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Spring 2008, Mondays, 4-6 pm,
Hensill Hall, Room 245
“If research universities marshal their collective will to reform science education, the impact could be farreaching…Our faculty will be experimentalists in their teaching, bringing the rigor of the research lab to their classrooms and developing as teachers throughout their careers. Classrooms will be redesigned to encourage dialogue among students, and they will be filled with collaborating students and teachers.”
-from “Scientific Teaching” by Jo Handelsman, et. al.
“Scientists and engineers working in partnerships with local teachers represent an essential new force that will be required for effective science education reform… But to be effective, we scientists must first be willing to be educated about the opportunities and problems in our schools. This means that we must approach this problem with a humility that reflects how little most of us really understand about how children learn, as well as our respect for the tremendous energy, devotion and skill required to be a successful K-12 teacher in today's schools.”
– Bruce Alberts, President National Academy of Sciences
Instructors: Kimberly Tanner, SEPAL Director, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biology kdtanner@sfsu.edu
, (415) 405-3438
Allison Busch, SEPAL Coordinator, Lecturer, College of Science and Engineering akbusch@sfsu.edu
, (415) 405-3756
Course Credit: 2 units seminar, to be taken concurrently with SCI 851 (2 units, fieldwork component)
Course Description: This course is designed to support SFSU graduate student scientists teaching in
K-16 classrooms and build on SCI 750’s introduction to issues in teaching and learning and the larger context of K-16 science education. This course is will allow graduate student scientists to more deeply explore classroom research projects and engage in the scholarship of teaching. Weekly seminars will include both instructor-driven and graduate student scientist-driven discussions of science teaching and learning.
Course Goals:
• To continue exploring science teaching strategies and build on knowledge of inquiry, assessment, and equity approaches in K-16 classrooms
• To engage graduate student scientists in reflecting on their own teaching and revising a Statement of Teaching Philosophy
• To support graduate student scientists in developing an iterative, scholarly, and evidence-based approach to science teaching
• To develop scientists who are hybrid professionals with the skills to bridge the communities of university research science and K-16 science teaching throughout their careers
To these ends, the course will engage graduate student scientists in discussions, activities, and reflections that support them in: exploring teaching science as inquiry, examining issues of student diversity and equity in science, facilitating educational discussions among scientific colleagues, developing and analyzing educational assessments, and accessing the educational research literature.
Sci 850: Explorations in Science Education, Pedagogy, and Partnership
Kimberly Tanner & Allison Busch, Instructors
San Francisco State University
Spring 2008

Course Requirements:
• Attend weekly seminar, Mondays 4:00 – 6:00 pm. Absences must be approved by the instructor prior to class.
•
Prepare for weekly seminar by completing readings, leading and/or facilitating discussions, and writing reflections.
• Submit a weekly Reflective Journal entry by email
• Submit a weekly Application of Teaching Strategies Log
• Present and/or facilitate a “Case Study Discussion” based on a classroom teaching dilemma
•
Participate in data collection in your classroom through an action research project and present findings to your SCI 850 colleagues
• Visit and videotape another SCI 850 Scientist’s teaching classroom, as well as host a videoed visit in your own classroom
•
Schedule and complete Classroom Coaching Session iLearn
Course documents, class projects and their critiques, and responses to readings will be posted on iLearn
(ilearn.sfsu.edu). In addition, iLearn will serve as a forum for questions and comments on a variety of topics related to the course and people’s teaching contexts.
Course Components/Grading Scheme:
Attendance and class participation is essential. All absences must be approved by the instructors in advance.
Reflection
COURSE COMPONENT TOTAL POINTS % OF
GRADE
150 20% Weekly Reflections (15 @ 10 points each)

Reflective journals

Responses to readings

Peer review of class projects
Weekly Teaching Strategies Log (15 @ 5 points each) 75 10%
Participation
Weekly Attendance and Participation (15 @ 10 points each)
Schedule and Complete Classroom Coaching Session
Class Projects
150
50
20%
7%
Lesson Renovation
Classroom Evidence Collection Project
V2 Project (visit and video)
Final Statement of Teaching Philosophy
50
75
100
50
7%
10%
13%
7%
Final Semester Reflection
TOTAL
50
750
7%
100%
Sci 850: Explorations in Science Education, Pedagogy, and Partnership
Kimberly Tanner & Allison Busch, Instructors
San Francisco State University
Spring 2008

January 28
February 4
February 11
February 18
February 25
March 3
March 10
March 17
March 24
March 31
April 7
(This schedule is approximate and absolutely subject to change…)
What is the arc of our semester together?
 Reconnect & Reinvigorate: Returning to the Classroom in 2008
 Introduce Syllabus, Spring Projects, Course Goals for Semester
 Lesson Planning: Teaching Context-Specific Mini-Communities –Begin Renovation Project
How can we stalk misconceptions and understand what our students already know?
 Discuss Readings: Assessment chapter from Scientific Teaching (Handelsman), Understanding the Wrong Answers (Tanner & Allen)
 Assessment A Go-Go
 Collecting Assessment Evidence in the Classroom – Preliminary Brainstorm of New Pre -
Assessments
How will our experiences and training with SEPAL impact our professional lives?
 Panel Discussion with Alums
 Lesson Renovation Check-In
How can we strive to integrate assessment into our lesson planning??
 Lesson Planning: Lesson Renovation In-Class Work Day
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
How can we apply what we know to renovate and improve science lessons?
 Small group sharing of Lesson Renovations
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
What does collecting assessment evidence in our classroom reveal?
 Classroom Evidence Collection: Assessment - Poster Session
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
How does our personal experience filter what we notice or do not notice in the classroom?
 Activity: Building Mobiles & discussion of readings from Stalking the Second Tier
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
How can we design science lessons to improve access to science learning for English language learners?
 Addressing Language and Cultural Equity
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:

Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
 SPRING BREAK! – NO CLASS
 CESAR CHAVEZ DAY! – NO CLASS
How do expectations of students influence their learning?
 Stereotype Threat, Guest Speaker & Discussion– Avi Ben-Zeev, SFSU, Dept. of Psychology
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
Sci 850: Explorations in Science Education, Pedagogy, and Partnership
Kimberly Tanner & Allison Busch, Instructors
San Francisco State University
Spring 2008

April 14
April 21
April 28
Friday, May 2
May 5
May 12
WILD CARD!
 Discussion/Activity TBD
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
 Case Study: Presenter: , Facilitator:
What do our teaching videos show us about our own practice?
 Presentations of Teaching Videos – Round 1
What do our teaching videos show us about our own practice?

Presentations of Teaching Videos – Round 2
 COSE Poster Showcase
What is good science? What is good science teaching? What does it mean to be a scientist educator?
 Activity: POST Concept Map on Scientific Teaching
What have we learned about science teaching and about ourselves as scientific professionals?
 Debrief Semester – Making SCI 850 Better in Future Years
 Post-Assessment(s) & Instructor Evaluations & Final Celebration!
Sci 850: Explorations in Science Education, Pedagogy, and Partnership
Kimberly Tanner & Allison Busch, Instructors
San Francisco State University
Spring 2008