Queens
College/CUNY
Education Unit
Spring 2010
SYLLABUS
SEYS 382 -
Section:
Thursday 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm
Kiely Hall Room 115
Week 1 | Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
Week 5 |
Week 6 |
Week 7 |
Week 8 |
Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 |
Week 17 | Week 18 |
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Brian Murfin,
Ph.D.,
Office: Powdermaker Hall Room 150P,
Office Hours:
Thursday 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
And by appointment
Please send me email to brian.murfin@qc.cuny.edu to arrange an online appointment using either:
- ScienceMOO, or
- DimDim
Phone: 631 223-8311
Email: brian.murfin@qc.cuny.edu
A. COURSE DESCRIPTION
SEYS 382. Curriculum and Assessment in Teaching Science
3 hr.; 3 cr. Coreq.: the subject-specific student teaching course from SEYS 370.4–374.4. Open only to students in teacher education programs. An examination of curriculum development and assessment for classroom teaching designed to integrate New York State Learning Standards and required testing, such as the Regents exams, into the curriculum. The course builds on the fundamental pedagogical content knowledge in specific disciplines in SEYS 360–364. Taught in tandem with the student teaching experience to enrich the student teacher’s understanding of curriculum and assessment issues within a working classroom.
Education Unit Conceptual Framework:
This course is being offered by the Secondary Education department which is part of the Education Unit at Queens College. The Education Unit seeks to promote equity, excellence, and ethics in urban education and is committed to preparing teachers and other education professionals who will:
- Build inclusive communities that nurture and challenge all learners (Equity)
- Demonstrate professionalism, scholarship, efficacy, and evidence-based and reflective practice (Excellence)
- Diversity, democracy, and social justice (Ethics)
This course is aligned with the Education Unit’s commitment to preparing educational professionals to work in diverse urban and suburban communities. Specifically, the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that candidates will development/demonstrate at the successful completion of this course are directly linked to the Education Unit’s seven principles: 1) discipline specific competencies, 2) learning and development, 3) families and urban communities, 4) diversity, inclusion, democracy and social justice, 5) language and literacy, 6) curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and 7) technology.
B. COURSE GOALS/OBJECTIVES
- Students will become familiar with all aspects of the New York State Science curricula and required assessments.
- Students will create, test and evaluate lesson and unit plans
- Students will design, test and evaluate both traditional and alternative science assessments
- Students will devise different strategies to help students to succeed on required New York State assessments
- Stidents will explore the relationship between the characteristics of a classroom learning environment and attitudes towards science and science achievement
- Students will understand the importance of equity and diversity and its influence on science learning
- Students will use cogenerative dialogue to come up with possible solutions to real-world challenges in the classroom
- Students will learn useful techniques from experienced science teachers
- Students will create a digital portfolio that will demonstrate their accomplishments during their pre-service science teaching experiences
- Students will use action research techniques to improve their science teaching and their students' learning
- Meet cooperating teachers, overview of student teaching and requirements
- Visit the course web site using the Firefox web browser
- Press Ctrl T to open up a new tab, visit the CUNY portal at www.cuny.edu, login, access our course in BlackBoard. If your CAMS account is not working, you may need to activate it by visiting the following site: https://cams.qc.cuny.edu/
- Sign up for gmail, access google docs, our google group and google wave. Email your gmail and qc addresses to qcscied@gmail.com and I will then create a class mailing list and google group.
- Sign up for QC Science Education Space
- Complete
Pre-Course
Survey
- Introduce self on Discussion Board in BlackBoard
- Go over course outline, goals, assignments
- Print out NYC permission forms to take photos and video for digital portfolio
- Visit the New York City Teacher Page http://schools.nyc.gov/Teachers/default.htm
- New York City - New Teachers page
- Teacher Development Toolkit
- You've been framed: Cogenerative dialogues in PAR
- Implementing Coteaching and Cogenerative Dialoguing in Urban Science Education (Link in BlackBoard documents)
- NYC School Blogs
- GothamSchools - http://gothamschools.org/
- Change.org - Education - http://education.change.org/
- NYC Public School Parents - http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/
- Inside Schools - http://insideschools.org/index12.php?
- How to teach science
C. REQUIRED PURCHASES: TEXTBOOK(S) AND SUPPLIES
1. Textbook (required): None You will not be required to purchase a textbook for this course. Instead, each student will review a different book from a list provided by the instructor. Most of these books are available in the Queens College library.
2. Textbook (recommended):
3. Supplies and/or tools: None
D. WEEKLY TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Week 1 – 1/28/2010 – Student teaching overview, Introduction to the course
Activities:
-
Readings:
- Discuss initial impressions of placements
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
- Design an online survey for your students
- You can use a Google docs spreadsheet and form or Survey Monkey
- What other ways can you get to know your students?
