficult
requires advice and criticism from more experienced colleagues, criticism that
may be painful, but hopefully will help you grow as a teacher in the long
run. We will try to make sure that
the criticism is tempered by tolerance and mutual respect among you, your
university instructors, and your cooperating teachers.
Participating in a culture of teaching as
scholarship.
Although we commonly credit individuals with achievements
in teaching and in science, no achievement is truly an individual
accomplishment. Individual
achievements are made possible by the scholarly culture in which teachers and
scientists work; it is this scholarly culture that supports their work and recognizes
their achievements. This culture
of teaching as scholarship must bring
together people with deep knowledge of science, of teaching, and of
students. It must involve them in
the sustained, collective knowledge-building activities that are characteristic
of scholarly communities. Over the
next two years, we hope that all of us--students, university professors, and
collaborating teachers--can begin to form a community that supports and
sustains your learning.
Making connections with other communities.
As a teacher, you will have to communicate with many
people who are not teachers--parents, administrators, professional
organizations, scientists, and so forth.
You will need to understand them and their concerns, and you will need
to convince them of the importance of the work that you are doing.
III. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this course, the successful student
will be able to:
Ÿ
Demonstrate familiarity
with, and skill in, the use of MEGOSE
/Michigan Curriculum Framework
Ÿ
Demonstrate a positive
attitude towards science.
Ÿ
Demonstrate knowledge
and understanding of basic science concepts and process skills and of the
social implications of science.
Ÿ
Demonstrate the
knowledge and applications of the scientific method in teaching science.
Ÿ
Demonstrate a knowledge
of ability to provide instruction relative to science-related societal issues.
Ÿ
Demonstrate an
understanding of the interrelationships among various disciplines of science.
Ÿ
Demonstrate an
understanding of the interrelationships between science and other academic
areas.
Ÿ
Develop student
understanding of the relationships which exist among science, technology,
society, human issues and cultural values and their implications for science
instruction.
Ÿ
Demonstrate the ability
to adapt science instruction to meet the varied needs, abilities and interests
of students.
Ÿ
Demonstrate an ability
to adapt instructional plans to the intellectual development stages of
students.
Ÿ
Demonstrate the ability
to plan lessons that make use of resources outside the school environment, such
as field trips, speakers, special events, and community resources.
Ÿ
Demonstrate the ability
to plan a laboratory lesson which includes the concept(s), appropriate
activity(ies), science process skills, science materials and equipment, and
evaluation procedures.
Ÿ
Demonstrate the ability
to develop appropriate evaluation procedures to assess student performance.
Ÿ
Demonstrate knowledge of
current safety standards and state laws relating to conducting science
laboratory activities.
Ÿ
Demonstrate an
understanding of the basic technology as it relates to science education.
IV. Course Grading and Expectations
Course Requirements are subject to change and
adaptation at the discretion of the professor.
As a part of these courses you will be keeping a
learning portfolio that will document your journey through these courses. What this portfolio looks like will be
your decision. During Final's Week
we will meet individually to talk about your portfolio and your final grade(s). The following assignments are
part of what will make up your portfolio.
Readings and journals (15%). For each chapter or class session you will be asked
to respond to some reflection questions, or do the tasks on the end of the
chapters. This will vary from
chapter to chapter and is described in more detail in a separate handout. At
various times additional reading will be assigned -- how to respond to these
readings will be assigned with those assignments.
Lesson Presentation (15%). You
will be required to design and teach one mini-lessons to your peers. This
lesson will be around the topic assigned to your small group -lessons must
follow the Michigan Science Model guidelines. These lessons will be graded using a presentation rating
scale and a written self-analysis of the lesson.
Integrated Unit (35%) You will be
required to develop at 10-15 day unit around a topic of your choice. You are encouraged to use the lessons
from the microteaching and technology assignment as part of this unit. The format and grading rubric for this
assignment is described in a separate handout. Students will be asked to submit these electronically the
week of June 16th.
These units, plus micro-teach lessons will be shared on a class CD at
the end of the semester.
Portfolio/Exit Interview
(15%). During this term you will develop a collection of ideas,
activities and other resources that you can use in your teaching. During this term you will be required to
develop a system for organizing these resources. You will be expected to demonstrate your competence as
a science teacher using the NSTA/NCATE Science Teacher Education
Standards. The standard areas
include: Content, Nature of
Science, Inquiry, Contents of Science, Skills of Teaching, Curriculum, Social
Context, Assessment, Environment of Learning, and Professional Practice. This is for your future use so plan on
organizing this in a way that makes most sense to you -- not to please me! This assignment is described in greater
detail in a separate handout.
