Teaching

My teaching interests are in the related fields of elementary science methods, content and educational research. I am committed to providing an environment, tools, and opportunities for prospective and practicing teachers to develop, modify, and support a strong set of beliefs about science teaching and science learning that will guide their instruction and their participation in science and educational communities. Of central importance is helping prospective and practicing teachers establish beliefs that will allow them to present science as an opportunity that is open to all students.

Courses frequently taught:

EDUC 5215: Elementary Science Theory and Methods
This course is designed to provide in-depth science instruction on concepts in physical science, life science, and earth science. The nature and history of science are considered part of science content. A focus on strands within the National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy provide rich contexts for investigations of appropriate science content, processes and methods for K-6 instruction. The content addressed in this course is generally associated with strands that extend to K-6. A central concern in this course includes strategies for eliciting student's prior knowledge and strategies for using this knowledge to empower students, inform instruction, and enhance student learning.

EDUC 5315: Nature of Science and Science Education
This course is designed for prospective and practicing secondary science teachers. The purpose of the course is to provide teachers with the opportunity to establish a personal system of beliefs about societal influences on science and by science, practices within the scientific community, how truth is established in science, and the meaning of objectivity in science. An important goal for this course is to establish a perspective that distinguishes between ideals, actual practices, and the role of the human in determining scientific truth. Another central focus is on making decisions about the purpose of science education in 6-12 instruction. Teachers are expected to establish a system of beliefs that will allow them to answer questions such as, “Why should my students learn physical, life, or earth science?”; “How do I balance preparation for students who will become scientists with preparation for students as critical citizens?”; “How do I provide my students with an understanding of science as a human endeavor in which all types of people participate?”; “How can I use science to help students understand the concept of risk assessment?” Several different perspectives on science and science education are discussed, including sociological perspectives, traditional and inquiry perspectives, multicultural perspectives, and feminist perspectives. It is expected that teachers will draw on the research literature, discussions, and classroom activities to establish, modify, and support a strong set of beliefs that have personal meaning and that will influence their science instruction.