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Effective Middle School Science Teaching More than ever, teachers and school districts challenged to improve their school science programs. Helping new and veteran teachers update their knowledge and skills is vital to their continued professional development and can help them respond to the "highly qualified teacher" requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Instructors include both college faculty and experienced classroom teachers - many with National Board Certification in Science. Participating teachers typically receive selected trade books and samples of curriculum and kit materials to use in their local classrooms, as noted below. In addition, each participating teacher will be assigned a faculty "e-mentor" for follow-up dialogue in the current school year. Coursework includes the following topics:
Over the years, robust research literature has developed supporting the use of inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning in the science classroom. In addition, support for inquiry can be found in the language of most national and state science education standards. Inquiry learning is connected to a deeper understanding of the nature of scienceÑbeyond a na•ve view of science as a collection of facts to an emphasis on the hypothesis-testing, theory building activity that signifies a developed, evolved understanding. But what does inquiry teaching and learning look like in the classroom? How can teachers use inquiry techniques more effectively in their teaching? How can we assess student learning through inquiry?
Assessing what students know and are able to do is increasingly importantÑin the classroom, and at the local, state, and national levels. Typically, the interaction in a classroom provides many opportunities for teachers to examine the quality of student learning. Whether formal or informal, research shows that high quality assessment can have a positive impact on student achievement. How can teachers develop and use assessment procedures that bridge the gap between theory and practice? What resources are available to help? What does it all look like in the classroom?
Most science lessons are also language lessons. Learning the specialized language of science is an important step in learning science. Strip away the special vocabulary of any science discipline and not much meaning is left. Science uses words that we donÕt use in everyday discourse, such as mole, quark, and epithelium. Science also imparts special meanings for words we do use everyday, such as power, wave, and field. Language can be a major barrier to learning science, whether students are native speakers of English or not. Teachers will take home strategies for literacy development that are research-based and classroom-proven, using activities that are motivating, engaging, and fun.
The classroom environmentÑwhich includes the physical arrangement of equipment, materials, and furniture as well as the overall atmosphere and ÒfeelÓ of the classroom Ð can have a powerful impact on student learning and teacher efficacy. How should you interact with students? Should your classroom be student-centered, teacher-centered, or subject-centered? How should you best arrange resources and materials for success in an activity-centered curriculum? The workshop will deal with these and other related questions.
Student populations in contemporary classrooms are increasingly diverse with respect to ethnicity, English language fluency, and cognitive ability. This diversity can result in special challenges to todayÕs teachers, who must acknowledge the key role they play in teaching all learners in their classroom. The workshop will provide specific suggestions and recommendations for science teachers encountering each type of diversity, including flexible classrooms, ongoing assessment of learner needs, learning profile, collaboration, and student choice. Key workshop outcomes for participants: • Understanding foundations of inquiry teaching and learning • Learning how to apply inquiry-based approaches and strategies effectively in their classrooms • Learning how to evaluate their own science program for inquiry support • Reviewing principles of assessment theory and practice • Learning about assessment system components of exemplary science curricula • Considering current issues in assessment policy, practice and the implementation of knowledge and skills gained in the workshop. • Learning basic techniques to support literacy development in the science classroom • Applying these basic techniques to selected science activities and lesson sequences from the SEPUP program and local sources • Learn to develop and use performance expectations for oral and written language, reading comprehension, and media viewing • Learn strategies for working with ELL and other diverse learners. Sources (a partial list): • Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 2000) • Selected program materials from the Science Education for Public Understanding Program (SEPUP) and other NSF programs • Developing Inquiry-Based Science Materials: A Guide for Educators (Their and Daviss, 2001) • Classroom Assessment and the National Science Standards (National Research Council, 2001) • The SEPUP Assessment System (Wilson, Draney, et. al., 1998) • Everyday Assessment in the Science Classroom (Atkin and Coffey, 2003) • The New Science Literacy: Using Language Skills to Help Students Learn Science, (Thier, 2002) • Language and Literacy in Science Education (Wellington and Osborne, 2001) • Literacy Strategies Across the Subject Areas (Wood, 2001) • Children with Limited English (Kottler and Kottler, 2002). • Leadership for Differentiating Schools and Classrooms (Tomlinson and Allan, 2000). |