- Interviews
- Small group discussions
- Have students make webs, concept maps, drawings
- Observations
- Extracurricular activities, e.g. sports, clubs
- New York State Learning Standards http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/nysatl/standards.html
- Mathematics, Science and Technology http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/nysatl/mathstand.html
- NYS Science learning experiences - https://stateaid.nysed.gov/scripts/sa/le_std.idc
- Mathematics, Science and Technology Publications - http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/pub/pubmst.html
-
Activities:
-
Readings and Extension
activities:
-
Useful Links:
Week 3– 2/11/2010 – Becoming familiar with the classroom learning environment
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
- Describe your science classroom environment
Week 4 – 2/18/2010 – NO CLASS - Classes follow a Monday schedule
Week 5 – 2/25/2010 – New York State Learning Standards, New York State Science Curricula
Activities:
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
- Locate the curriculum for your class, save on disk
- Post the topics you will be teaching on the discussion board
- Discuss approaches to teaching and assessing the topic you chose
- Intermediate Level Science Core Curriculum
- The Living Environment Core Curriculum
- Physical Setting/Earth Science Core Curriculum
- Physical Setting/Chemistry Core Curriculum
- Physical Setting/Physics Core Curriculum New York City Curriculum Information
- Scope and Sequence for K-8 Science
- Scope and Sequence for High School Science National Science Education Standards
- National Science Education Standards
- What Is the Influence of the National Science Education Standards?: Reviewing the Evidence, A Workshop Summary NSDL
- Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy
- NSDL Science Literacy Maps
- Ben (Biology)
- ChemEd DL (Chemistry)
- DLESE (Earth Science)
- comPADRE (Astronomy and Physics)
- All NSDL Collection K-12 Short Cuts
- Science Curriculum Reform in the United States
- Designing
Mathematics or Science Curriculum Programs:
A Guide for Using Mathematics and Science Education Standards
Useful Links:
New York State Science Curricula
Readings:
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
- Before class, take a science exam in the subject area you will be teaching. Score your exam.
- Post on the discussion board in BlackBoard
- What assessments are required by NYS?
- What are some of the issues associated with the required assessments?
- What strategies can you use to meet the required assessment
- How might
you adapt your teaching to address the assessment issues you
raised
- New York Office of State Assessment -http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/
- Intermediate Level Science Test - http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/science/home.html
- Regents Examinations - General Information - http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/hsgen/home.html
- Science Reference Tables - http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/reftable/home.html
- Test Samplers - Intermediate Level Science - http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/science/samplers/
- Test Samplers - High School Science - http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/science/samplers/hs/
Activities:
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
- Describe some examples of alternative assessment you have used in your class
- Brainstorm ideas for alternative assessment for topics you will be teaching this semester. Post your alternative assessments on wikispaces.com. Make sure to indicate the topic that your assessment is linked to.
- Practice with ScienceMOO for online class next week.
-
Online class - Set up an online resource for your students. This could be a web site, blog, wiki, or twitter feed or come other Web 2.0 tool. Your online resource should help your students review a science topic in an interesting and fun way.
- Blog
- Flashcards
- glogster
- Online poll
- web site
- wiki
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
- Select your online tool, sign up for account
- Plan, set goals, decide on approach
- Create content
- Post url on Discussion Board in BlackBoard.
- Get feedback from colleagues
- Pilot test with students
Activities:
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
- Sign up to for a free NSTA account to create a portfolio and Professional Development plan. Begin to assemble a copy of your digital portfolio using labeled files and folders and burn on a DVD.
- Electronic Portfolios: Students, Teachers, and Life Long Learners
- Electronic portfolios
- Examples of WWW-compatible electronic portfolios
- What is a digital portfolio?
- How to create a digital portfolio
Class activities:
Read the following:
Useful links:
Week 11 – 4/8/2010 – Continue Working on Digital Portfolio and Review Projects
- Post project progress report on the discussion board in Blackboard
- Introduction to Google Sites
- Use Google Sites http://sites.google.com to set up another version of your portfolio. You may also want to use Google sites for your project.
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
- Post update on your progress on your Review Project
Week 12 – 4/15/2010 - Motivating students to learn science Activities:
- What is motivation? What techniques can be used to motivate students to want to learn science?
- Consider the science curriculum you are currently teaching and make lists of the following, and post them on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard:
- Science topics you find boring and uninteresting
- Science topics that your students find boring and uninteresting
- The science topics that are most difficult for your students
- For each item on the list, come up with at least one way to motivate students and to get them interested in the topic . You can work in pairs or groups on each other's lists.
