ED 10902 Syllabus Spring 2012

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ED 109-02: TEACHING ABOUT THE NATURAL WORLD Spring 2012

Mondays and Wednesdays 3:00 – 4:15, Higgins 270

Instructor: Jeremy Price

Office: 119C Campion Hall

e-mail: jeremy.price@bc.edu

Office Hours: Wednesdays 12:45 – 2:45 (in Campion 117) or by appointment

COURSE WEBSITE Readings for the course are available through course reserves - https://www.bc.edu/quest.

The website with syllabus, assignments, and resources is at https://ed10912.wordpress.com/.

TEACHER EDUCATION THEMES Programs in Teacher Education at BC have five unifying themes. Although no single course

addresses all five themes in depth and every course has goals and objectives beyond these, each

course is in keeping with the themes and addresses some of the five.

Promoting social justice: At BC, we see teaching as an activity with political dimensions, and

we see all educators as responsible for challenging inequities in the social order and working

with others to establish a more just society.

Constructing knowledge: At BC, we regard all teachers and students as active agents in their

own learning, who draw on prior knowledge and experience to construct new knowledge in

interaction with texts, materials, and other learners.

Inquiring into practice: At BC, the curriculum is intended to bridge the gap between research,

and practice by fostering critical reflection and by treating classrooms and schools as sites for

teacher research and other forms of practitioner inquiry.

Accommodating diversity: At BC, we believe that one of central challenges of teaching is

meeting the needs of all learners, especially as the school population becomes more diverse in

race, culture, ethnicity, language background, and ability/disability.

Collaborating with others: At BC, prospective teachers are encouraged to collaborate with each

of the stakeholders in the educational process (other teachers, administrators, human services

professionals, parents, community members) and with fellow students and professors.

COURSE OVERVIEW This course is designed to increase your confidence and enthusiasm for teaching elementary

science. Science can be an essential part of an elementary classroom not only to achieve key

science learning goals, but also as a means to engage and motivate students as well as support

literacy and mathematics learning.

ED 10902 Syllabus Spring 2012

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The course is structured around the idea of a teaching cycle (Wilson, Shulman, & Richet, 1987),

which offers a framework for thinking about the different aspects that go into successful science

teaching. Building from the work of Charles (Andy) Anderson, we consider four different stages

involved in instruction.

Clarifying learning goals: Students’ knowledge and practices. When teaching, you

need to consider what you want students to learn and what you want them to be able to

do. In today’s high stakes environment there are external forces that influence this

decision (e.g. standards and assessments), but there are also forces inside your classrooms

(e.g. accommodating diversity and the needs of every learner) and personal beliefs (e.g.

promoting social justice) that influence the learning goals that you develop for your

students. We will discuss ideas and resources that could influence this decision:

scientific literacy, national and state standards, scientific inquiry practices, student

misconceptions, student motivation, and understanding diversity.

Learning environment: Teacher planning and strategies. After you decide what you

want students to know and be able to do, then you need to design a learning environment

that promotes that student learning. This stage includes both the planning and the

implementation of your plan. Teaching is a design activity in which teachers balance

tradeoffs and make choices based on their own resources and capacities as well as those

of their students both during planning and the actual act of teaching (Brown, 2004;

Simon, 1996). There are numerous resources that teachers can use and adapt to develop

innovative and engaging learning environments. One particular focus of this class will be

on critiquing, selecting, and adapting curriculum materials. We also purposefully use the

term “learning” instead of “classroom” environment to stress the importance of drawing

from experiences and resources both inside and outside of the classroom. We will

discuss a number of ideas and resources that you can use to design effective learning

environments: evaluating curriculum, integrating technology, designing lesson plans,

developing an inquiry classrooms, using instructional strategies, designing for diversity,

and making connections to the environment and students’ everyday experiences.

Assessment, reflection, and revision. Assessment is a critical aspect of being a science

teacher. Assessments can be used in a more formative manner to encourage reflection.

Feedback to students can encourage student reflection and greater student learning.

Assessing your students learning can also help you determine if your learning

environment and teaching strategies are helping students achieve your desired learning

goals or if you need to revise your instruction. We will discuss how to effectively

incorporate assessment in your teaching.

Reflection and inquiry on teacher practice. It is important to take a step back and reflect

not only on your students’ growth, but also on yourself as a teacher. Reflecting on your

own beliefs, knowledge and skills as a teacher is essential for your professional growth.

Furthermore, it can be critical to consider your role in the larger school or community

setting to assess whether you are meeting your personal goals. Consider questions such

as: What are your goals for your students? Are you supporting students with a diversity

of needs? Are you promoting greater social justice? Are you taking an active role in your

school culture or the science education community to help change the system?

