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/ Biology 652:Science Education Partners in Biology
Course Syllabus, Fall 2008
“Whenever I sit for a couple of hours on the gravel bank... with my flock of geese, or in front of my aquarium with tropical fish at home... the time rarely goes by without my observing something unexpected. I never have an explanation at hand for these novel observations. Rather, they lead me on to new questions which require further observations and, very frequently also, experimental investigation...” –Konrad Lorenz, Biologist
“Children are born true scientists. They spontaneously experiment and experience and re-experience again. They select, combine, and test, seeking to find order in their experiences...” – R. Buckminster Fuller, Physicist
Instructor:Allison Busch
Lecturer, College of Science of Engineering
Senior Program Coordinator, SEPAL
, (415) 405-3756
Office Hours:Fridays, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, or by appointment (Hensill Hall 236)
Course Credit:4 units, including 2-hour seminar course and 4 hours of fieldwork each week. Attendance at all course sessions and completion of all fieldwork is required to receive credit for the course. Grading may be + / - letter, CR/NCR.
Prerequisites:The course is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Completion of Bio 230, Bio 240, or at least 1 upper division biology course, and instructor consent are required.
Schedule:The seminar course will be held weekly, Wednesdays from 3:00 – 5:00 pm in Hensill Hall, Room 245. Students in classroom-based partnerships must also have a consistent ~3-hour time block available every week between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:00 pm for fieldwork, in which they will alternately be planning and teaching elementary school science lessons with teacher partners and SFSU student partners.
Location:SFSU main campus and a Bay Area public school; access to a car is highly recommended, but not required.
Course description:
This upper division biology course is intended for undergraduate and graduate biology students interested in revisiting and applying their biology knowledge, understanding common misconceptions in biology, gaining experience in teaching biology in the K-12 setting, exploring the field of biology teaching as a potential career, and learning biology through teaching biology. SFSU students registered for this course will work with teachers who have been selected to participate in either the Science Education Partners in Biology (SEP-Bio) Program or the Spectrum Program. SFSU students will engage in service-learning fieldwork through these partnerships with Bay Area teachers and their students.
Teams of SFSU science students and Bay Area elementary and middle school teachers will co-develop and co-teach 6 classroom lessons (SEP-Bio) or 4 after-school science clubs (Spectrum) during the semester. In conjunction with this fieldwork, SFSU students will meet weekly for a 2-hour seminar to explore concept development in biology learning, delve into the biology education research literature, learn about biology-specific teaching strategies, discuss issues of classroom equity and access, and design assessments of biology learning. Course learning objectives are that SFSU students will:
1)explore and develop their own understanding of biological concepts
2)practice and develop their own teaching style and philosophy
3)gain skills in biology teaching and the development of biology lessons that engage students in scientific investigations
4)increase their knowledge of research, theories, and policies that shape K-12 biology education
5)share their knowledge and enthusiasm for science with K-12 students in the Bay Area
Bio 652: Science Education Partners in Biology
Class Topic Sequence and Fieldwork Timeline
(The topic sequence is approximate and almost certainly will change.)
Week of…Course ActivityCourse Content
August 27Class Topic: Welcome, Expectations, and Introduction to Elementary Teaching & Learning
Fieldwork: Reflecting on What You Want to Learn; Fingerprinting and TB Testing
September 3Class Topic: Inquiry-based Science Teaching, Constructivism, and What is Science?
