Science in Education
Level: Masters
Language: English
Category:
Curriculum and Instruction
K-12 Education
Description
Science in Education Program at Lesley University (http://www.lesley.edu/soe/science)In a collaborative effort, Lesley University?s School of Education (http://www.lesley.edu) and TERC, a research and development organization (http://www.terc.edu), have created a fully online science education master?s degree program for teachers, curriculum specialists, and instructional resource professionals responsible for K-8 science education. This program prepares educators to integrate inquiry-based science pedagogy and web-based information technologies into their daily practices. The program, aligned with National Science Education Standards, aims to: be accessible and attractive to K-8 teachers; provide participants with the experience of inquiry learning and rich science content; and support participants as they integrate science processes, new curricular strategies and advanced technologies into their science teaching. This project is funded through U.S. Dept. of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Post-secondary Education (FIPSE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).The 33-credit hour program is comprised of five 6-credit hour modules and an introductory 3-credit hour course, Try Science. Each module sets participants? experience in the context of a particular science domain (physics, biology, earth science, ecology, design science). Participants engage in sustained science inquiry by conducting science investigations at home with materials shipped in their science kits. They become familiar with how inquiry-based science contributes to learning. Their attention then shifts to supporting science learning in the classroom. They commonly analyze classroom events presented through video, case studies, or samples of students? work to become familiar with new teaching and assessment strategies. Finally, they experiment with alternative teaching strategies and curriculum in their professional lives, sharing successes and dilemmas with other program participants. Transfer of learning to the classroom is part of their coursework. In essence, this third element is a built-in practicum. Each course module is taught by two instructors: (a) a scientist well versed in the science domain of a given module who guides participates in their acquisition of key science content, skills, and values, and (b) a science educator who supports participants as they consider pedagogical strategies for bringing science inquiry into their classrooms. This program embeds classroom implementation into the modules.There are three main learning components to each online module. Approximately 50% of the module is devoted to learning science content by doing science. (This is the equivalent of one 3-hour on-campus course.) 25 % of the module is devoted to considering issues of pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment. And, 25 % is devoted to trying ideas in the classroom and reflecting on these experiences with other program participants.A key design goal is to extend the learning environment from desktops to the real world. Participants do most of their learning off-line in the real world?in the field, using the outside world as their ?laboratory,? and in their own classrooms. Each course provides an integrated and immersive learning and teaching environment for mastering science concepts and improving science pedagogical skills.Information on the Pedagogy and Research: URL: http://scienceonline.terc.edu/Course Demo: Find out about the online learning environment used for our courses. URL:http://www.lesley.edu/soe/science/sci_demo.html
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