ED 10902 Syllabus Spring 2012

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ASSIGNMENTS Below is a brief description of the assignments for this class. We will provide more detailed

descriptions before the assignments are due.

Class Participation___ _______________________________________________10%

We feel that the experiences during class are essential for your own personal growth and for

creating a productive ED109 community. We expect that you will attend all classes, arrive on

time, and actively participate in classroom activities and discussions. Every unexcused absence

lowers your class participation grade by 10%, which translates into a one percentage decrease in

your total grade for the class. For example, if your grade would be a 93, but you have 2

unexcused absences it will lower to a 91. If you have 10 unexcused absences, it will lower it to

an 83. Over ten unexcused absences may result in your not passing the class.

Reflecting on Classroom Collaboration Projects _______________5%

You are always encouraged to write reflections and comments on the class blog. However, for

five of the class sessions (the curriculum evaluation, the three case studies, and the last day of the

long-term inquiry) you will be required to post a 100-300 word reflection comment. Although

you may use any structure you would like, you may write a comment addressing one of the

following three areas: (1) a question which arose for you based on the class session, and what

led to that question; (2) how your thinking has changed based on the class session; or (3) a write-

up synthesis or concretization of the class session. Your reflection is due within 72 hours of the

end of the class session.

Better Know A Student (in terms of science)!_____________ __________________15%

What experiences and ideas do students bring to science? How do these influence their thinking

through and thinking about science? You will conduct a 20-30 minute interview with a student

around these questions. A draft protocol of your interview is due on Monday, February 6. Some

ideas for questions in your protocol include: What words come to mind when you think of

science? Do you have any questions having to do with science that you have not asked in class?

Can you tell me about [some science concept]? You will then conduct your interview and take

notes during the interview. Finally, you will write a report summarizing and reflecting on your

findings. In writing this report, consider what kind of experience or information you might bring

forward to help this student better understand and participate in science. The write-up for your

interview is due Friday, March 2.

Teaching a Lesson and Reflection _________________________________________20% An important aspect of the teacher cycle is using available resources to design instruction. You

and a partner will develop a thirty-minute lesson to teach a science topic of your choice (e.g.

motion) for a grade level of your choice (e.g. 1st grade). You can borrow materials from us or

from the ERC. You will then teach that lesson to ED109 and we will act as your students. Both

partners should actively participate in the teaching. We will also videotape the lesson for you to

observe and reflect on. We will digitize the video and burn a movie on a cd that we will provide

to you. Two weeks after you teach your lesson you will hand in your lesson plan for the lesson

and a reflection on your teaching from watching the videotape. The due date for this assignment

will depend on when you teach the class. People will teach the class ranging from February 27-

April 4 and will hand in their lesson plans and reflections ranging from March 12-April 18.

ED 10902 Syllabus Spring 2012

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Curriculum Unit Design_____________________________________________________50% As a teacher, you develop lessons and entire units to help support your students in learning

science. The final project for this class will be to design a curricular unit that would last 6 class

days. These could be consecutive class days or it could be a unit that you imagine spread out

over a longer period of time (e.g. twice a week for 3 weeks). You can work with one partner to

design the curriculum unit or you can create the unit independently. If you do choose to work

with a partner, you need to do three aspects independently: 1. Design One Lesson, 2. Reflection

for final curriculum unit. 3. Three extensions for the unit (people working by themselves do not

need to design the three extensions).

Outline (5%)

Before developing the entire curriculum unit, we would like you to develop an outline

that provides that target learning goals and a description of the instructional sequence.

This will allow us to provide you with feedback as you start to think through your

complete curriculum unit. The outline is due Monday, March 26.

Design One Lesson (10%)

Before designing the complete unit, we would first like you to hand in one individual

lesson. This must be completed independently even if you are working on the unit with a

partner. Ideally, this lesson would be one that you would actually teach in your pre-

practicum. The one lesson is due Wednesday, April 11.

Design One Student Assessment (10%)

You will develop one assessment including both the student version of the assessment as

well as a rubric or key that you would use to evaluate students’ understanding. The

student assessment can take a variety of forms such as a quiz, presentation, lab report,

performance assessment or other written assignment. Again, ideally this assessment is

one you will be able to use in your own teaching and that you can include as part of your

final curriculum unit. The assessment is due Wednesday, April 25.

