Purdue Teacher Education Programs
Justification for Programs in Excess of 120 Hours
CHEMISTRYEDUCATION
Introduction
Teacher Education Programs at Purdue have two levels of accreditation. The unit is nationally accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). In addition, each of our 16 undergraduate teacher education programs are recognized or approved by either a national Specialized Professional Association associated with NCATE or by the state of Indiana. Finally, all Purdue teacher education programs must be responsive to state legislation related to teacher education as interpreted by the Indiana Department of Education in the Rules for Educator Preparation and Accountability (REPA). Because the NCATE standards are the broadest and most general, our primary justification for exceeding 120 credit hours is written with respect to those national standards. However, it is important to keep in mind that TE programs must also comply with specific provisions of REPA and the often very specific learning outcomes specified in the standards developed for each individual discipline, in our case, Chemistry Education.
NCATE Criteria for the Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs
The NCATE standards that address specific criteria, competencies, and learning outcomes are excerpted below (taken from Professional Standards for the Accreditation of Teacher Preparation Institutions, 2008).
Standard 1: Candidate Knowledge, Skills and Professional Dispositions
Element 1a: Content Knowledge – Teacher candidates have in-depth knowledge of the content that they plan to teach as described in professional, state, and institutional standards. They demonstrate their knowledge through inquiry, critical analysis, and synthesis of the subject. All program completers pass the content examinations in states that require examinations for licensure. Candidates in advanced programs for teachers are recognized experts in the content they teach.(16)
Element 1b: Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Skills – Teacher candidates reflect a thorough understanding of the relationship of content and content-specific pedagogy delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards. They have in-depth understanding of the content that they plan to teach and are able to provide multiple explanations and instructional strategies so that all students learn. They present the content to students in challenging, clear, and compelling ways, using real-world contexts and integrating technology appropriately. Candidates in advanced programs for teachers have expertise in pedagogical content knowledge and share their expertise through leadership and mentoring roles in their schools and communities. They understand and address student preconceptions that hinder learning. They are able to critique research and theories related to pedagogy and learning. They are able to select and develop instructional strategies and technologies, based on research and experience, that help all students learn. (17)
Element 1c: Professional and Pedagogical Knowledge and Skills – Teacher candidates reflect a thorough understanding of professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards. They develop meaningful learning experiences to facilitate learning for all students. They reflect on their practice and make necessary adjustments to enhance student learning. They know how students learn and how to make ideas accessible to them. They consider school, family, and community contexts in connecting concepts to students’ prior experience and applying the ideas to real-world issues. Candidates in advanced programs for teachers develop expertise in certain aspects of professional and pedagogical knowledge and contribute to the dialogue based on their research and experiences. They take on leadership roles in the professional community and collaborate with colleagues to contribute to school improvement and renewal. (18)
Element 1d: Student Learning – Teacher candidates focus on student learning and study the effects of their work. They assess and analyze student learning, make appropriate adjustments to instruction, monitor student learning, and have a positive effect on learning for all students. Candidatesin advanced programs for teachers have a thorough understanding of assessment. They analyze student, classroom, and school performance data and make data-driven decisions about strategies for teaching and learning so that all students learn. They collaborate with other professionals to identify and design strategies and interventions that support student learning. (19)
Element 1g: Professional Dispositions for All Candidates – Candidates work with students, families, colleagues, and communities in ways that reflect the professional dispositions expected of professional educators as delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards. Candidates demonstrate classroom behaviors that create caring and supportive learning environments and encourage self-directed learning by all students. Candidates recognize when their own professional dispositions may need to be adjusted and are able to develop plans to do so. (20)
Standard 3: Field Experiences and Clinical Practice
Element 3c: Candidates Development and Demonstration of Knowledge, Skills, and Professional Dispositions to Help All Students Learn – Candidates work collaboratively with other candidates and clinical faculty to critique and reflect on each others’ practice and their effects on student learning with the goal of improving practice. Field experiences and clinical practice facilitate candidates’ exploration of their knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions related to all students. Candidates develop and demonstrate proficiencies that support learning by all students as shown in their work and those from diverse ethnic/racial, linguistic, gender, and socioeconomic groups in classrooms and schools. (31)
Standard 4: Diversity
Element 4d. Experiences Working with Diverse Students in P-12 Schools – Extensive and substantive field experiences and clinical practices for both conventional and distance learning programs are designed to encourage candidates to interact with exceptional students and students from a broad range of diverse groups. The experiences help candidates confront issues of diversity that affect teaching and student learning and develop strategies for improving student learning and candidates’ effectiveness as teachers. (36)
Chemistry Education
The Chemistry Education program is accredited by both NCATE and North Central Accreditation and must comply with the Indiana Rules for Educator Preparation and Accountability (REPA). Standards specific to science - chemistry are described below.
