PD Plan and Portfolio Guidelines for
SCE 4310: TEACHING ELEMENTARY SCIENCE
In this course, you will utilize the Professional Development Plan and Portfolio to create standards-based goals, define evidence of progress toward those goals, and reflect on progress toward those goals.
Category: My Content Knowledge:This category will help you plan develop goals that address improving your understanding of content knowledge and concepts associated with a specific science content area (Earth/Space Science, Physical Science, Life Science). You also want to consider goals associated with your understanding of the nature of science, inquiry, safety issues, and the role of science in the community.Required in Red.
Goal / Possible Evidence
Goal Name: Knowledge of Subject Matter: Physical Science (see FTCE #18 -19)
Goal Statement:
- Understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of physical science to be able to create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for learners.
- Understand that all sciences are related.
- Understand the interconnectedness among the science disciplines.
- Understand the conceptual development of a physical science concept.
Science objects
Class activities
Collections
Lessons Created
Reflections on Lessons Taught
Goal Name: Knowledge of Subject Matter: Earth/Space Science (see FTCE #20-21)
Goal Statement:
- Understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of Earth and space science and be able to create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for learners.
- Understand that all sciences are related.
- Understand the interconnectedness among the science disciplines.
- Understand the conceptual development of an Earth/space science.
Science objects
Class activities
Moon Chart
Collections
Lessons Created
Reflections on Lessons Taught
Goal Name: Knowledge of Subject Matter: Life Science (see FTCE #22-23)
Goal Statement:
- Understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of life science and be able to create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for learners.
- Understand that all sciences are related.
- Understand the interconnectedness among the science disciplines.
- Understand the conceptual development of a life science concept.
Science objects
Class activities
Moon Chart
Collections
Lessons Created
Nature Preserve project
Reflections on Lessons Taught
Goal Name: Knowledge of Subject Matter: Sustainability
Goal Statement:
- Understand the major issues of sustainability.
- Understand concepts of sustainability, the issues involved, and the disciplines needed to address real-world problems.
- Identify ways to implement conceptions of sustainability in lesson planning.
- Understand the interdisciplinary, systems approach to thinking about problems.
- Understand the interdependence and interconnections of humans and the environment.
- Identify how nature as a model and teacher, systems thinking & interdependence, the importance of our local environment, environmental stewardship, respect for limits, social justice and fair distribution, economic restructuring, global citizenship and the inter-generational perspective contribute to global sustainability.
- Describe the important roles of biomimicry and of interdependence.
Journal articles
Lessons Created
Reflections on Lessons Taught
Category: My Content Pedagogy
This category of professional development goals might address improving your ability to design and implement instructional experiences using methods and strategies related to science instruction (i.e. inquiry-based learning, problem based learning, etc.). Goals associated with general teaching skills as well as curriculum concerns might also be included in this category.
Goal Name: Knowledge of Subject Matter: Inquiryand NOS (see FTCE #24)
Goal Statement:
- I want to understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the Inquiry and be able to create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for learners.
- I want to understand the process of scientific inquiry.
- I want to know how to investigate scientific phenomena, interpret findings and communicate information to students.
- I want to be able to develop an inquiry lesson plan using the 5Es.
- I want to know and be able to use the six basic process skills.
- I want to know and be able to use the integrated process skills.
Micro-teaching
Class activities Lesson planning
Goal Name: Knowledge of Human Development and Learning (SCE 4310 course goal)
Goal Statement:
- I want to understand how students learn and develop, and be able to provide opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and personal development.
- I want to know how students construct scientific knowledge and develop scientific habits of mind.
- I want to know commonly held conceptions about science and how they affect student learning.
Articles Collections read on this topic
Conceptual development project
Goal Name: Multiple Instructional Strategies: (SCE 4310 course goal)
Goal Statement:
- Understand and be able to use a variety of instructional strategies to develop students’ critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
- I want to better understand how to implement scientific inquiry.
- I want to better understand how to engage students in working and collaborating together.
- See technology goals for more instructional strategies.
Lessons Taught
Lesson Reflections
Articles/collections read on this topic
Goal Name : Instructional Planning Skills (SCE 4310 course goal) Goal Statement:
- I want to be able to plan and prepare instruction based on my knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
- I want to know what the conceptual change model is and how to implement it.
- I want to learn different strategies to pre-assess my students.
- I want to learn ways to identify students’ misconceptions.
Individual Lesson Plans
Category: My Technology Skills
Professional development goals in this category might include improving your ability to integrate technology into your professional practice in innovative and effective ways. (Select 1 of following 3).