In-class writing and participation (20%). You will
often be asked to write briefly about some question or issue, usually as
preparation for a discussion in class, and you should attend and participate in
classes. The success of this class
relies heavily on the full participation of all it's members. A large part of this class will be
spent in class discussion and small group work and peer feedback therefore your
attendance is essential. One
absence will be permitted without consequences. After one absence this portion of your grade will drop one
letter grade for each absence.
Tardiness and the need to leave early will be considered a partial
absence.
Expectations
In order to be successful in this course you will need
to address several issues. Teaching
is a profession and you need to exhibit a professional attitude by:
1.
Attending all class
sessions for full length of course and be on time.
2.
Complete all assignments
and turn them in on time. Late
assignments will be penalized one letter grade each day it is late unless a
negotiated later due date has been assigned.
3.
Put the maximum amount
of effort into the class. Please
stop by and discuss conflicts.
4.
Type all assignments
unless specified. Use of a
computer will make your life much easier.
5.
You are responsible for
making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the
Undergraduate (pp. 271-272) [Graduate (pp. 24-26)] Catalog that pertain to
Academic Integrity. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification
and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse.
If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty,
you will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs. You will be
given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not
responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult
with me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the
submission of an assignment or test.
All of the above assignments and projects will be
assigned a numeric value. Each raw
score will be converted into a percentage and multiplied by weight. Final grades will be based on the following
scale.
|
Grading Scale 95 -- 100% A 89 Ð 94.99% BA 83 Ð 88.99% B 77 Ð 82.99% CB 71 Ð 76.99% C 65 Ð 70.99% DC 60 Ð 64.99% D 59 ˆ 0%
E |
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IV. Tentative Course Schedule Ð version1
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Date |
Lesson Topic Assignment due: J=Journal; FW = Fast write(in class); P = paper Readings: SF = Exploring
Safely: A Guide for Elementary
Science Teachers INQ = Inquiry And The
National Science Education Standards CA = Classroom Assessment
and the National Science Education Standards Reading are expected to
be completed on the date
indicated. Journals and reflections
should be completed and submitted on the date indicated |
|
Part I:
Nature of Science and Science Inquiry |
|
|
August 30 |
Introductions
"Messing about in
science" Building your identity as a science teacher Readings and Tasks: Syllabus (in class) FW:
Course expectations FW: How
does this toy work and what can I teach with it? |
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September 6 |
No class meeting Ð Labor Day Holiday
|
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September 13 |
The Standards Movement: Reform Efforts in Science Education
|
|
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Part II:
Planning for Instruction |
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September 20 |
Getting to know your students and the context of teaching science Making science accessible
to all students Setting up the science
learning community Locating resources and
brainstorming topic Reading and Tasks: INQ Chapter 3 SF Chapters 2 & 3 |
|
September 27 |
What does science learning look like and how
do we support this in our classroom Looking at classroom environment and setting up a
science learning community Classroom culture Ð ÒThis question is just too, too,
too easyÓ Readings and Tasks: CA Chapters 1 & 2 INQ Chapter 4 |
|
October 4 |
Preparing and planning for instruction Learning cycle Planning instruction Science and Literature Assessment and evaluation Readings and Tasks
Readings to be provided. Topic for Unit due. |
|
|
Part III - Exploring Content |
|
October 11 |
Magnetism and Electricity Lesson presentations
start Data collection and
analysis Readings and Task: |
|
October 18 |
Light
and Sound Questioning and Developing Rubrics Reading and Tasks
Reading provided CA Chapter 4 |
|
October 25 |
Heat and Matter Managing
equipment and facilitating small group work
Reading and Tasks
CA Chapter 3 SF Chapter 6 Unit Map Due |
|
November 1 |
Air/Air Pressure & Weather Abstract ideas and childrenÕs conceptions Readings and Task: |
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November 8 |
Astronomy and Geology Using outside sources/ Readings and Tasks INQ Chapter 7 SF Chapter 7 Technology wish list due |
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November 15 |
Plants and Animals Being a professional Ð
support structures in the science education community Revisit Ð ÒThis question is
just too, too, too easyÓ Readings and Tasks SF Chapter 5 |
|
November 22 |
Ecology Field trips -- Real and
virtual Tasks and Readings SF Chapter 9 Units Due |
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November 29 |
Presentation of Units and Course Wrap-Up
Portfolios due |
|
December 6 Ð 10 |
Finals week Ð exit interviews by appointment
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A Home on the Web for Science
Education
A class web site for SCI 404 students has been
created at: http://www.nicenet.org
From this screen Ð choose
ÒJoin a ClassÓ
It will then ask you to enter
a ÒClass KeyÓ for this class your
class key is:
257644S34
You will then be asked to
register.
