Instructor: Alan Colburn, Professor of Science Education

Office: FO5 - 132

Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 1-2--right after your class sessions. I am on campus a lot, too, and available by e-mail.

Telephone: 562 985-5948

E-mail: acolburn@csulb.edu

Course Rationale

Many elementary teachers don't teach much science. The fraction of class time devoted to science is less than it should be — even in the minds of many teachers themselves. Part of the problem lies in the fact  that teachers don't like science very much, don't feel confident in their science knowledge, and/or don't know how to teach science effectively.

Exemplary elementary school science teachers have at least four important attributes. They like science, have an accurate understanding of major science content and processes, feel confident in their ability to learn science, and teach science using an age appropriate inquiry based approach. This course, like the science education department, exists to help you become an exemplary science teacher. I have centered the class around three major goals. The goals are to help you:

1. like science,
2. better understand the nature of science and what scientists do, and
3. develop your ability to identify, define, and solve problems like scientists do.

If I'm successful in achieving these three goals, you'll feel more confident in your ability to teach science. You'll also be a more informed and critical consumer of scientific information. This means that when hear or read about a science related study discussed in the media (TV, newspapers, radio ... whatever), you will be better able to evaluate the study and the strength of its conclusions.

Although not taught directly, I will demonstrate inquiry based approaches to science teaching throughout the course. You will have the opportunity to experience science activities similar to those you will, hopefully, teach soon in your own classroom. You will, of course, work through the activities at a pace faster than children would. And you will do more than elementary science activities in our 15 weeks together; I would guess that we will spend about 2/3 of the course doing and discussing these activities, and the remainder of the class discussing ideas related to what science is and how science works (including evaluating studies). However, the centerpiece of the course will undoubtedly be your experiences and understandings of the hands-on activities.

Specific Course Objectives

By the end of the semester you should be able to demonstrate proficiency in the following objectives. The first five objectives are the most important in the class.

1.    Generate researchable science questions.
2.    Describe or devise procedures to answer scientific questions. 
3.    Discuss the limitations of an investigation.
4.    Interpret results of scientific investigations.
5.    Describe the nature of science--what science is, how it works, and how science is different from other ways of knowing.
6.    Demonstrate an understanding of a few basic scientific concepts in the life, physical, and earth sciences.
7.    Describe attributes of elementary teachers who like science.
8.    Explain the implications of Piagetian theory to student learning in elementary science.
9.    Describe hands-on minds-on science and explain how process and content can be taught with this approach.
10.  Demonstrate an understanding of how to use technology tools and computer software for data analysis and presentation.

Required Course Materials and Supplies

The class includes readings, available online via library e-reserves. Click the link for e-reserves, and select my name from the drop down list of course instructors. You will then be able to click a link to open the course's e-reserves page. I will give you the necessary password in class.

Finally, the course has a course fee of $15 for materials you'll use during class. This fee is assessed along with your other university fees. 

Assignments & Assessments

It's difficult to accurately assess how much someone likes science or their ability to think like a scientist, not to mention the course's other goals. For example, do I "grade" you on your ability to think rationally, or the improvement you've shown over the course of the semester? Do I reward natural talent more than effort? I have come up with few answers while struggling with questions like these.

However, a few principles guide my thinking about assessment. First, the things that are graded should have some intrinsic value; you should learn something by doing the assignment, irrespective of grades. Second, a variety of assignments are a better reflection of your abilities and development than a small number of similar assignments (e.g., three multiple choice tests). Third, effort should "count"--without discounting natural talent or the need to nevertheless show minimum competencies to pass the course. Fourth, it's important that teachers model good communication skills. Thus, clear writing and proper grammar always "count". Finally, you should have a voice in determining your grade, a chance to justify what you've done.

I generally work with the "traditional" 90+=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, etc. I like to give + and - grades, and all these grades are evenly spaced (3 1/3 pts separates each grade): A 95, A- 91.7, B+ 88.3, B 85, B- 81.7, C+ 78.3, C 75, etc.

Here are the course's assignments. The value of an assignment toward your final grade is in parentheses.

