SEAMEO Regional Center

QITEP in Science

Space Science Component

Lembang, Indonesia, June 25-27, 2013

DROP DOWN TO WORKSHOP OUTLINE

(Under development and subject to regular revision; last updated 6/11/2013, cjw)

Description: A 3-day laboratory-based space science workshop that models inquiry-oriented teaching practices while providing classroom ready activities. It is one of several components of a 10-day workshop. Emphasis will be placed on Earth, Moon, and Sun and their interrelationships. Light, telescopes, and fundamentals of stellar astronomy also will be addressed as time permits. This workshop aims to improve the comprehension and skill in using data sources and computer programs related to space science. The approach is designed for use by participants to help them improve the quality of student learning in the area of space science.

Instructor:

Meeting Dates/Times/Location:
Tuesday, June 25 though Thursday, June 27, 2013, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily.

Space Science Overview: In-service teachers participate in contextualized and integrated science lessons that incorporate technology and model proven research-based teaching methods. The workshop serves to improve participants’ content knowledge, procedural skills, and scientific dispositions by providing access to the expertise of scientists, technologies, and resources. Participants will develop the skills of inquiry, critical thinking, and scientific reasoning, and become experienced in collecting, evaluating and interpreting data as part of the problem-solving process. In addition, class time will be used to develop an understanding of the nature of science. The goal will be to increase participant understanding and application of scientifically-based educational research pertinent to science teaching and learning.

Course Goals:
 While working through this course, participants will:

• utilize and integrate science knowledge obtained from previous content courses through activities requiring the use of inquiry and skepticism;

• come to know science as a process of inquiry rather than merely as a body of knowledge;

• encounter science at work in the context of common, real-life experiences;

• experience and learn about the use of exemplary science teaching practices such as inquiry learning, cooperative/collaborative learning, and problem-based learning;

• experience and learn about such curriculum emphases as unified science teaching, preconceptions/concept change/constructivism, and science/technology/society;

• come to understand student difficulties as they experience those same difficulties associated with hands-on, minds-on activities and though daily reflection upon their performance as both student and prospective teacher;

• experience through effective modeling the meaning of a positive learning environment which includes equitable participation of all students and the active engagement of students with different abilities and interests; and

• utilize a wide array of instructional and technological resources available in lab and in the wider community.

Workshop Outcomes:
 By the end of this workshop, each participant will have demonstrated the ability to:

• use scientific knowledge to explain the workings of selected everyday physical phenomena;

• demonstrate how the knowledge and processes of science can be taught using hands-on / minds-on age-appropriate science activities;

• cite from experience a number of ways that science teaching can be done in an engaging fashion that takes into account differences among and between students;

• list and explain a number of educational service providers and academic resources available in their classrooms and in the wider community;

• create valid and reliable assessment instruments that serve to raise expectations for students and provide a basis for meaningful grading;

• synthesize knowledge and utilize intellectual skills to the extent required for the successful completion of a number of classroom activities that require a demonstration of the following traits that characterize the scientifically literate individual:
(a) scientific knowledge (typically astronomy, physics, and geography), (b) scientific methods and critical analysis (induction, deduction, etc.), and
 (c) scientific dispositions (critical, skeptical, open minded, empirical, etc.); and

• utilize the intellectual and procedural skills appropriate to scientific inquiry in the creation of scientific knowledge including an ability to: (a) demonstrate the use of technology to collect data, and the use of simple mathematics 
(graphing, statistics, probability) to interpret that data,
(b) distinguish scientific ways of knowing from other ways of knowing, (c) distinguish belief from knowledge, and
(d) state underlying assumptions as appropriate.

Methodology: During this workshop the instructor will introduce and model a wide range of "reformed" teaching practices that are consistent with the recommendations of contemporary science education efforts. Participants are encouraged to read information about each of the following practices as they are introduced in this workshop. These resources were developed by the workshop instructor and are from the Physics Teacher Education program at Illinois State University.

This workshop will have a learning environment that is student centered, knowledge centered, assessment centered, and community centered. This course will be student centered to the extent that the instructor builds on knowledge participant bring to the learning situations. This course will be knowledge centered to the extent that the instructor helps participants develop an organized understanding of important concepts in the space science teaching discipline. This course will be assessment centered to the extent that the instructor makes participants' thinking visible so that ideas can be presented and verified. This course will be community centered to the extent that the instructor establishes classroom norms that learning with understanding is valued and participants feel free to explore what they do not understand.

It is not the intention of the instructor to have participants complete every activity in the workshop outline. Rather, a sampling of activities will be completed with the remaining serving as resources. All activities are designed to be classroom ready in English. (Bahasa Indonesia versions are being developed.) Each hyperlink leads to a MSWord .doc formatted file suitable for printing on A4 paper. These files may be downloaded and modified to meet each participant's needs.

Workshop Outline:


Supplemental Activities Not Addressed in QITEP Space Science Workshop