Single Subject Matter Preparation Program in Physics
San Francisco State University
College of Science and Engineering
April 28, 2010
1
Table of Contents
Introduction
Page 3
Preconditions
Page 6
Standard 1
Page 10
Standard 2
Page 24
Standard 3
Page 32
Standard 4
Page 41
Standard 5
Page 46
Standard 6
Page 55
Standard 7
Page 60
Standard 8
Page 67
Standard 9
Page 71
Standard 10
Page 76
Standard 11
Page 80
Standard 12
Page 85
Standard 13
Page 90
Standard 14
Page 96
Standard 15
Page 112
Standard 16
Page 120
Standard 17
Page 125
2
INTRODUCTION
The single subject matter preparation program (SSMPP) in physics at San
Francisco State University (SFSU) reflects both the ethos and the excellence of
the institution as a whole and the Department of Physics and Astronomy in
particular.
SFSU serves a large metropolitan region known for its vibrant ethnic,
artistic, culinary, technological, and scientific achievements. SFSU’s
commitment to ethnic diversity is apparent in its highly diverse staff, faculty, and
student body. A commitment to civic engagement can be seen in the hundreds
of SFSU courses and dozens of university programs that incorporate work-study
and community involvement. The field experience course in science teaching
within the San Francisco public schools—a keystone in the SSMPP in physics—
is just one example. SFSU began over 100 years ago as a teacher training
school, and its strong tradition of excellence in teacher preparation, as well as its
emphasis on innovative higher education, continues today in all departments
[see Appendix I, pp. 1-4].
In accord with this, the SFSU Department of Physics and Astronomy
makes teaching its top priority. Students receive an outstanding education from
a diverse faculty with a wide range of cutting-edge research interests. Many find
placement in doctoral programs or industry jobs. Our newly created Bachelor of
Science in Physics, Concentration in Physics for Teaching, which incorporates all
elements of the SSMPP in physics, is designed to attract---and provide excellent
preparation for---prospective middle and high school teachers [see Appendix I,
pp. 5-7].
The department works closely with a campus center dedicated to
increasing the university’s production of science and math teachers for
California’s growing need. The College of Science and Engineering’s (COSE’s)
Center for Science and Math Education (CSME) has been helping to attract
future teachers of physics and other sciences through advisement, scholarships,
and many additional forms of support [Appendix I, p. 8]. CSME has also been
instrumental, through close faculty involvement and decision making, in helping
several science departments improve and promote their SSMP programs.
The single-subject-matter program we are submitting here is a revised
version of a portion of the program we submitted in 2005. The 2005
submission combined programs in biology, chemistry, geosciences, and
physics. Based on CCTC’s recommendation, we are now submitting a separate
proposal for each subject area. This proposal describes the SSMPP in
physics, answering reviewer comments in detail and providing an updated
explanation of the program’s features.
3
Several important changes have occurred within the College of Science
and Engineering and within the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the
years since we submitted the combined proposal in 2005. First, the Center was
in the planning stages in 2005 but has now been in full operation for two years,
carrying out its vigorous and well-received multidimensional program of
recruitment, advisement, and support for prospective science and math teachers.
[We describe its mission and programs in detail in Standards 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, and
11].
Second, the Department of Physics and Astronomy has undertaken to
create a new concentration within our physics major, the Concentration in
Physics for Teaching---similar to the Concentration in Mathematics for Teaching
that already exists in the Department of Mathematics [see Appendix I, pp. 9-10].
This new physics concentration was approved by the faculty of the Department
of Physics and Astronomy this spring and will be submitted for approval by the
University in fall 2009.
In addition, four new courses have been created that are part of our
new Concentration in Physics for Teaching. We propose to include these in our
single-subject-matter program in physics, as well:
(1) Phys 695 (Culminating Experience in Physics)
(2) Sci 652 (SFSU Science Partners in K-12 Schools)
(3) Astr 405 (Astrobiology)
(4) Astr 490 (Seminar in Astronomy)
The revised SSMP program that we present in this document is closely
aligned with the new Concentration in Physics for Teaching. This B.S. degree
program combines the breadth and the depth courses needed for the SSMPP as
well as a small number of additional requirements and electives. Appendix I
pages 9-10 list the full curriculum for the B.S. degree. This new program relies on
the same breadth and depth course work documented and approved in the
SFSU SSMPP proposal submitted in 2005 as part of standards 14 and 15. It
also includes five upper division courses [PHYS 490, 695, SCI 510 or ASTR 405,
and SCI 652] intended to provide additional depth in physics, in research, writing,
and presentation skills, in integrative sciences, and in physical science teaching
field experiences.
We present the SSMPP curriculum itself in both the Preconditions and
Standard 1 and explain its detailed features throughout this proposal. Both our
new B.S. degree and the SSMPP—which can be completed as part of that
degree or within a different B.A. or B.S. degree program—prepare future
teachers of physical science extraordinarily well. As our responses to each of
the CCTC standards will show, SFSU provides students with an outstanding
background in general education; with a well-balanced and demanding science
breadth curriculum; with a rigorous grounding in the fundamental concepts and
modern applications of physics and astronomy; and with the organizational,
4
pedagogical, communication, and presentation skills needed to effectively teach
K-12 students.
5
Preconditions for the Approval of
Subject Matter Programs in Science
To be approved by the Commission, a Subject Matter Program in Science must comply
with the following preconditions.
(1) Each Program of Subject Matter Preparation for the Single Subject Teaching
Credential in Science shall include (a) a minimum of 24 semester units (or 36
quarter units) of core coursework in science subjects and related subjects that are
commonly taught in departmentalized classes in California public schools,
and (b) a minimum of 18 semester units (or 27 quarter units) of coursework that provides
extended study of the subject, and (c) 3 semester units (or 5 quarter units) in
the subject. These requirements are elaborated in Preconditions 2 and 3.
(2) The core of the program (Breadth of Study) shall include coursework in (or directly
related to) biological sciences, chemistry, geosciences and physics as
commonly taught in departmentalized science classes in California public schools.
(3) Extended studies in the program (Depth of Study) shall include at least one
concentration of the four science areas. Each concentration shall comprise at least
18 semester units or 27 quarter units. In addition the program shall include at least 3
semester units (5 quarter units) of additional extended study, either
designated as breadth or depth studies at the discretion of the institution.
In addition to describing how a program meets each standard of program quality in this
handbook, the program document by an institution shall include the course titles, unit
designations, catalog descriptions and syllabi of all courses in the program that are used
to meet the standards. Program documents must include a matrix chart that identifies
which courses meet which standards.
Institutions may determine whether the standards and required elements are addressed
through one or more courses for each commonly taught subject or courses offering
integrated study of these subjects. Institutions may also define the program in terms of
required or elective coursework.
However, elective options must be equivalent in meeting the standards. Coursework
offered by any appropriate department(s) of a regionally accredited institution may
satisfy the preconditions and standards in this handbook. Programs may use general
education courses in meeting the standards.
(1) Each Program of Subject Matter Preparation for the Single Subject Teaching
Credential in Science shall include (a) a minimum of 24 semester units (or 36
quarter units) of core coursework in science subjects andrelated subjects that are
commonly taught in departmentalized classes in California public schools,
and (b) a minimum of 18 semester units (or 27 quarter units) of coursework that provides
6
extended study of the subject, and (c) 3 semester units (or 5 quarter units) in
the subject. These requirements are elaborated in Preconditions 2 and 3.
The SFSU SSMPP program in physics presented here requires 27-28
semester units of core (breadth) coursework in science commonly taught in
California public schools, which exceeds the minimum requirement of 24 units.
(see Table P-1, below). The program also requires 27 units of extended study
(depth) in physics, which exceeds the minimum requirement of 18 units. Both
the core (breadth) and extended (depth) portions of our program exceed the
corresponding minimum requirements by 3 units or more, which exceeds the
requirement of 3 additional units of either breadth or depth coursework.