Rules for Educator Preparation and Accountability (REPA) Content Standards for Educators: Indiana Content Standards for Educators: Science - Chemistry
(These standards indicate the state’s expectations for prospective new teachers in chemistry in addition to the NCATE and NSTA standards)
Chemistry teachers are expected to have a broad and comprehensive understanding of the knowledge and skills needed for this educator license, and to use that knowledge to help students prepare for the challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century. This requires the ability to identify, comprehend, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the basic principles, fundamental concepts, and essential content defined in these standards, and to apply that knowledge to the tasks of planning and delivering effective instruction and assessment. (Indiana Content Standards for Educators: Chemistry)
Standard 1: The Nature and Processes of Science
Chemistry teachers have a broad and comprehensive understanding of the nature of science and the processes of scientific inquiry, including:
1.1the characteristics, assumptions, and goals of science
1.2the tentative nature of scientific knowledge, which is subject to change as new evidence, new tools, or new ways of thinking become available
1.3the formulation of testable hypotheses and the principles and procedures for designing and conducting scientific investigations
1.4common tools, materials, and technology used in chemistry investigations
1.5the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and communication of scientific data, including the use of technology
1.6the safe execution of laboratory exercises and safe storage and disposal of chemicals
1.7the role and applications of mathematics in science
1.8the characteristics and uses of various sources of scientific information and the evaluation of scientific information, claims, and arguments
1.9the role of peer review and critical evaluation of the results of scientific investigations, models, and explanations
Standard 2: Central Concepts and Connections in Science
Chemistry teachers have a comprehensive understanding of the core ideas in other science disciplines and of the relationships between science, engineering, technology, and society, including:
2.1the unifying concepts and processes that cut across the sciences and engineering
2.2the basic concepts and major principles of life science
2.3the basic concepts and major principles of physics
2.4the basic concepts and major principles of Earth and space science
2.5the basic characteristics, principles, and goals of the engineering, or technological, design process
2.6the interconnections between the various disciplines of science
2.7the interrelationships between science and technology
2.8the social, cultural, and ethical aspects of science and technology
2.9the historical development of important ideas in science from different periods and cultures
Standard 3: Atomic Structure
Chemistry teachers have a broad and comprehensive understanding of the structure of atoms, including:
3.1the mass, charge, and arrangement of subatomic particles
3.2historical and contemporary models of atomic structure
3.3electron configurations of atoms and ions and the relationship to chemical behavior
3.4the relationship between subatomic particles and the organization of the periodic table
3.5periodic trends in physical and chemical properties
3.6the properties of radioactive materials, including nuclear stability, half-life, and the types of emissions resulting from radioactive decay
3.7the nature of nuclear reactions and the processes of fission and fusion
Standard 4: The Properties of Matter
Chemistry teachers have a broad and comprehensive understanding of the states of matter and their characteristic properties, including:
4.1the principles of kinetic molecular theory
4.2the movement, arrangement, and interaction of particles in the solid, liquid, gas, and plasma states of matter
4.3the characteristics of elements, molecules, ions, compounds, and mixtures
4.4the chemical and physical properties of matter and the nature of chemical and physical changes of matter
4.5the application of the gas laws to chemical systems
4.6the composition of solutions, suspensions, and colloids
4.7the colligative properties of solutions, the factors that affect solubility, and units of concentration
4.8the rules of nomenclature for inorganic substances
Standard 5: Chemical Bonding
Chemistry teachers have a broad and comprehensive understanding of the principles of chemical bonding and the characteristics of intermolecular forces, including:
5.1the characteristics of ionic bonds, covalent bonds, and metallic bonds and the principles of chemical bonding
5.2the use of Lewis structures to represent the chemical bonding in a molecule
5.3the application of the valence-shell electron-pair repulsion model (VSEPR), valence bond theory, and molecular orbital theory
