C&I 451V Syllabus

Note: This is a tentative syllabus. All items in this syllabus are negotiable since it was created in your absence. You are encouraged to provide feedback about the nature of the course and the requirements. It is through such dialogue that our learning community is established.

Upon completion of this course, students must have no more than 6-9 semester hours remaining in their endorsement area. If endorsement requirements exceed this limit, enrollment in 851V will not be allowed without special permission. In addition to this 3 hour methods course, you are to have one hour of practicum 897V/497V, representing 55 hours of informal/ nonformal or school experiences and at least 45 hours in a research setting. (If you have your research requirement out of the way, then all 100 hours will be in nonformal/informal or school settings.)
In the fall, you will take Methods II (452V/852V). This represents another three semester hours of credit with a focus on curriculum, plus a 100 hour, two credit practicum in schools. Altogether, by the end of the two semesters, you must have 3 hours of practicum: one hour of informal/school based from the spring semester (55 hours plus 45 for research experience) and two credits of school-based practicum in the fall semester, in addition to the two methods courses.
SUMMARY: Basically you have methods class and out of class experiences both semesters. I am NOT hung up on hours. I AM concerned with having experiences. Everyone needs to leave the first course with: 1. Documented research experience, 2. Time in "out of school" learning experiences, and 3.you MUST get into schools. We have moved a set of planned experiences/tasks to this semester, which will provide you with a set of objectives to be accomplished in the schools. Please follow the link on Black Board to the Practicum Discussion site.

You will be constantly given opportunities for personal empowerment and critical reflection, ultimately intended to move you toward self directed life long learning objectives.

"Educating for the 21st Century is not a list; it’s not set of guidelines; it’s not a curriculum. It’s a way of thinking....Education is not merely the transmission of information....We [and our children] need instead to construct for ourselves patterns with which to make sense of the world. We must sell understanding not information. We must be wise, not just smart."
Robert W. Cole, Jr. (1987) A Wish for My Child. Phi Delta Kappan.

Perspective teachers cannot be "taught" to act on "knowledge" unless their teachers act on that knowledge themselves. More specifically, leaning occurs in environments, which are dynamic, social, and built on students’ prior experience, knowledge and questions. It is critical that teachers and learners engage in a learning community that provides opportunities to do real work which allows for the construction of understandings.

Understanding begins with learners’ passions or burning questions, which grow from their personal experiences. (Note that I did not say that it begins with MY passions or MY experiences.) This course is designed to help YOU identify and engage in experiences so that questions and concerns can be raised in an environment that supports inquiry and introspection regarding the phenomenon. All participants then, must be encouraged to make connections between what one is learning and what one already knows. Teachers and learners must build on and use the knowledge they already possess when striving to understand something new.

In developing these connections and new understandings, teachers and learners must engage in dialogues. It is through these interactions (both inside and outside of our classroom) that a community of learners is established that will lead us to a deeper understanding. Learning then, occurs as a result of a number of interactions with our environment. In addition these interactions must take place within a context that has meaning to the learner. Please be mindful that "environment" refers to physical settings, psychological conditions, our place in time/history, people, and materials with which we will interact. This course will continually challenge you to interact with diverse environments thereby increasing your learning and understanding. You will be asked to view the changing global nature of society and teaching brought on by educational research and new technologies. For example, you must become aware of your own leaning as well as be able to accept, recognize, and accommodate other learning styles, which may be different than your own. As an integral part of the learning community, our goal becomes helping others become cognizant of their learning and developing experiences in context which are sensitive to the varied backgrounds of ALL individuals. Teaching and learning is therefore a reflective process, which is constantly influenced by our evolving personal beliefs of teaching and learning. It is this set of beliefs, which drives our instructional decisions.

For these reasons, this methods course will not tell students what I think they ought to know. Instead, it will have you experience through "real work" and within a safe environment what is currently known about teaching and learning. It is very important to say, that many students demand, eventually, that I reveal to them sources of knowledge that has influenced many others and myself. When such demands are authentic, and not an attempt to avoid learning, I will provide a bibliography as respectable as any "real" professor’s handouts in "real" university courses. (You might want to find where this last statement originated and read the entire source.) But remember that no one ever became a great teacher by going through a bibliography. Therefore we will practice the belief that "those who do the doing, do the learning". The more opportunities that you avail yourself of, the more you will learn. Learning requires both understanding and action.