The Mystery Box
Fieldwork: SEPAL Resource Center Visit
September 10Class Topic: Partnership Orientation: Meet Your Teacher Partners! (4-6 pm)
Fieldwork: First Classroom Observation
September 17Class Topic: How to Start: Goals for Student Learning and Anatomy of a Lesson PlanFieldwork: Lesson Planning and Reflection
September 24Class Topic:The 5-E Model
Fieldwork: Teaching Lesson #1
October 1Class Topic: Involving All Students in Life Science Lessons: Issues of Equity and Access
Fieldwork: Lesson Planning and Reflection; Final Lesson Plan #1 Due
October 8Class Topic: Identifying and Addressing Learning Styles
Case Study Discussion
Fieldwork: Teaching Lesson #2
October 15Class Topic: Into Thin Air:Common Student Conceptions and Misconceptions in Biology
Discussion: Sharing Our Classroom Experiences
Fieldwork: Lesson Planning and Reflection; Final Lesson Plan #2 Due
October 22Class Topic: Strategies for Assessing Student Biology Conceptions
Case Study Discussion
Fieldwork: Teaching Lesson #3
October 29Class Topic: Questioning Strategies, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and Wait Time
Discussion: Sharing Our Classroom Experiences
Fieldwork: Lesson Planning and Reflection; Final Lesson Plan #3 Due
November 5Class Topic: Re-visiting Age-appropriate Science Teaching and Cognitive Development
Case Study Discussion
Fieldwork: Teaching Lesson #4
November 12Class Topic: Veteran’s Day – NO CLASS
Fieldwork: Lesson Planning and Reflection
November 19Class Topic:Strategies for Assessing Student Biology Conceptions, Part 2
Fieldwork: Teaching Lesson #5, Final Lesson Plan #4 Due
November 26THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY - NO CLASS, NO FIELDWORK
December 3Class Topic: Developing a Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Fieldwork: Lesson Planning and Reflection; Final Lesson Plan #5 Due
December 10Class Topic: Partnership Poster Session with Teachers Partners and SFSU Students (4-6 pm)
Fieldwork:Teaching Lesson #6
December 19Class Topic: Final Exam; Final Reflection Due
Fieldwork:Final Lesson Plan #6 Due
Expectations and Grading:
As ambassadors of SFSU working in the local public schools, students enrolled in this course are expected to conduct themselves professionally at all times. Professional behavior includes: 1) attentiveness to on-time arrival for planning meetings and lessons with teachers and fellow SFSU students, 2) clear and frequent communication in-person, by phone, and by email with partner teachers and fellow SFSU students, 3) on-time arrival and preparedness for class, and 4) professional behavior, language, and dress, especially when visiting elementary schools to co-plan or co-teach a biology lesson.
PointsCourse Activity
240• Co-plan and co-teach 6 biology lessons/ 4 science club activities with your partnership team
140• Submit 14 weekly reflective journal entries prior to class each week
50• Attend and actively participate in all 14 class sessions. Only one excused absence from class is permitted during the semester. Excused class absences must be approved by the instructor prior to the class session. There are no excused absences from any scheduled fieldwork.
90 • Submit final drafts of 6 biology lesson plans (format to be discussed in class).
30• Submit final reflection for the course.
50 • Final Exam
600 points total
In general, no late work will be accepted unless approved in advance by the instructor due to fieldwork constraints.
Departmental and University Procedures and Deadlines:
Credit/No Credit Option - Students are responsible for choosing this option. You must sign the 4th week class lists to request this option. The option cannot be reversed after the request.
Dropping and Withdrawing from a Course: The student is responsible for dropping via the WEB or Touch Tone until the last day to drop, Tuesday, September 23. A student may withdraw by completing a withdrawal petition between September 24 and October 26 without documentation.
From Oct. 27 – Nov. 16: During this time period the student may withdraw only for averifiable serious and compelling reasonthat prohibits him/her from attending and/orcompleting the course such as illness, accident, or an increase or change in work hours. The student must submit a withdrawal petition along with documentation, to the instructor for signature and then submit the petition and all attachments to the Biology Department Office for final review and signature from the Chair of the Department.
Nov. 17 – Dec. 15: As stated in the SFSU Bulletin: "Withdrawals are not normally permitted during the final three weeks except in verified cases of accident or serious illness where the cause of withdrawal is due to circumstances clearly beyond the student's control and where the assignment of an incomplete is not practical. Ordinarily, withdrawals in this category will involve total withdrawal from the University."
The University Withdrawal Policy is: “A student may withdraw from an individual course only 2 times no matter what their circumstances are. The third time that the student enrolls in the same course, they CANNOT withdraw for any reason.”
Bio 652: Science Education Partners in Biology
Allison Busch, Instructor
San Francisco State University (SFSU)
Fall 2008