science education program minor in natural sciences become a middle school science teacher

Science Education ProgramScience Education Program

Minor in Natural Sciences BECOME A MIDDLE SCHOOL

SCIENCE TEACHER

Science Education Program

Presentation Contents

• California Science Credential Requirements – Subject Matter Competency, Science Credential Options

• Minor in Natural Science• Single Subject Credential Program Information• Your Next Steps• Additional Resources

Be a Science Teacher Presentation 2


CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CREDENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• To earn a secondary science teaching credential, candidates must – demonstrate subject matter competency and

– complete a program of professional preparation.

• The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing authorizes nine different science credentials for teaching in grades 7-12.

– Each credential requires demonstration of subject matter competence through completion of specific undergraduate or graduate degrees OR successful passage of several subtests of the California Science Examination for Teachers (CSET) in Science.

– Candidates with a regular credential in a science area are authorized to teach in their specific discipline as well as general and integrated science, including middle school science.

– Candidates with a Specialized credential in a science area are authorized to teach only in their specific discipline.

• The most common route to subject matter competency is a major in a specific discipline and passage of the appropriate CSETs.


Majors and Minors in Science Presentation 4


MINOR IN NATURAL SCIENCE

• CSUF offers a Minor in Natural Sciences that should be considered by all prospective elementary teachers as well as potential middle school science teachers.

• By completing the minor, future teachers:– Gain additional preparation in science content areas;– Learn about important and current concepts and issues in science; and– Prepare for teaching earth, life, and physical science in middle schools.

• The minor readily combines with any major when the student carefully selects the appropriate lower division general education classes. Assuming efficient lower division GE science selections, the minor may require only 9-11 units of additional coursework.


Majoring in the Natural Sciences 6

Lower Division Courses

Take at least 3 units from each group for a total of 9-11 units

Must have an * course from Life Science and a second one from either

Physical Sciences or Earth/Astronomical Sciences.

Life Science3 Units Minimum

Biology 101, 101L*, 102 or equivalent

Life Science3 Units Minimum

Biology 101, 101L*, 102 or equivalent

Earth/Astronomical Sciences3 Units Minimum

Geology 101, 101L*, 102*, or equivalent. Physics 120

Earth/Astronomical Sciences3 Units Minimum

Geology 101, 101L*, 102*, or equivalent. Physics 120

Physical Sciences3 Units Minimum

Chemistry 100, 100L*, 105, 111, 115 or 120A*, 120B*,

Physics/Chem 102*Physics 101, 101L*, 115, 211*, 212*

Physical Sciences3 Units Minimum

Chemistry 100, 100L*, 105, 111, 115 or 120A*, 120B*,

Physics/Chem 102*Physics 101, 101L*, 115, 211*, 212*

Natural Sciences Minor Requirements

Upper Division Courses

12 Units Total: At least 2 units from three course groups: Teacher Education Core,

Biology, Chemistry, Geology, and Physics. Natural Sciences Minor advisor must

approve course election.

Teacher Education Core CoursesGroup 1

Biology 453, Geology 410

Teacher Education Core CoursesGroup 1

Biology 453, Geology 410

Biological Science CoursesGroup 2

Biology 300, 305, 306, 310, 311, 318, 319, 330, 352, 360, 409, 453

Biological Science CoursesGroup 2

Biology 300, 305, 306, 310, 311, 318, 319, 330, 352, 360, 409, 453

Chemistry/Biochemistry CoursesChemistry 303 A, B, C, 311, and 313 A,

B, C

Chemistry/Biochemistry CoursesChemistry 303 A, B, C, 311, and 313 A,

B, C

Geological Sciences CoursesGeology 310T, 410, 420

Geological Sciences CoursesGeology 310T, 410, 420

Physics CoursesPhysics 301

Physics CoursesPhysics 301

See www.assist.org to identify community college and lower division courses that

articulate with Cal State Fullerton courses.


Natural Sciences Minor as a Stepping Stone to Middle School Science

There are two credential pathways to middle school science teaching:• Candidates may earn a Multiple Subject Credential and add the Foundational Level

General Science Credential by passage of #118 and #119 CSET Subtests AND successful completion of EDSC 542S Advanced Methods of Teaching Middle School Science (offered each summer)

• Candidates earn a Single Subject Credential in Foundational Level General Science by completing the single subject credential program.

The Minor in Natural Sciences helps prepare candidates for CSET subtests: • #118 Subtest I General Science: Astronomy; Dynamic Processes of the Earth; Earth

Resources; Waves; Forces and Motion; Electricity and Magnetism• #119 Subtest II General Science: Ecology; Genetics and Evolution; Molecular Biology and

Biochemistry; Cell and Organismal Biology; Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics; Structure/Properties of Matter

Majoring in the Natural Sciences 7


Why Consider Teaching as a Career?