The required courses and unit totals for the physics SSMPP are as
follows:
Table P-1 SSMPP in Physics
Depth Program of Study
Course
Course Title
PHYS 2201, 222
General Physics with Calculus I,
General Physics with Calculus I Lab
General Physics with Calculus II,
General Physics with Calculus II Lab
General Physics with Calculus III,
General Physics with Calculus III Lab
Modern Physics I, Modern Physics
Lab
Physics Project Lab or
Seminar in Astronomy
Culminating Experience in Physics
Search for Solutions or
Astrobiology
SFSU Science Partners in K-12
Schools
TOTAL DEPTH UNITS
PHYS 2302, 232
PHYS 2403, 242
PHYS 320, 321
PHYS 490 or
ASTR 490
PHYS 695
SCI 510 or
ASTR 405
SCI 652
Semester Units
4
4
4
5
2
1
3
4
27
Breadth Program of Study
Course
ASTR 115/1164 or
ASTR 320/321
GEOL 110
Course Title
Introduction to Astronomy with Lab or
Stars, Planets, and Milky Way plus
Observational Astronomy Lab
Physical Geology
7
Semester Units
4-5
4
GEOL/METR/OCN
405
BIOL 230
BIOL 240
CHEM 115
Planetary Climate Change
Introduction to Biology I (with lab)
Introduction to Biology II (with lab)
General Chemistry I (with lab)
TOTAL BREADTH UNITS
TOTAL DEPTH AND BREADTH PROGRAM UNITS:
4
5
5
5
27-28
____
54-55
Footnotes to Table P-1:
1. PHYS 220 has MATH 226 (Calculus I; 4 units) as a prerequisite.
2. PHYS 230 has MATH 227 (Calculus II; 4 units) as a prerequisite.
3. PHYS 240 has MATH 228 (Calculus III; 4 units) as a prerequisite.
4. Students pursuing the B.S. in Physics, Concentration in Physics for
Teaching will substitute ASTR 320/321 for upper-division credit.
SFSU Bulletin Descriptions for all courses in the SSMPP in physics appear in the
Course List, Appendix PL. Syllabi for all courses appear in the Course
Syllabi, Appendix PS.
Combining the core (breadth) and extended (depth) programs, the total
unit requirements for the physics SSMPP program ranges from 54 to 55 units.
In addition, 12 units of math prerequisites (calculus) are required. These totals
exceed the minimum requirement of 42 units of combined core (breadth) units
and extended (depth) units (24 + 18), plus 3 units of either, for a total minimum of
45 units. The SSMPP in physics, as well as each of the other SFSU single
subject programs in science, therefore meets Precondition 1.
(2) The core of the program (Breadth of Study) shall include coursework in (or directly
related to) biological sciences, chemistry, geosciences and physics as
commonly taught in departmentalized science classes in California public schools.
The SFSU core (breadth) program in science includes two introductory
biology courses for majors offered by SFSU’s Department of Biology [BIOL
230/240]; one introductory course in chemistry for majors offered by SFSU’s
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry [CHEM 115/116]; one introductory
geology course for majors and one integrated meteorology/oceanography/
geology/planetology course for science majors, both offered by SFSU’s
Department of Geosciences [GEOL 110, GEOL/METR/OCN 405]; and one
lecture and one laboratory course in astronomy. For the astronomy units,
SSMPP candidates have the option of either ASTR 115/116 (two general
education courses, for 4 units), or ASTR 320/321 (5 units), which are courses in
8
the major and address much of the same material but at a higher level using
more of the underlying physics. Students pursuing the B.S. in Physics,
Concentration in Physics for Teaching will be required to take the ASTR 320/321
pair. [See course syllabi in Appendix PS.] These requirements meet
Precondition 2.
(3) Extended studies in the program (Depth of Study) shall include at least one
concentration of the four science areas. Each concentration shall comprise at least
18 semester units or 27 quarter units. In addition the program shall include at least 3
semester units (5 quarter units) of additional extended study, either
designated as breadth or depth studies at the discretion of the institution.
The 27 units of depth requirements for the SSMPP in physics easily
exceeds the minimum of 18 units in the discipline plus 3 additional units of
breadth or depth, thereby meeting Precondition 3. For more details, please refer
to the course lists in Appendix PL and the course syllabi in Appendix PS.
9
Standards of Program Quality and Effectiveness
Category I: Standards Common to All Single Subject
Matter Preparation Programs
Standard 1: Program Philosophy and Purpose
The subject matter preparation program is based on an explicit statement of program
philosophy that expresses its purpose, design, and desired outcomes in relation to the
Standards of Quality and Effectiveness for Single Subject Teaching Credential Programs.
The program provides the coursework and field experiences necessary to teach the
specified subject to all of California’s diverse public school population. Subject matter
preparation in the program for prospective teachers is academically rigorous and
intellectually stimulating. The program curriculum reflects and builds on the Stateadopted Academic Content Standards for K-12 Students and Curriculum Frameworks for
California Public Schools. The program is designed to establish a strong foundation in
and understanding of subject matter knowledge for prospective teachers that provides a
basis for continued development during each teacher’s professional career. The
sponsoring institution assigns high priority to and appropriately supports the program as
an essential part of its mission.
Required Element 1.1 The program philosophy, design, and intended outcomes are
consistent with the content of the State-adopted Academic Content Standards for K-12
students and Curriculum Frameworks for California public schools.
Program Philosophy:
SFSU’s SSMP program in physics was founded to provide prospective high
school teachers with the subject matter preparation needed to effectively teach
general science through 9th grade, and physics through 12th grade. The program
has a two-fold guiding philosophy:
(1) To insure that future K-12 teachers have a high degree of content
understanding in physics and integrated sciences; a mastery of the process by
which physicists and scientists in other disciplines work; a development of critical
thinking and analytical skills; effective communication and presentation skills; and
the effective teaching skills needed to educate future citizens and professionals
in our state.
(2) To make the program both visible and accessible to SFSU students with the
goal of increasing the number of well-prepared physics teachers in California. To
10
this end, we have begun the process of creating a new Concentration in Physics
for Teaching within our department (see Appendix I, pp. 9-10) whose
requirements are closely aligned with those of the SSMP program in physics that
we propose here.
By meeting objectives (1) and (2) [stated above], the program helps prepare
effective physical science teachers while they work toward their undergraduate
degree. Objective (2) makes the program consistent with SFSU’s College of
Science and Engineering (COSE) stated mission and vision. [For details, please
see Appendix 1, pp. 1-2].
Program Design:
SSMPP faculty and advisors within the Department of Physics and
Astronomy, in junction with CSME and faculty from other science departments,
have carefully crafted a program of breadth and depth courses, designed to
prepare California teachers of general science as well as teachers of high school
physics. The courses are as follows:
Table 1-A SSMPP Physics: Breadth Program of Study
Course
ASTR 115/116 or
ASTR 320/3211
Course Title
Introduction to Astronomy with Lab or
Stars, Planets, and Milky Way plus
Observational Astronomy Lab
GEOL 110
Physical Geology
GEOL/METR/OCN Planetary Climate Change
405
BIOL 230
Introduction to Biology I (with lab)
BIOL 240
Introduction to Biology II (with lab)
CHEM 115
General Chemistry I (with lab)
Semester Units
4-5
4
4
5
5
5
Footnotes:
1. Students completing the B.S. in Physics, Concentration in Physics for
Teaching, will substitute ASTR 320/321 for ASTR 115/116 to receive upperdivision credit and more in-depth treatment of the physics underlying astronomy.
After fulfilling these breadth courses, physics program candidates are
prepared to teach physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, and biology concepts,
methods, applications, and their various interrelationships at the K-9th grade
levels.