5.4the determination of molecular geometry of molecules and ions
5.5the characteristics of different types of intermolecular forces such as dipole-dipole, dispersion, and hydrogen bonding
5.6the relationship between intermolecular forces and the properties of matter
Standard 6: Chemical Reactions
Chemistry teachers have a broad and comprehensive understanding of common inorganic chemical reaction types and the principles of chemical reactivity, including:
6.1the basic types of inorganic chemical reactions and the possible indications of a chemical reaction
6.2the mole concept and its use in chemical calculations such as limiting reagents, theoretical yield, and percent yield
6.3the law of conservation of mass and its application in balancing chemical equations
6.4collision theory and the factors that affect reaction rates
6.5chemical kinetics, including reaction rates, rate constants, rate laws, reaction order, and basic reaction mechanisms
6.6the dynamic nature of chemical equilibrium, equilibrium constants, and the factors that affect chemical equilibrium
6.7the Arrhenius, Brønsted-Lowry, and Lewis definitions of acids and bases and the determination of pH and pOH of strong and weak acids and bases
6.8the workings of buffer systems and the principles and applications of acid-base titration
6.9the principles and applications of electrochemistry, including electrolytic and galvanic cells, cell potentials, and cell equilibrium
Standard 7: Thermochemistry
Chemistry teachers have a broad and comprehensive understanding of the laws of thermodynamics and how they apply to chemical systems, including:
7.1the principles and applications of the three laws of thermodynamics
7.2forms of energy and the transformation of energy from one form to another
7.3the concepts of heat and temperature
7.4the use of calorimetry to determine the amount of heat absorbed or released in chemical reactions and physical processes
7.5the energy changes associated with the formation and breaking of chemical bonds
7.6the energy changes associated with chemical reactions and physical processes
7.7free energy and the spontaneity of chemical reactions
Standard 8: Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry
Chemistry teachers have a broad and comprehensive understanding of organic chemistry and biochemistry, including:
8.1the chemical bonding characteristics of the carbon atom, including single bonds, hybridization, and multiple bonds
8.2the composition, structure, and properties of organic compounds
8.3the naming of organic compounds and functional groups
8.4the basic types of organic reactions and the reactants and products of common reaction types
8.5cellular respiration, fermentation, photosynthesis, and major anabolic and catabolic pathways
8.6the structure and properties of nucleic acids, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and polymers and their role in biochemical processes
Standard 9: Science Instruction and Assessment
Chemistry teachers have a broad and comprehensive understanding of content-specific instruction and assessment in science, including:
9.1the Indiana Revised Academic Standards for Science
9.2the National Science Education Standards, the NCATE/NSTA Standards for Science Teacher Preparation, the Common Core State Standards for Literacy: Science and Technical Subjects, and the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards
9.3instructional strategies and resources for promoting students' development of conceptual understanding, inquiry skills, and scientific habits of mind
9.4strategies and skills for planning and designing science instruction, including the use of techniques and approaches that meet the needs of diverse learners
9.5instructional strategies and communication methods that encourage active inquiry, supportive interaction, and collaboration in the science classroom
9.6strategies and resources for promoting students' reading, writing, and mathematics skills in science
9.7strategies and skills for selecting, adapting, and using technological resources to enhance teaching and learning in science
9.8procedures, resources, and guidelines for maintaining a safe science learning environment
9.9strategies and skills for effectively assessing student understanding and mastery of essential science concepts and skills
College of Science Core Curriculum
All Students starting Purdue University Fall semester, 2007 or later are required to pursue this core curriculum. The College of Science Core Curriculum requires the completion of approved coursework and/or experiential learning opportunities in the following academic areas:
- Composition and Presentation
- Teambuilding and Collaboration
- Language and Culture
- General Education
- Great Issues
- Multidisciplinary Experience
- Laboratory Science
- Mathematics
- Statistics
- Computing