INTRINSIC REASONS FOR TEACHING(internal psychic satisfactions, as personal accomplishment or joy of work)

• Joy of seeing students learn• Performing a significant social service• Fellow teachers/colleagues relationships• Work you love to do• Work gives sense you are respected and appreciated• Time to spend with family • Potential to affect the lives of others• Love of subject taught• Lifelong learning opportunities


EXTRINSIC REASONS FOR TEACHING(public, external attractions of an occupation, such as money, prestige, and power)

• Salaries – $45,000 - $95,000 range + benefits and improving• Status – positive but sometimes difficult to discern• Power – unique power over students• Work Schedule – “June, July, and August”

– two semesters of 18 weeks plus 10 teacher work days– 185 days total compared to 260 M-F in one year

• Benefits – retirement, health/dental/vision, low interest loans

• Job Security – tenure after two years• Opportunities for Increased Pay – pay scale (% each year

and additional step on pay scale)• Opportunities for Advancement – curriculum specialist,

department chair, counselor, assistant principal, principal, superintendent


SAMPLE SALARY SCHEDULES• Anaheim Union High School District

– has a student population of approximately 37,000, including Adult Education. The District covers 46 square miles and stretches across the cities of Anaheim, Cypress, Buena Park, La Palma and Stanton. Our students, who speak 49 different languages in their homes, attend 23 campuses and come to us from five feeder elementary districts

– $49,436 for BA + 30 (Certificated Salary Schedule 07-08)• Capistrano Unified School District

– $ 48,499 for BA + 30 (Certificated Salary Schedule 07-08)• Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District

– 20 miles north of San Jose and 45 miles south of San Francisco; student population of 3,683 students of which 55% are Caucasian and 45% are students of color

– $57,094 for BA+30 (Certificated Salary Schedule 07-08)



FINANCIAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE WHILE EARNING A CREDENTIAL

• Got loans? If not, get some! The Assumption Program of Loans for Education (APLE) assumes up to $19,000 in outstanding educational loan balances in return for four consecutive years of teaching science.– http://aple.csusuccess.org/scholarship

• Science teachers may earn their credential while fully employed in the public schools.– http://ed.fullerton.edu/SecEd/Professional_Track_Program/Index.htm



Why Teach Science?


SCIENCE TEACHERS SHAPE STUDENTS LIVES AND IMPACT SOCIETY

Click on the image to see a short presentation by Dave, a middle school science teacher. He teaches several grades and covers many science topics, covering things like earth science, living things, astronomy, and more. In this presentation, he is working with sixth graders to investigate electricity.


SCIENCE TEACHERS ARE PART OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY

Click on pictures to find out what these teachers are doing!


SCIENCE TEACHERS INFLUENCE THE FUTURE

• Teachers influence the science literacy of the general population, who become voting citizens, leaders, and decision-makers of our society.

• Elementary teachers prepare and influence the students who enter (or don’t enter) high school science classes.

• High school science teachers prepare and influence the students who enter (or don’t enter) university science programs.

• University faculty help prepare and influence future teachers and scientists.

• Future teachers go back to influence students and the cycle continues.

• Thus the future of both science and our society depends on our science teachers.

Be a Science Teacher Presentation 16Adapted from APS Forum on Education


TOP 25 QUESTIONS FACING SCIENCE OVER THE NEXT 25 YEARS


BE A SCIENCE TEACHERPREPARE THE MINDS THAT DISCOVER THE ANSWERS

See the Top 125 Questions of the 21st Century in Science http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/125th/


What is the Single Subject Teaching

Credential Program?


CREDENTIAL PROGRAM COURSEWORK: PREREQUISITES


• PREREQUISITES:– EDSC 310: The Teaching Experience: Participation (3)– EDSC 320: Adolescence and Education (3) (GE)– EDSC 330: Developing Literacy in Secondary Schools (3)– EDSC 340: Student Diversity in Secondary Schools (3)

• PRESERVICE COURSES REQUIRED OF ALL INTERN CANDIDATES:– EDSC 400: Methods for Internship Credential Candidates (3) – EDSC 410: Teaching English Learners in Secondary Schools (3)

ALL PREREQ AND PRESERVICE COURSES ARE OFFERED WEB DURING FALL, INTERSESSION, SPRING, AND SUMMER


CREDENTIAL PROGRAM COURSEWORK

• EXTERN SEMESTER (FIRST SEMESTER):– EDSC 304: Personal Proficiency Educational Technology (3)– EDSC 440F: Supervised Fieldwork in Secondary Schools (2)– EDSC 440S: General Pedagogy of Secondary School Teaching (4)– SCED 442: Teaching Science in Secondary Schools (3)– SCED 449E: Externship in Secondary Teaching– Science (3)

• STUDENT TEACHER SEMESTER (SECOND SEMESTER):– SCED 449I: Internship in Secondary Teaching-Science (10)– SCED 449S: Seminar in Secondary Teaching—Science(3)– EDSC 460: Teaching Assessment Seminar (3)



WHY CHOOSE CSUF FOR YOUR SINGLE SUBJECT CREDENTIAL PROGRAM?