11
The depth course requirements for the SSMPP in physics include 10 lower
and upper level physics and/or astronomy courses; 12 units of math
prerequisites; a teaching field experience course [SCI 652]; and an integrative
science course, [SCI 510 or ASTR 405]. Together, these depth courses prepare
program candidates to teach physical sciences concepts, methods, applications,
and integrations with other science disciplines through the 12th grade level. The
depth courses are as follows:
Table 1-B SSMPP in Physics: Depth Program of Study
Course
Course Title
PHYS 2201, 222
General Physics with Calculus I,
General Physics with Calculus I Lab
General Physics with Calculus II,
General Physics with Calculus II Lab
General Physics with Calculus III,
General Physics with Calculus III Lab
Modern Physics I, Modern Physics
Lab
Physics Project Lab or
Seminar in Astronomy
Culminating Experience in Physics
Search for Solutions or
Astrobiology
SFSU Science Partners in K-12
Schools
PHYS 2302, 232
PHYS 2403, 242
PHYS 320, 321
PHYS 490 or
ASTR 490
PHYS 695
SCI 510 or
ASTR 405
SCI 652
Semester Units
4
4
4
5
2
1
3
4
Footnotes
1. PHYS 220 has MATH 226 (Calculus I; 4 units) as a prerequisite.
2. PHYS 230 has MATH 227 (Calculus II; 4 units) as a prerequisite.
3. PHYS 240 has MATH 228 (Calculus III; 4 units) as a prerequisite.
Depth courses for the SSMPP in physics have been chosen to provide
candidates with in-depth content knowledge within the discipline [PHYS 220,
230, 240, 320]; extensive laboratory experience [PHYS 222, 232, 242, 321, 490];
a culminating experience that requires extensive writing within the discipline
[PHYS 695]; an integrative science course that requires students to apply and
integrate their science knowledge [SCI 510 or ASTR 405]; and a field experience
course that provides hands on teaching within the San Francisco public schools
[SCI 652]. SFSU Bulletin Descriptions for all courses in the Physics SSMPP
12
appear in the Course List, Appendix PL. Syllabi for all courses appear in the
Course Syllabi, Appendix PS.
As explained in the Introduction to this proposal, students pursuing the B.S.
degree in physics, Concentration in Physics for Teaching, follow a curriculum
very similar to the SSMPP with a small number of additional upper-division
electives in physics and/or astronomy.
Intended Outcomes:
The SSMPP in physics is designed to fulfill its program philosophy by
bringing about five intended outcomes in each of its enrolled program
candidates:
1) Content understanding: A high degree of facility with the concepts,
methodologies, applications of physics and its integration with astronomy,
chemistry, earth sciences, and biology, plus a good facility with the concepts,
methodologies, and applications of those additional sciences.
2) Mastery of the process of science: A proven ability to understand how
scientists in general and scientists within specific disciplines (biology, chemistry,
earth sciences, physics, and astronomy) observe the natural world, form creative
hypotheses about phenomena, set up experiments to test their hypotheses,
record and interpret data, analyze results, and communicate their findings. A
proven ability to apply the process of science by observing phenomena;
designing experiments; and testing, recording, interpreting, analyzing, and
communicating data in a manner consistent with the conventions of physics and
other sciences.
3) Development of critical thinking and analytical skills: A proven ability in
breadth and depth coursework to reflect upon, evaluate, analyze, and interpret
information and draw logical conclusions about its accuracy, credibility, meaning,
and significance.
4) Effective communication and presentation skills: The application in
breadth and depth science coursework of writing, listening, reading, speaking,
and presentation skills, including the appropriate use of technology.
5) Effective teaching skills: A proven ability to observe, assess, and
instruct students in K-12 classroom settings in general science concepts,
methodologies, and applications, and in physical science, those same modalities
in greater depth.
For greater detail on each outcome, see our response to Required
Element 1.2.
These intended outcomes coincide with all required elements of subject
matter knowledge and competence and skills and abilities for all domains of
science defined by CCTC. Since CCTC’s standards are designed to prepare
teachers to help K-12 students to meet Science Content Standards for California
13
Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (1997) consistent with
Science Curriculum Frameworks for California Public Schools: Kindergarten
Through Grade Twelve (1999), our program is consistent with those standards
and that framework, as well [see Appendix 1, pp. 3-22].
While the SSMPP in physics implicitly prepares teachers that can help K12 students meet California science content standards and curriculum
frameworks, the program goes a step farther. The early fieldwork course SCI
652, SFSU Science Partners in SF K-12 Schools, explicitly introduces program
candidates to the CCTC standards and curriculum framework itself. This is an
important part of understanding and addressing the normal developmental
sequence for science learning in future K-12 students. Such understanding,
along with the rich and demanding sequence of breadth and depth courses,
contributes to student achievement of the five intended outcomes of the SSMPP
program.
Required Element 1.2 The statement of program philosophy shows a clear understanding
of the preparation that prospective teachers need in order to be effective in delivering
academic content to all students in California schools.
The breadth and depth requirements established for the SSMPP in
physics reflect the program philosophy and intended outcomes. They prepare
future teachers for thorough content understanding as well as providing them the
pedagogical tools and techniques needed to convey this content to K-12 students
in California classrooms.
Outcome 1: Future physics teachers need an in-depth knowledge of
physics; less-intensive but still significant knowledge of astronomy, earth
sciences, chemistry and biology; and an understanding of how these fields
interrelate. As Tables 1A and 1B demonstrate, candidates in the SSMPP in
physics take 20 units of introductory and upper division courses in physics (2 of
these units optionally being physics in astronomical contexts in ASTR 490); 5
units in chemistry; 10 units in biology; 8 units in geosciences; and 4 to 5 units in
astronomy. Together, the coursework provides a strong background in the
various fields and their integration. One of the earth science courses,
GEOL/METR/OCN 405, Planetary Climate Change, examines the integration of
several disciplines in depth as they relate to one of the most important issues of
our time. Likewise, SCI 510, Search for Solutions, is a capstone course
designed to encourage integrative thinking and application of content knowledge
from various sciences in current issues such as global warming. Alternatively,
students may take ASTR 405, Astrobiology, which requires an equivalent
integration. Such integrative knowledge and application is a critical component in
designing curricula and study materials for K-12 classes.
14
SFSU is notable for its university-wide dedication to innovative teaching
techniques that go far beyond the lecture and mass-exam approach (see details
in Standards 5). Instructors for virtually all courses in the SSMPP in physics
employ a wide range of techniques in their own classrooms that serve as models
of effective teaching strategies for program candidates. SFSU professors
typically use multimedia aids with their lectures; utilize software-based and online instruction; require some self-directed lab or field activities and/or
experimental design; assign literacy-based oral and written presentations; and
assign inquiry-based, case study based, and problem-based lessons that
frequently involve hands-on in-class activities and collaborative group activities.
Outcome 2: Future teachers need mastery of the process of science. In
order to teach physics or general science to secondary-school students, program
candidates need their own very good understanding of how professionals in
scientific fields generate new knowledge; how they observe, test, analyze,
interpret, and report their results; and how new findings can modify or replace
older conceptions. This mastery helps teachers to show their students how
science differs from other disciplines and to convey the values and attitudes that
underlie life science and other sciences. These values and attitudes include a
reliance on evidence, a willingness to consider contradictory evidence, and the
frequent necessity of replacing accepted facts and ideas. Future teachers must
be able to teach the ethos of science and its professional application, as well as
to demonstrate them directly through laboratory and fieldwork and classroom
instruction and discussions. Every SFSU SSMPP candidate takes numerous
laboratory and field courses (see Tables 1A and 1B). Through these and the
assessment portions of lecture-based courses, they demonstrate their own
understanding of the process of science and their ability to convey it to students.
Outcome 3: As science teachers in California secondary schools,
program graduates will be encouraging and requiring students to develop critical
thinking and analytical skills. They themselves must—and do—develop a high
degree of those same skills in the SSMPP. They need to be able to reflect upon,
evaluate, analyze, and interpret information and draw logical conclusions about
its accuracy, credibility, meaning, and significance. In addition, they need the
pedagogical skills to teach these important ways of thinking and learning. As our
responses to and evidence for Standard 12 shows clearly, the breadth and depth
coursework in the SFSU SSMPP in physics demand the accurate expression of
scientific ideas and concepts; the use of quantitative reasoning and analysis to
solve scientific problems; the honing of scientific investigative skills; the critical
analysis of scientific research and communication; and the application of
conceptual and physical models in life science and other disciplines. Several
program courses (for example, BIOL 230, 240; SCI 510 and 652;
GEOL/METR/OCN 405; and CHEM 115) cover ethical issues that require a
student to apply many of these critical and analytic skills, especially for the
completion of term papers, projects, and presentations.
15
Outcome 4: Teachers need effective communication and presentation
skills, both oral and written. These are crucial for effective instruction of science
content. They are also important parts of the K-12 curriculum, encouraging and
helping students’ own communication skills in science as well as in language,
history, arts, and other subjects. Our response to and evidence for Standard 4
pinpoints the SSMPP program philosophy and coursework that requires students
to learn and demonstrate mastery of academic and technical terminology and
research conventions in physics and other sciences; and to read, write, listen,
speak, reason, and communicate in these same disciplines. An important part of
that literacy is familiarity with and demonstrated competence in communications
technology. As our responses to and evidence for Standard 3 shows, candidates
in the SSMPP in physics use computers, many types of software, on-line course
management tools, on-line research tools, PowerPoint technology, clicker
technology, and other forms of communication technology in many of their
courses. PHYS 490; ASTR 490; BIOL 230, 240; SCI 510 and 652; and
GEOL/METR/OCN 405, for example, all require extensive proof of literacy skills
and technological competence (see course syllabi, Appendix PS).
