Building Understanding (9-12)

Building Understanding eexamines how you can match content knowledge to a range of pedagogical strategies to improve students' understanding of motions and forces and other topics in physical science.

Course Objectives

• Explore the concept of pedagogical content knowledge and applying it to physical science teaching
• Explore techniques for meeting the needs of individual learners

Course Syllabus

Session 1: Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Participants examine how combining content knowledge and knowledge of pedagogy can lead to more effective teaching of motions and forces.

Session 2: Making Energy Understandable
Participants explore how they can modify and shape their teaching strategies to meet the needs of individual learners.

Additional Course Information

• Third in a series of four courses for teachers of high school physical science
• Other courses in the series:
  • 1st course: Pedagogical Content Knowledge ^‡
  • 2nd course: Assessing Understanding ^‡
  • 4rd course: Teaching Effective Lessons
• A full survey course, Teaching High School Physical Science, is also available.

^‡ recommended before taking this course

We recommend course modules be taken in order. If this is not possible, it's important to have a basic knowledge of the content and methodology described in the preceding courses.

See also: Course Tour example