national research council (2001) educating teachers of science, mathematics, and technology
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Using PBL to Integrate Content and Pedagogy in an Interdisciplinary “Science Semester” for Future Elementary Teachers. National Research Council (2001) Educating Teachers of Science, Mathematics, and Technology. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Using PBL to Integrate Content and Pedagogy in an
Interdisciplinary “Science Semester” for Future
Elementary Teachers
National Research Council (2001)Educating Teachers of Science, Mathematics, and Technology
Science...departments should assume greater responsibility for offering college-level courses that provide teachers with strong exposure to appropriate content and that model the kinds of pedagogical approaches appropriate for teaching that content.
[C]olleges and universities should reexamine and redesign introductory college-level courses in science and mathematics to better accommodate the needs of practicing and future teachers.
What would such a course be?
Inquiry-based
Multidisciplinary
Instructors would model instruction
Student collaboration
Science Semester: A Multidisciplinary Collaboration
Biological SciencesGeologyAstronomy & PhysicsSchool of EducationEducation Research and
Development CenterMathematics & Science Education Resource Center
Science Semester15 Credits
Life Science 4 Credits
Earth Science
4 Credits
Physical Science4 Credits
Science Education Methods 3 Credits
Science Semester
Sciences: Five
2-hr meetings/wk
Methods: Two 1½
hr meetings/wk
Earth, life and physical science laboratories each week (6 hr)
Science Semester
Science SemesterGoal: to foster
future teacher’s understandings of science, teaching and learning and to support use of inquiry in their own classrooms
Four PBL problems
Group & Individual
products
Mixed instructional
methods
Science Semester Structure
Science Semester: Instructor Responsibilities
Lead one of the investigations
Participate & collaborate on other investigations
Attend all class meetings
Conflicting Practices inScience Education
K-12 reform
Standards-based
content & skills
Inquiry
Integrates
disciplines
Higher education
Textbook- & lecture- driven content & skills
Transmission
Separates disciplines
Characteristics of Ideal PBL Investigations
Complex enough for interdisciplinary themes
Engaging and motivational from student perspective
Allow for college-level exploration of big ideas that connect to K-6 science education standards
Allow for products that flow naturally
Allow for gradual introduction and building of PBL skills
Can be integrated with lectures, active learning activities, and whole class discussions
Overview of the Four Unit Investigations
Problem Scenarios
Interdisciplinary content themes
Products
Labs and special activities
Unit One - Physical Science: What is Energy?
Scenario: Students assume roles of 8th grade teachers. They apply to and attend a summer curriculum development institute sponsored by NREL. They learn about energy as they fill out an extensive application for the institute, then attend initial sessions.
Unit One (cont).
Products:Informal presentation on energy-related topicReport on standards-based curriculum themes related to energy
Content themes:Sources of energy, electricity, environmental consequences of energy use, flow of energy through the biosphere, energy in chemical reactions, global carbon cycle
Unit Two - Biology: Kids, Chemicals & Cancer
Scenario: A child in Tom’s River, NJ develops leukemia. Citizens in the town begin to notice what seems to be a high incidence of childhood cancers. They think they have a “cancer cluster,” and suspect that a local chemical manufacturing plant and an illegal toxic waste dump are to blame.
Parents of the child about whom the
problem is written
Unit Two (cont).Products:
Report on chain of evidence and inference necessary to establish a cancer cluster; peer review of 1st draftIn the role of a teacher in whose class there is a child with cancer, design classroom activities that address children’s questions about cancer
Unit Two (cont)Supporting Labs
DNA extraction and structural modelsEffects of tobacco on mutation in bacteriaCluster Busters – computer-based investigation
Content themes:Structure & function of DNA; cell cycle; causes, effects, & treatment of cancer; cancer clusters; environmental health; organic chemistry; soils; ground water; hydrologic cycle
Unit Three - Elementary Science Education: Did my students learn what
they’re supposed to?
Scenario: Students explore and evaluate a science curriculum kit. They write an extensive report on their evaluation, teach an activity from the kit (with their peers as students), and present a poster to the university and local science education community.
Unit Three (cont)
Content Themes:• Aligning standards,
curriculum & assessment
in instruction
• Pedagogical content
knowledge
Unit Four – Earth Science: Limulus polyphemus!
Scenario: Students grapple with the complex issues surrounding an ongoing, heated controversy about establishment of the annual catch limit for the horseshoe crab, an environmentally and economically important organism in the Delaware Bay.
Unit Four (cont)
Products:Presentation on horseshoe crab
biology, role in Bay ecosystem, and economic importance
Analysis of evidence from public testimony on the issues – conclude with a recommendation based on the best evidence
Unit Four (cont)
Content themes:
Life cycles & niches of horseshoe crab and other Bay organisms; seasons; phases of the moon; tides; coastal geology; water chemistry; technology & science
Remaining Questions/Issues
Instructor interpretations of PBL are not the same – can students make sense of our differing perspectives in a way that will be useful to their future teaching?
If initial investigations are more structured by instructor, will students graciously allow the instructor presence to “fade away?”
Will “message” be lost with subsequent courses, particularly if they are science courses?
Issues with integrating education
Does the Science Semester meet the needs and goals of the elementary teacher education program?
Can we achieve a successful integration of education into a discipline-dominated semester?
The Education Course in the Science Semester
Elementary Curriculum: Science (EDUC 341)
Introduction to teaching science in the elementary school. Includes the study of current elementary school programs, instructional materials, teaching strategies, lesson planning and implementation and the appraisal of pupil achievement. Practicum included.
Goals for EDUC 341
Develop an understanding of the nature of scienceGain familiarity with current research on children’s learning of science and their conceptions of science contentExplore the concepts of community, identity, diversity, equity and relevance
Goals for EDUC 341
Become familiar with the current theoretically-based practices in science instruction, including inquiry instruction, alternative assessmentGain experience in planning, conducting, and analyzing science instructionBecome familiar with the tools used in science instruction, including science curricula, science talk, science texts and technology, people, and places
Challenges in the Traditional Version of EDUC 341
Uneven science content prior to curriculum course
6 concurrent education courses to compete with
ETE culture
Science Semester Benefits
Model of content Shows students what integrated science
curriculum looks likeProvides specific content examples, can be
coordinated precisely with education theory and pedagogy
Model of pedagogy – PBL and other science teaching strategies
– “practicing what we preach”
Science Semester Concerns
Would education issues be lost in the emphasis on science content?
Meta level understanding of pedagogical models too conceptually challenging for sophomores?
Conflicting pedagogical models across faculty?
What actually happened
Students were clearly focused on education, wanted more
Content concurrent with education course sometimes worked, but sometimes didn’t
Capitalized on differences in pedagogy to explore multiple models of instruction
Remaining Questions/Issues
Supporting learners post-science semester
Field experiences
Sustainability
Questions Research methods
How do students’ science & pedagogical understandings develop in response to this PBL-based experience?
Content assessments Coursework Student writing Interviews Classroom
observations
How do students make sense of unfamiliar approaches to learning & teaching?
Surveys Student writing Interviews
Preliminary Findings
Science content & pedagogical knowledge
Science Semester impacts students’
views of:
Knowledge sources
Knowledge contexts & connections
Learning processes & products
Preliminary Findings
Responses to unfamiliar approaches to
learning & teaching
Science Semester challenges students’:
beliefs about the roles & responsibilities
of teachers & learners
criteria for knowing & learning
self-understandings as learners &
future teachers
Administrative support for innovative teaching
Promoting interdisciplinarity within a discipline-based organization
Achieving sustainability of innovative practices
Striving for scalability from a pilot project