Outcome 5: Future teachers must be aware of and able to effectively
teach all elements of the state’s science framework, including a proven ability to
observe, assess, and instruct students in K-12 classrooms. The SFSU SSMPP
in physics has a strong curriculum in effective teaching skills. Candidates
observe the excellent modeling of teaching strategies which SFSU instructors
employ throughout their breadth and depth courses. The required integrative
science course GEOL/METR/OCN 405, for example, deliberately applies and
models all the major teaching strategies outlined in the CCTC standards (see our
response to Standard 5, and course syllabus in Appendix PS). Moreover, the
required early fieldwork experience course SCI 652, Science Education Partners
in S.F. Schools, meets and exceeds all requirements for student classroom
teaching experience (for details see Standard 6, and course syllabus in Appendix
PS). In addition, the San Francisco Unified School District serves an extremely
ethnically diverse population; candidates apply classroom practices and
instructional materials in this richly varied setting (see Standard 2) and observe
the effectiveness of pedagogical tools on all learning modalities.
Required Element 1.3 The program provides prospective teachers with the opportunity
to learn and apply significant ideas, structures, methods and core concepts in the
specified subject discipline(s) that underlies the 6-12 curriculum.
The CCTC designed its standards for science teacher subject matter
preparation to ensure that science teachers can teach the core concepts and
methods underlying the 6-12 science curriculum. The SFSU SSMPP in physics
meets all of CCTC’s standards. The courses in the program are the same as
those designed for science majors and hence are designed to train students to
understand how science is done and potentially to become scientists themselves.
16
Hence, students completing our program should be well versed and practiced in
the core concepts and methods underlying the 6-12 curriculum.
Table 1C shows the science content standards in the California Science
Framework for Grades 6, 7, and 8, and maps onto them the SSMPP breadth
courses that provide candidates with opportunities to learn and apply the content
underlying each major subject area in the curricula for Grades 6-8:
Table 1C SSMPP Breadth Courses and Science Framework Grades 6-8
Breadth courses in SSMPP in
Physics
Contents Standards in Science
Framework
Focus on Earth Science-Grade 6
-Plate tectonics
-Shaping Earth’s Structure
-Heat
-Energy in Earth’s System
-Ecology
-Resources
-Investigation/
Experimentation
Focus on Life Science-Grade 7
-Cell Biology
-Genetics
-Evolution
-Earth and Life History
-Structure and Function in
Living Systems
-Physical Principles in Living
Systems
Investigation/Experimentation
Focus on Physical ScienceGrade 8
-Motion
-Forces
-Structure of Matter
-Earth and Solar System
-Chemical Reactions
-Chemistry of Living Systems
-Periodic Table
-Density and Buoyancy
ASTR
GEOL
115/116 or 110
320/321
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
17
GEOL/
METR/
OCN
405
BIOL
230
BIOL
240
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
PHYS
220/
222*
PHYS
230/
232*
CHEM
115
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Investigation/Experimentation
X
X
X
X
X
X
* Required depth courses PHYS 220/222, 230/232, 240/242, 320/321
substitute for the non-calculus breadth courses PHYS 111/112, 121/122 taken by
candidates in other SSMPPs in science at SFSU.
Table 1D maps the SSMPP depth courses that provide candidates with
opportunities to learn and apply the content underlying physics subject areas in
the curricula for Grades 9-12:
Table 1D SSMPP Depth Courses and Science Framework Grades 9-12
Depth Courses in
SSMPP in Physics
PHYS PHYS
220/
230/
222
232
Science Content
Standards in
Framework
Focus on Physical
Science—Grades 912
-Motion/
X
Forces
Conservation of
X
Energy/
Momentum
Heat/
Thermodynamics
Waves
Electronic/
magnetic
phenomena
PHYS
240/
242
PHYS
320/
321
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
PHYS
490 or
ASTR
490
PHYS SCI SCI
695
652 510 or
ASTR
405
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Complete syllabi for each breadth and depth course appear in Appendix
PS. Our responses to Standards 14 and 15 provide additional details and
evidence for program courses and science domains.
18
X
X
Required Element 1.4 The program prepares prospective single-subject teachers to
analyze complex discipline-based issues; synthesize information from multiple
sources and perspectives; communicate skillfully in oral and written forms; and
use appropriate technologies.
By the time students complete the SSMPP in physics, they will have been
asked to tackle problems spanning a range of complexity from the introductory
majors level to the level of upper division advanced majors’ lab and/or field
courses, which typically require research projects.
Analyze complex discipline-based issues: Most physics courses require
the kind of quantitative reasoning that allows students to analyze complex
discipline-based problems and issues. The matrix below shows examples of a
few key depth courses and their required analytic activities:
Depth
Course
PHYS
220,222
PHYS 230,
232
PHYS 240,
242
PHYS 490
Examples of Analytic Activities
Weekly problem sets; lab reports that record, analyze, and present
results
Weekly problem sets; lab reports that record, analyze, and present
results
Weekly problem sets; lab reports that record, analyze, and present
results
Weekly problem sets; lab reports that record, analyze, and present
results; independent project of student’s own experimental design
Synthesize information from multiple sources: Many physics courses
assign students to read scientific papers and other reference materials in addition
to textbooks, hand-out sheets, and on-line materials. Many courses also require
that students write critiques of journal articles, originate research proposals, and
write research papers. The following matrix shows examples of key required
depth courses and information synthesizing activities:
Depth
Course
PHYS 222,
232, 242,
321
SCI 510
or
ASTR 405
PHYS 490
or
ASTR 490
Examples of Information Synthesizing Activities
Write weekly lab reports, including data observations and analysis
of lab activities
Read scientific journals and write or discuss/debate analyses that
assess the clarity of authors’ presentations. Thoroughly investigate
all aspects of a scientific issue such as global warming or
preconditions for the origin of life
Review scientific literature; design a research project and write
and/or present a detailed report, including abstract, methods,
results, and discussion sections plus literature citations
19
Skillful oral and written communication: Students in the SSMPP in physics
have numerous opportunities to hone disciplinary literary skills. The following
matrix lists a few key courses and examples of disciplinary literacy activities:
Depth
Course
PHYS 222,
232, 242,
321
SCI 510
or
ASTR 405
PHYS 490
or
ASTR 490
SCI 652
Examples Disciplinary Literacy Activities
Write weekly lab reports that record data, observations, and
analysis of lab activities and address inquiry-based questions and
activities
Write in-depth reports and create and present before class
members PowerPoint displays of data and interpretations from
research projects.
Write in-depth reports and create and present before class
members PowerPoint displays of data and interpretations from
original lab experiments or research projects
Students participate in weekly seminary discussions of teaching
and learning issues; students write reports and give oral and
PowerPoint presentations on their own early fieldwork experiences
and solutions to teaching and learning issues
Use of appropriate technologies: All students at SFSU use the on-line
iLearn course management system to access specific course information such as
syllabi, lecture notes, and hand-outs; to download written assignments; and to
upload exercises, quizzes, and other materials. All students have Internet and
email accounts through the University’s Division of Information Technology. All
have access to computing laboratories and extensive library-based electronic
resources.
Candidates in the SSMPP in physics also learn to use numerous
kinds of appropriate technologies for lab and field experiences that reflect up-todate methods for data gathering, analysis, processing and presentation of
scientific information. The following matrix shows examples of key depth courses
and technological tools and techniques employed in each:
Course
BIOL 230, 240
(breadth)
CHEM 115, 215
(breadth)
Examples of Use of Appropriate Technology
Classroom computers; compound microscopes;
spectrophotometers; paper chromatography; analytic
software from Internet websites
Classroom computers; microprocessor-controlled
spectrophotometers, Spartan software
20
GEOL/METR/OCN 405
(breadth)
PHYS 222
(depth)
PHYS 232
(depth)
PHYS 242
(depth)
PHYS 321
(depth)
World Watcher software; Java Script; STELLA, TASA
software
Pasco cart, timer, instrumentation; projectile launcher;
rotational dynamics apparatus; photogate; sonic ranger
Electroscope; cathode ray tube; power supply; circuit
boards; potentiometer; oscilloscope
Photometer, Polaroid filters, Excel software,
temperature sensors, calorimeter, thermocouple
Computers with Linux operating system, Geiger tubes,
sources of alpha, beta, gamma radiation.