Final Curriculum Unit (25%)

You will design a curricular unit that would last 5 class days (approximately ~45-60

minutes a day) that targets a specific science topic. You will develop detailed lesson

plans for the 5 days including any handouts, powerpoints, pictures, etc. that you would

use with the students. Ideally, two of the five detailed lessons should already be

developed from the lesson you taught in class and the other individual lesson that you

handed in. Your unit will also include an introduction & purpose, science standards,

science background, possible student misconceptions, and one student assessment (the

one you already developed). You will also hand in a reflection that discusses how you

developed your unit and a rationale for your particular instructional sequence.

If you choose to design your curriculum unit with a partner, you will need to

independently write your reflection. You will also need to develop three extensions to

the unit discussing possible next steps (each about ½ page long).

The final unit is due Wednesday, May 9.

ED 10902 Syllabus Spring 2012

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Grading Procedures

Your grade for each assignment as well as your final grade will be determined by the following

scheme:

A 92-100 A- 88-91 B+ 86-87 B 83-85 B- 80-82 C+ 77-79

C 74-76 C- 70-73 D+ 67-69 D 64-66 D- 60-63 F below 60

POLICIES

a) Students will be expected to attend all classes and to be punctual. As mentioned above, class attendance and

participation is an important part of the class.

b) Please turn off cell phones as they disrupt the class and the students around you.

c) If you know you are going to miss a class, please let us know in advance. Unexcused absences result in a 10%

decrease in your participation grade. Allowances will be made for medical or family emergencies. The

instructor may request written documentation for these emergencies.

d) BC Academic Integrity: the pursuit of knowledge can proceed only when scholars take responsibility and

receive credit for their work. Recognition of individual contributions to knowledge and of the intellectual

property of others builds trust within the University and encourages the sharing of ideas that is essential to

scholarship. Similarly, the educational process requires that individuals present their own ideas and insights for

evaluation, critique, and eventual reformation. Presentation of others’ work as one’s own is not only

intellectual dishonesty, but also undermines the education process. Plagiarism, that is, failure to properly

acknowledge sources written or electronic, used for verbatim quotations or ideas, is a violation of academic

integrity. Each student is responsible for learning and using proper methods of paraphrasing and footnoting,

quotation, and other forms of citation to ensure that the original author, speaker, illustrator, or course of the

material used is clearly acknowledged. Suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be brought to the attention

of the Dean’s office. See http://www.be.edu/offices/stserv/academic/rescourses/policy/#integrity for additional

details about Academic Integrity.

e) BC Students with a Disability or Suspected Disability: If you are a student with a documented disability and

will be requesting accommodations, please register with either Kathy Duggan [Kathleen.duggan@bc.edu],

Associate Director, Academic Support Services, the Connors Family Learning Center (learning disabilities and

ADHD) or Suzy Conway [Suzy.conway.1@bc.edu], Assistant Dean for Students with Disabilities (all other

disabilities). Advance notice and appropriate documentation are required for accommodations.

f) If you have trouble meeting a due date, please notify us at least 24 hours before the due date via e-mail or

phone, providing a reason and negotiating a mutually agreeable alternate date.

g) Assignments are due on their due date by 3:00pm (class time). Late papers will not be accepted without prior

arrangement with the instructor. Unauthorized late assignments will forfeit 10% of the total assignment score

per day.

ED 10902 Syllabus Spring 2012

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WEEKLY SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS

Class Topic Readings (Due) Assignments (Due)

Class 1

January 18

Introduction to the

course

Goals and expectations

What is science?

None (first day of class)

None (first day of

class)

Class 2

January 23

What is Science?

Science Is Magic:

Experiencing the World

with Your Senses,

Wonder, and Empathy

Constructing Science in Elementary

Classrooms, Chapter 1: What is

Science?

Beyond Ecophobia (http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/educatio

n-for-life/803, archived at

http://www.webcitation.org/63jwGs8QZ)

Nobody Likes Soap In Their Eyes (https://www.wou.edu/~girodm/soap.pdf,

archived at

http://www.webcitation.org/63jwHNnr7)

From Phenomenon to Concept:

Designing Phenomenological

Science Education

(http://www.umb.no/statisk/larerutdanning/fr

om_phenomenon_to_concept.pdf, archived

at http://www.webcitation.org/64KL1q7vt, pp. 125-126)

Class 3

January 25

What is science?

Ready Set Science, Chapter 1, A

New Vision of Science in Education

(pp. 1-16).

Constructing Science in Elementary

Classrooms, Chapter 2: Why Teach

Science?

ED 10902 Syllabus Spring 2012

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Class Topic Readings (Due) Assignments (Due)

Class 4

January 30

Scientific Inquiry

Science Standards

Ready Set Science, Chapter 2, Four

Strands of Science Learning (pp. 17-

36).

Read Mass Frameworks for K-5

science (http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/scitec

h/1006.pdf).

