Course Syllabus (updated Summer 2009) Fall 2009 Course: SCE 4330 Secondary Science Teaching Methods - 3 Credits Department: Curriculum and Instruction Instructor: Dr. George E. O Brien; Other Instructors (during different semesters): Dr. Mara Zapata, Dr. Eric Brewe Phone: 305-348-2599 E-mail: obrieng@fiu.edu Class Day: Thursdays Class Time: 5:00pm-7:40pm Location: ZEB 115 Office/Hours: 215A - By appointment any day of the week FIU Conceptual Framework: Vision and Mission of the College of Education The desired future of the College of Education at Florida International University is one in which candidates, faculty, and staff embrace the shared experiences of a diverse, international, professional learning community. (Vision Statement of the Conceptual Framework of the College of Education Revised 2007, p.1). The mission of the College of Education includes a three-pronged approach. First, the College is charged to prepare professionals who have the knowledge, abilities, and dispositions to facilitate and enhance learning and development within diverse settings. Second, the College must promote and facilitate the discovery, development, documentation, assessment, and dissemination of knowledge related to teaching and learning. The third part of the College s mission is to develop professional partnerships in the larger community that foster significant educational, social, economic and political change. Consistent with the institution s role of public, urban, multicultural research university, the unit s mission is to serve the population of Southeast Florida, the State, the Nation and the international community by imparting knowledge through excellent teaching, creating new knowledge through research, and fostering and nurturing creativity and its expression through service (Mission Statement of the College of Education Conceptual Framework, 2007). Student Learning Outcomes
The three major outcomes become the lens through which each program organizes learning experiences and contributes to the vision and aim of the College of Education. o Unit Content Outcome: Stewards of the Discipline (Knowledge) o Unit Process Outcome: Reflective Inquirer (Skills) o Unit Dispositions Outcome: Mindful Educator (Dispositions) Course Co-Requisite: placement or current teaching in a school. In addition to class meetings, students are expected to complete field-assigned work in the classroom. Required Text: Trowbridge, L., Bybee, R., & Powell, J. (2004). Teaching secondary school science. Strategies for developing scientific literacy. 9th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill. 0-13-230450-3 Companion Website for the Textbook: A website for the class textbook will be referred to during the course. The URL is: http://www.prenhall.com/trowbridge/ TaskStream Requirement: *Important TaskStream Message This course requires you to use a TaskStream account for uploading your critical assignment for the Florida Teacher Certification and other College of Education purposes. Your TaskStream account will be used in many FIU College of Education courses. It also offers you storage space and web folio development for your professional use. College of Education website at http://education.fiu.edu/taskstream provides detailed information and downloadable instructions about: How to purchase a new account How to enroll into the program/course How to upload your artifact How to document your field hours Frequently asked questions (FAQs including, pricing, technical related issues, help information, etc.) COE provided training workshop schedule Once you have a TaskStream account, you will need to self-enroll in an assessment program that houses this course. The program code to self-enroll for this course is SCE4330-U01FA09 (see Program Code List Fall 2009 at http://education.fiu.edu/taskstream. Please sign up for an account in the first week of the class. For help, go to: TaskStream 800-311-5656 help@taskstream.com (Monday Thursday, 8:00 am 11:00 pm ET Friday, 8:00 am 7:00 pm ET) COE TaskStream Website http://education.fiu.edu/taskstream/ COE IT Department, ZEB 269 305-348-6305 coesupport@fiu.edu COE Computer Lab, ZEB 165 305-348-6134
Assessment Panel Reviews The artifacts you upload onto TaskStream may be reviewed by a Panel of Assessment Raters in the College to ensure fairness and consistency in the scoring of the critical assignments. These reviews are required for accreditation purposes. The students assignments reviewed will have no identifying information so the raters will not know whose students work they are reviewing. All data aggregated will contain no personal identifying information to ensure confidentiality of students work. Course SCE 4330 (2009-2010) Catalog Description: Development of instructional skills, techniques and strategies for teaching biological and physical sciences in senior high schools. Pre-requisite: EDG 3321. Field experience required. There is a minimum pre-requisite or co-requisite of 16-20 hours in subject matter specialization. Additional Description: This course provides for the development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to prepare students to assume the role of teachers of science in secondary school. Such a course is recommended by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) in its Standards for the Preparation and Certification of Secondary Teachers of Science (July, 1992), and the New Standards and Pre-service Indicators (NSTA, 2003). These NSTA guidelines are supported by: 1) the "Standards for the Professional Development of Teachers of Science" reported in the National Science Education Standards (1996) 2) the Florida Department of Education, Florida Curriculum Framework (1996) 3) the Florida Education Standards Commission Educator Accomplished Practices---Preprofessional (1997). In addition, SCE 4330 and subsequent sequence of professional development experiences have been developed to include the Model Standards for Beginning Teachers of Science (Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium: Science Sub-Committee, January, 1998). This course and subsequent professional development experiences are required in: The bachelor's degree program in Secondary Science Education (Biology, Chemistry, & Physics) and meet the State of Florida requirements for certification. This course is designed to introduce the prospective high school and middle school science teacher with the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary to become a successful, effective, and professional science teacher. The course includes elements of both theory and practice and it serves as a foundation for additional professional development. Field experiences, in which students observe others teaching and implement their own teaching strategies, are an important component of the course. Students are expected to assume an active role in beginning the transition from student to teacher. This course is designed to help you examine the perspectives, philosophies, theories, methods and materials for teaching science effectively for all students in grades 6-12 as you become a reflective practitioner. Course activities will focus on instructional techniques for promoting inquiry and discovery in the middle school and high school science classrooms.