Required Element 1.5 Program outcomes are defined clearly and assessments of
prospective teachers and program reviews are appropriately aligned.
As discussed in Required Element 1.1, five program outcomes have been
established for the SSMPP in physics:
1) Content understanding
2) Knowledge and mastery of the process of science
3) Development of critical thinking and analytical skills
4) Effective communication and presentation skills
5) Effective teaching skills
These are defined in terms of CCTC’s standards, the College of Science
and Engineering (COSE)’s mission and vision, and the Department of Physics
and Astronomy’s mission and vision. Because program courses are closely
aligned with the planned B.S. in Physics, Concentration in Physics for Teaching,
some assessment of prospective teachers is done de facto, as part of regular
student assessment in those courses. Some program assessment is
accomplished as part of periodic departmental program reviews. In addition,
COSE’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME) is charged with
monitoring of program candidates, on-going regular program reviews, and
updating program outcomes as needed. Standard 9 explains in detail the role of
CSME, established in 2007, in these assessment functions. The following matrix
shows major forms of assessment of prospective teachers in light of all five
outcomes:
21
Intended
Program
Outcomes
Content
Knowledge
Individual
In breadth
Assessments and depth
courses:
quizzes;
mid-term
and final
exams; term
papers; lab
reports;
problem
sets. End-ofprogram
summative
assessment
of subject
matter
competence
and
departmental
survey
Program
CSME
Reviews
program
reviews,
evaluation,
and program
adjustments.
Periodic
reviews by
Department
of Physics
and
Astronomy
Process of
Science
Critical
Thinking
and
Analytical
Skills
In breadth
In breadth
and depth
and depth
courses: Lab courses:
notebooks,
Critiques of
lab reports,
scientific
experimental research,
design, lab
research
projects,
reports,
critiques of
problem
scientific
sets, design
research
of
experiments,
design of
research
proposals
Effective
Communication
and
Presentation
Skills
In breadth and
depth courses:
Written lab
reports, written
and oral
presentation of
lab projects;
discussion
seminars and
presentations
of early
fieldwork
experiences
Effective
Teaching
Skills
CSME
program
reviews,
evaluation,
and program
adjustments.
Periodic
reviews by
Department
of Physics
and
Astronomy
CSME program
reviews,
evaluation, and
program
adjustments.
Periodic
reviews by
Department of
Physics and
Astronomy
CSME
program
reviews,
evaluation,
and program
adjustments.
Periodic
reviews by
Department
Physics and
Astronomy
CSME
program
reviews,
evaluation,
and program
adjustments.
Periodic
reviews by
Department
of Physics
and
Astronomy
In depth
courses:
Hands-on
teaching of
science
lessons in
S.F. public
schools;
seminar
discussions
of teaching
issues;
journaling,
oral, and
written
reports on
solutions to
teaching
issues
Note: In-depth evidence on content knowledge and process of science appears
in Standard 12; on critical thinking and analysis in Standard 7; on communication
and presentation in Standard 4; on teaching skills in Standard 6; and on program
review in Standard 9.
22
Required Element 1.6 The institution conducts periodic review of the program
philosophy, goals, design, and outcomes consistent with the following: campus
program assessment timelines, procedures, and policies; ongoing research and
thinking in the discipline; nationally accepted content standards and
recommendations; and the changing needs of public schools in California.
COSE’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME), the
result of years of planning and effort, opened in 2007 and is charged with
designing and conducting periodic reviews of all facets of the program. It serves
faculty and students in SSMPP programs in the sciences as a conduit of current
pedagogical research and of both state and national science education policy
developments. It operates in collaboration and compliance with departmental,
COSE, and university assessment efforts. Our responses to and evidence for
Standard 9 gives a detailed explanation of CSME’s critical involvement in
program review and assessments. In summary, the CSME director and staff,
with help from SSMPP faculty advisors from the biology, chemistry, geosciences,
and physics and astronomy departments, as well as respected education
professors and evaluators, will collect annual data on all programs and conduct
thorough reviews at 5-year intervals. These will include data from current
students; from SFSU program alumni (especially those in teaching or teaching
credential programs); and reviews of curricular materials and other program
elements.
CSME will coordinate these reviews with information from formal five-year
departmental program reviews with the goal of identifying and articulating SSMP
program values, competencies, and learning outcomes; assessing learning
objectives; monitoring revision in those objectives in response to changing needs
and new knowledge; assessing achievement of program goals; and suggesting
improvements.
23
Standard 2: Diversity and Equity
The subject matter program provides equitable opportunities to learn for all prospective
teachers by utilizing instructional, advisement and curricular practices that insure equal
access to program academic content and knowledge of career options. Included in the
program are the essential understandings, knowledge and appreciation of the perspectives
and contributions by and about diverse groups in the discipline.
Human diversity is evident and celebrated throughout all academic
programs at San Francisco State University, including the teacher preparation
program in physics. Forty-seven percent of the B.A. degrees awarded at SFSU
in 2005-2006 went to minority groups underrepresented in higher education [See
evidence, Appendix 2, pp.1-4]. Among students who attended informational
meetings about the SFSU College of Education’s Single Subject Credential
Program during 2008, 59 percent were female and 38 percent were from minority
groups [See documentation, Appendix 2, pp. 5-19]. Over half of SFSU
undergraduates in the Department of Physics and Astronomy are women, ethnic
minorities, or both [see Appendix 2, pp. 20-22].
University-wide, 52 percent of faculty members are female and 43 percent
non-white. The physics and astronomy department faculty is typical: 53 percent
of current members are either women or ethnic minorities. [See list of current
faculty members, Appendix 2, pp. 23-26]. The physics and astronomy faculty is
vitally interested in recruiting and advising a diverse group of students for the
Single Subject Matter preparation program in physics, as well as in teaching the
perspectives and contributions of diverse groups to the field. In its website, the
department states a firm commitment to affirmative action [see Appendix 2, p.
27].
Required Element 2.1 In accordance with the Education Code Chapter 587, Statutes of
1999, (See Appendix A), human differences and similarities to be examined in the
program include, but are not limited to those of sex, race, ethnicity, socio-economic
status, religion, sexual orientation, and exceptionality. The program may also include
study of other human similarities and differences.
The SFSU physics and astronomy departmental policies support and reflect
those of the university as a whole: the intent to create and maintain “an
environment for learning that promotes respect for and appreciation of
scholarship, freedom, human diversity, and the cultural mosaic of San Francisco”
and the surrounding Bay Area [see Appendix I, p. 4]. This involves “attracting,
retaining, and graduating a highly diverse student body,” and “providing curricula
that reflect all dimensions of human diversity and that encourage cultural thinking
and social and cultural awareness.”
Reading materials and lecture content in several required courses in the
SSMPP in physics, including PHYS 220, 230, and 240 (General Physics with
24
Calculus I, II, and III), address contributions to the discipline from a diverse
spectrum of researchers. A breadth requirement, BIOL 230 (Introductory Biology
1), addresses characteristics, functioning, diseases and disorders, and other
aspects of people of different sexes, races, and ethnicity [see details in Element
2.3].
The university approaches this same dedication to examining human
diversity through Segments II and III of its General Education requirements for all
students completing undergraduate degree programs. Undergraduate must take
3 to 4 units that fulfill the American Ethnic/Racial Minorities requirement and a
total of 9 credit hours in courses that address the more inclusive value and
significance of human achievements; the experience and achievements of
various cultural, ethnic, or social groups; the complexity of personal, cultural, and
social problems and issues; the problems, issues, or solutions confronted by
various social, ethnic, or cultural groups and how they may be experienced in
different ways; the integration of their abilities, knowledge, and experience in
making decisions; the prevalence of cultural, social, personal, and/or procedural
biases; and the use of effective procedures for investigating problems and
issues. [See Appendix 2, pp. 28-37 for Mission statement.]