•science autobiography (5%)
•interviewing children (10%)
•consumer product testing (20%)
•long term research project (LTRP) (25%)
this assignment will include periodic progress reports due during the semester
•notebook (5%)
•article reviews(10%)
•quizzes (probably 3-5 total) (25%)

Course Policies
Attendance: Put simply, come to class and arrive on time. Being hands-on oriented, it's difficult to make up what's missed. If you must miss, try to let me know ahead of time. I know unavoidable things happen; it's not my goal to be an ogre. If you are sick, a family member is ill, your car breaks, you need to appear in court, etc.--don't come to class. These kinds of things happen all the time. I allow three absences before I begin to penalize you. I don't check to see whether your absence is "excused" or "unexcused." If you were not in class, I know you had a good reason.

However, the four hours/week we're together is by far the most important part of the course. If you miss more than three days of class, you've missed more than 10% of our time together! This will unquestionably result in you learning less than you would if present.

Upon your fourth and fifth absences, your final grade will be lowered a grade (3.3%) for each day missed starting with the fourth (not to mention the effects on your grade from whatever you missed the other days) unless you can show that all your absences would be classified by the university as excused. In that case we can discuss ways for you to try making up the missed classtime, generally after the regular class is ended, i.e., via an incomplete. If you miss six times you should consider dropping the course or, if possible, taking an incomplete. 

In addition, be on time. Teachers cannot be late to school without inconveniencing others. Think of this class as practice. Consistent lateness will be penalized; classtime missed will be counted toward an absence. In other words, if you're 35 minutes late three times, you've missed an hour and forty five minutes of class--equivalent to missing an entire class session.

Written work: I will deduct 3.3% of the total grade for each late day. However, papers are still on time if you give them to me anytime on the date due, put them in my mailbox anytime that day, or e-mail the file to me that day (even 11:55 pm is OK :-). Students will sometimes e-mail me a paper on time, and then give me a hard copy the next day.

Students sometimes ask about whether spelling, punctuation, and mechanics "count" in written assignments. They do! Teachers need to be able to communicate clearly with a wide ranging audience, including parents. You are the model! I expect you to write well wherever you go--and you can expect the same of me. In addition, I think EVERY college graduate should be able to write clearly and it's one of my duties as a professor to encourage good writing by my students.

Don't forget to proofread your work. You can avoid many writing errors I routinely see by simply reading your work carefully. Don't rely on spell check! It doesn't catch everything.

Make-up work, Extra credit: Generally, there isn't any.

Liberal Studies Plagiarism Policy Statement: Liberal Studies students are held to a high standard of academic integrity and will pursue their academic and scholarly activities free from fraud and deception.  Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses that will not be tolerated by the Department of Liberal Studies. Such offenses are violations of university regulations.

Plagiarism is defined in the University Catalog as “using the ideas or work of another person or persons as if they were one’s own, without giving credit to the source.” Cheating is defined as “the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain or aiding another to obtain academic credit for work by use of dishonest, deceptive or fraudulent means.”

In Liberal Studies courses, actions of plagiarism or cheating will be subject to disciplinary action no matter the scale of the infraction.A single instance of plagiarism or cheating will result in a failing grade for the course (without the opportunity to withdraw), and a memo to this effect will be placed in the student’s file.If a second infraction occurs, the student’s case will be submitted to the University Office of Judicial Affairs.If students have any questions about academic integrity, they should consult the University Catalog or speak with their instructors.

Course Schedule

NOTE: The activity part of the schedule is tentative and will change. For example, you'll be raising a butterfly from a caterpillar. The caterpillars may not arrive on schedule. We'll start working with them as soon as they get here--whenever that might be! Similarly, some units might go a little more time than scheduled, some a little less. I'll alert you as the schedule changes. Major due dates, though, are unlikely to change.

 Read about each day's lesson plan  

Students with disabilities who need reasonable modifications, special assistance, or accomodations in this course should promptly direct their request to the course instructor. If a student with a disability feels that modifications, special assistance, or accomodations offered are inappropriate or insufficient, s/he should seek the assistance of the Director of Disabled Student Services on campus.

SCED 401