Purpose of the Course: The purpose of the course is to provide students with the methodology requisite effective for secondary science teaching. The work students are assigned focuses on having the acquirement and utilization of science content knowledge and process skills in the development of effective instructional strategies for the secondary level learner. The experiences afforded through assignments and field engagement provided through this course are designed to promote a sense of confidence and empowerment as students are asked to reflect, analyze, discuss and observe the actions and options they will have as professional persons in the field of science education. Course Goals: To engage students in the observation and analysis of middle school and/or high school science classes to establish a comparison and/or contrast to the student s own teaching. Development of a personal teaching portfolio organized around the Department of Education s 12 indicators of the Florida Accomplished Educator Practices (FAEPs) http://www.fldoe.org/publications/professional4-99.pdf and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment Support Consortium (INTASC) Standards http://www.wresa.org/pbl/the%20intasc%20standards%20overheads.htm Assess one s own professional development in terms of the FEAPs and INTASC Standards and begin to plan for long-term professional development. Understand the need to implement a framework which defines the organization and management of the busy science classroom. To prepare students to meet the National Science Education Standards of the National Research Council http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html Course Objectives: Development of a unit plan linked to the National Science Education Standards http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html and the Florida Sunshine State Standards www.fldoe.org/bii/curriculum/sss for biology, chemistry, physics, and/or interdisciplinary sciences. Understand inquiry-based and student-centered methodology as applied to secondary science teaching. Prepare, teach, and assess secondary school science lesson plans in a classroom setting. Be able to locate and use science teaching methods. Effectively integrate instructional technology in the secondary science classroom. Utilize effective assessment techniques in the secondary science classroom. Critically review secondary science education journal articles and other resources. Produce a critical, extensive rationale for teaching science which is compatible to the National Science Education Standards and the Florida Accomplished Educator Practices.
Describe, compare, and implement a variety of pedagogical strategies that enable students to learn science. Identify some aspects of the role of the teacher in a school community Describe the history of science education, modern problems, and solutions indicated by research. Describe distinguishing features of today s middle and secondary schools. Evaluate curriculum materials in light of the goals expressed by the National Science Education Standards. Attendance and Participation: (see Course Requirements and Overall Grade Percentages) Class attendance is very important and more so due to class meetings being once a week. Each class will cover essential concepts and methodologies. It is the student s responsibility to notify the instructor in advance of unavoidable absences and to possibly arrange making up the work missed. Grading: Your final grade for this course will be determined using the point system below A 100-93 A- 92-90 B+ 89-87 B 86-83 B- 82-80 C+ 79-77 C 76-73 C- 72-70 D+ 69-67 D 66-63 D- 62-60 Course Required Assignments and Overall Grade Percentages Class participation/in-class Assignments You will be graded for in-class participation during the entire span of the semester. This grade is based on active participation each and every class session, which means attendance contributes to this grade. You will also be expected to write and submit a synopsis of web links and end-of-chapter activities from the textbooks in class. If you are not in class you cannot participate. However, this is not an attendance grade, which means written excuses of any kind will not serve to make up points missed. In-Class Microteaching Secondary Science Lesson 5% You will prepare an inquiry based lesson plan for a secondary science classroom using the format provided. You will teach a 15-20 minute lesson to the class. This microteaching should engage the class with hands-on manipulative materials. DO NOT lecture or show more than 2 minutes of a video clip (see lesson plan format below) Science Education Journal Article Review 5% Select one of the following journals: Science Scope, The Science Teacher, The American Biology Teacher, The Physics Teacher, Journal of Chemical Education, Science Education, School Science and Mathematics, or Journal of Research in Science Teaching. Select one feature article for critical review. Review should be typed or wordprocessed (minimally 3 double spaced pages) including the following: o Complete reference information o Concise overview of what the article reports
o Elaboration of what attracted you to select the article o Your assessment of how well the author(s) have researched or studied the topics o Other commentary such as writing style critique, value of the article to beginning and/expert teachers. o Attached photocopy of article Science Teaching Rationale: 10% Your rationale statement should be typed or word processed and will probably be 6-10 pages long. It should contain at least the following items See Rubric (next page) Why you will teach science What your goals for science students are How you will decide what content to provide What your materials will look like What you would like students to be doing in the classroom Describe your classroom management system How you will provide evaluation for your program Describe specific teaching methodologies/strategies which you will try with students that intentionally include connections (relationships) of science teaching with each of the following: o