EDU 542 Course Syllabus

EDU 542 Course Syllabus

Summer 2009

Online Vista Course

Instructor: Jeanelle Bland Day

Office: Webb Hall Rm. 151

Office Hours: Online

Office Phone: 860-465-4532

Home Phone: 860-872-6689

Email Address:

Objectives:

After completion of this course, students will be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge about current reform efforts in science education at the national, state, and local levels.(CF 1.1)

Demonstrate knowledge about current, innovative teaching techniques that facilitate science learning. (CF 1.1)

Discuss trends in curriculum development. (CF 3.1)

Develop interdisciplinary learning cycle lessons in a unit that incorporate curricular materials from three or more sources (certification students). (CF 1.1, 2.1, 2.4)

• Discuss current research findings in the area of science reform. (CF 3.1)
• Use appropriate technology to complete assignments (CF 4.1)

Textbooks:

1. Howes, E.V. (2002). Connecting girls and science: Constructivism, feminism, and science education reform. New York: Teachers College Press. ISBN: 0-8077-4210-4

2. Payne, R. K. (2005). A framework for understanding poverty (4th ed.). Highlands, TX: Aha! Press. ISBN: 1-929229-48-8

3. Their, M. & Daviss, B. (2002). The new science literacy: Using language skills to help students learn science. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. ISBN: 0-325-00459-5

4. Jackson, R. (2009). Never work harder than your students. Washington, DC: ASCD. ISBN: 978-1-4166-0757-1

Available online through Amazon.com or through the ECSU bookstore.

Readings:

Additional readings will be assigned from various online and traditional sources.

Focus Questions for Discussions in EDU 542:

1. Howes book: Is equity in science classrooms possible? How can we achieve equity? How can we better serve girls in the science classroom? Is constructivism a wish or reality in science classrooms? Explain.What are the big issues in the Howes book? May 26-June 1
2. Payne book: Are culture and ethnicity important issues within a science classroom? If so, how? How do you deal with culture and ethnicity within your own classrooms? How does poverty affect what happens in the science classroom?June 2-8
3. Roth & Barton book: What is scientific literacy? Is it possible to achieve in inner-city schools? What are the big issues in this book? June 9-15
4. Jackson book: What are the major “take-aways” from this book? How will you change what you do in your science classroom to reflect the content of this book? June 16-22
5. Articles on the web: Is science REALLY for all? How is NCLB affecting the “science for all” debate? June 23-July 2

Course Activities:

Completion of the course will involve the creation of a professional level portfolio documenting appropriate competencies and skills relating to science content, teaching skills, and knowledge of professional products and activities.

You will be assessed using these components:

NONCERTIFICATION STUDENTS

1.Participation –Participation in class discussions will be reviewed. See rubric for description.

2.Critiques of online science lessons (5). These critiques should contain the website address, a complete description of the lesson, the Connecticut and National Science Education Standards that were addressed in the lesson, how the Science Literacy was addressed, and a section on how you would improve the lesson. Be sure to address the lesson format (i.e. was the lesson written in an inquiry-based format, or was it simply a “cookbook” lesson or activity?) and how you would change the lessons to make them more inquiry-based, keeping in mind the current trends in curriculum development.Be sure to include how you would teach the topic to better facilitate science learning.

3.Write a 5page position paper on a topic that you perceive as one of the major issues in science education. You may use the topics discussed in this class or any other issue of choice, such as the use of laboratory exercises in schools (or lack of), using online resources to teach science (or even online courses), the lack of “highly qualified” teachers in science classrooms, the new incorporation of science into the elementary classroom, etc. There are many options. If you need help, please ask! Find a minimum of five quality research articles to make your point in your paper.

CERTIFICATION STUDENTS –Instead of critiquing lessons you must 1) create three complete science lessons (a mini-unit plan) to teach your choice of science concepts following the Eastern Lesson Plan Format (on Vista) and 2) write a position paper as outlined above. For the unit plan, please choose your concepts based on the Connecticut Science Framework. Unit Plan documents, descriptions, rubric, and expectations may also be found on the Vista site. Because you are not writing a position paper, make sure your unit plan addresses what you perceive as a major issue in science education. Be sure to include this description in a brief introduction to the unit plan.

Methods of Evaluation:

Components

/

Value

/ Grading
Attendance and participation (evaluated by participation online, both in quality of discussion postings and regular “attendance” in the online environment) / 5 / A = 4.0
A-= 3.7
B+ = 3.3
B = 3.0
B-= 2.7
C+ = 2.3
C = 2.0
C-= 1.7
D+ = 1.3
D = 1.0
F = 0.0
You must attain a 2.0
to remain in the
program.
Online lesson critiques (5) – 1 point each / 5
Position Paper ona Current Issue in Science Education or Unit Plan / 5

Number of Grades

/ 15
To figure out your grade, simply multiply the grade received on each assignment by the
value and then divide your total by the number of grades (14for this class).

