Designing Science Units and Courses of Study

8/14/2019 Designing Science Units and Courses of Study

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Designing Science Units

Chapter 7

Designing Science Units and Courses

of Study

259-289


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How to Read This Chapter

This chapter has been organized to help you design a

unit of science teaching, which will be called a mini-

unit. It is advisable that you work through this

chapter from beginning to end. When you finish the

chapter, you will have created the following products:

A rationale for a science unit including general science

education goals. A list of objectives (we'll call them intended outcomes)

for a science unit grouped according to type of student

learning.

A concept map showing the relationships among the

central ideas in your unit.

An instructional plan (a set of lesson plans) describing

the unit, including what learning objectives are

intended, and the strategies you will employ to help

student achieve the unit's objectives.

An assessment plan describing measures to assess the

major objectives of the unit to provide feedback to the

students, and feedback for you on the effectiveness of

your science unit.

DesigningScienceUnits &

Couses ofStudy

PedagogicalContent

Knowledge(PCK)

InquiryActivity:

PCK

UnitDesignProcess

Model andSampleLessonPlans

InquiryActivity 7.2:DesigningTeachingMaterials

DirectInteractiveTeachingModelPlans

CooperativeLearning

Model Plans

Inquiry/Laboratory

Model Plans

ConstructivistModel Plans

Course ofStudyDesignProcess

InquiryActivity 7.3:The Course

Syllabus

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Invitations to Inquiry

What is pedagogical content knowledge? How is it different than contentknowledge?

What processes can be used to design an instructional plan?

How should a teacher proceed to develop a mini-unit of instruction?

What are intended learning outcomes? How do cognitions, affects, cognitiveskills and psychomotor skills differ?

How can cognitive maps be utilized in the planning and development ofteaching materials?

What are the elements of the following types of lessons: direct/interactive,

cooperative learning, constructivist and inquiry/laboratory? What are the elements of a course of study?

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Chapter 7 Map

DesigningScienceUnits &

Couses ofStudy

Pedagogical

ContentKnowledge(PCK)

InquiryActivity:

PCK

UnitDesignProcess

Model and

SampleLessonPlans

InquiryActivity 7.2:DesigningTeachingMaterials

DirectInteractiveTeachingModelPlans

CooperativeLearning

Model Plans

Inquiry/Laboratory

Model Plans

ConstructivistModel Plans

Course of

StudyDesignProcess

InquiryActivity 7.3:The Course

Syllabus


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Inquiry Activity 7.1: Pedagogical

Content Knowledge (PCK) Using the web resources identified

in the Inquiry, you are going toidentify a set of concepts in acontent area, and then identify

teaching suggestions for them. For concepts, you can access:

National Science Education Standards - Contents

Benchmarks On-Line

For curriculum & teaching you canaccess:

CSE K-12 Science Curriculum Dissemination Center ENC Online: A K-12 math and science teacher center.

261

These are fast plants. What are are they? How could

fast plants help you teach concepts in biology?
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/http://www.project2061.org/tools/benchol/bolintro.htmhttp://cse.edc.org/work/k12dissem/materials.asphttp://www.enc.org/http://www.enc.org/http://cse.edc.org/work/k12dissem/materials.asphttp://www.project2061.org/tools/benchol/bolintro.htmhttp://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/


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PCK

PCK is a teachers knowledge ofhow to help students understand

specific subject matter.

Key questions include: What shall I do with my students

to help them understand this

science concept?

What materials are available to

help me?

What are my students likely toalready know and what will be

difficult for them to learn?

How shall I best evaluate what my

students have learned?

How would this help you teach about water on Mars?

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The Art of Designing Teaching

Materials: A Constructivist Approach Just as an artist uses physical and intellectual

tools to make a painting, this chapter presentsyou with tools to artistically design teachingplans and associated materials.

A cyclic process is outlined in this chapter to

help to develop ideas for a science mini-unit. Inquiry 7.2 will guide you through the process

which is detailed on pp. 265-280.

To help you with the process, I have linked toa mini-unit developed by Jaime Delaney, aformer graduate student at Georgia StateUniversity, and now a teacher in Colorado.Refer to it while you develop your own.

Youll find lesson plans, a rationale, a conceptmap, and examples of outcomes, andevaluations.

