EDTE 701 Special Topics in Science Teaching


Course Description: Participants will learn skills necessary to develop staff development strategies to educate other educators to teach science and mathematics in the 21st Century. Sessions on use of technology (computers, e-mail, computer based laboratories, graphics calculators), staff development strategies, authentic assessment, and national standards will enable students to develop lessons they will be able to use in the classroom as well as share with other teachers. Teachers will conduct inquiry based lessons, critique these lessons and prepare and conduct a one week institute for other teachers. The course will entail 5 six-hour Saturday sessions between February and May, and a 1-week summer session in which they will implement a staff development plan to teach a group of teachers in one week institutes.

Prerequisite: Must have been a participant in a S.C. Statewide Systemic Initiative Curriculum Leadership Institute conducted by one of the 13 HUBS

Credits: 3

Instructors: Jeffrey M. Priest, Director, Ruth Patrick Science Education Center/CSRA HUB, Janet Watkins, Science Specialist, CSRA HUB, Gloria Allen, Mathematics Specialist, CSRA HUB

Telephone: (803) 648-6851

E-Mail: jeffp@aiken.sc.edu

Class Location: Ruth Patrick Science Education Center

Dates: February - August (Not offered in 1996) Saturdays - February - May (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) Teachers will run a one week institute between June and August, for a minimum of 30 contact hours. Participants will design and implement these institutes in teams of 3 and 4.

Contact Hours: 60 hours

Text: No formal text will be used, but selected readings including but not exclusive to: NCTM Standards, AAAS Benchmarks, NRC Science Standards, South Carolina Mathematics Frameworks, South Carolina Science Frameworks
Selected Journal Article Readings:
Lawler, Andrew. NSF Takes Leap Into School Reform, Science, Vol. 266 No. 23, pp. 1936-1939, December, 1994
Olsen, Lynn. Growing Pains. Education Week., pp. 29-46, November 1994
Little, Judith Waren. TeachersŐ Professional Development in a Climate of Educational Reform, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Vol. 15, No.2, pp. 129-151. Summer 1993.
Bruffee, Kenneth. Sharing Our Toys: Cooperative Learning Versus Collaborative Learning. Change. pp. 12-17, January/February 1995.

Topics Covered:
  • NCTM Standards
  • South Carolina Mathematics Frameworks
  • AAAS Benchmarks
  • South Carolina Science Frameworks
  • NRC Science Standards
  • Authentic Assessment
  • Inquiry Based Learning
  • Constructivism
  • Staff Development Strategies
  • Learning Cycle
  • Leadership Skills

    Objectives:

    1. Participants will become familiar with and be able to implement in their classroom, State and National Science and Mathematics Standards.

    2. Participants will become familiar with and be able to implement in their classroom, several forms of authentic assessment.

    3. Participants will be able to use leadership skills gained in this program to begin to make changes in mathematics and science education in their schools and communities.

    4. Participants will be able to design and implement a one-week (30 hour) staff development program in science and/or mathematics for other teachers. Staff development is to include inquiry based activities and the learning cycle.

    5. Participants will develop an assessment strategy to determine effectiveness of their institutes as well as a follow-up plan to contact their institute participants during the academic school year.

    Course Requirements:
    Class participation is important to the success of the participant and the course in general. Therefore students must attend all class meetings. Unsatisfactory class attendance will be considered adequate grounds for requesting the student to withdraw from the course.

    Evaluation:

    Class Participation 50%

    Journal Article Summary 10%

    Staff Development Plan 10%

    Workshop Presentation 30%


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