Next time you log in you will
do so with your username and password.
You can join one of my
earlier classes that has 364 websites by joining a class that has a class key
of: 025028U72
An Additional 271 websites
some of which will be repeats can be found at: Z35727U69
As people join the SCI 404
class and start to enter sites you will be able to send notes to each other
through this site. One you have
joined the class you will see the following screen.
Expanded Description of Papers and Assignments
ED 401 Ð Fall 2004
Reflection #1
-- Nature of Science
The Nature of Science
People have different
ideas about what science is and what teaching and learning science should look
like. I'm interesting in what YOU
think -- please answer the following questions with YOU think about the
ideas. Even if you are not sure,
write down what you currently think.
1. What do you think science is?
2. What kinds of things to you think of people doing when they
are "doing science?"
Give as many examples as come to mind.
*********
Instructional Goals
3. In the best of all possible worlds, with all the time and
equipment you needed, and with things going as youÕd hoped what would your
ideal science lesson look like?
Use one of the big ideas you described above as an example, imagine
yourself teaching in the grade level you chose above, and describe what you and
the students would be doing.
4. In the lesson you just described, why would what you and the
students are doing make this the best science lesson -- better than others?
Content Knowledge
Content Knowledge
1. What are some topics in science that you would feel really
comfortable about teaching students?
What is it about those topics that makes you feel comfortable about
teaching them?
2. What are some topics in science that you would not feel
comfortable teaching with students?
What makes them more uncomfortable for you?
3. What are some topics in science that
you might not know much about now, but you'd be willing to learn about, so that
you could teach them to students?
What would/could you do to find out abut this stuff?
Prior Science Experiences
Prior Science Experiences
1. Think back over what you remember about science when you
were growing up, when you were in elementary school. What was it like?
What did you do? What did
the teacher do? Did you like
it? What did you learn about
science? about yourself as a
learner in science? about other
children? about teaching science?
2. How about middle school or junior high school? What was science like? What did you do? What did the teacher do? Did you like it? What did you learn about science? about yourself as a learner in science? about other children? about teaching science?
3 & 4 Do the same for both high school and
college science. Ask yourself the
same questions about the science courses you had.
Read back over what you've
written about your science experiences in school.
5. What grade levels stood out in your memory? What was it about science in those
classes that made them stand out?
6. How would you summarize your experiences in learning science
in school?
7. How do you feel about science now?
*****
Lesson Presentation Plan
For each category I have outlined
some of the criteria that I will use for grading the parts of the lesson plan
and the points possible for each section.
How you organize the lesson and present it is up to you Ð these are the
components that must be included but the order and format can differ based on
your preferences.
I. Subject/Topic:
Curriculum area..
What will be taught in this lesson? Grading Criteria: Clear and concise, specifies topic and
grade level. Points Possible: 2
pts.
II. Rationale/Purpose; Why should students learn this material? What is the value to the student? Grading Criteria: How convincing in your argument? Points
Possible: 10 pts.
III. Objectives: What will the student be able to
understand or do after the lesson?
Grading Criteria: Clear and defined objectives. Are they reference to state objectives,
Benchmarks, other sources? Points Possible: 15 pts.
IV. Content:
Outline form ...Detail the central points, questions and skills that
will be emphasized. Grading
Criteria: Are the essential points
clear, what prior knowledge are you assuming? Points
Possible: 15 pts.
V. Strategies and Activities: What will be done for, by and with the students in
order to reach the objective(s)? Grading
Criteria: How are you going to
going to introduce the activity?
Manage the activity? Wrap
it up? Points Possible: 15 pts.