Look through NRC National Science

Education Standards (Ch. 6, http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id

=4962&page=103) and AAAS

Benchmarks (Chapters 1-6 & 12, http://www.project2061.org/publications/bsl/

online/index.php) to get a sense of what

science content is in the national

standards.

Class 5

February 1

What Students (and

Teachers) Bring to

Science: Resources,

Preconceptions, and

Lies to Children, Oh

My!

Ready Set Science, Chapter 3,

Foundational Knowledge and

Conceptual Change (pp. 37-58).

Class 6

February 6

Meet in

ERC

Evaluating Curriculum

The Science Teaching

Experience

Case Studies in Elementary Science,

Chapter 1, Cases as Guides to

Learning to Teach Science (pp. 1-11)

Case Studies in Elementary Science,

CHOOSE ONE:

Case 2.1, Kaboom, Kaput!

(Lower Grades, pp. 15-19)

Case 2.6, Surfing into a Science

Research Quandry (Upper

Grades, pp. 35-38)

Class 7

February 8

Evaluating Curriculum

AAAS article - The Trouble with

Textbooks (http://www.project2061.org/publications/arti

cles/articles/asee.htm, archived at

http://www.webcitation.org/64K8vFIzT)

Class 8

February 13

Designing Science

Lessons

Ready Set Science, Chapter 5,

Making thinking visible: Talk and

Argument (p. 87-108).

Draft of Interview

Protocol

Class 9

February 15

Designing Science

Lessons

Ready Set Science, Chapter 4,

Organizing Science Education

Around Core Concepts (p. 59-86).

Visitor

Interview Protocols

with Comments

Returned

ED 10902 Syllabus Spring 2012

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Class Topic Readings (Due) Assignments (Due)

Class 10

February 20

Designing Science

Lessons

Scientific Inquiry

Inquiry and the National Science

Education Standards, Chapter 2 (pp.

13-37, http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id

=9596&page=13)

Inquiry and the National Science

Education Standards, Chapter 3 –

Images of Inquiry in K-4 Classroom

(first 1/3 of chapter, http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id

=9596&page=39)

Class 11

February 22

Designing Science

Lessons for Diverse

Students

Universal Design for Learning

(UDL) in the Science Classroom

(this will be provided to you)

UDL Guidelines – Educator

Checklist (http://udlonline.cast.org/guidelines,

http://www.webcitation.org/64JwXySig)

Visitor

Class 12

February 27

Designing Science

Lessons for Diverse

Students

(1st Lesson Taught)

Linking Science & Literacy, Chapter

11: Using Diversity as a Strength in

the Science Classroom (pp. 305 -

319)

Teaching a Lesson

(first day to teach)

Class 13

February 29

Scientific Inquiry

(2nd

Lesson Taught)

Interview Report

No Class

March 5 & 7

Spring Break

Class 14

March 12

Science and Literacy

(3rd

Lesson Taught)

Linking Science & Literacy, Chapter

5: Comprehension Strategies and the

Scientist’s Notebook (pp. 127-148)

Linking Science & Literacy, Chapter

6: Writing to Learn (chapter itself is

optional, pp. 149-159. Required the

appendix pp. 159-160).

Class 15

March 14

Science and Literacy

(4th Lesson Taught)

Class 16

March 19

Science and Literacy

(5th Lesson Taught)

Science as inquiry in the secondary

setting, Chapter 11, Inquiry and

scientific explanations: Helping

students use evidence and reasoning

(pp. 121-134).

Class 17

March 21

Science and Literacy

(6th Lesson Taught)

Outline of Unit

ED 10902 Syllabus Spring 2012

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Class Topic Readings (Due) Assignments (Due)

Class 18

online March 26 &

March 28

Instructional Strategies

and Field Trips

Suggestions for Success: Museum

Field Trips (http://cumuseum.colorado.edu/Education/su

ggestions.pdf,

http://www.webcitation.org/64KBPk5of)

Museums and Learning: A Guide

for Family Visits (http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/Museum/index.ht

ml)

The Absolute Awesomeness of Field

Trips (http://www.edutopia.org/blog/field-

trips-absolute-awesomeness-elena-aguilar)

Class Discussion Via

VoiceThread - Jeremy

at National

Association for

Research in Science

Teaching conference

Class 19

April 2

Instructional strategies

(7th Lesson Taught)

Ready Set Science, Chapter 7,

Learning from Science

Investigations (pp. 127-148).

