SEMINAR TOPICS: EDUCATION 65.04 / 67.04 / 613

Science Education Prof J Lemke

Nature and Goals of Secondary School Science Education

• Scientific literacy, what kind, for whom, and why
• Rationale for present curricular emphases
• Nature of scientific inquiry, science as social process, technology and society
• Ethical and gender issues in science; critique of science & science education

Unit and Lesson Planning

• Concept networks and non-sequential logical structures
• Unit organization: cumulation, culmination, episodic
• Topics and time: pacing, building
• Diagnosis, motivation, introduction, development, periodic summarization
• Examples and applications: developmental and specificational functions
• Written Lesson Plans (complete, official) and Teaching Notes
• To Be Continued

Classroom Dialogue and Learning

• Learning as a social process through semiotic mediation (Vygotsky model)
• Dialogue as social interaction
• Dialogue as scientific discourse
• Triadic IRF Dialogue and alternative patterns
• Explanation, analogies, examples, expositions, summaries

The Art of Classroom Question and Answer

• Types and functions of questions
• Difficulty and sequence of questions
• Interactional strategies

Testing and Assessment

• Constructing balanced classroom tests
• Better multiple-choice items
• Short answer and short essay items
• Visual and tabular items
• Problem-solving items
• Alternative assessment: interviewing, portfolios, projects
• Assessment and grading: balancing factors

Teacher and Student Views of Classroom Control

• Management as metaphor
• Conflict as reality
• Contrasts and similarities in teacher and student attitudes
• Useful techniques

Laboratory and Fieldwork Teaching

• Teacher's role during labwork, fieldwork
• Preparation, Implementation, Follow-up cycle
• Lab reports as a specialized genre

Multimedia Teaching and Learning

• Visual and verbal learning
• Activities and multisensory learning
• Pictures, Films, Video
• Computer Interactive Media: Mediabase Exploration, Simulations

Reading, Writing, and Science

• Learning by reading; intertextuality and textbooks, handouts, boardwork, notes
• Reading lessons in science
• Learning by writing: notes, reports, test essays, correspondence
• Writing in groups

Math, Symbolisms, and Science

• Quantitative reasoning in scientific analysis
• Math as bridge between words and phenomena
• Visual Math: Graphical representation
• Special symbolisms in chemistry, genetics, etc.
• The Translation Approach; The Coordination Approach

History and Future of Science Curriculum

• Origins of science in secondary curriculum in US
• Science curriculum and rationales in the 20th century
• Possible directions for the future:

  • Information Technologies and Self-guided Learning

  • Information Technology: Exploration, Simulation, Participation

  • Science, Technology, and Society -- Thematic curricula:

  1. Human Health and Disease

  2. Environmental and Consumer Issues

  3. Industrial Processes and Regulation

  4. Transport and Communication

  5. New Technologies

Continuing Professional Development

• Local and National Organizations
• Locating resources
• Leadership and Participation in the Science Education community