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Teaching Middle School Physical Science is designed to help educators gain an understanding of science concepts needed to teach standards-based curricula at the middle school level. This course incorporates methods and metacognitive strategies for learning and teaching, including scientific reasoning, prediction, and abstract and critical thinking, and helps educators optimize their science teaching experiences.
Course Objectives
- Develop content knowledge about the energy transfer, light and waves, heat transfer, and density and solubility.
- Introduce teachers to inquiry-based learning models
- Provide teachers with a range of effective teaching methodologies and strategies for use in teaching science concepts
- Introduce teachers to a media-rich learning environment they can use with their students
- Provide models to illustrate ways to teach beyond the textbook
- Guide teachers in understanding and applying scientific processes
Course Syllabus
Session 1:
Transfer of Energy
Participants explore what happens to energy when it converted from one form to another.
Session 2:
Inquiry Learning
In a companion methodology session, participants look at energy transfer in the context of research about how people learn and inquiry-based instructional models.
Session 3:
Light and Sound Waves
Participants explore the nature of light and sound waves and their technology applications.
Session 4:
Uncovering What Students Know
In a companion methodology session, participants look at light and waves in the context of how to questioning and prediction strategies can help you uncover a learner's prior knowledge.
Session 5:
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
Participants investigate mechanisms of heat transfer, including radiation, convection, and conduction, and explore how heat transfer affects the density of a substance.
Session 6:
Formative Assessment
In a companion methodology session, participants look at heat transfer in the context of how you can use your understanding of what students already know to plan instruction to improve their understanding.
Session 7:
Solubility and Density
Participants investigate changes in density, and in particular how solubility of one substance in another affects the density of the resulting mixture.
Session 8:
The Environment for Learning
In a companion methodology session, participants look at solubility and density in the context of how to create a classroom environment that fosters inquiry learning.
Additional Course Information
- 45 contact hours
- A series of course modules on these topics and
teaching strategies is also available:
See also: example
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