Class hours: Monday: 4:30 - 7:00 PM, Room 248 CoE

Unit Theme: Creating Effective Contexts for Learning

Catalog Description: Studies science education based on developing a comprehensive perception of science teaching, learning, and learners. This course provides for an introspective examination of methods and materials focused on the science teacher as a person and a professional.

Course Focus: This course will provide a variety of experiences in science education that are characterized as experiential, inquiry oriented, reflective, and web-assisted. The course will encourage a reflective and constructivist philosophy of teaching in which you will examine your prior knowledge of teaching, and then explore new methods of science teaching experientially. The application of technology, especially the Internet, in the science classroom will be a focus in this course. To evaluate your progress as a constructive science educator, you will be asked to utilize several performance assessment tools and reflective logs. Further we will also ingage in projects that can involve the students that you are teaching at the secondary level.

Program Theme: The objectives, focus questions, and content of this course are intended to support the College of Education's Master Degree program theme of Teacher as Reflective Professional.

This course will make use of experiental and active learning strategies and it will be facilitated by the use of a web-assisted teaching process. The following are some of the objectives that we will choose:

By taking this course you should be able to:

• Link science learning theory to your own prior experiences and knowledge of how secondary school students learn science.
• Read, discuss, and write about contemporary ideas surrounding learning and learners in science.
• Understand how secondary school kids learn science in terms of inquiry, reflection and constructivism.
• Learn practical teaching strategies based on constructivist and cooperative learning models of teaching.
• Know how to participate with colleague design teams to develop secondary school teaching materials (student projects) based on the learning cycle, cooperative learning, Internet tools and other technology applications.
• Discuss new curricular trends (technology, STS, National Standards, etc.) and assert how they may be used in the contemporary science classroom.
• Participate in a series of activities, some of which are global in nature, designed to connect with the students you teach.

• How do kids learn science?
• What is this concept of "constructivism" and what does it mean to me as a science teacher?
• What is the learning cycle, and what is its practical significance?
• How can inquiry be a part of one's teaching repertoire?
• How can I use cooperative learning to enhance my science instruction?
• What are some examples of exemplary science programs for secondary school science?
• How can technology (especially the Internet) be utilized to enhance you professionally, and engage your kids in real world problems?
• What is an EEEP and how can it be used to enhance kid's interest in science?
• How can I utilize the Internet as an effective science teaching tool? How can participation in a global Internet project contribute to my students understanding of science and themselves?
• How can the Internet be used to enhance my own knowledge of science education theory and practice?
• What are some of the best ways to teach science concepts that impact society and how do you address the social implications?

There are several aspects of the course which will be required. These are as follows:

1. Goals & Action Plan: The first requirement is that you make a list of the goals and an action plan that you will work on during the semester. Type the list give us a copy on September 10. We will return your goals to you at the next class session.

2. Projects: The second requirement is that you participate in a number of projects which are outlined below under the section "Projects". Each project has a specific criterion for accomplishment.

3. Journal & Net Discussions: A third requirement is that you keep a reflective journal of your experiences this quarter. Your journal should include a reflective discussion of each class and anecdotal comments related to your work in the class this quarter. The objective of the journal should be the realization of the application of methods learned in this course to your science classroom. You should also augment this reflective requirement by participating in the class discussions on the Course Bulletin Board, any SciChats we may have, and by using the "private e-mail" function in the course Web Site.

For your journal, you might use writing prompts such as the following to help you reflect on your experience:

• When I think about my own experiences at the secondary school, I wonder why...
• In planning lessons and activities in science, I now....
• In reflecting on my own ability to plan and teach lessons to secondary school students, I now feel that...
• I didn't realize that the Internet…
• Participating in the global Internet project showed me that...