VI. Materials: A
check list of the items needed for the strategies and activities (include
copies of handouts, etc.) Grading
Criteria: Are all necessary
materials listed? Points Possible: 3 pts.
VII. Plans for Individual Differences; How will the lesson be adapted to meet
the individual needs of various students in the class? Grading Criteria: List of ways that individuals with
different learning styles will be supported by the lesson. What are you going to do if half the
class still doesn't understand at the end? Points
Possible: 10 pts.
VIII. Evaluation: How will students' progress based on
objectives be determined?
Grading Criteria: Detailed description of what kind of
follow-up you would plan for assessing student understanding. Key question: How are you going to know it when you see it?
Points Possible: 10 pts.
Lesson Presentation
Critique / Analysis
I have provided an outline of
some of the sections that could be part of your analysis. If you would like to write this in a
different format please feel free to do so, and use this as a guide for what to
include and as a reference to what I will be looking for in your analysis.
I. Summary of Lesson
How did what you
planned on doing compare with what you actually did? Where there any major changes? Points Possible:
10 points
II. Analysis of Lesson What worked well?
What didn't work as well?
What else would the class have needed to make this a better lesson? What else did you need to make this
lesson better? Points
Possible: 40 points
III. Adaptations for a Larger or Smaller
Class: If you were going to
teach this lesson to a class of 25 - 30, or a class of 10-12 students what
changes would you make in your instruction?
Points Possible: 10 points
IV. Plans for Revision
If you were going
to do this lesson again what would you do differently? Why? Points Possible:
20 points
******
Unit Description
Sections:
Basic Information
Topic
Grade
level
School
setting
Class
duration
Topic Map and Calendar
Lesson Plans
10 days worth of lesson
plans -- Please note this might
not be 10 different lesson plans.
Some days a lesson goes across two days.
*Please note when outlining
the lesson activities identify the pacing of the lesson. How long do you expect each part will
take?
Lesson Plan format might look
something like:
Title/Topic of lesson
State Benchmarks addressed
Teaching goals
Materials needed
Space arrangement
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Time |
Activity or Topic |
Assessment strategy |
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Unit Assessment
Modifications and/or extensions to meet needs of all students
References and Resources
used. Bibliographic Information
*******
Ed 401 Ð Science Methods
Course Portfolio Ð Fall 2004
Table of Contents:
Indicating
what artifacts are presented for each dimension of each standard. Standard areas include: Content, Nature of Science, Inquiry,
Contents of Science, Skills of Teaching, Curriculum, Social Context,
Assessment, Environment of Learning, and Professional Practice. A compete description of these
standards starts on page 17.
Science Teaching Philosophy
A teaching philosophy statement can take on a variety
of looks or formats. The following
5 questions are almost always addressed in a teaching philosophy
statement. The answers to these
questions are usually a paragraph or two long.
v
Why do I want to be a
(insert discipline (i.e. biology,
English, mathematics)) teacher?
v
How do I believe
students learn?
v
Why is my discipline
important? How does it improve
quality of life?
v
How do my strengths and
interests link the first three statements?
v
How do I hope my
students will describe me as a teacher?
Final Reflection Ð What did you learn this semester? ÒExit Interview QuestionsÓ may be used
to structure this reflection
Exit Questions for
Interview: Main things learned; Wish list; Advice to future students;
Topics to add or remove from course. Validation of performance level for
standards.
Data Sources
Using journals, papers and
your unit Ð document and describe how you meet the national standards for
science teacher preparation.
Sample
Journals, Assignments and Reflections:
á
Course expectations
á
Nature of science and
past science experiences
á
Technology Wish List
á
Sample Safety Contract
á
Survey of Safety in the
schools
á
WWW sites for science
teaching
á
Lesson presentation and
analysis
Format: Portfolio must be in electronic format to receive full credit
Suggestion:
Take the standards and hyperlink data sources.
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National Standards for Science Teacher Education
Content Content refers to concepts and principles understood
through science; concepts and relationships unifying science domains; processes
of investigation in a science discipline; and applications of mathematics in
science research.
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1.a. Know and understand the major
concepts and principles of the teaching discipline(s) as defined by state and
national standards of the science education community. |
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1.b. Know and understand major concepts
and principles unifying science disciplines. (See National Science Education
Standard - Unifying Concepts). |
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1.c. Design, conduct and report
investigations within a science discipline. |
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1.d. Apply mathematics in problem-solving
and scientific investigation. |
Nature of
Science Nature of science refers to characteristics distinguishing science from
other ways of knowing; characteristics distinguishing basic science, applied
science, and technology; processes and conventions of science as a professional
activity; and standards defining acceptable evidence and scientific
explanation.
