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EDCUR 324 | Syllabus | Teaching Methods | Sample Lesson Plans

Course Description: Corequisite: EdCur 200.3
Students will be introduced to teaching middle level students science and the Saskatchewan Curriculum Guide for the Middle Level. Various methods and resources needed to teach the Curriculum at this level will be demonstrated. Specific issues related to Science Education will be explored.

Required texts:
Saskatchewan Education (1988). Understanding the common essential learnings: A handbook for teachers
Saskatchewan Education (1991). Student evaluation: A teacher handbook
Saskatchewan Education (1991). Instructional approaches: A framework for professional practice
Saskatchewan Education. The evergreen curriculum. Science Curriculum Guide

These books are on-line, and are required for other courses you take. If you prefer to read paper, then you can purchase these books from the U of S bookstore, or order them from Saskatchewan Learning.

Assignments:

1. In-class teaching: 15 minute micro-teach in class (video-taped)
Due: dates vary; Worth: 5% for teaching, 5% for lesson plan, 5% for assessment tool, 5% for self-analysis of tape

2. Paper on constructivist learning theory
Due: Wednesday, October 27; Worth: 10%
Interview a middle years student about a science concept and write a 5 page paper on the student’s responses as they relate to constructivist learning theory:

3. Unit Plan
Due: Wednesday, November 24; Worth: 30% (see description in EdCur 200.3 syllabus)

4. Midterm Exam: Wednesday, October 20; Worth: 10%

5. Final Exam Date: TBA; Worth: 30%

Assignment 1 Teaching a science lesson using a particular instructional method
Due: dates vary

Worth 20%: You will take workshops in a number of different instructional methods, offered by the Education Students’ Society. Five of you must attend each of the workshops, which works out to three methods. You will choose which three of the workshops you attend, and use one of these three methods to teach a 15 minute lesson to your peers in class time. Your lesson will be 15 minutes long – no longer and no shorter. (We will discuss things you can do if your students finish the activity faster than you planned, or if your students take more time than expected, so you can ensure the lesson takes exactly 15 minutes.) Your total mark will be out of 20%. You will hand in the lesson plan, the assessment tool, your peer’s responses to the assessment, your evaluation of their learning. You will also observe the video-tape of your lesson and you will hand in a two page (double spaced, font 12, margins of 2.5 cm.) reflection on your teaching. Due date will be two days after you teach the lesson.

NB: There are 15 different instructional methods offered in ESS workshops. There are 18 different instructional methods listed in the internship manual. The STF has a series of booklets, written by Sheryl Mills, which describe a number of instructional methods in detail. A number of these instructional methods are also described on my web page. Some of these methods are easily found by doing a search of the web. If you believe you have not learned enough about the method from the workshop, you have a variety of ways of learning more about it.

Since there are 15 methods and 28 students in the class, each of you are required to attend a minimum of three workshops. However, I highly encourage you to attend more. The workshops cost, for ESS members, $2, or $3 for two offered on the same day. This is a deal!

Assignment 2: Interview a Student and Write on Constructivist Learning Theory

You will find a person (preferably middle years, but not necessarily) – relative, neighbour, children of friends, etc. and interview this person about a science concept. You should, in advance, choose a science concept the person will learn or will have learned in grade 6 to 9. Learn as much as you can about this concept. What kinds of questions do you think are most likely to draw true understanding from the person? During the interview, ask the student a question (such as “draw the solar system. Do the planets form a line like this?”) and have a few prompting questions prepared in case you need to ask them (for example: “You have Mercury, Venus, then Earth, etc. all in a line – do they all move around the sun in a line like that?”) and a few other questions prepared (“Do they have orbits shaped like this?” “What causes the seasons?”) to get a 15 minute interview. From your readings about constructivism, what facilitates and interferes with peoples’ understanding the world the way scientists do? How does your student exemplify constructivist learning theory? Make the connections explicit for your reader (I am your reader, and you must remember: I am rather obtuse!)

Plagiarism: Most of you, having been in university for at least two years already, know what plagiarism is. However, to remind you of the tricky points: The University of Saskatchewan has a unique rule: you cannot submit a paper for one course that you are submitting or have already submitted for another course, unless both the professors give you permission to do so. So, the unit plan is submitted for three courses, with the permission of the three professors. The paper on constructivism is not to have been submitted for another course. Further, if you refer to someone else’s research facts, or ideas, you must cite that person and the source. Even if you are not using their words, if their ideas are unusual or novel, you must cite your source. If you use a term that is unique and unusual and comes from someone else, you must cite the source – but only as long as it is still unusual. (For example, the term “digital divide” was invented about five years ago. For the first few years, everyone cited the person who first invented the term. Now the term is commonly used. So, now you no longer have to cite the person who invented the term.) If one of your peers tells you a good idea, cite that person (Mary Anderson, 2004, personal communication.). If you learned something in a class, cite your course notes (Chinnery, EdFdt 101.3 course notes, 2004). (This can be fun, yes? Cite your friends who suggest interesting insights to constructivist learning theory in dinner conversations.)

For other details on plagiarism, check the university web page on academic dishonesty.

Your paper must be 5 pages long (which means from 4 to 7 pages), font 12, double spaced, 2.5 cm margins all around. You must have a reference list for your sources. You must have a minimum of five different authors for papers, books, or web pages you have read on constructivism. For a book or paper to appear in your reference list, you have to have cited that book or paper in a meaningful way in your paper. You should also include data from the student you interview (but interviews are not listed in reference lists.) NOTE: 5 pages (which means 4 to 7 – no more than 7!)

Due date: Monday, October 26.
Worth: 15%

Assignment 3: Unit Plan:

30% Due Wednesday, November 24
Assignment is described in the syllabus for EdCur 200.3.

EdCur 324.3 Teaching Science in the Middle Years

1. Define middle years students.

2. How do you think middle years students should be taught that is different than elementary or secondary students?

3. What do you think that you need to know to teach science to middle years students?

4. Of these things, which do you think you should/could learn in this course?

5. In what ways would you best learn these things?

6. What ways would best illustrate to me or to a potential employer that you are qualified to teach science to middle years students?

I expect a minimum of 10/30. Thus, 10/30 is 50%. I expect your cohort to have an average of 20/30. This would be 70%.
The paper is the data to be assessed. The rubric is the assessment tool. Evaluation is not a straight translation of the raw score to a percent score.

EDCUR 324 | Syllabus | Assignments | Teaching Methods | Sample Lesson Plans