• Mentor Project. You will be assigned a science education mentor and you will use e-mail to find out about your mentor. All of the mentors are currently Ph.D. students in science education at Georgia State University. Procedure: 1. You will find out who your science educator is in class. When you do, you should write an E-mail letter introducing yourself and telling something about who you are, what you do, and what your aspirations are. Be sure to keep your E-mails brief. 2. Develop a very short list of questions and use them as the core for E-mail messages. You should maintain a focus in your communication knowing that you are interested in your science educators' career. 3. Prepare a report on your science educator, and be prepared to share your findings in class on the assigned Science Educator day. Reports should be interesting, and should include either low or high tech visuals. 4. Turn in a written written hard copy report (one for each member of the class), and post your report on your website. 5. You should complete the project by writing a "thank you letter" to your educator. This is the gift that makes the project very worthwhile! You might try postal mail for this!
• International Clean Air Project. You will be invited to participate (with your secondary students) in an Internet-based inquiry project, called the International Clean Air Project. In the Project you and your students will monitor ground-level ozone at your school site for several days over a three week period (September 24 - October 12, share you data with others over the Internet, and use the Internet to discuss the results and draw conclusions. You should write a report outlining the problem you studied, the methods used, data collected, and the conclusions that you drew. You should also comment on the application of this activity to middle and high school science teaching.
• Windows into Science Classrooms Project. In this project you will have the opportunity to view science classrooms through different windows or perspectives. You will work with your classmates to apply a qualitative science education research study to the examination and analysis of secondary science classrooms. You and your team should prepare a report that summarizes your findings for the particular window that you used to view science classrooms.
• Project Web Site Development. During the semester you can enhance your professional science teaching web site. The site should consist of several pages, inluding a home page. The Web site should be put up on your GSU panther account, or your private Internet provider account. You will be asked to "present" your site during the semester in class.
• Web-Based Activities. Using the research presented in class, develop several web-based activities on a topic in your science curriculum.. The activities should be put on the "net" and presented to all of us. Templates for lesson development can be found at these sites:
  • (1) Web-Based Lessons: http://www.gsu.edu/~mstjrh/webbasedtemplate.html
  • (2). Activity Design Templates: http://scied.gsu.edu/Hassard/internet/activitydesigns.html
• Fuzzy Situations. Write a "Fuzzy Situation" story based on a science/technology/society issue. The story must ask students to integrate content knowledge, logic and creativity. Include criteria that each student must include in their answer or description. Be sure to ask for prediction and opinion.
• EEEP Development. Develop an EEEP and present it at the EEEP-a-Thon to be announced.

Primary Resources:

Hassard, J. (2000). Science as Inquiry Parsippany, NJ: Good Year Books, Inc. (Optional)

Hassard, J. (2000). Using the INTERNET as an Effective Science Teaching Tool. Bellevue, WA: The Bureau of Education and Research (Provided free)

Hassard, J. (2001). Increasing Your Students' Science Achievment: Using the Internet, Active Learning, Project-Based and Performance Assessment Strategies. Bellevue, WA: The Bureau of Education and Research (Provided free)

Hassard, J. (1992). Minds on Science (Online version). New York: HarperCollins.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1993). The Dreamkeepers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

What Research Says to the Science Teacher. National Association for Research in Science Teaching. A collection of short papers linking science education research to classroom practice.

Tobin, K., Butler, J. B., and Fraser, B. J. 1990. Windows into Science Classroom: Problems Associated with Higher-Level Cognitive Learning. London: Falmer Press. (Chapters will be provided in class)

Linn, Marcia C. and Hsi, Sherry, 2000. Computers, Teachers, Peers: Science Learning Partners. Mahwah, NJ., Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers (optional)

What Research Says to the Science Teacher. This is a collection of brief articles written by science educators linking research to classroom practice.

Other References: Students will access the World Wide Web for other data and resources needed in this course. Several websites have been developed to augment various parts of the course, and are included on the home page for the course. In addition, references will be provided throughout the quarter.

Grading and Assessment: Assessment of your performance in this course will be determined by a combination of methods. Your participation and products from the action projects will be evaluated concurrently by the instructor. An overall assessment of your progress will also include an evaluation of your portfolio and your reflective log.