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
Week 13 – 4/22/2010 – NO CLASS - Please Work on Digital Portolio and Review Projects
Activities:- Post link to digital portolios on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
Reading: Fostering Science Learning in Diverse Urban Settings by Ken Tobin (Link in BlackBoard documents)
Week 14 – 4/29/2010 -Science teaching in urban schools - Joys and ChallengesActivities:
- NSTA Student Chapter meeting 4:30 to 5:30pm
- Student chapter procedures guide
- Discussion of teaching science in diverse urban settings using examples from your classrooms
- Questions:
- How is teaching in an urban school different from a suburban or rural school?
- What are the characteristics of urban secondary school students?
- What science teaching strategies work best with urban students?
- What science teaching strategies do not work well with urban students?
- What city resources can you use to help
students learn science?
Reading:
- Teaching science and inquiry-based learning in an urban culturally diverse classroom
- TEACHING SCIENCE IN LARGE INNER-CITY HIGH SCHOOLS
- Teaching in urban schools
- Urban science adventures
Week 15 – 5/6/2010 – NYS Certification, Questions and Answers, Professional DevelopmentActivities:
- Go through the reading list for new science teachers
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
Useful links:
- Science Teacher professional development
- http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/
- Getting your permanent certificate
Readings and Extension activities:
Week 16 – 5/13/2010 - >Interviews, Resumes, and Getting a Teaching JobActivities:
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
- TheApple
- Sample teacher resume
- Resume strategies for teachers
- 15 Toughest Interview Questions (and Answers!)
- Interview tips from the Apple
- idealist.org
Assignment
5
Due
Please complete thecourse
evaluationbefore
the last week
Making Science Fun and Presentations of Projects
Activities:
- Think back to your own science classes. Make a list of the most enjoyable, fun science activities you experienced. Post your list on the discussion board in BlackBoard.
- For
the science topic you are currently teaching or that you will teach
soon, brainstorm ideas on how to make it fun and enjoyable.
- Discussion questions:
- Should science learning always be fun? Why or why not?
- What are the best ways to make science learning fun?
- What is and is not fun for urban students?
- Are teachers' and students' ideas of fun the same? Why or why not?
- Weekly update: successes, challenges
Week
18 – 5/27/2010 – NO CLASS - COMMENCEMENT
Presentations of group projects
E. ASSIGNMENTS, DUE DATES, AND GRADING PLAN
Procedure for submitting assignments:
1) All assignments that include text:
- Post a copy on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard
- Submit an electronic version (a Word document) using the Assignments link in BlackBoard
- Upload your document to docs.google.com and share with qcscied@gmail.com
2) If your assignment is on the web, post the url on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard. iIf your assignment is in the form of an audio, video or image, attach the file to a posting on the discussion board in BlackBoard.
Assignment Description |
Due Date |
Possible Points |
Assignment 1 – Write a short desription of the school, the community, the student body and the faculty. |
2/11/2010 |
20 (5 points each) |
Assignment 2 – Describe in detail the classroom learning environment where you are student teaching. (Physical environment, students, teacher, class rules, contracts, atmosphere, textbooks, review books, other) |
2/25/2010 |
40 points |
Assignment 3 – Interview with your cooperating teacher or other experienced science teacher, For the class you are teaching, interview (If you can, you might want to try out http://wetoku.com/ to record the interview) your cooperating teacher and |
4/8/2010 |
20 (10 points for questions, 10 points for transcript, video or audio file) |
Assignment 4 – Weekly updates on successes, positive events, and challenges (Post before or during Thursday class) (These can be video, audio or text postings) |
Due weekly |
10 points each week for a total of 160 points |
Assignment 5 – Action Research Project - Goal: improve student performance on a required assessment . Procedure: Design an Exam Review aid - create an original game, poster, model, video, activity, contest, etc. that will help students review for a required assessment such as the Regents exam. Test out your exam review aid with your students. |
5/13/2010 |
100 points for activity 10 points for presentation |
Assignment 6 – Digital portfolio of examples of your work. Sign up to for a free account to create a portfolio and Professional Development plan. Assemble a copy of your digital portfolio using labeled files and folders and burn on a DVD. |
5/20/2010 |
100 points |
Participation – Active participation in all class activities. |
|
20 |
F.
FIELDWORK REQUIREMENTS -
None
G.
