BSC 101 lecture sessions: Mon/Wed, 3 p.m., SHA 130 (attend one lecture, recitation, Tues/Thu, 8 a.m., FSA 133
or lab session per week) Tues/Thu, 10 a.m., SHA 130 Recitation/Lab meets in Mon/Wed, 2 p.m., FSA 133
FHS 100, 102, 103
OFFICE: SLB 428
CONTACT NUMBER: 438-8161 (office)
Course overview: This seminar course provides an introduction to the basic skills needed to become an effective science teacher. It serves as an entry course for the Biology Teacher Education program, as well as provides training for other students who plan to have undergraduate teaching experiences in the sciences. Students will attend one session of BSC 101, Fundamental Concepts in Biology, each week and meet for one additional hour each week to discuss classroom observations and reading assignments. Emphasis will be placed on research-based teaching and learning theory, as well as practical classroom techniques for science teaching.
Prerequisites: Students must have successfully completed at least one semester of an introductory science major’s sequence (BSC 196, 197, or equivalent). Consent of instructor required.
Course Goals: As a result of participation, students will:
· be able to discuss the nature of scientific inquiry
· identify sources of science teaching research and information about best
teaching practices
· use these sources to prepare a personal Philosophy of Teaching statement
· actively reflect on teaching practices
· prepare for undergraduate teaching experiences
· begin to assemble a teaching portfolio
Text and Readings: Uno, G.E. Handbook on Teaching Undergraduate Science Courses.
Saunders College Publishing, Fort Worth, 1999.
Additional primary literature will be assigned.
General Topic Outline:
Characteristics of effective science teachers
Inquiry approaches and scientific method
Ethical issues
Self-reflection and teaching portfolios
How students learn science
Critical thinking skills
Diversity of learning styles
Addressing student misconceptions
Collaborative learning
The Nature of Science
Science as one way of “knowing”
What distinguishes scientific from non-scientific approaches to information?
Assessment
Developing objectives
Assessment techniques
Student Assignments:
Students will attend a minimum of one hour of lecture, recitation, or lab in BSC 101 per week, documented by written notes and commentary. The content and presentation of content will be discussed at weekly course meetings. Students will participate in discussions of the nature of scientific inquiry and of teaching practices and observations. Throughout the semester, students will prepare at least two drafts of a Philosophy of Teaching statement, based on the College of Education Conceptual Framework, science education research, and class discussions. Students will prepare a personal set of teaching portfolio guidelines based on standard professional practices, and begin to accumulate materials for the portfolio, as appropriate.
Student Performance Evaluation:
· Weekly journals and discussions 50%
· Completion of a Philosophy of Teaching statement 40%
· Reflection on the nature of scientific inquiry 10% of final grade