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Towson
University
DK Nature Encyclopedia, DK Publishing. ISBN 9780756631116 A Sand County Almanac, Ballantine Books, ISBN 0-345-34505-3 Silent Spring, Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0-618-25305-X
Last Child in the Woods, Algonquin books, ISBN 978-1565123913
Catalog
Description: This instructional
methods course is designed for the preparation of elementary science teachers.
Each participant is expected to be actively engaged in this intensive
experience which should involve doing science teaching and reflecting on science
teaching- your own and that of others. You
will also be expanding upon your knowledge of biology as it relates to
elementary classrooms. In short,
you will be engaged in study, writing, laboratory, and discussion experiences
that simulate situations and incidents you are likely to encounter in your
teaching of biology or life science.
We will examine ways to plan, facilitate, and assess learning; the nature
of the science learner and ways to motivate students, models of instruction,
utilization of existing resources, inquiry and problem solving in science, the
influence of personal beliefs, and professional roles of the teacher.
THIS WILL BE A COURSE OF MANY QUESTIONS AND VARIED ANSWERS.
DO NOT EXPECT TO BE TOLD “THE METHOD OF TEACHING LIFE SCIENCE”.
THERE IS NO ONE METHOD FOR TEACHING ANY FIELD OF SCIENCE.
The master teacher has a broad repertoire of strategies and techniques
which are based upon reflection and practice.
My hope is that, if you have not already done so, you will undergo a
shift in your concept of teaching from the usual traditional objectivist
approach to a more nontraditional constructivist perspective and set of beliefs,
or that you will at least carefully examine your options. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
1. PROFESSIONALISM
As part of your preparation for becoming a teacher, you will be expected to
behave in a professional manner.
This includes:
Attendance & Punctuality:
You will earn points for attendance.
Class time is used to
clarify and extend concepts. Class
will be interactive in nature and it will be difficult to make up in the event
of an absence. Be on time and don’t
leave early. Students are expected
to attend every class. Genuine
documented emergencies may be excused with documentation; each unexcused absence
results in the loss of five points from the total class grade.
Each incidence of unexcused lateness
(more than 5 min after class begins) will result in the loss of two points from
the total class grade.
Participation:
Participation doesn’t mean simply attending class.
Participate in the class discussion and activities by making meaningful
comments. Ask questions!!
Each incidence of nonparticipation results in the loss of 1 point from
the total class grade.
Preparation:
Complete assignments on time and be ready to participate fully in class
activities.
Respect:
Be considerate of others. Behave in
a professional, ethical manner.
Attitude:
Be curious, flexible, organized, and patient- all characteristics of good
teachers.
Grammar & spelling:
All written
assignments are expected to be grammatically correct; if not, points may be
deducted.
Unless you are unable to turn in
an assignment due to a documented emergency, late assignments will be reduced by
one letter grade (or equivalent point value) for each class day late.
Free discussion, inquiry, and expression is encouraged in this class.
Classroom behavior that interferes with either (a) the instructor's ability to
conduct the class or (b) the ability of students to benefit from the instruction
is not acceptable. Examples may include routinely entering class late or
departing early; use of beepers, cellular telephones, or other electronic
devices; repeatedly talking in class without being recognized; talking while
others are speaking; or arguing in a way that is perceived as "crossing the
civility line." In the event of a situation where a student legitimately needs
to carry a beeper/cellular telephone to class, prior notice and approval of the
instructor is required. Classroom behavior which is determined to be
inappropriate and cannot be resolved by the student and the faculty member may
be referred for administrative or disciplinary review and the student will be
barred from attending class.
Any form of cheating (including on exams, quizzes, or plagiarism of laboratory
assignments and term papers) will not be tolerated. Cheating and
plagiarism are defined in the Student Academic Integrity Policy (
http://wwwnew.towson.edu/provost/resources/studentacademic.asp)
and should be reviewed by each student. The consequences of violating this
policy may result in the assignment of zero points for an examination or quiz up
to assignment of a failing grade for the course, at the discretion of the
instructor. 5. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
If you are a qualified student
with a disability seeking accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities
Act, you are required to self-identify with Disability Student Services in the
AdministrationBuilding and present a letter to me from DSS. This should be done
during the first week of class. Course
Objectives:
INTASC Principles
Interstate
New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium
This course is also aligned with the NSTA Science Content Recommendations
for Elementary Generalists. These
recommendations state:
A.1. Elementary teachers
without a science specialization should be prepared to teach science with a
strong emphasis on observation and description of events, manipulation of
objects and systems, and identification of patterns in nature across subjects.
They should be prepared to effectively engage students in concrete
manipulative activities that will lead to the development of desired concepts
through investigation and analysis of experience.