Goal Name: Multiple Instructional Strategies (SCE 4310 course goal)
Goal Statement:
- I want to increase my understanding of how to apply mathematics and technology to analyze, interpret and display scientific data.
- I want to better understand how to use a variety of interface electronic hardware and software for communicating data.
- I want to better understand how to use graphics, statistical, modeling and simulation software as well as spreadsheets to develop and communicate science concepts.
- I want to learn how to use teaching aids from the internet.
Technology Collection Reflection
Sci Guides
Goal Name: Using the Internet for Professional Development
Goal Statement:
- I want to attend various web seminars to increase my content understanding.
- I want to attend various web seminars to increase my pedagogical knowledge.
- I want to use various content tutorials available on the internet to increase my content knowledge and understanding.
- I want to interact with other professionals in my content area.
Scipacks
Science objects
Journal articles
Goal Name: Using the Internet for Classroom Activities
Goal Statement:
- I want to investigate web sites that I can incorporate in my lessons.
- I want to find various websites that would enhance the learning for my students.
- I want to create a web quest for my students on a given topic.
- I want to investigate different strategies to use from the internet for my students to demonstrate their understanding and learning.
GoAnimate
Wordwall
Category: My Management Skills
Goals in this category might include statements about improving classroom management strategies, or personal management skills addressing time management, project management, or classroom organization skills. (Select 1 of following 2.)
Goal Name: Classroom motivation and management
Goal Statement: Understand individual and group motivation and behavior and create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
I want to:
- facilitate hands-on/inquiry activities.
- create a safe classroom environment.
- organizeresources and materials.
- create student engagement.
- create a safe and comfortable environment for my students.
Cooperative Learning ideas
Organizational skills
Goal Name: Laboratory and Field Activities (see FTCE #24)
Goal Statement:
- I want to know a broad range of laboratory and field techniques.
- I want to know the appropriate laboratory equipment for specific activities.
- I want to know the safety practices needed in teaching science.
- I want to know strategies to develop students’ laboratory and field skills.
- I want to know how to plan a student field trip
Micro-teaching Safety contract
Category: Impact on Student Learning
Goals in this category might address specific ways in which you plan to monitor student learning and determine the effects of instructional strategies, procedures, and other efforts to improve the amount and type of student learning. (Select 1 of following 3).
Goal Name: Accommodate student learning
Goal: I want to ensure my students’ personal learning by:
- Reflection of my lessons: identify what I would keep, what I should change.
- Use inquiry-type lessons where students are engaged in their learning and interacting with each other.
- Learning strategies to engage all students.
- Using some type of checklist to monitor student learning.
- Developing different techniques to formatively assess student understanding.
- Learn strategies that engage ELL students.
Formal and Informal Artifacts of student work with reflection
Goal Name: Adapting Instruction for Individual Needs Learning (SCE 4310 course goal)
Goal Statement:
- Understand how students differ in their approaches to learning and create instructional opportunities that are adapted to learners with diverse needs.
- Know how to adapt lessons for ELL and/or ESOL students.
- Know how to adapt lessons for students with physical challenges
Goal Name: Assessing Student Learning
Goal: I want to be able to assess my students’ learning:
- Use of inquiry procedures
- Use of process skills
- Developing conclusions based on evidence
- Identifying the data that needs to be collected for a given question or problem
- Knowledge of science concepts
- By interpreting a concept map or mind map
- By a paper& pencil test
- Interview
- From group work
Category: Communication Skills
Professional development goals in this category should reflect those statements that don’t easily fit into one of the predefined groups. (Select 1 of following 3).
Goal Name: Communication Skills
Goal Statement:
- I want to be able to use a variety of communication techniques including verbal, nonverbal, and media to foster inquiry, collaboration and supportive interaction in and beyond the classroom.
- I want to better be able to use and teach technical writing as a way to communicate science concepts and processes.
Reflection on group interaction
Goal name: Professional Commitment and Responsibility:
I want to be a reflective practitioner who demonstrates a commitment to professional standards and is continuously engaged in purposeful mastery of the art and science of teaching.
- I interact with other professionals in my field.
- I attend professional web seminars.
- I read professional journal articles and/or educational research articles.
- I’ve created collections of resources to share with other teachers.
Goal name: Habits of Mind
I want to continually grow in life skills as described by the Habits of Mind. I want to learn how to better evaluate my skills and how to teach my future students these types of thinking and learning skills.
- I have evaluated my strengths and weaknesses in using HoM.
- I have worked on specific HoM skills in class and other classes.
- I have included teaching HoM skills to my students or students at my field school.
HoM survey
Experiences using Hom in class or with students a field school.