In closing I must tell you that we will at times be trying things in this course that ultimately will not work and we will fail. But please remember that if we intend to double our successes, we must create a climate where failure is not only okay, but expected from time to time. I know that we well learn as much or more from these failed attempts as we do from our successes. I am convinced that "as a result of being together, none of us will ever be the same again."(Guy Dowd).

1. developed a set of student learning objectives.

2. produced a well-thought out, extensive rationale for teaching science which is compatible with the individual's goals. (This will be revisited several times during the next 18 months, with feedback from the instructor and others.)

3. design, teach, and assess open-ended inquiry-based laboratory activities which focus on developing critical thinking skills.

4. created a Developmental Portfolio documenting your progress in meeting the UN-L Science Standards, laboratory skills, research requirement, technology skills, and document personal dispositions.

5. grow in your understanding of the nature and purpose of science as a world view and its underlying assumptions.

6. articulated both the problems and potential solutions to science teaching issues, including: gender-bias, cultural-bias, and learner diversity.

7. studied both the national and state science standards and the implications these standards have for instruction.

1. develop and present teaching activities which are consistent with the rationale and goals.

3. objectively and quantitatively assessment and evaluate self and others after a teaching session, part of which will occur as a result of assessing videotaped lessons and reflections of classroom observations.

4. construct a learning environment which non-verbally transmits course objectives and instructional intent, just by entering the room.

5. demonstrate familiarity with at least one professional "science education" journal.

3. Project Leadership and Reports (This will include directing at least one major activity.) 10%

** To be handed in 2 days prior to final Rationale Defense and portfolio presentation.

Attendance: University policies will be followed for the course. In addition, students are expected to make the transition from "taking courses" to "being a professional". Treat attendance as any professional. contacting one or both of the instructors with an explanation of any absence is necessry. We both read email hourly and we both have cell phones. So communicate!

Submit at least one article dealing with the teaching of science using the following outline. Three sections are required in your review including1. a description of the article or activity, 2. an analysis of its’ use or relevance, 3. and your personal reflections. The review is NOT to be a review of new science discoveries, but the teaching of science.

Relevance How pertinent is the event to the issue-at-hand (the conceptual framework of the event)? The reader should be able to recognize and discuss how the material ties to national science educational reform agendas.

Reflection (How do you feel about this material?) This section can not be assessed as right or wrong. It is your opinion and how you feel the concepts fit into your teaching understanding at this time. These issues may be the focus of the class discussion when presented.

Suggested journals include: The Science Teacher, Science Scope, Science & Children (NSTA), The Biology Teacher (NABT), The Physics Teacher (AAPT), Chemical Education (ACS), Journal of Geological Education (NAGT), The Earth Scientist (NESTA), School Science and Math (SSMA), & Journal of Research in Science Teaching (NARST).

During the first week you will be asked to teach a five to ten minute lesson. "You are to teach as you perceive teaching to exist and include a discussion in your lesson." A lesson plan of your making is also to accompany your presentation. Lessons will be video taped and coded.

Visit some facility that may be a potential field trip site and/or resource for materials, ideas, etc. (Ideas include: arboretum, science museum, planetarium, nature centers, Zoo, an industry, science related business, etc. Please prepare a fact sheet that includes: name of facility, location, potential learning experiences or expected learning outcomes, contact information, (person, e-mails, and phone numbers) cost, time required for visit, and a brief description of the trip.

There will be numerous daily assignments. Much of the class time will involve discussions of reading assignments and activities. Students will be requested to prepare questions and/or comments over readings in advance of discussions.

Each class member will prepare a three to five minute teacher centered demonstration, including a lesson plan handout for all class members. The presentation must model appropriate inquiry based teaching strategies and a rationale for using a demonstration instead of an activity based laboratory. Portfolio entry should also occur. This semester we will also be working toward a graphic web based version of our work. Therefore, consider making an html version of your work for loading to nerds.unl.edu. These presentations will start around the 8th week of class.