Elementary generalists should be prepared to lead students to understand
the unifying concepts of science, including:
1. Multiple ways we organize
our perceptions of the world and how systems organize the studies and knowledge
of science
2. Nature of scientific
evidence and use of models for explanation
3. Measurement as a way of
knowing and organizing observations of constancy and change.
4. Evolution of natural
systems and factors that result in evolution or equilibrium
5. Interrelationships of
form, function, and behaviors in living and nonliving systems.
A.2 At the elementary level in
particular, the sciences should be interwoven to develop interdisciplinary
perspectives. In relation to
biology, elementary generalists should be prepared to lead students to
understand:
6. Features distinguishing
living from nonliving systems.
7. Characteristics
distinguishing plants, animals, and other living things.
8. Multiple ways to order and
classify living things.
9. Ways organisms function
and depend on their environments.
10. Ways organisms are
interdependent.
11. Reproductive patterns and
life cycles of common organisms.
12. Growth, change, and
interactions of populations to form communities.
Pedagogical Knowledge- Upon completion of this course you will be able to:
1. Begin to
develop a constructivist view of teaching science.
2. Recognize
that the processes of science are the first priority in science education.
3. Recognize
significant events that shaped American science education.
4. Begin to
formulate a personal science education teaching philosophy.
5. Examine the
value of the inquiry approach to teaching science.
6. Recognize the
contributions of Bloom, Piaget, Bruner, Gagne, & Rowe to science
education.
7. Plan
instruction to accommodate individual differences in students.
8. Use
9. Develop
lessons which effectively integrate science with other subjects such as reading,
writing, and math.
10. Choose appropriate evaluation techniques.
11. Recognize basic safety concerns in the classroom.
12. Identify or construct components of a 5E lesson plan
when science concepts are given.
13. Ask
appropriate science questions and structure cognitive, affective, and
psychomotor objectives that are grade level appropriate.
14.Discuss the philosophical and theoretical aspects of informal education that
impact its practice.
15.Plan, organize, and lead an interpretive station at the zoo that is intended
to educate the general public.
16.Create a field guide for educators visiting the zoo with students that
focuses on a particular concept related to zoo education.
Content Knowledge- Upon completion of this course you will be able to:
1. Identify any
plant species as vascular or nonvascular.
2. Classify all
animal specimens to the phylum level and identify arthropods and chordates to
the class level.
3. Define each
of these biological concepts and recognize or supply examples:
producer
consumer
decomposer
mutualism
food chain
herbivore
predation
parasitism
food web
commensalisms
carnivore
saprophyte
omnivore
succession 4. Identify and define each of the ecological units from organism to biosphere.
5.
Identify taxonomic levels of living organisms.
6.
Identify primary and secondary ecological succession and place the stages
in the processes in order. 7. Distinguish between interspecies and intraspecies competition. Assessment & EvaluationThis course is designed so that students may earn a maximum of 1420 points.
Attendance/participation:
You will earn points for attendance and
for participating in class. Each
unexcused absence results in the loss of five points from the total class grade.
Each incidence of unexcused lateness (more than 5 min after class begins)
will result in the loss of two points from the total class grade. Throughout the
semester, you will be working in groups to deliver small presentations to the
class, including leading the class in a discussion of Silent Spring.
Most of these will be based on the assigned readings.
If I see that you are not prepared for class,( i.e., you have not read
the assigned material, you are not prepared for a group presentation, etc.), I
will deduct 5 points from the total class grade.
Learning Style Analysis: You will analyze your learning
style based upon Howard Gardner’s cognitive theory.
You will analyze current curricula from the perspective of your learning
style and also write a lesson plan that would be appropriate for students who
share your strengths.
v
Field guide/Unit Plan:
Plan a week long mini unit for
teachers who are planning a field trip to the Maryland Zoo.
Include two classroom activities that would be appropriate for pre-trip
preparation, a day-long itinerary for a field trip to the zoo that covers
grade-level appropriate content, and two classroom activities that would be
appropriate for post-trip follow-up.
v
EdZoocation Station: Create an educational
station that targets children of elementary age for use at the zoo by zoo
visitors and zoo education personnel.
v
Zoo Photo Field Trip Poster/Presentation:
Create a photographic presentation that demonstrates concepts learned
throughout the semester, using zoo animals as the focus.
v
Reflection paper:
Each student will write a reflective essay on the importance of
teaching environmental stewardship to young learners.
The paper should include the following:
a personal experience of learning outdoors as a child (if possible); a
short description of your group’s EdZoocation station; an interpretation of how
well you think the children were engaged in your station activities; reasons to
teach environmental science topics in an outdoor setting; the importance of
experiential learning for all ages; and why these specific service learning
projects enhanced your learning experience in this course, (or why it didn’t).
Exams:
Each exam will have a variety of question types that are appropriate to
the content covered, including both biology content and pedagogy.
CLASS SCHEDULE
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