PROGRAM QUALITY• We are the first choice of Orange County district administrators and principals.• Programs are nationally accredited by the National Council on Teacher Education (NCATE).• Candidates complete the California Teaching Performance Assessment and prepare an

Individualized Induction Plan for their employing district.RELEVANT CURRICULUM AND FIELDWORK• Field-based program allows students to apply theory to practice in classroom settings. • Methods courses and supervision are content specific.• Intern program allows qualified candidates to earn their credential while employed as teachers.INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGIES TO SUPPORT TEACHING AND LEARNING• Students complete the Intel® Teach to the Future program during EDSC 304/307. • Faculty and students use innovative technologies, including Web 2.0 tools, Blackboard, podcasting,

video streaming, online thinking tools, and audience response systems.FACULTY AND LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS• Program faculty are involved in our neighboring schools, collaborating with teachers to improve

policy and practice. They have published numerous articles; obtained millions of dollars in annually funded grants; and are recognized regionally, nationally, and internationally.



What Science Would You Teach?

22Be a Science Teacher Presentation


WHAT GUIDES SCIENCE INSTRUCTION IN CALIFORNIA?

California Science Framework This is the blueprint for how to teach science, containing information about:

– Education Reform– Science Instruction and Instructional Materials– Professional Preparation of Science Teachers

Science Content Standards – California has identified and adopted academic content

standards for kindergarten through grade twelve.– These standards are designed to ensure that all students have

a rich experience in science at every grade level and that curriculum, builds on previous learning.

– See these standards by grade level at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/scmain.asp


CA MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE

• 6th Grade: Focus on Earth Science– Plate Tectonics and Earth’s Structure, Shaping Earth’s Surface, Heat,

Energy in the Earth System, Ecology, Resources, Investigation and Experimentation

• 7th Grade: Focus on Life Science– Cell Biology, Genetics, Evolution, Earth and Life History, Structure and

Function in Living Systems, Physical Principles in Living Systems, Investigation and Experimentation

• 8th Grade: Focus on Physical Science– Forces, Motion, Structure of Matter, Earth in the Solar System,

Reactions, Chemistry of Living Systems, Periodic Table, Density and Buoyancy, Investigation and Experimentation



What are Your Next Steps?

25Be a Science Teacher Presentation


YOUR SINGLE SUBJECT PROGRAM“TO DO” LIST

• Complete an undergraduate degree and the Minor in Natural Sciences.• Attend a Single Subject Credential Program overview.

– See http://ed.fullerton.edu/adtep/EDSCoverviews.htm. • Apply to the university.

– See www.csumentor.edu• Apply to the Single Subject Credential Program.

– See http://ed.fullerton.edu/adtep/ – Deadlines: February 28 for Fall semester entrance and September 30 for Spring semester entrance

• Demonstrate basic skills by passing the CBEST. – See www.cbest.nesinc.com

• Demonstrate subject matter competency by passing the appropriate California Subject Examination (CSET) subtests.

– See www.cset.nesinc.com • Complete required prerequisite coursework.• Get ready for a life-changing experience!



NSTA CAREER CENTER

• There are many things you can do to prepare for a career as a science teacher before you enter the classroom. Whether you are still a student or you are an adult seeking to enter the field, now is the time for you to begin building skills related to teaching, management, and organization.

• See suggestions and resources at: http://careers.nsta.org/advice_planning.asp


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION• Why Teach?

– http://www.recruitingteachers.org/channels/clearinghouse/whyteach/default1.htm • I love Teaching

– http://www.iloveteaching.com - designed to encourage new teachers• New Teacher.com

– http://www.new-teacher.com -designed to inspire those considering teaching).• Occupational Outlook Handbook – Information on Teaching

– http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos069.htm - the site offers extensive information on the nature of teaching, the employment picture, working conditions, and the job outlook

• Career Planning for Teachers– http://careerplanning.about.com/library/weekly/aa030901d.htm - describes the nature

of teaching• Status of the American Public School Teacher

– http://www.nea.org/edstats/images/status.pdf - snapshot of the profession today in a historical perspective


ADVISEMENT RESOURCES

• Center for Careers in Teaching www.fullerton.edu/cct/

• Science Education Programshttp://nsm.fullerton.edu/scied

• Science Education Office McCarthy Hall 527, 714-278-2307

• Science Education Program DirectorDr. Vikki Costa ([email protected] )



YEAR OF SCIENCE 2009


Click on image to go to Website.

science education program minor in natural sciences become a middle school science teacher

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