STEM FELLOW SYLLABUS

2 in-service graduate credit 40 hours or 20 PDPS

Sponsoring Organizations: Berkshire STEM Pipeline, MCLA

Course Location:  Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (on-site in schools)

Schedule: June to December 2008

Target Audience: Elementary and Middle School teachers

Instructors:

Dawn Rodrigues, PhD(413) 662-5393

Rationale

The broad science strands of Earth and Space Science hold an array of opportunities for investigations in science, math and technology that involve a range of skills, habits of mind (conceptions) and subject matter knowledge. The purpose of this course is to enable teachers as well as their students to gain the opportunity to learn, through integration and inquiry about the origin, structure, and physical phenomena of the earth and the universe, matter and energy, the sun as a source of heat and light, interactions of oceans, the atmosphere, earth processes, including plate tectonics, earth history and the place of the earth in the solar system and universe. These topics can also be integrated with math, history and social studies.

Teachers addressing these wide range concepts face several challenges: the stars can only be seen at night, whereas classes take place during the day, the movement of the sun and moons paths are not easy to follow on the larger scale of weeks, months and seasons, the movement of the earths tectonic plates are not perceptible to the human senses. Using the Starlab inflatable planetarium will enable teachers to find innovative ways to bring these challenging and exciting ideas in science to students who are unlikely to encounter them elsewhere. And at the same time enhance student’s appreciation of the sciences by exploring the unfinished story of space and time.

Course Description

This course is intended for elementary school and middle school science and/or math and technology teachers. It is designed to help teachers address the Curriculum Frameworks and MCAS for teaching astronomy, Earth science, physical science, technology, math and social studies. The format of the course will be discussions, presentations, hands-on experiences and use of the inflatable planetarium. There will also be some online interaction.

Objectives: 

Teachers who complete this course will be able to:

• develop effective classroom instruction in the areas of astronomy, math, earth science, space science, writing, technology, history and social studies in accordance with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks;
• provide instruction, resources, and teaching strategies that help students learn related concepts;
• gain a better understanding of how science works and how we know what we know;
• appreciate the challenges for and successes of scientists past and present;
• understand important concepts in astronomy;
• gain skills in math, science, technology and writing needed to evaluate new ideas;
• recognize and be wowed by all that Nature is capable of through the use of Starlab;
• provide teachers with opportunities to work with MCLA faculty across disciplines.

Required Project

Create a learning unit of five lessons that includes hands-on, active learning strategies directly related to the Starlab. Alternate assignments might include a Web Quest, digital storytelling, or another project of your choice, subject to professors’ approval (in which case, alternate forms of assessment would be used).

Evaluation Guidelines

• Project demonstrates teacher’s ability to design effective instruction;
• Project/unit rationale is tied to Starlab materials and helps students learn how science works;
• Project/unit helps students understand the challenges for and successes of scientists past and present;
• Project/unit helps students understand important concepts in astronomy;
• Project/unit helps students gain skills in math and science;
• Project/unit helps students recognize and be wowed by Nature;

• Learning objectives are clearly stated.
• Links to curriculum frameworks are given.
• Engaged and relevant learning activities or tasks are provided.
• Unit includes the activities and materials that will be used for individual lessons.
• Assessment rubrics are provided.
• Lessons include the hands-on, active learning strategies for teaching and learning.
• Objectives, activities, and assessments directly correlate with one another.

Evaluation

Grades will be determined by teacher performance, including attending a 2- day training workshop (25%), and quality of completed project (75%).