Issues of gender equity o ELL students o At-risk students Rubric-Science Teaching Rationale Paper SCE 4330 Target (5pts.) Acceptable (4pts.) Attempted/ Unacceptable (3pts.) Idea Development Organization Mechanics & Language Usage Clear position taken and defined; reasons and details present and fully developed Paragraphs developed with logical organization of ideas and strong conclusions Few errors present in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage Position stated less clearly; development is brief; somewhat unrelated; more facts could have been used Logical organization of ideas not fully developed; weak introduction and conclusion Few, if any, incorrect sentence structure; spelling, punctuation, capitalization errors, repetitious No clear position taken; undeveloped reasons; no facts used No evidence of paragraph structure; no introduction or conclusion; illogical organization of ideas Multiple errors present in sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization; weak vocabulary and
Presentation Neatly presented; cover sheet complete with attention to aesthetics vocabulary Presentation is legible but lacks visual appeal incorrect language usage Difficult to read; not assembled with care; no cover sheet with name, grade, and date Score /20 %/10% Teacher Interview/Classroom Observation Report - 10% You will visit a secondary science school classroom (grades 6-12), observe 4 different science lessons and interview the classroom science teacher. You will submit a report that describes your observations and your personal reflections and thoughts. Use the questions in the guideline below to focus your observations and interview questions. Focus on the specific details from the criteria below in your report. Be sure to include insights into classroom implementation and discuss specific pedagogical strategies observed. Your report is to be completed in the format stipulated below. The report should be wordprocessed using 12 point, Times font, double-spaced type. Be sure to include the type of class(es) you observed and the grade level. For example: 11th grade Ecology class, 10th grade Biology 2 class, 11th grade Basic Chemistry, AP Physics, 8th grade Physical Science. Please include the name of the school and school district. A. The Classroom: How are materials and seating arranged? Why? What materials do students have access to? Do restrictions exist for materials? What are they? Where are lab materials located? How does the organization of the classroom contribute to the teaching/learning atmosphere? Is the organization formal or informal? Why? Do students place finished assignments in specific locations? Do bulletin boards, learning centers or stations, or other displays contribute to: motivation? Science curriculum-based topics? Are these areas easily accessed by students? When can students use them? Is the room stimulating and exciting? How can you tell? Does the room invite science learning? Is there a classroom library, science resource section, or activity center area? How is it used? B. Teaching Strategies What procedures are routine? For example, how does the science lesson start and end? Is there an order or a sequence for the science activities? How and when does the teacher use: the board? visual aids? instructional technologies such as computers and hand-held data collection devices? video and laserdiscs? texts? worksheets? When is group work utilized? Are cooperative learning strategies used? What rules exist for group situations? How does the teacher utilize questioning? How is discussion encouraged? Does the teacher encourage student reflection and expression of opinions?
Is previous learning or prior knowledge utilized? Does the teacher vary voice inflections or tone? When and why? How does this contribute to motivation, discipline, and emphasis of content? How are students engaged in processes of scientific inquiry? Do students explore objects, events, and organisms in their environment? Do students develop and explain concepts in their own words, both orally and by writing and drawing? How is content information presented in a developmentally-appropriate and engaging fashion? How are learners with special needs accommodated? For example, students with IEPs, gifted students, and English as second language learners? How are students provided opportunities to extend and elaborate their understanding and knowledge through independent inquiries? C. Classroom Management What are the stated and unstated rules of this teacher? How can you tell? Are the rules uniformly and fairly applied? List as many rules as you can. Pretend that you need to inform a new student of what is acceptable. Can you do it? What happens if a rule is broken? What strategies does this teacher use to obtain student attention to begin and end class? What does the teacher do to use time effectively? How are transition times (moving from one activity to the next) minimized? How does organization of the classroom or of actual lessons contribute to decreasing discipline problems? When and how is praise or positive reinforcement used? What happens when there is an announcement or an interruption? Does the teacher use nonverbal signals or gestures to control student behavior? Which ones? Why? Does the teacher use proximity control (moving closer to a specific student in order to gain attention or stop some in appropriate conduct)? When and why? D. The Students Who are the students? Include ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, and socio-economic status of the community. Can you identify students who are motivated or unmotivated to learn science? What can you tell about individual students by watching them? What interests do the students have? Which types of individual behaviors can you predict from certain students? Who is on-task? Who is off-task? Do any students appear to have health or emotional problems? Do any have any special needs? How are they accommodated? Interview the teacher to acquire this information. Why do any students misbehave? What clues can you discover? Do they seek attention? Try to gain acceptance from peers? E. Assessment Practices What types of formative assessments are used? How does the teacher use that information to inform teaching and/or influence learning? Provide examples. Interview the teacher to acquire this information. What types of summative assessments are used? Where do the summative assessment items come from? How is data from these assessments used for purposes of grading and accountability? How are final grades determined? Interview the teacher to acquire this information. F. Secondary Science Curriculum