Every effort will be made this semester to have each of your demonstrations video taped so you may edit the material and create additional products for "NERDS Video Productions" Last years creations are on our web page, under teacher resources. (You will be able to schedule your activity directly to the course calendar. Dates will start around March 1.)

This is an opportunity to "reflect" on your personal feelings and concerns toward teaching, as your emerging philosophy and weekly learning experiences. Daily entries are needed during special activities. Journals will be sent electronically at least once each week. Oh yes, if you thought this meant that you send your comments to some GOD called the teacher, (me or Kirsten), you’re wrong. Yes you can send journals to us, but the real intent is for you to journal to each other. (All students will have internet accounts and group mail capability. Together we will form a community of learners working toward a set of common goals.) The class will decide whether this reflection will take place as email using our listserve, or on blackboard as a threaded discussion. We will decide this during the first week of class. In anticipation, I have set up a listserve that will remain in effect for years to come. (Both our Black Board communication or NERDS listserve can be used.)

Your rationale statement MUST be typed using Computer word processing. Your paper will probably be 5 or 6 pages long, not to exceed 12 pages. See appendix A for additional thoughts and suggestions. Your rationale must include comments justifying why you will do what you describe and how the goal will be met. Remember, you will be defending this one on one toward the end of the semester. Use research support as much as possible and include a reference list. This is not a last minute project! Start a file TODAY!

(We may load our "draft" rationale papers into a special program within our homepage to allow comments concerning your thoughts from around the world. Other science education methods classes will be encouraged to read and comment directly back to you. Each of your papers will be coded and blind return e-mail pathways will be built. In other words, no-one will know who wrote any particular paper, but comments will come back to you for consideration.)

Each student will undertake at least one major project. As a group we will brainstorm the kinds of information we need, the format for this information and a timetable for completion. Projects should be included in your developmental portfolio. See Appendix B for further information.

A unit of a minimum of two weeks with five complete daily lesson plans for a science topic in the student's field of specialization. Please include a concept map for the unit, both formative and summative assessment and identification of specific standards being addressed of the five daily lesson plans. Please use a learning cycle or Japanese format, and a variety of teaching approaches to address different learning styles and cognitive levels.

You will be asked to submit a professional portfolio reflecting growth from and your participation in this course. A portfolio is a PURPOSEFUL SAMPLE of your work. This is not a notebook or resource file including all of what you have accomplished or experienced. Rather, it is a small sample that reflects you as a professional. Your portfolio will continue to grow throughout the next three semesters. Keep in mind that your portfolio should include:

1) A written expression reflecting your philosophy of science education (your rationale paper) based on journal entries, past education courses, your present beliefs and values, and personal experiences. The rest of the portfolio should contain documentation reflecting this philosophy and aligned with the UN-L science education competencies. (This reflective piece should also expose the ongoing evolution of your rationale.)

2) A reflective caption "tag" or explanation to the reader of the portfolio explaining the significance of the item to follow. You have selected each of the items for the above portfolio criteria. This tag will be about a paragraph in length.

4) Your portfolio should begin with a Table of contents, a resume, and your rationale paper. The remainder of the portfolio should be organized as you see fit, with a section for each UN-L science education competency. The basic goal is to show 1. where you were, 2. evidence of growth, and 3. a plan for future development.

5. Suggested Portfolio items include, but are not limited to: an ongoing resume, your favorite e-mail dialogue with a classmate, an exemplary lesson-plan, your most insightful/useful reflective analysis, anonymous student works and/or assessments, a video tape depicting your most worthwhile teaching experience, photographs and/or videos from teaching, samples from student work depicting growth and/or evidence of student learning, and/or documentation of your own professional growth experiences (Earth Day, Project Wild, Etc.) The key is that you include meaningful items that you feel paint a picture of your science education philosophy. This document will be revisited during the second semester methods course and again during student teaching, calumniating with the Celebration of Learning and an electronic version of this document to be used with potential employers. Your portfolio blue print will be due the 8th week of the semester. See the draft scoring rubric for portfolio evaluation criteria.

Please plan to read the course portfolio book within the first two weeks of this course and start the collection of "stuff" NOW.