Required Element 2.2 The institution recruits and provides information and advice to
men and women prospective teachers from diverse backgrounds on requirements for
admission to and completion of subject matter programs.
Each University program recruits and advises applicants from a wide range
of backgrounds.
• A committee of the University Academic Senate, the All-University
Teacher Education Committee (AUTEC) makes recommendations to and
advises each department in matters relating to the preparation of teachers. This
includes the recruitment of racial and ethnic minorities students into teacher
preparation programs [see Appendix 2, pp. 38-41].
• The Department of Physics and Astronomy has mandatory advising for all
students, including all students in the SSMP program in physics. Students meet
with their advisor toward the end of each semester before registering for courses
for the following semester. Students who express an interest in teaching are
assigned to Dr. Adrienne Cool as their advisor. The department supplies
worksheets and lists hours for drop-in advisement. The on-line University course
catalog refers students interested in teaching physics to the departmental
website. The departmental website also provides a link to information on tutoring
services—primarily through the campus Learning Assistance Center—to help
insure success for all potential students [see Appendix 2, pp. 42-45]. Finally, the
website links readers to information on a variety of scholarship and fellowship
opportunities for future K-12 physics teachers to help make teacher-career
preparation affordable for more students. It also links to information on the Louis
25
Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program, which is designed
to increase the number of minority students who complete bachelors degrees in
STEM fields [see Appendix 2, p. 46].
• The departmental website links students to the active campus Physics and
Astronomy Club, which, in turn, describes important information for all minority
students. The PAC site describes the $2,000 Lotze Scholarship offered by the
American Association of Physics Teachers to encourage students to become
high school physics teachers [see Appendix 2, pp. 47-48]. The PAC website also
links through the American Institute of Physics to the KSTF Teaching Fellowships
[see Appendix 2, pp. 49-50], and to other sites that discuss and encourage
minority participation in physics and astronomy. These include the Society of
Physics Students “Future Faces of Physics Programs and Awards” pages,
highlighting the Society’s own future teacher scholarships, awarded annually to a
student participating in a teacher education program to pursue a career in
physics education [see Appendix 2, pp. 51-60].
• The Mathematics and Science Teacher Education Program (MASTEP), a
National Science Foundation-funded collaborative initiative, began on campus in
1996 with a five-year grant to increase recruitment of candidates from all
backgrounds for science and math teaching at the Kindergarten through 12 th
grade levels. A second grant carried the program through to 2005. Among many
activities, MASTEP began sponsoring Future Teacher Clubs, which met on the
SFSU campus to promote teaching as an important option for math and science
majors [see Appendix 2, pp. 61-64]. MASTEP helped create an environment of
educational excellence that, in part, encouraged the hiring of math educator Dr.
Eric Hsu and biology educator, Dr. Kimberly Tanner, both of whom teach early
field experience courses for future science teachers at SFSU.
• Another outgrowth of MASTEP is SFSU’s Center for Science and Math
Education (CSME). A primary mission of the Center is to recruit, retain, and
develop teachers from amongst the diverse student populations on campus. In
September 2007, CSME began a highly visible and active multi-pronged program
of information, recruitment, and support for current and future science and math
teachers. The Department of Physics and Astronomy was involved in the
proposal to establish CSME and refers students to their advising services,
community-building activities, financial support offerings, and field experience
opportunities. CSME acts as a centralized office for encouraging and advising
students on K-12 teaching careers in math and science [see Appendix 2, pp. 6571].
• CSME sponsors a financial support program for pre-service teachers
called the Math and Science Teaching Initiative (MSTI) that helps recruit
candidates from diverse backgrounds. MSTI fellowships provide stipends of
$2,000 per semester; extra advising and mentoring for pathways into science
and math teaching; community-building activities with other fellows and advisors;
26
and access to teaching opportunities [see Appendix 2, p. 72]. More than 60
percent of all MSTI fellows are females; at present, half of the MSTI fellows in
physics are female and/or minority members. MSTI support can extend to
accommodations for students with special needs, for example, financial support
for a fellow who undergoes kidney dialysis.
• The SFSU Student Resource Center for Students in Science and
Engineering has an informational website that helps students with career
planning and identifies advisors within each science department who can assist
in program planning. It also links students directly to the Center for Science and
Math Education [see Appendix 2, pp. 73-78], with the array of encouragements
we described above.
• The College of Education sponsors a Credential Services Teacher
Preparation Center on campus. This well-advertised center draws many
potential candidates to career fairs, provides career counseling, sponsors
teacher recruitment events, and refers interested students to physics and
astronomy department advisors [see Appendix 2, pp. 79-80].
Required Element 2.3 The curriculum in the Subject Matter Program reflects the
perspectives and contributions of diverse groups from a variety of cultures to the
disciplines of study.
Students in the SSMPP in physics are exposed to the perspectives and
contributions of diverse cultural groups as they study their depth and breadth
coursework. The program’s foundation physical science courses, PHYS 220,
230, and 240 (General Physics with Calculus I, II, and III), assign a
comprehensive reading of Physics: The Nature of Things, by Susan M. Lea and
John Robert Burke, both professors in the SFSU Department of Physics and
Astronomy. Being part of diverse faculty that serves a diverse student body, the
authors are sensitive to the importance of reflecting a range of cultural
influences, and have included many references throughout the book, all of which
students will encounter as they fulfill their PHYS 220/230/240 requirements.
Examples include:
--Investigations of musical instrument strings and harmonic waves by Alma
Zook of Pomona College, described in an essay on page 512 [see Appendix 2, p.
81]
--An essay on how the human eye detects light, contributed by optical
researcher Suzanne McKee of the Smith Kettlewell Eye Research Institute of
San Francisco [see Appendix 2, p. 82]
--A discussion of light refraction and curved optics that centers on astronaut
Shannon Lucid, including a photo showing the distorted image of her head as
she works in a neutral buoyancy simulator [see Appendix 2, p. 83]
--An essay on parity or mirror symmetry that describes the work of T.D. Lee,
C.N. Yang, and C.S. Wu [see Appendix 2, p. 84]
27
--A photo and description of Dr. Margaret Burbridge, as astronomer at Lick
Observatory near San Jose, California [see Appendix 2, p. 85]
--An essay on the scanning tunneling microscope by Shirley Chiang, a
physicist at U.C. Davis [see Appendix 2, p. 86]
--A photo and discussion of Hideki Yukawa, who won the Nobel Prize in
1949 for correctly predicting the existence of mesons [see Appendix 2, p. 87]
--A discussion about Satyenda Nath Bose, who discovered bosons [see
Appendix 2, p. 88]
--A discussion of the electroweak theory which describes the contribution of
Abdus Salaam in the 1960s [see Appendix 2, p. 89]
Students also become aware of the diverse contributions to physics and
astronomy through a very large illustrated poster series prominently displayed in
Thornton Hall on campus—a building that houses the Department of Physics and
Astronomy and the classrooms where many program courses meet. The poster
series, called “A Century of Physics,” prepared by the American Physical Society,
describes and illustrates every major discovery in physics and astronomy since
the late 1800s. Among the diverse contributors and their accomplishments,
pictured and described are as follows [see Appendix 2, pp. 90-113]:
--French physicist Marie Curie; identified polonium and helped isolate
radium (1898)
--Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi; generated the first radio waves (1900)
--Russian physicist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky; conceptualized the multistage
rocket (1903)
--Spanish neurologist Santiago Ramon y Cajal; discovered neural networks
(1904)
--American astronomer Henrietta Leavitt; identified a class of variable stars
and laid a foundation for Edwin Hubble’s determination of the size of the universe
(1908)
--Norwegian Jacob Bjerknes; studied the role of warm and cold fronts in
generating weather patterns (1919)
--Indian physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman; studied light scattering,
later called Raman scattering and employed in lasers (1928)
--American astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar; first studied
white dwarf stars (1932)
--French physicist Irene Joliot Curie; helped generate the radioactive
isotope phosphorus 30 (1934)
--Danish researcher Inge Lehmann; differentiated the inner and outer core
of our planet (1936)
--Soviet physicist Pyotr Kapitsa; investigated liquid helium (1938)
--Austrian physicist Lise Meitner; studied nuclear fission (1938)
--American researcher Salvador Luria; used the electron microscope to
study virus particles (1942)
--American physicist Maria Goeppert Mayer; helped characterize the atomic
nucleus (1949)
28
--British X-ray crystallographer Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkins; discovers the
structure of penicillin
--British physicist Rosalind Franklin; uses X-ray diffraction to study the
structure of DNA )(1952)
--Indian engineer Narinder Kapany; coins the term “fiber optics” (1956)
--American physicist Rosalyn Yalow; uses radioactive tracers to study drugs
and organisms (1956)
--Chinese American physicists Tsung-Dao Lee, Chen Yang, and ChienShiung Wu; study parity in elementary particles (1956)
--Japanese physicist Leo Esaki; applies quantum tunneling (1958)
--Israeli student Yakir Aharonov; co-identifies the Aharonov-Bohm effect in
quantum mechanics (1959)
--English student Jocelyn Bell; detects pulsars (1967)
--American astronomer Vera Rubin and colleagues; discover dark matter
(1975)
--Chinese American Daniel Tsui; investigates the quantum hall effect (1982)
--American astronomer Margaret Geller; studies the structure of the
universe, including the “Great Wall” (1985)
Examples such as these, in addition to the obvious diversity of the SFSU
faculty and student body, confirm that diverse group from many cultures
contribute to physics and astronomy. Additional examples come from breadth
courses in the SSMPP in physics. All science candidates take
BIOL 230 and BIOL 240 (Introductory Biology I and II) and encounter the
contributions of biologists such as Mary Claire King, Barbara McClintock, and
Rachael Carson, as well as the subjects of in-person interviews scattered
throughout the core textbook BIOLOGY 8e.