In this section of your report, describe the science curriculum. Interview the teacher to acquire this information. What is the curriculum? Does the school district use a local curriculum? What standards is the curriculum align aligned to? What topics are covered? Is the curriculum textbook-centered? What textbook is used? Are materials included in the curriculum? Does the district provide teachers with professional development to learn how to use curricular materials? Are there written goals and objectives for each unit? Does the curriculum include recommended assessments for each unit? Are teachers required to use these assessments? Does the curriculum integrate instructional technology or interdisciplinary activities? Does the curriculum focus on science process skills or the acquisition of science facts? Is a project-based approach to learning science used? What does the teacher do to enhance the school-mandated curriculum? G. Personal Reflection In this section of your report, reflect on your observations. What features of this classroom reflect a standards-based classroom as described in your course readings and class discussions? Provide specific examples. What types of modifications (including curricular customizations) can be done to make this classroom more aligned to the goals stated in the National Science Education Standards? Prepare and Teach Two Science Lessons in a school classroom 10% Lesson Plan Format Target Grade or Age Level Scientific Process(es) Addressed These are processes and skills might include observing, classifying, formulating hypothesis, inferring, etc. Refer to other resources for an extensive list of processes if needed. Florida Sunshine State Science Standards or National Science Education Standards State the standard(s) that your lesson aligns to. Be specific in articulation this standard. Objective(s) List objective(s) as described in chapter 6 in the Trowbridge text. State the content and process objectives of your lesson. Begin each objectives with Students will.. Each objective should align to your assessment items. Description of Introductory Activity (Engagement of students) This is the first 5-10 minutes of your lesson. Provide details on how you will introduce the lesson. This should contain details concerning a your warm-up activity. This might be showing learners a discrepant event, conducting a demonstration or some other interest-focusing activity. Materials Needed A complete list of materials you will need to implement your lesson. Description of Learning Activities This section should clearly articulate what you and your students will be doing during the lesson and should reflect the Learning Cycle. This section should be
written with enough detailed information to provide the reader with a clear picture of what will occur during your lesson implementation. Guiding Questions/Typical Discussion Questions Questions you will ask students to stimulate their thinking toward the objective(s). What will you ask students during the lesson to ensure that they comprehend the main concepts of your lesson? What responses do expect from your students? Which student responses would indicate a lack of understanding or perhaps a misconception in the intended learning material. Make sure there is a mixture of open and closed-ended questions. Lesson modifications for diverse learners Describe how you will modify or customize your lesson implementation for students with special needs. Include modifications for students with learning disabilities and students who are more advanced than the mainstream students in your class. Lesson Closure How will you conclude your lesson to ensure that your learners understood the lesson s concept(s)? Lesson closure should take 2-5 minutes. What will you do to ensure they understood the take home message of your lesson? Assessment How will you assess that leaning has occurred? Include both formative and summative assessments. Describe the assessments you will use. For formative, how will you use that information to inform teaching and influence learning? Be specific. For summative, include assessment items that would appear on an end-of-the-unit quiz or test. Include a criterion-based assessment if appropriate. Your assessment items should align specifically to your lesson objective(s). Extension activities Describe what your students might do to extend their learning in greater depth, exploring additional variations, and keeping their explorations going as they investigate concepts in more detail. These continued explorations may be used as additional take-home activities. Applications to Real Life Situations How does this activity or lesson apply to the daily lives of your students? How is this activity meaningful to the student? Think about how you would respond to a student if they asked you: Why do we need to learn about this? TaskStream/E-Folio Artifact Science Instructional Unit Plan 20% You will create an instructional resource unit to be used in teaching a science topic in a secondary school science class (grades 6-12). Your instructional unit will contain: A comprehensive and clear relationship of student understanding, skills, and dispositions related to each of the 12 FEAPs, A comprehensive unit planning outline that serves as a resource for the entire unit A minimum of 5 lesson plans, At least one lesson that incorporates instructional technology into the unit (Webbased activity, hand-held data collection probe-ware, hypermedia, software, etc.). At least 2 authentic assessment instruments that must include 1 rubric.
