Course Syllabus

The Nature of Science and Engineering

Weber State University

June 15-19, 2015

Instructors: Adam Johnston (lead), Jennifer Claesgens, and Tyson Grover

This course serves as a cornerstone in the Elementary STEM Endorsement program, offered by Weber State and other institutions across the state. Its purpose is to give teachers a foundation in the practices of science and engineering and provide the tools for teachers to develop curriculum that explicitly emphasizes authentic science and engineering in their classrooms.

Requirements:

This is an intensive workshop that concentrates a full semester’s worth of curriculum into a single week (45 contact hours). Each student is required to complete the following:

A “pre-lesson” (lesson or lesson proposal that could be used in a teacher’s classroom before taking this course).
Reading preparation for the course, as assigned.
Active participation in all 5 days of the workshop, including a group presentation on the final day of the workshop.
A fully articulated lesson plan and reflection based on the workshop. This lesson will be shared with other teachers in the program (due 7/11/15).

An outline of each day of the workshop, along with assignment details, are available on the course webpage: https://weber.instructure.com/courses/373874

Policies, logistics, and disclaimers:

An Admission: Undoubtedly, there are better ways to host a class. Packing everything into 5 days is efficient, but it will be exhausting. Rest assured that we have designed this course to be enjoyable and relevant to all involved. We expect that you will be on the verge of collapse by the end of the week (and perhaps by the end of each day), but we also pledge to make the course both worthwhile and engaging.
An Invitation: In spite of the breakneck pace of the course, we welcome feedback and we are open to making changes that are necessary. Please let us know when you have concerns or suggestions.
The Assumptions: We don’t require you to have any expertise in science. And, when you do believe you have an expertise in some field we encourage you to allow others to explore at their own paces. We do honor and anticipate your own expertise with your own classrooms. The point of bringing 60 people together with diverse expertise (in science, in various levels of education, etc.) is so that we can learn from one another. This course must be collaborative – and that’s why your participation is so vital. Get to know others and work with them. They are your greatest assets in the course.
The Expectations: As we do everything we can to make the course relevant and enjoyable, we expect that you’ll engage in the course with an open mind and a gracious disposition. If something or someone (including us) is preventing you from doing this, you need to let us know.
The Arena: In this course, we can have a direct impact on our own educational practices and our knowledge of science and engineering. In addition, we can help others with the same. There are other things that we can’t impact this week, and so they are “out of bounds.” These include state policies, bad cafeteria food, “that guy” (we all have one of those that we work with), funding, parents, administrators, etc. You get the idea. When discussions devolve and start to focus on one of these things outside of the scope of our control, you are invited to squelch that discussion thread, politely.
A final word: This is the first class that I’ve (Adam) taught in an entire year; it’s the first course we’ve taught together; it’s the first time we’ve taught a course of this kind (although there have been lots of other similar experiences); it’s the first workshop we’ve taught that is of this magnitude … In short, this course is “a first” in so many ways. That said, we are incredibly excited about the prospect and all that we have planned. We hope that you are too.

COURSE OUTLINE

Day 0: Pre-class preparations

Please have on hand one lesson or hypothetical lesson that, for you and your students, portrays how science is done and/or what science is. If you do not have such a lesson, or if you want to start with some different potential idea of a lesson, write up a one or two paragraph description of that lesson as it would look in your classroom. I expect the total effort on this to be about 15 minutes. Please have it in a printed form and stored electronically somewhere. (You don’t have to bring the electronic copy.) You will turn in the electronic copy online.
Read this article on the “10 Myths” of science by Bill McComas:
http://amasci.com/miscon/myths10.html
You’ll be asked to discuss this article during the afternoon of the first day of class.

Day 1: Questions

8:00 AM

Introduction (Adam)

Who are you, why are you here, and what are we doing?

Orientation and logistics; capstone assignment and tasks for the week

*Sign in each day

8:30 AM

Nature walks and observations (Adam)

Instructions and Directions: observation tasks

Nature walk: observations leading to questions, documented in notebooks

Debrief and discuss

[BREAK]

10:00 AM

Bubble observation exercise (Adam)

Bubble blowing demonstration

Observation (with notebooks); debrief

Scudder reading and discussion

Observations and debrief

Collins reading and discussion

Observations and discussion, debrief

Noon

Working Lunch (debriefing and lesson plan collaborations, review “Myths of Science” reading assignment)

12:45

Introduce Lesson Plan Capstone Projects (Adam)

Task to identify collaborative groups

1:00

Breakout Discussions: Myths of Science (Adam, 221; Tyson, 222; Jennifer, 223)

Reintroductions

McComas Review

“Understanding Science” resources

[parallel discussion of “statements” and McComas; synthesis of “Scientific Method”]

[BREAK]

2:30

A Vision for 3 Dimensions of Science Education (Tyson)

Presentation

Discussion

3:00

The Questions of Umbrellaology (Adam)

Reading

Pair Discussions

Group Debrief and Giant Argument

4:00

Final Questions, Debrief, and Collaboration

5:00

Go Home!

Day 2: Investigations and Design

8:00

Open Lab and Collaboration

9:00

Fluids Lab (Adam)

Orientation and break into lab groups: Adam, 221; Tyson, 222; Jennifer 223

Conduct Investigations (in breakout rooms, lab groups of ~3)

Task: Investigate the differences between the two fluids, considering:

Data

Communication

10:00

Communicate results

Presentations in each room, by lab groups

Group discussion

[BREAK]

10:30

Rotations 1: (Remain with the group you started the day with)

Hot Chocolate Effect (Adam; 221)
Copters Design and Data (Tyson; 222)
Four Color Universe (Jennifer; 223)

Noon

Working Lunch

12:30

Rotations 2: Rotate to next room in the sequence

Hot Chocolate Effect (Adam; 221)
Copters Design and Data (Tyson; 222)
Four Color Universe (Jennifer; 223)

[BREAK]