Students are exposed to reading material and lectures on the diverse
contributors to other scientific disciplines in breadth courses in Chemistry,
Physics, and Geosciences, as well.
Required Element 2.4 In the subject matter program, classroom practices and
instructional materials are designed to provide equitable access to the academic content
of the program to prospective teachers from all backgrounds.
The SFSU Department of Physics and Astronomy promotes equitable
access to prospective teachers in many ways, in conjunction with initiatives and
resources of the university and the CSU system.
• The syllabus for every physics and astronomy course must include a
Disability Access Statement, offering accommodations to all students with
disabilities and special needs. Accommodations can be made for captioning,
disability access, exacerbated symptoms, note taking, and test taking [see
Appendix 2, pp. 114-117]. This is part of the CSU Accessible Technology
Initiative, which covers instructional materials, university procurement practices,
and web accessibility [see Appendix 2, pp. 118-122].
29
• CSU’s Accessible Technology Initiative, along with SFSU’s local efforts, insure
full and equal access to electronic and information technology to individuals with
disabilities [see Appendix 2, pp. 123-124].
• SFSU professor Frank Bayliss helped initiate the Student Enrichment
Opportunities program (SEO) to improve the success rate of underrepresented
minorities in science [see Appendix 2, pp. 125-127]. SEO, in conjunction with
CSME, sponsors a Science and Math Supplemental Instruction Program that
provides limited-enrollment workshop sections in a number of SSMPP required
breadth courses and prerequisites to supplement instruction and help insure
students’ success. The course list includes MATH 226, CHEM 115, and BIOL
230 and 240. SFSU professors Frank Bayliss and Nan Carnal were co-authors of
a recent journal article documenting the increased success rate of
underrepresented minority students who attend SI classes in addition to regular
lectures and labs in required courses [see Appendix 2, pp. 128-133].
• The SFSU Center for Teaching and Faculty Development (CFTD)
promotes a number of programs that help insure equal and complete access to
all classrooms and to academic course content for all students. In addition, the
campus Learning Assistance Center provides tutoring sessions in physics,
astronomy, chemistry, math, biology, and other technical classes [see Appendix
2, pp. 42-45].
• The Disability Programs and Resources Center publishes instructional
strategies for students with visual impairments, hearing impairments, mobility
impairments, systemic disabilities (i.e. epilepsy, HIV, or MS), and learning
disabilities [see Appendix 2, pp. 134-155].
• The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) program encourages faculty to
make course concepts accessible and skills attainable regardless of student
learning styles, physical, or sensory abilities. UDL provides an on-line training
module for all SFSU faculty [see Appendix 2, p. 118].
• For students with language barriers or other access issues, the Learning
Assistance Center (LAC) offers tutoring on physics, chemistry, and biology,
through individual and small group sessions at their own center [see Appendix 2,
pp. 42-45]. Students can gain additional assistance through the Educational
Opportunity Program (EOP) [see Appendix 2, p. 156].
• The Community Access and Retention Program (CARP), is a student-run
evening tutoring program that serves many first-generation college students and
members of traditionally underrepresented groups on campus. CARP offers
tutoring in many of the required courses for the SSMPP in physics, including
MATH 226; CHEM 115 and 215; PHYS 220, 230, and 240; and Biology 230 and
240 [see Appendix 2, pp. 157-161].
30
Required Element 2.5 The subject matter program incorporates a wide variety of
pedagogical and instructional approaches to academic learning suitable to a diverse
population of prospective teachers. Instructional practices and materials used in the
program support equitable access for all prospective teachers and take into account
current knowledge of cognition and human learning theory.
Based on contemporary learning theory, Department of Physics and
Astronomy faculty present--and students in the SSMPP in physics benefit from--a
large range of learning opportunities. These include:
• Lectures with rich audiovisual presentations and question/answer
sessions.
• Group learning for discussions, data collection and analysis, and project
preparation and presentation; peer instruction is common during group sessions.
• Procedural learning based on detailed lab instructions.
• Problem-based learning through hands on experimentation, hypothesis
formation, experimental design, and recording and assessment of results.
• Computer-based modeling and problem-solving.
• Active learning through field experiences, including practice instruction of
K-12 students.
We present detailed evidence of varied teaching styles and learning opportunities
in Standard 5, Required Elements 5.1-5.5.
The SFSU Center for Teaching and Faculty Development (CTFD) is
instrumental in helping Department of Physics and Astronomy faculty members
expand their repertoire of teaching approaches [see Appendix 2, pp. 162-164].
Each semester, CTFD sponsors workshops in student learning, faculty teaching
styles, and innovative use of technology in classrooms.
MASTEP grants from 1996-2005 (referred to in Element 2.2) provided funds
for workshops on effective teaching and learning approaches in the sciences and
mathematics at SFSU; these helped establish on-going faculty interest and
experience. Among presenters at MASTEP workshops were Dr. Roger Johnson,
an expert in collaborative learning; Dr. Deborah Allen, teaching techniques for
problem-based learning; and Dr. Lillian McDermott who introduced ways to probe
students’ in-depth understanding and to design curricular interventions to
confront misconceptions.
One outcome of COSE’s long-standing enthusiasm for varied teaching
styles was a national search and successful hiring of Dr. Kimberly Tanner, whose
research and teaching focuses on science education. In conjunction with Dr.
Mary Leech in the Department of Geosciences, Dr. Tanner teaches SCI 652,
SFSU Science Partners in K-12 Schools--a required course for the SSMPP in
physics that emphasizes multiple teaching/learning styles.
31
Standard 3: Technology
The study and application of current and emerging technologies, with a focus on those
used in K-12 schools, for gathering, analyzing, managing, processing, and
presenting information is an integral component of each prospective teacher’s program
study. Prospective teachers are introduced to legal, ethical, and social issues related to
technology. The program prepares prospective teachers to meet the current technology
requirements for admission to an approved California professional teacher preparation
program.
All educational programs at SFSU, including the Single Subject Matter
Preparation program in physics, employ a wide variety of technological tools to
promote teaching and learning. San Francisco State University is located in a
region that is internationally renowned for its computer and high technology
development; its leadership and innovation in biotechnology; and its central role
in computer graphics, animation, and entertainment. All SFSU students achieve
technological competence through the required use of computers in most
courses; through the use of a university-wide learning management system
called iLearn; through on-line registration; through course-related research using
the extensive electronic resources of the main library; and so on.