Class 20

April 4

Assessment

(8th Lesson Taught)

Assessment in science: Practical

experiences and education research,

Chapter 2: Developing assessment

items: A how-to guide (pp. 15-30)

Classroom Assessment and the

National Science Education

Standards, Chapters 2 (pp. 11-21, http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id

=9847&page=11)

Teaching a Lesson

(last day to teach)

No Class

April 9

Easter Monday

Class 21

April 11

The Science Teaching

Experience

Case Studies in Elementary Science,

SIGN UP FOR ONE:

Case 4.1: Spider! Creating an

Interdisciplinary Web to Support

Science Inquiry (Lower Grades)

Case 4.3: Building Castles:

Redesigning Simple Machines

(Upper Grades)

Case 4.5: Hands of Surgeons,

Minds of Scientists! (All Grades)

OR Case 4.6: Haz tu Tarea (Do

Your School Work) (All Grades)

One Lesson for Final

Unit

Case Study Round

Robin (In Class)

No Class

April 16

Patriots Day Vacation

ED 10902 Syllabus Spring 2012

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Class Topic Readings (Due) Assignments (Due)

Class 22

April 18

Assessment Assessing Science Learning:

Perspectives from Research and

Practice. Chapter 6, Assessing

middle school students’ content

knowledge and reasoning through

written scientific explanations. (pp.

101-116)

Class 23

April 23

Modeling and Story

Telling in Science

Ready Set Science, Chapter 6,

Making thinking visible: Modeling

and Representation (pp. 109-126)

Creating with Scratch (http://scratched.media.mit.edu/sites/default/f

iles/Creating-with-Scratch.pdf, archived at

http://www.webcitation.org/64K3zDwJC)

Learning with Scratch (http://scratched.media.mit.edu/sites/default/f

iles/Learning%20with%20Scratch.pdf,

archived at

http://www.webcitation.org/64K46JtBy)

Getting Started with Scratch (http://scratched.media.mit.edu/sites/default/f

iles/GettingStartedGuidev14.pdf, archived at

http://www.webcitation.org/64K47AZ9D)

Visitor

Class 24

April 25

The Science Teaching

Experience

Case Studies in Elementary Science,

SIGN UP FOR ONE:

Case 5.1: Barbara’s Mother (All

Grades)

Case 5.3: Father Knows Best (All

Grades)

Case 5.6: Setting Children Up for

Failure (All Grades)

Assessment

Case Study Round

Robin (In Class)

Class 25

April 30

Engineering

Simple Machines/Other

Content Areas

Class 26

May 2

Using the outdoors in

science teaching

Ready Set Science, Chapter 8, A

System that Supports Science

Learning (pp. 149-166).

Science and Children article,

Outdoor Classrooms – Planning

Makes Perfect (pp. 44-48, http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2007-

04/sc0607_44.pdf, archived at

http://www.webcitation.org/64KAzvnT5)

Wednesday

May 9

FINAL UNIT DUE

ED 10902 Syllabus Spring 2012

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REQUIRED BOOK Michaels, S, Shouse, A. W. & Schweingruber, H. A. (2008). Ready, set, science! Putting

research to work in k-8 science classrooms. Board on Science Education, Center for Education,

Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National

Academies Press.

OTHER READINGS All other readings can be found on Blackboard Vista under the appropriate week. These readings

come from the following books. If you would like to purchase any of these books, they are

available online, but it is not necessary for the class.

American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1993). Benchmarks for science literacy.

New York: Oxford University Press.

Coffey, J., Douglas, R., & Stearns, C. (Eds.) (2008). Assessing Science Learning: Perspectives

from Research and Practice. Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association

Press.

Douglas, R., Klentschy, M. P., Worth, K., & Binder, W. (Eds.) (2006). Linking science and

literacy in the K–8 classroom. Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association

Press.

Fatham, A. K. & Crowther, D.T. (Eds.) (2006). Science for English language learners: K-12

classroom strategies. Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association Press.

Howe, A. C. & Nichols, S. E. (2001). Case Studies in Elementary Science: Learning from

Teachers. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Luft, J., Bell, R. & Gess-Newsome, J. (Eds.) (2008). Science as inquiry in the secondary setting..

Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association Press.

McMahon, M., Simmons, P., Sommers, R., DeBaets, D., & Crowley, F. (Eds.) (2006).

Assessment in science: Practical experiences and education research. Arlington, VA:

National Science Teachers Association Press

National Research Council. (1996). National science education standards. Washington, DC:

National Academy Press.

National Research Council. (2000). Inquiry and the national science education standards: A

guide for teaching and learning. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

National Research Council. (2001). Classroom Assessment and the National Science Education

Standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP You may want to consider joining NSTA. NSTA has a special membership for preservice and

new teachers that costs $32 - http://www.nsta.org/pdfs/MembershipApplicationStudent.pdf.