262-287

The design process is a creative model to

develop teaching materials.

leads to

leads to

leads to

leads to

leads to

Brainstormideas for

content mini-unit

Identify FocusQuestions &

Outcomes

Writing arationale

DevelopSpecific

Lesson Plans

Implementationand evaluation

(feedback) of themini-unit

CategorizeOutcomes

Develop aConcept Map

for the unit

Categorizing& Organizingobjectives &

outcomesList Potential

Activities

Revision ofmini-unit based

onimplemenation

Mini-unitDesignProcess
http://www.delaneyweb.com/teems/miniunit/index.htmlhttp://www.delaneyweb.com/teems/miniunit/index.html


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Mini-Unit Design Process

265-280

leads to

leads to

leads to

leads to

leads to

Brainstormideas for

content mini-unit


Outcomes

Writing arationale

Develop

SpecificLesson Plans


(feedback) of the

mini-unit

CategorizeOutcomes

Develop aConcept Mapfor the unit



Activities


onimplemenation

Mini-unit

DesignProcess


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Inquiry Activity 7.2: Designing a

Science Mini-unit This Inquiry leads you through

the design process. Use the text,and the associated steps todevelop your ideas.

Some of the steps should bedone with peers, especially atthe beginning to generate ideas,but also throughout to receivefeedback on your outcomes,lesson plans and evaluations.

263-264

leads to

leads to

leads to

leads to

leads to

Brainstormideas for

content mini-unit


Outcomes

Writing arationale

DevelopSpecific

Lesson Plans


(feedback) of themini-unit

CategorizeOutcomes

Develop aConcept Map

for the unit



Activities


onimplemenation

Mini-unitDesignProcess


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Design Step 1: Brainstorming

This should be a fast, free-flowing listing of

terms, words, and phrases for the topic of

your mini-unit. Work with a few peers togenerate ideas.

You might want to look at the Standards

and/or Benchmarks to spark yourbrainstorming.

265


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Design Step 2: Name Your Mini-

unit This is way to give your unit focus---

naming it helps.

Some ideas from your peers include: Touring the tropical forests

Wet and wild wetlands

Sensational sediments Are we burning up? Global warming

What if you had a volcano in your backyard?

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Design Step 3: Identify Focus

Questions Focus questions should help you define the

heart of your unit or course. Two or three

well designed questions will help you andyour students makes links to their prior

knowledge and experience and help

establish a rationale for the unit.

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Design Step 4: Identify Intended

Learning Outcomes Use your initial list of ideas to create a list

of intended learning outcomes. Outcomes

are statements of what you want students tolearn. Outcomes are not activities or things

that your students will do. They are skills,

concepts, and values you intend the studentswill learn.

266-267


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Design Step 5: Categorize

Outcomes In this step, you will

sort your outcomesinto skill and nonskillcategories.

Here is an example ofintended outcomesfrom an environmentalunit categorized intononskill and skillgroups.

267

Environmental Problems in Our Community

Non-skill Outcomes Skill Outcomes

respects the environment

energy webs and foodchainspollutionknows how acids affect riverwaterunderstands biodegradable

ability to analyze a sample

of watercan measure the pH ofliquidscan write equations forchemical processes


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Design Step 6: Develop a

Concept Map of the Unit Use the ideas developed

by Novak and Gowin (p.

267) to develop a map of

your mini-unit. Youve

probably revise this as you

further develop the unit.

The map is a tool for your

planning and yourstudents learning. Share it

with them.

267-268

contain contain

linking words

combine

combine

generate own foodvia

contain

Foodchains

Consumers Decomposers

HerbivoresCarnivoresOmnivores

OrganicDebris

Inorganicsubstances

Producers

Photosynthesis

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Design Step 7: Write a Rationale

At this stage youve workedwith your unit enough so thatyou can write a rationale. Thinkabout:

How it will affect the future ofthe students.

How it contributes to societalissues.

How it reflects the spirit and

character of the scientificenterprise.

See the samples in the text.Here is part of one rationale.

Science education in this modern world of highinformation availability must be an inquiry basedexercise. Science, itself, must be defined as a verb, anaction, and a method of looking at the world. Andwhen the world, with all of its uniqueness andexceptions to the rulesis readily available throughthe Internet, simple memorization of facts canbecome useless. Student must use their brainpowerfor finding the threads that connect and related allthings. In this study of volcanoes, the Mt. St. Helensexample is used to show the power and themagnitude of a volcano; the devastation of all formsof life that occur following a blast. The lesson intent

is to explore how a volcano affects more than justgeology of the area. The example is used to showhow life in a devastated area reforms and rejuvenates.

268

269 273


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Design Step 8: Categorize Outcomes--

Cognitions, Affects and Skills This step you will actually delay until

after you have listed potential activities(step 9), and written lesson plans (step10). You can then pull your outcomesfrom your lesson plans, and categorize

them into four groups: Cognitions

Affects

Cognitive skills

Psychomotor skills

You should, however, review the nature ofthese categories of outcomes before yougo to the next two steps.