An end of the unit test for the unit that incorporates a mixture of traditional assessment type items (i.e. multiple choice test items) and non-traditional assessment items (i.e. design problems). Your test should include a minimum of 10 multiple-choice items, 4 true-false items, and at least 2 open-response items. Include an answer/scoring key for this unit summative assessment. Detailed scoring criteria should be included for each open-ended assessment item. Science Instructional Unit Outline Please submit this assignment in the format stipulated below. (be sure to state grade level) Overarching understandings. What overarching understandings are desired? What will students understand as a result of this unit? Essential questions. What are the overarching essential questions of the unit? What essential and unit questions will focus this unit? List the questions you will ask to determine whether the students understand the material studied and whether they can apply what they have learned. Assessment methods for gathering evidence. What evidence will show that students understand? List performance tasks, projects, quizzes, tests, academic prompts, and other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues) that you will use to assess learner understandings. Learning objectives. Given the target understandings, other unit goals, and the assessment evidence identified, what knowledge and skills are needed? Specify what students need to know (facts, concepts, principles, generalizations) and be able to do (skills, process, and strategies) to demonstrate their understanding through performance. Students will understand. Students will be able to.. Learning Experiences. What teaching and learning experiences will equip students to demonstrate the targeted understandings? Be sure to clearly articulate your activity implementation ideas for each of your intended lessons. Do not just state a title of an activity. Briefly explain what students will do in the activity to learn a science concept. It is recommended that you use a bulleted brief description list for each day of your unit. Consideration of Safety Precautions. What, if any, special considerations should be made about safety? Consideration of Special Students. Describe variations on the lessons you would implement if you have special students - for example, students with disabilities or gifted students. Integrated Activities. Outline integrated activities you may wish to use throughout the unit. For the most part, these activities will be broad-based, covering a range of curricular areas including mathematics, social studies, language arts, and/or art. Clearly state how these are integrated into other discipline areas. Materials and Resources. It is advantageous to determine necessary materials and resources to assist in the implementation of your unit. This way, you avoid limiting yourself to a few familiar items. Many of these items can be used in
activity centers or for extension activities. Resources for your own personal planning use may also be listed. Be sure to use APA style for each of your references. For Internet resources, here is an acceptable format I would expect you to use: Carolina Coastal Science. (1998). NC State University: Bodzin, Alec M. Retrieved September 28, 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ncsu.edu/coast For Internet resources, make sure you include the Web site title, published date, publisher, author, date retrieved, and Web address (URL). a. Printed Resources. Printed Resources. Books, textbooks, curricular enhancement modules, pamphlets, journals, maps, encyclopedias, magazines, booklets, professional journals. (List at least 3) b. Computer and CD-ROM Resources. Educational software, reference works, educational games and simulations related to curriculum, and CD- ROM adaptations of literature. (List at least 1). c. Internet Resources. (List at least 6). d. Audio/Visual Resources. Videos, films, filmstrips, laser discs, movies, slide programs, or overhead transparencies. (List at least 1). Lesson plans Your resource unit must contain at least 5 lesson plans. The lesson plans must show developmentally sound scope and sequence to the content and concepts that are presented. You may get ideas from other places but do NOT just copy intact lesson plans from somewhere else. Your selected assessments must correlate with your objectives. Each lesson plan must clearly articulate both formative and summative assessments. Each lesson plan must include summative assessment items from the end of unit test. Be sure to attach student worksheets, data tables, copies of lecture notes, or other handouts to each individual lesson plan as applicable. The Science Lesson Plan format (refer to the Science Lesson Plan Assignment for specific detail). E-folio Assignment Requirement Unit Plan This assignment is designed to have you provide evidence of accomplishment of twelve of the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs). Science Unit Plan Project Rubric Dimension Unit Overview Unacceptable (0-1pt.) Somewhat Unacceptable (2pts.) Not included. Not concise, rambling overview; not a complete overview. Acceptable (3-4pts.) Concise and accurate overview; explains major concerns that should be addressed; provides broad goals in relation to State Standards Target Excellent (5pts.) Well-defined and detailed without digressing from the focus of the unit and its essential questions
Resources Student Performance Objectives Activities Assessments Alignment with Standards Not included. Clear that only a cursory search for resources has been conducted Poorly written objectives; written more like teacher goals; not performancebased; or not provided. Activities clearly fail to correspond to student performance objectives. Little to no consideration given to assessment. Fails to include alignment table between student activities and Illinois Learning Standards. Objectives exhibit poor word choice; objectives are a mix of teacher goals and student performancebased tasks. Activities correspond to student performance objectives, but appear to be teacher centered. Consideration only given for summative assessments, and none for formative assessments; test a mere sampling of questions. Includes a table showing alignment between major student activities and Illinois Learning Standards. Complete and detailed listing of resources available for use in teaching the subject matter States unit's major and minor science content and intellectual process skills objectives using inquiry-oriented and observable behaviors. Good variety of student-centered activities well designed to help students achieve student performance objectives. Contains a through assessment of student learning, including formative and summative; provides a complete test rather than a mere sampling of questions; test well written, includes a variety of assessment strategies. Includes a table showing alignment between major and minor student activities and Illinois Learning Standards. Complete and detailed listing or resources available for use in teaching with annotated reasons for selection Acceptable plus includes due consideration for dispositions. Acceptable plus details provided to such an extent that one can easily plan a lesson following the descriptions provided. Acceptable plus includes a wide array of tasks inspired by science education research Acceptable plus includes National Science Education Standards in alignment table.
