Education 314

Spring 2002

Martha Voyles

Steiner 304

Work: 269-3053

Home: 236-8461

Syllabus

Science and Health for Elementary Teachers

Final Assignments

1.  The major assignment in this course will be to prepare a science unit.  It will be most beneficial to you if it is one that you can use during your student teaching.  We will try to make placements early in the semester.  As soon as you know your placement, you should contact your cooperating teacher to talk about selecting a unit.

2.  The other long-term assignment for the course is to keep a notebook.  The major purpose of the notebook is to have an organized set of materials to refer to in preparation for student teaching, during student teaching and in writing your portfolio.  Items marked with an asterisk should be filed in your notebook.  You may include any other material you choose.  Your notebook should have a table of contents.  Because we are beginning our new performance assessment system, I would like you to prepare your notebook in an electronic format using the electronic system we have developed. Of course, you are welcome to make a hard copy as well.  While I have marked some items in the syllabus with the letter and number of what I think is the relevant standard, my intent is that we will work out a system together.  I am interested in your feedback about ways to make the system more useful. 

Monday, January 21

*Goals for science education.  Mystery boxes.  Review of Ed. Psych. Information on teaching and learning.  Bring to class the chart you made in Ed. Psych. of the comparisons between various learning theories.

Wednesday,  January 23

History and Philosophy of Science Education

Read:

Science for All Americans - Introduction(xiii-xxi, stop at “Chapters”),  Chap.1, Chap. 13

Elem. Sci. Methods - Chap. 1&2, See handout for explicit directions.

Teaching Today's Health - p. 3-8

Assignment:

*1)

Answer in writing the four questions on the handout.

 2) 

Robots:   Do activities 2A and 3A.  Build your first robot (car or bug) and do activities 1B-8B.  As you work through these, think about whether the nature of the worksheets is consistent with what you have read about the nature of science learning and instruction. 

Monday, January 28

Instructional Strategies (D1)

Read:

Handouts:  Play-Debrief-Play, Discrepant Events, Search, Solve, Create, Share and Learning Cycle (SCIIS)

Johnson and Johnson, Circles of Learning:  Cooperation in  the  Classroom , p. 6-10

Elem. Sci. Methods - Chap. 4, Skim p. 154 - 167.   Skim the examples in the rest of the chapter.   Be able to define contructivism and explain the role of prior beliefs or preconceptions in students’ learning.

Assignment::

1)

*Write a draft of your philosophy of teaching science and health (A2, C3).  Your philosophy should be firmly based on your reading, and you should employ the language used by science educators.  A good way to begin is with some goal statements.  That is, given the nature of science, what should children learn in order to be scientifically literate?  Then explain how you will structure instruction to accomplish those goals. Try to keep it to one page, and keep in mind the tenets of good writing.

Wednesday, January 30

Instructional Strategies (D1)

Read:

Weil, Models of Teaching - chap. 3 & 4

Assignment:

1) 

*Make a list of the seven models of instruction we have examined and describe each in two- four sentences.

2)

Robots: Experiment with Robolab Inventor.  Information in the C activities will help you, but feel free to explore one your own. Do the challenges for your robot, and be  prepared to demonstrate your programs to the class. 

Class:

Classify the various models according to the teaching and learning theory they most closely resemble.

*List criteria of best practice for each of the instructional strategies.

Monday, February 4

Science Education Standards

Read:

*Shymansky et. al., Science and Children , 1982

Science Education Standards - Chap. 3

“The Real Science,” Scientific American, 1992.

Assignment:

*Make a numbered list of the six Standards and indicate by number where you have included each in your philosophy.

*Add your learning theory classification to the list of instructional strategies you have made.

Examine selected science curricula to compare text based curricula with science reform curricula.

Class:

Acids and bases

Wednesday, February 6

Using Technology in Teaching Science (J) 

Read:

Skim section in one of the provided texts on technology.

Assignment::

1)

*Review three science computer programs (. Complete a review of each program using evaluation forms provided.

2)

*Make a list of the uses of technology in science education.

3)

*Make a list of advantages of using technology.  Which of these are connected to your own philosophy of science instruction?

Monday,  February  11

Multicultural and Nonsexist Education,  Career Education (B)

Read:

A Guide to Developing Multicultural, Nonsexist Education Across the Curriculum - pp. 34 - 36,

“Independence for the Physically Disabled Through Science and Technology”

Kahle, Jane Butler and Meese, Judith.  Research on girls in science:  lessons and applications.  in Handbook of Research in Science Teaching and Learning, Dorothy

Gabel (edl).  Washington DC:  National Science Teachers Association, 1994.