CUNY POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic
Dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and is
punishable
by penalties, including failing grades,
suspension, and expulsion as provided at:
http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/provost/policies/index.html
H. ADA
Statement
Students with
disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1)
register with and provide documentation to the Special
Services Office, Kiely 171; (2) bring a letter to the
instructor indicating the need for
accommodation and what type. This should
be done
during the first week of class. For more information about
services available
to Queens students
contact: Dr. Mirian Detres-Hickey, Special Services Office;
171 Kiely
Hall; 718 997-5870 (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). E-mail
address: mdetres@yahoo.com
or to mirian.detreshicky@qc.cuny.edu
I. USE OF
STUDENT WORK
All teacher education programs in New York State undergo periodic
reviews by
accreditation agencies and the state education
department. For these purposes, samples
of students’ work are made available to those professionals
conducting the review. Student anonymity
is
assured under these circumstances. If you do not wish to have
your work made
available for these purposes, please let the professor
know before the start of the second class.
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
J.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
K. RECENT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Atkin, J., & National Research Council (U.S.). (2001). Classroom assessment and the National Science Education Standards. Washington DC: National Academy Press.Benchmarks Online ~ Project 2061 ~ AAAS. (n.d.). . Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://www.project2061.org/publications/bsl/online/index.php?intro=true
Bransford, J. (2000). How people learn brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, D.C. :: National Academy Press,
Bybee, R. W., Ed. 2002. Learning Science and the Science of Learning: Science Educators' Essay Collection. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education. Committee on Development of an Adddendum to the National Science Education Standards on Scientific Inquiry. (2000). Inquiry and the national science education standards : a guide for teaching and learning. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.
Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century (U.S.);Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (U.S.). (2007). Rising above the gathering storm : energizing and employing America for a brighter economic future. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press.
Curwin, R., and A. Mendler. 1988. Discipline with Dignity. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Duschl, R., & National Research Council (U.S.).;National Research Council (U.S.).;National Research Council (U.S.). (2007). Taking science to school : learning and teaching science in grades K-8. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press.
Fulfilling the promise : biology education in the nation's schools. (1990). . Washington: Natl Academy Press.
Glasser, R. 1989. Building Classroom Discipline. N.Y: Longman, Inc.
Glasser, W. 1998. The Quality School and The Quality School Teacher. NY: HarperCollins.
Gollub, J., & National Research Council (U.S.).;National Research Council (U.S.). (2002). Learning and understanding : improving advanced study of mathematics and science in U.S. high schools. Washington DC: National Academy Press.
Keeley, P., F., Eberle, and J. Tugel. 2007. Uncovering Student Ideas in Science: 25 More Formative Assessment Probes, Volume 2. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
Kwan, T., and J. Texley. 2003. Inquiring Safely: A Guide for Middle School Teachers. Arlington, VA : NSTA Press.
Kwan, T., J. Texley, and J. Summers. 2004. Investigating Safely: A Guide for High School Teachers. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
Michaels, S., & National Research Council (U.S.). (2008). Ready, set, science! : putting research to work in K-8 science classrooms. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press.
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.). (1998). Teaching about evolution and the nature of science. Washington DC: National Academy Press.
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.);Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2008). Science, evolution, and creationism. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press.
National Research Council (U.S.). (1996). National Science Education Standards : observe, interact, change, learn. Washington DC: National Academy Press.
National Research Council (U.S.). (2004). Engaging schools : fostering high school students' motivation to learn. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press.
Olson, S. (2009). Strengthening high school chemistry education through teacher outreach programs : a workshop summary to the chemical sciences roundtable. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press.
Pellegrino, J., & National Research Council (U.S.). (2001). Knowing what students know : the science and design of educational assessment. Washington DC: National Academy Press.
Resources for teaching middle school science. (1998). . Washington DC: National Academy Press.
Rising Above the Gathering Storm Two Years Later: Accelerating Progress Toward a Brighter Economic Future. Summary of a Convocation. (n.d.). . Retrieved January 25, 2010, from http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12537
Roberts, D., C. Bove, and E.H. van Zee. (Eds). 2007. Teacher Research: Stories of Learning and Growing. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
Rosen, W., & National Research Council (U.S.). (1989). High-school biology : today and tomorrow. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.
Singer, S., & National Research Council (U.S.). (2006). America's lab report : investigations in high school science. Washington DC: National Academies Press.
Sprick, R. 1985. Discipline in the Secondary Classroom. West Nyack, N.Y.: Center for Applied Research.
Tauber, R. T. 1990. Classroom Management from A to Z. Chicago: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
What is the influence of the national science education standards? reviewing the evidence : a workshop summary. (2004). . Washington: Natl Academy Press.
Wilson, M., & National Research Council (U.S.). (2006). Systems for state science assessment. Washington DC: National Academies Press.
Wong, H. K., Wong, R. T. 2004. The First Days Of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher. Mountain View , CA : Harry K. Wong Publications, INC.