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Course Structure
On-Site Activities
Essential Science for Teachers: Earth and Space Science consists of eight sessions , each of which includes group activities
and discussions
as well as an hour-long video program.
Weekly sessions, which should be scheduled for approximately
three hours, may be scheduled around live broadcasts, in which
case you will want to begin at least 60 minutes before the
scheduled broadcast.
You may prefer to pre-record the programs on videocassette and
schedule the sessions at a time that is more convenient for
all participants and
that would allow you to stop and restart the video as you discuss
it.
This guide provides activities and discussion topics for
pre- and post-viewing investigations that complement each of
the eight one-hour video programs.
Getting Ready (Site Investigation)
In preparation for watching the program,
you will engage in 60 minutes of investigation through discussion
and activity.
Watch the Video
Then you will watch the 60-minute video, which includes
classroom footage, commentary, science demonstrations, and more.
Going Further (Site Investigation)
Wrap up the session with an additional
60 minutes of investigation through discussion and activity.
Between
Sessions
Homework Assignments
Each session will contain the following homework
activities. All participants should complete the assignments
marked with *—the
Reading Assignment, the Problem Set, the Ongoing Concept Mapping,
and Preparing for the Next Session. Participants taking the course
for graduate
credit must complete all of the listed assignments, including
those described in the Graduate Course Requirements section.
Note:
Required Hours for Graduate Credit: If you are taking this course
for graduate credit, the complete set of homework activities
has been designed to fulfill the additional three hours required
per session. The time taken to complete each assignment will
vary among individuals,
so no time estimates have been given. Each assignment will result
in some
form of evidence of learning. This evidence may be useful in
building a portfolio for course assessment purposes.
Reading Assignment*
The reading assignments for this course are selected
and assigned to expose you to the research literature on children’s
ideas about Earth and Space Science and reinforce your understanding
of the science
content included in each of the sessions. In some cases, there
will be a specific homework task associated with a reading. In
all cases, there
will be small group work connected with the assigned readings
occurring during the next session.
Earth and Space Science Problem
Set*
Each session will be accompanied by a problem set that will
reinforce content learning by asking questions that apply or
extend Earth and Space Science concepts addressed in the video.
Possible answers
for the problem
set will be provided at the end of the session materials. It
should be emphasized that many questions have a variety of answers – answers
that vary depending on the understandings of the person answering
the question. The intent is not to give you “right answers,” but
to suggest one answer for each question that is considered scientifically
accurate.
Ongoing Concept Mapping*
Within each session, several fundamental concepts
are explored. Creating a set of concept maps will provide you
with an opportunity
to reflect on your understandings of these concepts and their
connections to one another as well as to see how the content
in each session relates
to that of other sessions. A more detailed explanation of concept
mapping is included in Session 1.
Guided Journal Entry
As you proceed through this course, one way of building
and connecting understandings is to reflect upon your learning
as you go. In
each session, one or more questions will be suggested to guide
a journal entry. At the
end of the course, these entries should help you see how your
ideas have progressed.
Guided Channel-TalkEarthspace Posting
Although this is a course designed
to help enhance your understandings of earth and space science
concepts, the intention is for you to use this
knowledge to inform your teaching. Often, a community of learners
who are also teachers
can collaborate to support one another in transforming content
knowledge into successful classroom action. In each session,
one or more questions
will be suggested to guide a discussion on Channel-Talk to facilitate
this type of collaboration among participants.
Textbook Reading
Suggestions
We strongly recommend that you acquire introductory
college-level geology and astronomy texts to refer to in this
course. Reading
topics will be listed in each session, and can be located in
most textbooks in
the Table of Contents or Index.
Preparing for the Next Session*
This section will get you thinking about
upcoming topics and remind you to bring materials needed for
the next session’s activities.
Ongoing Activities
The following are activities that you should work on
between sessions for the duration of the course:
This Course Web Site:
Go online for additional activities,
resources, and discussion through Channel-TalkEarthspace
Channel-TalkEarthspace:
You can communicate with other course participants throughout
the country via the course’s email discussion list. To subscribe
to Channel-TalkEarthspace, visit: http://www.learner.org/mailman/listinfo/channel-talkearth.
Scheduling Course Sessions
Below are recommended options for scheduling credit and non-credit class
meetings, based on how participants are viewing the video programs.
Because of the amount and kinds of work associated with a graduate-level
course,
it is recommended that participation in the course for credit
be over a 15-week period. “Work weeks” are scheduled to allow
participants time to work on their assignments required for graduate
credit.
Option
One: Viewing the Programs Recorded on Tape or video on
demand (VOD) (for Graduate Credit)
Week 1. View Program 1 and complete assignments
Week 2. View Program 2 and complete assignments
Week 3. Work Week
Week 4. View Program 3 and complete assignments
Week 5. View Program 4 and complete assignments
Week 6. Work Week
Week 7. View Program 5 and complete assignments
Week 8. View Program 6 and complete assignments
Week 9. Work Week
Week 10. View Program 7 and complete assignments
Week 11. View Program 8 and complete assignments
Weeks 12-15. Complete long-term coursework: assemble portfolio
components, action research project and paper, and annotated
bibliography.
Option Two: Viewing the Programs Live in Real
Time (for Graduate Credit)
Week 1. View Program 1 and complete assignments
Week 2. View Program 2 and complete assignments
Week 3. View Program 3 and complete assignments
Week 4. View Program 4 and complete assignments
Week 5. View Program 5 and complete assignments
Week 6. View Program 6 and complete assignments
Week 7. View Program 7 and complete assignments
Week 8. View Program 8 and complete assignments
Weeks 9-15. Complete long-term coursework: assemble portfolio
components, action research project and paper, and annotated
bibliography.
Option Three: Viewing the Programs Recorded
on Tape or Live in Real Time (Not
for Graduate Credit)
Week 1. View Program 1 and complete assignments
Week 2. View Program 2 and complete assignments
Week 3. View Program 3 and complete assignments
Week 4. View Program 4 and complete assignments
Week 5. View Program 5 and complete assignments
Week 6. View Program 6 and complete assignments
Week 7. View Program 7 and complete assignments
Week 8. View Program 8 and complete assignments
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