RUBRIC for Attendance and Participation

Because this class is highly interactive, it is essential that you participate in class. Active participation includes being prepared for class activities by reading assigned text materials, participating in online discussions and being prepared for and participating in presentations. I will be using the following rubric to evaluate your attendance and participation, and will ask you to use it, or one that you devise, to self evaluate this course requirement. The grade will be determined based on your online attendance and participation following the rubric below. These will be totaled, divided by the number of class sessions and multiplied by 2…the weighting factor. I will then take your evaluation into consideration as your course grade is calculated.

Date:
Grade: / Unacceptable Performance / Needs Improvement / Acceptable Performance / Good Performance / Strong Performance
Attendance / Absent for more than 10 online days (5 day weeks) / Absent for 8 or more online days. / Absent for 6 or more online days. / Absent for 4 or fewer online days. / Absent for 2 or fewer online days.
Participation / Unprepared with assigned readings, etc. and/or unengaged in class activites and discussions / Minimally prepared with assigned readings, etc. and/or minimally engaged in class activities and discussions. / Generally prepared with assigned readings, etc., and generally engaged in class activities and discussions. / Prepared with assigned readings, etc., and engaged in class activities and discussions. / Obviously prepared with assigned readings, etc., and actively engaged in class activities and discussions going beyond the assignments.

Rubric for Lesson Critiques

Unacceptable Performance-0 / Needs Improvement-1 / Acceptable Performance-2 / Good Performance-3 / Strong Performance-4
Quality of Paper / The paper is not turned in or poorly written. / The paper is poorly written, lacks reflection, and is only one page in length. / The paper is adequately written, contains some reflection, and is two pages in length. / The paper is well written, shows good reflection, and is two pages in length. / The paper is well written, shows excellent reflection, and is two pages in length.
Addresses Required Topics
(lesson format, nature of science, improvement plan, citations) / The paper does not address necessary topics. / The paper addresses few of the necessary topics. / The paper addresses some of the necessary topics. / The paper addresses many of the necessary topics. / The paper addresses all of the necessary topics.
Improvement Plan / The paper lacks an improvement plan. / The paper has a poor improvement plan. / The paper has an improvement plan, but lacks depth. / The paper has an improvement plan that is adequate and includes lesson ideas. / The paper has a well-written improvement plan that includes detailed lesson ideas.
Addresses National Science Education Standards and Science Literacy / The paper lacks reference to NSES and science literacy. / The paper has minimal references to either NSES or science literacy. / The paper has minimal references to NSES and science literacy. / The paper has adequate references to NSES and science literacy and descriptions of linkages to both NSES and science literacy. / The paper has well-written references and descriptions of linkages to both NSES and science literacy.

Position Paper on Science Education Issue

This assignment is designed to allow you to take a position on a leading science education issue and to spend some time researching it and defending your position.

Acceptable – 4 / Unacceptable- 2 <
Position / Position on issue is clearly stated. Facts are given using research articles/books. / Position on issue is not clear. Facts are missing.
Literature Used to Justify Position / Literature used is quality research from leading journals/sources and extensively used to support your position. / Literature is from questionable websites, fringe literature and/or is not used in the paper enough to justify your position.
Format / Paper is free of errors. Good use of APA. / APA is not used. Paper has errors in spelling/grammar/punctuation.

MINI ASSIGNMENT

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to EDU 542 online. I've been getting a few phone calls and such about

assignments and I might be able to ease some fears right here.

Please take some time and thoroughly read the syllabus. I know it's long, but I've tried to add everything that might make the online course easier for both you and me. With ~25 students, it's very difficult to keep files straight, so PLEASE pay attention to how you name your files when you upload them to the assignments page. I already have the assignments page open, so feel free to add your assignments as you finish them. If you want me to take a look early, also email an attachment to me and ask me to look it over for early feedback. Otherwise, I have to wait until the deadline has passed to access the files so that all class members can have access (when I open it up, it blocks students from uploading files).

I do have a mini-assignment that I'd like you each to complete. It's simple and will help you understand how to upload files in the assignments page. Here's what I'd like you to do:

1. Open MS Word (or works) and just write me a sentence or two telling me the

following:

a) your name,

b) your major/certification area,

c) where you work (if you do),

d) include both a phone number and

e) another email address that you'd like me to use in emergency (if you have one).

2. Save the file using our conventions for file naming. In this course (and most other online courses) you should save your file using your user name and the assignment name together. If I were saving my mini assignment, I would call my file dayjminiassignment. For the first article critique, I would name it dayjarticlecritique1. Please use this same naming convention for ALL assignments!

3. Go to the assignment page and click on the Mini-Assignment link and upload your file.

4. This will not be graded but completing the mini-assignment will be included in your participation grade.

As for discussions, many of you have chosen to be the discussant for particular topics. If you have not chosen a topic yet, please do so ASAP by emailing me after posting your wishes in the Introduction discussion.

If you have any questions, please email me. I may not be in my office very much during the summer, so email is best. I do not expect each of you online every day, and ask that you give me the same latitude. In general, I check the course and answer email within 24 hours, but I cannot make this promise for the entire length of the course. Thank you for your understanding.

Dr. Day