Time Line Pedagogy Little to no consideration given to presenting a meaningful or coherent time line. More emphasis on didactic teaching; less emphasis on students constructing understanding from experiences; little to no consideration for student groupings.. Time line provided, but organization of subject matter inappropriate. A roughly equal mix of teachercentered and studentcentered pedagogy; equal emphasis on transmitting knowledge and discovering knowledge; some consideration for student groupings, but does not show planning required to use them effectively. Day-by-day summary of inquiry-oriented lessons, including interactive demonstrations, lab activities, and technology utilization. Provides a detailed overview of diverse and effective teaching procedures that are student studentcentered; addresses classroom atmosphere and student management; explains how a variety of diverse student groupings will be used to construct meaning from science experiences and develop dispositions for further inquiry and learning. Day-by-day summary of inquiry-oriented lessons, including interactive demonstrations, lab activities, and technology utilization plus possible extension activities. Acceptable, but includes consideration for one or more of the following: problem-based learning activity; Modeling Method of Instruction; Learning Cycle as central to a minimum of three lessons provides clear evidence that formal cooperative learning strategies will be employed. Context of Science Little to no consideration for context of science. Provides only a very limited consideration for the importance of the subject matter for the students. Explains how unit content will relate to students in relevant and meaningful fashion, including science-technology interactions; scientific, personal, cultural and social values. Acceptable plus includes a rationale for teaching unit that deals with benefits of this science study to society and the professions. Social Little or no Provides a list Explains Acceptable plus
Context Alternative Conceptions consideration of the social context. Little to no consideration for alternative conceptions. Safety Little to no Considerations consideration given to safety concerns. of community resources that could be integrated into instruction. Lists only a very limited array of students' alternative conceptions. Safety concerns addressed, but important considerations left out. Score /40 hypothetically how one might use human and institutional resources in the intended community to advance the education of students in science. Lists a wide variety of preconceptions and misconceptions that students have in relation to subject matter of unit. Clearly referenced. Brief summary of safety concerns related to subject matter of unit; notes potential sources of hard, and ways to mitigate hard should a hazardous activity be included in unit. /20% provides substantive detail about how one or more human resources from within the community can be employed to engage students in learning. Acceptable plus links various alternative conceptions to specific classroom activities. N/A E-folio Assignment 5% This assignment is designed to have you provide student evidence of accomplishment of the twelve Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAP)s.
On-Line Class Discussions/Reflections 10% You are expected join the Class Discussion Board through yahoo.com. This means you must create a yahoo e-mail account for this purpose. Your account name should identify you and not be something like sweetbaby88 It should be your first and last name if possible at yahoo.com. You are expected to post 10 on-line reflections, questions and opinions. These postings must be spaced out so that you are posting something each week (at a minimum). You may join the on-line discussion board through the following URL: (update fall 09) My goal in having you participate on the discussion board and responding to your entries, is to help you articulate some of the tensions you observe and how they are being handled in the classroom. I will offer comments that are intended to provide support and help you create your vision for your own practice. I will also challenge you to promote a deeper awareness and knowledge about issues you present. This means there will be times I will ask you to respond to my comments. Mid-Term Exam 10% The mid-term exam will cover course content/experiences from the first day of class through the class before the mid-term exam date and will short answer item types. The date of the mid-term will be announced in wk 1. Final Exam 20% The final exam will cover course content/experiences from the first day of class through the last day of class, which means the final exam is cumulative. The date of the final exam will be announced in wk 1. Special Needs/Assistance: Students with special needs who require specific course-related or test-taking accommodations should contact FIU s Disability Resource Center (DRC) located at GC 190 or call 305-348-3850 in order to obtain documentation for the instructor, specifying any recommended accommodations. Date Wk 1 Course Outline Topics to be discussed in class Introductions. Overview of course requirements, grading, purposes. Discussion of course frameworks Goals & Expectations, Field/School Experience Course Text Reading assignments for the following week Chapters 1 & 2 of textbook Other assignments for the following week (unless otherwise specified) CW -brief synopsis pp. 6, 14, 19, 34 Activities; 1-5; Start classroom
Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Overview, In-class activities/school selfreflection Becoming a science teacher, history & development of science education. Chapter Activities. National Standards & scientific Literacy Goals & objectives of science teaching; Chapter 5 & 6 activities. Designing School Science Curriculum; middle school science Assessment of Student Learning; Development of Curricula Integrated Approaches; Understanding the Science Curriculum Controversial Issues in Science; Models for Effective Science Teaching Chapter 12 & 13 Activities Planning for Effectiveness; Chapters 3 & 4 of textbook Chapters 5 & 6 of textbook Chapters 7 & 8 of textbook Chapters 9 & 10 of textbook Chapter 11 of textbook Chapter 12 & 13 of textbook Chapters 14 & 15 of textbook Prepare for Midterm observational report (field, due 1/27); 2-1 CW brief synopsis pp. 48, 52 62, 63, 65 CW brief synopsis pp. 74/75; 90/92 Activities 6-1, 6-3 CW brief synopsis pp. 114 Activities 7-1/7-2/7-4; pp. 124 Activities 8-1/8-2 (teaching in the field I, due 2/10, II due 2/17) CW brief synopsis pp. 144: pp. 150 Activity 10-1 CW brief synopsis pp. 152, 156, 163 CWbrief synopsis pp. 166 Activities 12-1, 12-2 pp. 178 Activity 13-1 CW brief synopsis pp. 201 Activity 14-3 pp. 214, 221 Activity 15-2 Mid-Term
Chapter 14 & 15 Activities Review for Mid-Term Exam Wk 10 Mid-Term Exam Chapter 16 & 17 of textbook HW -Brief synopsis: Laboratory and Demonstrations CW- Activities: 17-1 Through 17-8 Wk 11 Laboratory and Demonstrations: Questioning and Discussion Sharing of synopsis and Ch. 17 Activities Chapters 18 & 19 of textbook CW- Synopsis ch. 19 Intention of law v. reality of classrooms Wk 12 Educational Technology in the Science Classroom; Individual Differences Science for All Assessment; psychological basis for science teaching; Chapter 18 Activities Diversity issues Chapter 20 CW brief synopsis of chapter Review and analysis of journal article for in-class discussion Wk 13 Wk 14 Teaching Science for Differences: Gender and Culture On-going professional development; microteaching Chapter 21 & 22 of textbook Prepare for Final Exam Activities 21-1 through 21-4 (micro-teach due 4/11) Review for Final Exam Wk 15 Final Exam What Your Grades Reflect A Excellent work that demonstrates a clear understanding of the material under study and a superior ability to utilize that material in the assignment submitted.
When options for marks are involved, indicates successful completion of the highest level option. B C D F A solid piece of work that demonstrates an understanding of the material under study and utilizes that material well in the assignment submitted. Usually either fails to include some pertinent material or utilizes that material less well than would warrant assignment of a mark of A. When options for marks are involved, indicates successful completion of more than the minimal level option. Adequate work that demonstrates a basic understanding of most of the material under study and which utilizes that material to some extent in the assignment submitted. Usually contains errors or omissions involving relevant material. When options for grades are involved, indicates successful completion of minimal level option. Work that fails to demonstrate understanding of the material under study and fails to utilize relevant material in the assignment submitted. When options for marks are involved, indicates failure to complete successfully the minimal level option. Work that is incomplete, inappropriate, completely incorrect, or was submitted late. This mark indicates severe problems that lead to questions about whether the student should be involved in graduate study. Minuses attached to marks suggest a slightly lower level of achievement. Pluses attached to marks indicate a slightly higher level of achievement. Florida Educator Accomplished Practices/NSTA Standards for Secondary Science Teacher Preparation/INTASC Standards Pre-Professional Competency- Artifact/activity that demonstrates competency Performance/Instructional FEAP 2-Communication; FEAP 5-Diversity; FEAP Trowbridge text chapters, other course readings and 6-Ethics; FEAP 9-Learning Environments. handouts. Managing the instructional environment including: creating a climate that promotes fairness; Course activities including unit plan, microteaching, establishing and maintaining rapport with students; inquiry-based classroom lessons, and hands-on communicating clear, challenging learning science activities. expectations to each student; establishing and maintaining consistent standards of classroom behavior; creating a safe environment conducive to learning; using time effectively. FEAP 8- Knowledge of Subject Matter; FEAP 9- Learning Environments; FEAP 10 Planning; FEAP 11-Role of the Teacher. Planning of instruction based upon subject matter; promotion of higher ordered thinking; needs of local students and the community; application in the workplace and career opportunities of secondary science; application of secondary science content to society, economics and in peoples daily lives Trowbridge text chapters, other course readings, and handouts on inquiry-based teaching methodologies, constructivism, instructional delivery, designing learning environment, Web-based inquiry, STS simulations, and other curriculum activities. Course activities including microteaching, inquiry analyses, inquiry-based classroom lessons, hands-on science activities, and instructional materials located on course Websites. Guided Inquiry Lesson Plans, Web-based Science