Learning is a way of life, not a class or a "job". I will do all that I can to offer opportunities for learning and growing, but you must be the one to get involved. We have before us an opportunity to grow in ways that at present you can not even imagine. Together we can try more things, accomplish more, and be more than any of us ever thought possible.

This is not another class!! You have just joined a family of learners, myself included.

The paraphrased theme for these summary comments by Dr. Bonnstetter are a result of reading Postman's book Teaching as a Subversive Activity; a book alive with incites as appropriate today as the day they were written.

Now, here is the point of this course: prospective teachers cannot be "taught" to act on such knowledge as this unless their teachers act on that knowledge. This methods course will not tell students what I think they ought to know. It will have students do what they need to do within an environment that is based on what is known about learning. It is very important to say that many of the students who have been through this experience demand, eventually, that I reveal to them sources of knowledge that have influenced myself and many others. When such demands are authentic--that is, when they are not attempts to avoid learning--I will provide students with a bibliography as respectable in length as any that "real" professors hand out in "real" courses. The list consists largely of the works of authors you will encounter during this course. But one must always be cautious about the efficacy of books. One might say that no one ever became a good teacher by going through a bibliography. A student becomes a good teacher by "doing".

Which brings me to a second point: if every college teacher "taught" his or her courses in the manner I have suggested, there would be no need for a methods course. Every course would then be a course in methods of learning and, therefore, in methods of teaching. For example, a "literature" course would be a course in the process of learning how to read. A history course would be a course in the processes of learning how to do history. And so on. But this is the most farfetched possibility of all since college teachers, generally speaking, are more fixated on the Trivia game than any group of teachers in the educational hierarchy. Thus, many are left with the hope that, if methods courses could be redesigned to be model learning environments, the educational revolution might begin.

In other words, it will begin as soon as there are enough young teachers who sufficiently despise the crippling environments they are employed to supervise to want to subvert them. The revolution will begin to be visible when such teachers take the following steps (many students who have been through the course I have described do not regard these as "impractical"):

5. Eliminate all restrictions that confine learners to sitting still in boxes inside of boxes.

A–In addition to carefully completing all course goals and fully participating in all discussions and field experiences, an "A" in the methods one or two indicates that a student is extremely well-qualified in terms of teaching skills and possesses the ability to be outstanding during student teaching. This student displays quality planning, interacts well with students, shows command of subject matter and has ability to discuss a number of issues in science education. This student shows creative flair as well as a strong commitment to education. This individual is well on the way to becoming a formal operational teacher. Furthermore, all of the above criteria have been systematically documented in his or her portfolio and presented, (using a model that is in alignment with their teaching rationale), during numerous teaching experiences and defense sessions.

B, B+–In addition to completing all assignments and participating in all field experiences, a "B or B+" indicates that this student possesses ability to plan, interact and deal with issues in science education. This individual understands the subject matter and can implement effective lessons. Both the portfolio and teaching experiences indicate areas of need that the student has identified and established a plan of action to correct.

C+–This person possesses the basic competencies deemed necessary for science teaching. This student may be quite successful in some areas and not so successful in others. A "C+" student may need special attention during student teaching to insure success and certification. The portfolio, teaching experiences, and other presentations indicate areas of need for which the student has not developed a well thought out plan of action for further professional development.

C–A "C" grade indicates that the student is unsuccessful with the basic competencies even though this individual can direct a classroom given support and directions. This student may have achieved many of the course goals, but does not possess the basic competencies necessary to student teach. The portfolio, documented teaching experiences and the rationale defense show areas of accomplishment and how these skills will be redirected toward another career choice or how the student will back up and correct these deficiencies before being allowed to continue into student teaching.

D, F–Failure to meet required outcomes will signal a grade of "D or F." This individual will be counseled to drop the class and redirect their professional goals based on individual strengths.

During Finals week, each methods student will meet with me for up to two hours to discuss and defend their rationale paper. The following represent types of questions used during the exit interview. The final direction and actual questions are determined by a review of the student's rationale paper and other work presented or present in the student portfolio; including lesson plans.

General comment: the student is the primary presenter and speaker. This exit interview should create a vision of not only present knowledge and accomplishments, but growth during the semester as well as goals for future growth. (The starred items have been used at the beginning of a course to determine entering knowledge bases and attitudes, as well to serve as additional evidence of growth when revisited at the end of the program.

