ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

 

PHY 498       Professional Practice      1-3 sem. hrs.

 

Date of Proposal: 9/01

 

 

Catalog Description:

498   Professional Practice   1 sem. hr.; may be repeated during different semesters for a total of 3 s.h.

Supervised work experience within the Physics Teacher Education program.

Prerequisite: Admission by permission only. Student must have intermediate-level physics background consisting of intermediate classical mechanics, and intermediate electricity & magnetism or introductory quantum mechanics, or the equivalent. This includes mathematics through Calculus III.

 

Overview:

Graduate students will assist with preparation of undergraduate physics teacher education course lessons (PHY 209, 302, 310, 311, 312, and 353), mentor students, evaluate student work, supervise student teaching, and assist program director with course and program improvements. Graduate students as “teachers in residence” will serve as reality checks for the undergraduate physics teacher education sequence in accord with the external review process prescribed by the National Science Teachers Association and that is part of the NCATE program review process. Details about the nature and number of activities can be found by semester under Professional Practice Objectives. Professional Practice will be open only to graduate students who have completed considerable work in a graduate degree program seeking a concentration in physics teacher education. Graduate students must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated an ability to profit from professional practice experience. Graduate students must also have at least three years of high school physics and/or physical science teaching experience prior to enrolling in this course.

 

Professional Practice Goals:

One goal of this course is to provide in-service science teachers with a mechanism for improving their professional practice. A second goal is to prepare individuals who desire to become engaged in the physics teacher education process at the university level as a career move.

 

Professional Practice Objectives:

By the conclusion of the semester, the in-service teacher will have completed the activities similar to the following:

 

Summer Semester

n     Assist with professional development workshops

n     Conduct review of undergraduate PTE program following NSTA guidelines

n     Assist with program and course development

n     Write journal article

 

Autumn Semester

n     Assist with lesson preparation in PHY 209, 302, and 311

n     Make conference presentation at ISAAPT

n     Assist with grant proposal

n     Write journal article

 

Spring Semester

n     Assist with lesson preparation in PHY 310, 312, and 353

n     Supervise student teacher

n     Make conference presentation

n     Write journal article

 

Evaluation & Grading:

 

The grade for Professional Practice will be set using a holistic grading rubric, and will include a detailed written review of graduate student work by program coordinator.

 

Rationale:

 

  1. How does the course relate to the goals of graduate students, the department, and the University?

 

The course addresses the need for ongoing professional development required of all in-service high school physics teachers under the State of Illinois’ teacher certification system. Additionally, it will help meet of need of teachers, teacher candidates, and universities for preparing physics teacher educators.

 

  1. Is it typically offered by the same department in other universities: Is it typically offered at the graduate level? Is it required to meet professional certification needs in your field? Is it required to cover new developments in your field?

 

This program concentration in physics teacher education appears to be unique. This type of professional development is normally offered at graduate level, and can be used to meet professional certification needs of in-service physics teachers. With recent and very significant changes in expectations for the teaching of secondary-level physics in particular and science in general, this course of study would be most helpful in making expectations known and provide for the professional development of physics teachers, many of whom have been away from the university setting for many years.

 

  1. Has the course been offered on an experimental basis? If so, how many times and with what enrollment? Provide any available course evaluation data.

 

No.

 

  1. If the course is to be taken for variable credit, outline the differential requirements for the awarding of the various levels of credit. If the course may be repeated for credit, state the number of credit hours of this course which may be counted toward meeting the minimum degree requirements of the program area.

 

Not offered for variable credit; but course may be repeated during three different semesters to a maximum of three semester hours of credit. The syllabus describes the various activities associated with each semester of enrollment.

 

  1. What is the primary audience for this course? Will the course be available and academically accessible to students who are not members of the primary audience. If so, what criteria exist to ensure that all students have the appropriate graduate-level background for the course? Are these criteria primarily the course prerequisites?; admission criteria to the degree program?; admission criteria to the graduate school? If not, how are students without the appropriate background either informed or restricted from enrolling?

 

The primary audience for this course will certified, in-service high school teachers of physics and physical science with a minimum of three years of secondary-level teaching experience who are enrolled in the C&I Masters degree program in Curriculum and Instruction. As a professional practice course, enrollment in this course will take place generally during the last year of study leading up to graduation. These characteristics constitute the prerequisites for the course.