Koch, Janice and Blunck, Susan.  Breaking the Mold:  Celebrating Individual Differences in the Science Classroom. in Science/Technology/Society:  Research Implications.  Bob Yager (edl).  SUNY Press, 1994.

scan COMETS,

scan Keepers of the Earth,

skim Gender Equity, Right from the Start

skim a Savi-Selph unit for suggested modifications

Assignment:

*Make a list of the issues discussed in Gender Equity, Right From the Start.  Select from any of the readings, at least five activities you could  do in a classroom with students to promote gender equity or multiculturalism.  Classify each activity as to which of the five issues identified in Gender Equity, Right From the Start it addresses.  I will compile a master list for you to include in your notebook.

Class:

Magnets and electricity

Wednesday, February 13

Class Discussion and Questioning Skills

Read:

Jacobsen et.al. Methods for Teaching, chap. 6

Cairn and Sund, chap. 4, skip/skim where appropriate

Assignment:

1)

*Revised philosophy statement.  Turn in entire packet of work related to your philosophy.  (a.  goals written in class, b.  answers to nature of science and scientific literacy questions, c.  list of Standards and marked first draft,  d.  Ed. Psych philosophy paper, e.  final draft,  g.  one paragraph reflection on your development)

2)

*Complete exercises 6.1,6.2,6.3,6.7.  Write definitions for the terms on the assignment, so it will be useful later.

Class:

*How to handle wrong answers

Coding a class discussion

Friday, February 15

Preconceptions, Safety and Use of Animals

Read:

“Safety in the Elementary Classroom”.

*NSTA policy on animals in the classroom

Elem. Sci Methods – p.400-403

Driver, et.al., “Constructing Scientific Ideas: Implications for teaching and Learning” (A2)

Assignment:

*Add concept maps to your models of instruction. (D)

*Coding and analyzing a class discussion

Class:

What happens to living things in winter?

Plants

Monday, February 18

No class

Wednesday, February 20

Science, Technology and Society (STS), Values Education and Its Impact on Women and Various Ethnic Groups.(J,B)

Read:

Cairn and Sund, chap. 4;

Teaching Today’s Health - pp. 83-86, 106 and 93-100.  Sign up to read one value-based activities section.

Elem. Sci. Methods - pp. 347 - 351

Assignment:

1) 

Look at one science and one health text.  Write down two examples of values that are expressed or assumed.

2)

*Define STS in your own words and identify the educational principles that support it. (A3)

3)

*Final (?) revision of philosophy.

Monday,February 25

Curriculum Review and Reading Level (A2), Assessment(G)

Read:

Elem. Sci. Methods - Chap 7

*NSTA Position Statement "Performance Assessment:  Everyone Talks About It, But What Is It?" from NSTA Reports, Dec/Jan, 1992

Assignment:

A)

*Review science curricula (textbook and non-text) at the grade level you will teach, using the criteria on the handout.  Write a review of each.

Wednesday, March 4

Writing Objectives, Deciding What's Important (C3)

Read:

Elem. Sci. Methods - Chap. 3

Kibler, Barker and Miles, Behavioral Objectives and Instructions - chap. 4.  Use your own judgment about how much of this you need to read and do.  pp. 77-98 has helpful exercises.

Skim Funk, et. al; Learning Science Process Skills if you want more examples of activities for various process skills.

Assignment:

Write two objectives at each level of Bloom’s taxonomy.  Be prepared to explain how you could provide practice for each one.

Wednesday, March 6

Managing a Classroom of Scientists

Read:

Elem. Sci. Methods - Chap. 8

Assignment:

Write a test item or assessment procedure for each of your objectives.

Monday, March 11

Core ideas and resources.

Read:

Relevant section of Benchmarks for your unit.

Assignment:

Make a list of the core ideas that you will emphasize in your unit.  Summarize the research relevant to your unit.

Summarize an article from Science and Children related to your unit.

Wednesday, March 13

Teaching Health

Assignment:

Compare one HAP unit and a similar unit in a health text.

Class:

Concentrations and Density

BREAK

Monday, April 8

Visit Stewart Library for extended session 10-12

Trends in Children’s Nonfiction with accompanying book talks by Ginny Cameron, children’s librarian.

Assignment:

First three lessons of your unit

Friday, April 26

Assignment:

Science unit lesson plans.


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