What components of your teaching strategies would you want present in every class period?

What, if any, are the differences between an open-ended lab and a hands - on lab?

What assumptions are you willing to make about the students that come into your class?

If asked to define and describe "layered curriculum" and or "project based learning" what would you say?

Every secondary science methods student will have a job title and/or project directorship as part of their course work. We operate under the philosophy that classes should be driven by "real work", not assignments. The following represent only a sample of job descriptions used and will focus on only one of many methods class tasks undertaken during our two semester methods/curriculum course. Reports and updates should be shared in journal entries and included in your portfolio.

Many times these titles are added to their personalized business cards which each student receives as part of being a science education per-service student.

Because we have a UN-L campus student organization, (NERDS, Nebraska Educators Really Doing Science), we have various officers who hold office on an annual basis, including: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasure. (The treasure must maintain accounts by student name to indicate amount of funds raised for special projects, such as an NSTA convention trip.)The rest of these samples represent methods course projects.

The Class Scribe, (many times the scribe has also taken on the duties of NERDS Secretary) is responsible for thank you notes to class visitors, class correspondence, birthday cards for class members, and wedding gift acquisition.

They record class events and document activities. They also must be prepared to upload and maintain the homepage folder for class projects.

UN-L hosts the state Science Olympiad Competition each April and as many science education majors as possible should choose an event to judge or sign up to run other tasks, including film production, score keeping, etc.

Our program homepage must have a director at all times. This person will insure that all links are working, student sub files are setup correctly, and that new ideas are incorporated on a regular basis. This page will link off of our science education homepage, http://scied.unl.edu

The primary task will be business card production for each new class and periodic updates based on need. This person will work with public relations officer and others.

This person will work with the photographic crew and the publications officer to create timely news releases to both the campus and local news papers and television stations. (For TV coverage, we must give them lead time for scheduling film crews.)

NERDS Genealogist (Family Tree Development)
We are attempting to update our records concerning former NERDS. This person will contact former students and update our files concerning present position, family status, and educational growth. From this list each first semester student will be contacting at least one former student to ask a series of questions; including things they were missing as first year teachers, and any advise they would offer pre-service students.

Safety Officer:
All presentations to schools and/or teacher groups must be cleared by this officer. The safety officer will also help coordinate fall semester lab skill activities.

Subject Area Liaison
Each subject area has a specific organization and in several cases maintain both national and state wide affiliate groups. The following groups will each have one primary contact who will report all activities to the class either through class announcements or by group e-mail. Examples include:
NABT Liaison, AAPT Liaison, NESEN Liaison. ACS Liaison, NSTA Liason and others as needed.

Special Projects Coordinators
At present, we have several SP’s that need leadership if the ideas are to come to fruition.

Student will take state areas and research science related locations and helpful contacts. Plus groups in charge of University contacts, State and Local Government Contacts. Area groups will deal with business contacts, but broad headings will be shared. All of this will be added as a link from our homepage. (Modeled after the Fairbanks Faculty Guide.)

B. Nebraska Science Teacher group mail
We also need to build an e-mail listing of as many Nebraska science teachers as possible. Wouldn’t be great if we could send an e-mail directly to state science teachers.

C. Classroom web camera links to our homepage. More information can be given in class.

K. Science Fair Judging (each time we go out to assist, a contact person must be in charge.)

L. Field trip coordinator examples include, Zoo, museum, Spring Prairie burn, Sand Hill Crane trip, Aurora Museum, Nature Center, NASA Resource Center

M. Ictheology Coordinator (Responsible for feeding and maintaining the aquarium.) It runs around $3.00 per month.

N. Bulletin Board Creator (this is the large board in the hall, outside 206. I would like to work in the following heading this Spring and have it up in the first two weeks of class. "Endangered Feces" It will list names of endangered Species as well as images of Feces. It will be an interactive BB, with names to attempt to match the images.

O. Classroom Environmental Quality Controller
Responsible for classroom condition, including watering plants, enforcing cleanup, Recycling or assigning this task to others, and general pickup after class.