EDCI 867/EDCI 868

TEEMS Practicum in

High School Science Teaching

Spring Semester, 1999

Web Syllabus

Welcome to the TEEMS High School Internship Web site. The High School Internship in conjunction with your experiences last summer on campus, and during the Fall quarter in a middle school will continue to provide the experiences to enhance your inquiry into science teaching.

You can access details of your Internship here, as well as make contact with other TEEMS interns by linking to them via e-mail or to their Web page.

The application of technology and assessment of student learning in the high school science classroom will be the focus of the internship. You will find resources here and links to sites on the Internet to help you with the development of these projects.

Objectives
Course Requirements
Technology Project
Assessment Project
Reflective Teaching Cycle Project
Minds on Science Web Site
Contacts
Click here to link directly to pages designed to help you develop a technology project or an assessment project.

Instructors:

Nydia Hanna, Ph.D.

Jack Hassard, Ph.D.

Department of Middle Secondary Education and Instructional Technology

Georgia State Universty

Atlanta, GA 30303 USA

404/651-2510

Fax: 404/651-2546

Last modified, June, 1998

Objectives of the Practicum

to apply what you are learning about science teaching and learning in the context secondary schools.
to further construct knowledge about science teaching through interaction with students, mentor teachers, peers, and university professors.
to use reflective strategies and assessment tools to evaluate your progress as a science educator.
to know how to assess student learning using traditional and nontraditional methods, e.g. performance assessments, writing, group problem solving, portfolios, and alternative tests.
to know how to engage students in activities that focus on science, technology and society.
to understand how high school students learn science in terms of inquiry, reflection and constructivism.
to design science teaching lessons integrating direct, inquiry, constructivist and cooperative learning models of teaching.
to plan, carry out and evaluate science activities/lessons/units in the context of high school science classrooms.
to explore the science curriculum, teaching materials and computer technologies available for the high school science program.
to develop a rationale for science teaching at the high school level encompassing the use of technology to assist learning in science.

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Course Requirements

There are several aspects of the course which will be required. These are as follows:

The first requirement is that you make a list of the goals that you will work on during the quarter. Type the list of goals, and e-mail them by January 8. We will respond by e-mail to you.
The second requirement is that you participate in a number of Action Projects, which are outlined below under the section "Action Projects". Each project has a specific criterion for accomplishment. You should consider inclusion of these projects within your portfolio of your TEEMS experience.
A third requirement is that you keep a reflective log of your experiences this quarter. Your log should include a reflective discussion of each class and the days you are interning and the anecdotal comments related to your work in the class this quarter.

Action Projects

Reflective Teaching Cycle

Teaching Practicum: Although not technically a "project", you will spend ten weeks in the high school tutoring, teaching small groups, and presenting lessons and mini-units to a series of classes for two weeks, as well as assisting a mentor teacher on a daily basis. You should document your experiences as thoroughly as possible. You should use your log, and include artifacts in your portfolio. During the ten weeks in the high school, you and the mentor teacher will participate in a reflective teaching cycle. A reflective teaching cycle consists of planning, teaching and debriefing. Video-taping the lesson may assist the process.

Planning

The intern shares the plans for a lesson and responds to verbal questions about the lesson. Questions such as the following are typically asked: What are you planning to do? How will you approach the science topics? What materials or activities do you plan to use? How do you plan to assess student learning? The intent is to have the intern talk through the lesson and answer questions about the lesson.

Teaching

The mentor observes the lesson and makes notes about different aspects of the lesson. An observation form is helpful and provides useful suggestions about important parts of the lesson (see Teaching Observation Form).

Debriefing

This phase of the cycle provides an opportunity for reflective analysis of the lesson. The mentor will ask questions requiring reflective analysis: What worked well in the lesson? What would you have changed in the lesson? Do you think the lesson was successful? Why? What concerns do you have about the lesson? How will you approach the lesson tomorrow? The debriefing session should be non-punitive and collaborative in nature. The intent is to help the intern determine what went well in the lesson and how the lesson could have been improved. Making suggestions for improvement or follow-up activities as a collaborative effort focuses the attention on teaching as a problem solving process. It also helps the intern be more open about thinking about thinking about improvement rather than on worrying why something went poorly in the lesson. (use Reflective Teaching Form)

Portfolio: Continue the development of your portfolio that you started in the summer. Keep in mind that a portfolio documents and showcases your work, and the growth of your work over time. You will present your "portfolio-in-progress" to a peer for comments and suggestions in March.
Assessment Project: This quarter we will compile a collection of assessment projects designed and field tested by TEEMS. During your ten weeks in the high school, you will see various assessment strategies being used by your mentor teacher(s). Evaluate these assessments and design your own alternative assessments for the same material. The assessments you develop may be based on an assessment plan or theory that you feel addresses science learning in the high school. Click here for more information and ideas about assessment project ideas.
Technology Project: The integration of technology and science education is an important theme for the TEEMS program. During your Practicum in the High School, you will develop a project based on the use of technology in learning and teaching science. This project may utilize technology as a teaching tool for the teacher or as a learning tool for the students. Your goals for the quarter should include field testing the technology project in the high school. Click here for more information and ideas about technology projects.
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Minds on Science Web Site

This is a web site developed by Jack Hassard and focuses on how to use the Internet, which includes computers, software, networks and people, as a resource for science teaching. The Minds on Science Web Site includes links to science teaching resources, Internet projects that you can do with secondary school students, a step-by-step process for developing your own Internet Projects, and an example of an Internet project currently underway. Click here to visit the MindsonScience Web site.

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Planning	The intern shares the plans for a lesson and responds to verbal questions about the lesson. Questions such as the following are typically asked: What are you planning to do? How will you approach the science topics? What materials or activities do you plan to use? How do you plan to assess student learning? The intent is to have the intern talk through the lesson and answer questions about the lesson.
Teaching	The mentor observes the lesson and makes notes about different aspects of the lesson. An observation form is helpful and provides useful suggestions about important parts of the lesson (see Teaching Observation Form).
Debriefing	This phase of the cycle provides an opportunity for reflective analysis of the lesson. The mentor will ask questions requiring reflective analysis: What worked well in the lesson? What would you have changed in the lesson? Do you think the lesson was successful? Why? What concerns do you have about the lesson? How will you approach the lesson tomorrow? The debriefing session should be non-punitive and collaborative in nature. The intent is to help the intern determine what went well in the lesson and how the lesson could have been improved. Making suggestions for improvement or follow-up activities as a collaborative effort focuses the attention on teaching as a problem solving process. It also helps the intern be more open about thinking about thinking about improvement rather than on worrying why something went poorly in the lesson. (use Reflective Teaching Form)