FEAP 3-Continuous Improvement. Adapting, assimilating and implementing effective instructional strategies FEAP 12-Technology. Effective use of curriculum resources and technologies in collaboration with educators and other outside resources FEAP 3-Continuous Improvement; FEAP 5 Diversity; FEAP 11 Role of the Teacher. Selecting, analyzing and modifying instructional materials to meet the learning needs of diverse learners Activity and Curricular Resource Unit assignments. Trowbridge text chapters, unit plan, other course readings, and handouts on the secondary science classroom. Microteaching activities. Trowbridge text chapters, other course readings, and handouts on incorporating instructional technologies into the curriculum. Course activities including microteaching, inquiry analyses, inquiry-based classroom lessons, unit plan, and instructional materials located on course website. Guided Inquiry Lesson Plan, Web-based Science Activity and Curricular Resource Unit assignments. Trowbridge text chapters, other course readings, and handouts on incorporating instructional strategies, assessment, curriculum resources and technologies to meet the needs of diverse learners. Course activities including microteaching, Webbased inquiry analyses, data collection activities, inquiry-based classroom lessons, and Web-based instructional materials located on course Website. Guided Inquiry Lesson Plan, Web-based Science Activity and Curricular Resource Unit assignments. FEAP 1-Assessment; FEAP 4-Critical Thinking; FEAP- 7 Human Development and Learning. Monitoring and assessing students' understanding of content through a variety of means, providing feedback to students to assist learning and adjusting instructional strategies FEAP 3-Continuous Improvement. Professional organizations and journals of science and science education FEAP 8-Knowledge of Subject Matter. The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline the teacher teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for all students. FEAP 7-Human Development and Learning. The teacher understands how all children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social, career and personal Trowbridge text chapters, other Course Readings, unit plan, and handouts on the secondary science classroom. Microteaching course activity. Article/Annotated Bibliography assignment. Trowbridge text chapters, other course readings, and handouts on inquiry-based teaching methodologies, constructivism, instructional delivery, designing learning environment, Web-based inquiry, STS simulations, and other activities. Course activities including microteaching, Webbased inquiry analyses, data collection activities, inquiry-based classroom lessons, hands-on science activities, and other instructional materials. Guided Inquiry Lesson Plan, Science Activity and Science Curricular Resource Unit assignments. Trowbridge text chapters, other course readings, and handouts on cognitive development and learning theories.
development. FEAP 5-Diversity. The teacher understands how students differ in their ability and approaches to learning and creates opportunities that foster achievement of diverse learners in the inclusive classroom. FEAP 4-Critical Thinking. The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including interdisciplinary learning experiences, to encourage students development of critical thinking, problem solving and performance skills. Trowbridge text, other course readings, and handouts on incorporating instructional strategies, assessment, curriculum resources and technologies to meet the needs of diverse learners. Course activities including microteaching, Webbased inquiry analyses, data collection activities, inquiry-based classroom lessons, and other instructional materials. Guided Inquiry Lesson Plan, Web-based Science Activity and Curricular Resource Unit assignments. Trowbridge text chapters, other course readings, and Website handouts on inquiry-based teaching methodologies, constructivism, instructional delivery, designing learning environment, Webbased inquiry, STS simulations, and other activities. Course activities including microteaching, Webbased inquiry analyses, data collection activities, inquiry-based classroom lessons, hands-on science activities, and instructional materials located on course Websites. FEAP 9-Learning Environments. The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning and self-motivation. Guided Inquiry Lesson Plan, Web-based Science Activity and Curricular Resource Unit assignments. Trowbridge text chapters, other course readings, and handouts on classroom environment and classroom management. Course activities including microteaching, inquiry-based classroom lessons, and hands-on science activities. Science Curricular Resource Unit assignment. FEAP 2- Communication. The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal and media communication techniques supported by appropriate technology to foster active inquiry, collaboration and supportive interaction in the classroom. FEAP 10-Planning. The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community and curriculum goals. Trowbridge text chapters, other course readings, and handouts on incorporating instructional strategies, assessment, curriculum resources and technologies to meet the needs of diverse learners. Course activities including microteaching, inquiry analyses, data collection activities, inquiry-based classroom lessons using spreadsheets and databases, and other instructional materials. Guided Inquiry Lesson Plan, Web-based Science Activity and Curricular Resource Unit assignments. Trowbridge text chapters, other course readings, and handouts on inquiry-based teaching methodologies, constructivism, instructional delivery, designing learning environment, Web-based inquiry, STS simulations, and other activities. Course activities including microteaching, inquiry