Use the map on the next slide, and textmaterial (pp. 269-273) to write out oneoutcome for each category related to yourmini-unit.

269-273

Summary of Learning Outcomes

Cognitions Concepts and

propositionsAffects Attitudes andfeelings

Cognitive Skills Cognitive abilitiesPsychomotor Skills Motor and laboratory

abilities


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Map of Learning Outcomes

IntendedLearningOutcomes

C ognition A ffects CognitiveSkills

PsychomotorSkills

Concepts andPropositions

Studentsshould graspthe meaning

of...(igneaousrocks)

Feelings,values andattitudes

Studentsshould

learn thatknowledgeis tentative

Intellectualcompetencies

Studentswill be abletopredict

the locationof moon.

Methodicalprocedure,technique,dexterity,

orderliness

Students willbe able use acompound

microscope.

269-273


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Design Step 9: List Potential

Activities Now that you have a

framework for your mini-unit,

you can do some exploring of

science activities (use onlineand print resources), and then

brainstorm with peers a list of

potential activities. For web

resources, check the section On

the Web in The Art of Teaching

Science text, or at the Art of

Teaching Science online site.

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Potential Activities

Ive included a

collection of Planning

Activities in theGazette of this

chapter. Take a look

at them for examples

of activities for youunit, and for further

ideas on lesson plans

Planning Activity 7.1: Earth Science:Shake, Rattle and RollPlanning Activity 7.2: Earth Science:

DontTake it for GranitePlanning Activity 7.3: Life Science:Light on: Responses of EarthwormsPlanning Activity 7.4: PhysicalScience: Chemistry in the BagPlanning Activity 7.5: Physical

Science: an Eggzact Experiment

292-296

274 279


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Design Step 10: Develop Lesson Plans

The mini-unit should contain betweenfour and six lesson plans. You will findthree types of templates for developingyour plans. I recommend the first one,the Constructivist template, as there are

many examples in the Art of TeachingScience, and Jaime Delaneys site,shown here, used the same template inthe development of her lesson plans.

Sketch out your plans using thetemplate of your choice, and then meetwith at least one peer to explain the

plans, and solicit feedback. Finalizeyour plans. Now you can pull all of theoutcomes from your plans, and createan organization of your learningoutcomes, as suggested in Design Step8.

274-279

Link to Jaime Delaneys Mini-unit to see

examples of lesson plans, and other elements

of the mini-unit.
http://www.delaneyweb.com/teems/miniunit/index.html


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Design Step 11: Develop an Assessment Plan

Assessment in your mini-unitshould:

Answer questions and providefeedback with regards to

student learning Provide data with respect to

the effectiveness of yourinstructional plans

You might want to look aheadto Chapter 8, and look at

examples of assessments thatyou might use in your mini-unit.

Student Feedback Form

1.During the mini-unit how satisfi ed wereyou as a learner?______very satisfied______satisfied

______unsatisfied______very unsatisfied

2.What could your teacher have done toincrease your satisfaction?

3.What were your favorite activities?

Why?

4.What were your least favoriteactivities? Why

Table 7.9.Student Feedback Form

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Design Steps 12 & 13:

Implementation and Feedback Try and teach your

mini-unit to a group ofstudents (elementary,middle or highschool). If you cantdo this, present onelesson to a group of

peers. In either case, video

tape your lesson.

Reflect on your mini-unitby using the feedback youobtained from students,

and peers. A complete listof reflection questions islocated on page 280. Oneexample is: To what extent did students

attain the learning outcomes(objectives) of the unit?

What revisions would youmake in the unit?

280

280 287


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Models and Sample Lesson Plans

In this section of the text, you

will find a collection of sample

lessons as follows:

Direct Instruction--NaturalProcessed Foods

Cooperative Learning--

Mystery at the Ringgold Road

Cut

Inquiry Learning--

Investigating Mass, Volume,and Density

Constructivist Model--

Electromagnetism

280-287

Mystery material from the

Ringgold Road Cut!--see p. 282

287 290


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Designing a Course of Study

The design of a course of study

uses the same principles as the

development of a mini-unit.

Youll find details on the

elements of a course of study in

this section.

Ive included an example of

each element using a course of

study called Global Science. It

should give you ideas for the

development of your courses of

study, or more complete units of

study.

Rationale and Philosophy of theCourse of Study

Intended Learning Outcomes

Units of StudyInstructional Foci or StrategiesEvaluation Procedures

287-290

Elements of a Course of Study

289


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Inquiry 7.3: Designing a Course

of Study: The Course Syllabus In this activity you will identify and

describe the major elements of a course of

study for an area of elementary, middle orhigh school science. Your product will be a

course syllabus.

289

Documents

Designing Science Units and Courses of Study