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2.a. Know and understand the philosophical nature of science and the
conventions of scientific explanation. |
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2.b. Engage K-12 students effectively in
studies of the nature of science and conventions of scientific explanation. |
Inquiry Inquiry refers to questioning and
formulating solvable problems; reflecting on, and constructing, knowledge from
data; collaborating and exchanging information while seeking solutions; and
developing concepts and relationships from empirical experience. (See also NSTA position statement
that follows these standards)
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3.a. Know and understand scientific
inquiry and its relationship to the development of scientific knowledge. |
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3.b. Engage K-12 students effectively in
scientific inquiry appropriate for their grade level and abilities. |
Context of
Science The context of science refers to relationships among systems of human
endeavor including science and technology; relationships among scientific,
technological, personal, social and cultural values; and the relevance and
importance of science to the personal lives of students.
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4.a. Know and understand the relationship
of science to other human values and endeavors. |
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4.b. Engage K-12 students effectively in
the study of the relationship of science to other human values and endeavors. |
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4.c.
Relate science to the personal lives, needs and interests of K-12 students. |
Skills of Teaching Skills of Teaching refers to science teaching actions,
strategies and methodologies; interactions with students that promote learning
and achievement; effective organization of classroom experiences; use of
advanced technology to extend and enhance learning; and the use of prior
conceptions and student interests to promote new learning.
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5.a. Use diverse and effective actions,
strategies and methodologies to teach science. |
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5.b. Interact effectively with K-12
students to promote learning and demonstrate student achievement. |
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5.c. Organize and manage science
activities effectively in different student groupings. |
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5.d. Use advanced technology to teach K-12
students science. |
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5.e. Use prior conceptions and K-12
student interests to promote learning. |
Curriculum Science curriculum refers to an extended framework of
goals, plans, materials, and resources for instruction and the instructional
context, both in and out of school, within which pedagogy is embedded
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6.a. Develop coherent, meaningful goals,
plans, and materials and find resources. |
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6.b. Relate plans and resources to
professionally-developed state and national standards, including the National
Science Education Standards. |
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6.c. Plan and develop science curriculum
addressing the needs, interests and abilities of all preK-12 students. |
Social Context The social context of science teaching refers to the
social and community support network within which science teaching and learning
occur; relationship of science teaching and learning to the needs and values of
the community; and involvement of people and institutions from the community in
the teaching of science.
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7.a.
Know and understand the values and needs of the community and their
effect on the teaching and learning of science. |
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7.b.
Use community human and institutional resources to advance the
learning of science in the classroom and field. |
Assessment Assessment refers to the alignment of goals,
instruction and outcomes; measurement and evaluation of student learning in a
variety of dimensions and the use of outcome data to guide and change
instruction.
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8.a. Align science goals, instruction and outcomes. |
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8.b.
Know and use a variety of contemporary science assessment strategies
to determine preK-12 student needs and levels of learning and development. |
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8.c.
Use assessment appropriately to determine, guide and change science
instruction. |
Environment of Learning Learning environments refers to the physical spaces
within which learning of science occurs; psychological and social environment
of the student engaged in learning science; treatment and ethical use of living
organisms; and safety in all areas related to science instruction.
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9.a.
Create and maintain a psychologically and socially safe and supportive
learning environment. |
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9.b.
Manage the activities and materials of science safely in storage
areas, labs and field. |
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9.c.
Keep and use living organisms as in the classroom in a safe, ethical
and appropriate manner. |
Professional Practice Professional practice refers to knowledge of, and
participation in, the activities of the professional community; ethical behavior
consistent with the best interests of students and the community; reflection on
professional practices and continuous efforts to ensure the highest quality of
science instruction; and willingness to work with students and new colleagues
as they enter the profession.
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10.a.
Know and participate in professional organizations and activities of
the science education community beyond the classroom. |
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10.b.
Behave ethically and in best interests of preK-12 students and the
community. |
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10.c.
Engage in reflective practices and make continuous efforts to improve
in practice. |
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10.d. Work willingly with peers, supervisors and
others in a professional manner. |