Students who prepare to teach physics and other science subjects gain a
much greater-than-average facility with technology in their breadth and depth
courses. In their breadth courses in biology, for example (the introductory
sequence BIOL 230 and 240) physics students encounter presentation graphics
and software during lectures; on-line syllabi, assignments, quizzes, and grading;
and many forms of hardware, software, and instrumentation in the laboratory
including microscopes, spectrophotometers, and chromatography. In the breadth
course in chemistry (CHEM 115), candidates in the SSMPP in physics use a
range of microprocessor-controlled spectrophotometers and Spartan software for
exploring molecular geometry. In their breadth courses in geosciences,
especially the integrative course on planetary climate changes
(GEOL/METRO/OCN 405), students learn to use WorldWatcher software, the
Java Script animation tool, STELLA model-building software, and TASA software
for studying plate tectonics [see course syllabi, Appendix PS].
Depth courses in physics require a thorough understanding and application
of sophisticated instrumentation for collecting and analyzing data [see detailed
evidence in Required Elements 3,1, 3,2, and 3.3].
The facility that program candidates gain with standard and emerging
technologies is important and necessary because (1) in all contemporary fields of
science, data gathering, analysis, and communication is highly technological; and
(2) because as K-12 teachers, they will be instructing their students in the use of
32
many such technological tools for gathering and understanding scientific
knowledge and applying it in laboratory and field settings.
Depending on the resources of their school districts, physics students in
California high schools use a range of tools, instruments, and supplies for doing
library and lab research; for analyzing and solving problems; and for
communicating their findings and understandings to others. K-12 instructors must
not only know how to use and teach these technologies, but must know
additional ones, such as how to use presentation software such as PowerPoint.
A partial list of such technologies includes classroom and home computers;
pendulums, thermometers, magnets, prisms, polarization filters, binoculars,
astrolabes, momentum carts, circuits, spectrometers, temperature probes,
voltage probes, colorimeters, accelerometers, force sensors, and photogates;
microscopes (light, stereoscopic, dissecting); volumeters; gel electrophoresis
equipment; incubators; spirometers; balance scales; Celsius thermometers;
micropipettes; spectrophotometers; and pH meters [see school lesson plan
reference with links to equipment lists in Appendix 3, pp. 1-4].
As the responses in Required Elements 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3 show, students in
the SSMPP in physics use these tools and many more sophisticated ones in their
required and elective lab courses, thereby gaining the competence needed to
instruct others.
Prospective teachers of physics must also be prepared to field questions
and lead discussions on certain legal, ethical, and social issues surrounding
science and technology. All SFSU students fulfilling requirements in the SSMPP
in physics use the textbook PHYSICS: The Nature of Things by Susan M. Lea
and John Robert Burke, in several core courses. Over many semesters, they
encounter readings on relevant topics including electric safety, medical imaging,
radioactivity, space exploration, hydroelectric and nuclear power, to name just a
few examples. Professors also address these topics in lectures and labs [see
course syllabi for PHYS 220, 230, and 240 in Appendix PS].
In their breadth courses, teacher candidates in the physical sciences also
encounter numerous topics of legal, ethical, and social relevance. BIOL 230, for
example, covers medical, forensic, environmental, and agricultural applications of
DNA technology, as well as safety and ethical issues [see course syllabus in
Appendix PS]. The breadth course GEOL/METR/OCN 405 is devoted entirely to
the scientific and societal issues surrounding planetary climate change [see
course syllabus in Appendix PS].
Required Element 3.1 The institution provides prospective teachers in the subject
matter program access to a wide array of current technology resources. The program
faculty selects these technologies on the basis of their effective and appropriate uses in
the disciplines of the subject matter program
33
All SSMPP candidates in physics, as well as all other SFSU students,
achieve technological competence through the required use of computers in
most courses and on-line interfacing with instructors, the library, and university
administration.
• The University’s Academic Technology Unit supports on-line teaching and
learning through several avenues, including the following:
--A learning management system called iLearn, based on open-source
Moodle software [see Appendix 3, pp. 5-6]. Each semester, virtually every SFSU
course updates and presents its own specific iLearn webpage for distributing
syllabi, lecture notes, hand-outs, and other instructions. The site allows
instructors to send email to all class members and allows those students to
interact in formal discussions, chat rooms, and collaborative assignments.
Finally, students download assignments, upload papers and exercises, take
quizzes, and track the grades and assessments instructors maintain on the site.
--CourseStream, an on-line environment that allows video streamed
courses with live web-casts, synchronized Power Point slides, video-recorded
lectures, and the capability of keyword reviews of all recorded lectures for the
semester [see Appendix 3, pp. 7-8].
--ePortfolios or sites for students to store and present evidence of their
collected academic work, including grades, reports, projects, and other careeroriented materials [see Appendix 3, pp. 9-11].
--Electronically enhanced Learning Spaces, including over 100 “wired”
classrooms, six enhanced meeting rooms, and two enhanced theaters [see
Appendix 3, p. 12-13].
--Creative Services that assist faculty, staff, and students with graphics,
posters, photos, video-copying, and teleconferencing [see Appendix 3, p. 12].
--Media Distribution and Support service, which provides faculty with
formatted media and technical equipment, including over 20,000 videotapes,
DVDs, laser discs, CD-ROMs, films, and other resources [see Appendix 3, p.14].
.
• The University’s Division of Information Technology provides more general
technological support for all campus activities. This includes Internet and email
accounts for students and faculty; 24-hour computing labs in various campus
locations with over 1,500 PCs and Macintoshes; licensed software and
databases; on-line class schedules, registration, grades, and other campus
information [see Appendix 3, p. 13].
SSMPP candidates in physics have access to a dozen PC, Linux, and Unix
computers in the physics department’s computer laboratory in Thornton Hall,
Room 123. In total, over 70 computers are dedicated to students and faculty in
the Department of Physics and Astronomy [see Appendix 3, pp. 15-27], and
students use many of these in upper division program courses and independent
study projects. Through their breadth courses in biology, chemistry, and
geosciences, SSMPP candidates in physics can use numerous additional
34
computers with on-line access in laboratory classrooms and in the 24-station
SEGA Multimedia Laboratory for Science and Mathematics in Science Building
room 249.
The SFSU Department of Physics and Astronomy maintains many up-todate technological facilities to which students also have access in their program
courses. These include the Charles F. Hagar Planetarium, used in the breadth
courses ASTR 116 and 321 (all physics SSMPP candidates are required to take
one or the other) [see Appendix 3, pp. 28-30]. Students in upper division physics
courses may also use research facilities such as the thin film laboratory, the
Cryogenic Device Test Facility, the Exoplanet Lab, and the Optics Research Lab
[see Appendix 3, pp. 31-37].
• The J. Paul Leonard Library, in its effort to empower the University
community with lifelong learning skills in promotion of scholarship, knowledge,
and understanding, takes a leadership role in exploring and incorporating
changing information technologies and formats. The library’s extensive collection
of electronic resources, microforms, audio-visual media, and computer software
includes over 200 databases providing access to over 24,000 electronic journals.
These electronic resources are available in the library, in various campus
centers, and to students at home through campus Internet accounts. Each SFSU
student must display competence with computer and on-line library skills by
taking a tutorial called Online Advancement of Student Information Skills
(OASIS). Most students spend 6 to 8 hours reading the chapters and taking the
five quizzes that are part of OASIS. A grade of 80 or above on each quiz is
required for graduation in any field [see Appendix 3, pp. 38-41].
• Many courses employ personal student response systems (or “clicker”
technologies) based on computers and radio frequencies or infrared signals [see
Appendix 3, pp. 42-43]. These allow instructors to pose questions to classes of
any size and to tabulate and display the results immediately. Three breadth
courses for all science teaching programs at SFSU--BIOL 230 and 240, and
CHEM 115—were using clicker technology as of Fall, 2008.
Students in the SSMPP in physics have extensive access to all of the
above-listed contemporary technological resources through their required and
elective courses. Physics and astronomy faculty members choose technologies
for lab and field experiences that reflect up-to-date techniques for data gathering,
analysis, processing, and presentation of information in various sub-disciplines of
physics. The following list provides examples of required depth and breadth
courses and the technological tools and techniques students learn to use in
each:
Depth courses
35
--PHYS 222 (General Physics with Calculus Laboratory I)
Pasco cart
Pasco timer and instrumentation
Photogate
Sonic ranger
Pasco signal interface
Centripetal force apparatus
Pasco projectile launch
Pasco rotational dynamics apparatus
--PHYS 232 (General Physics with Calculus Laboratory II)
Electroscope
Electrophorus
Plotting board
Dual Display digital multimeter
Cathode ray tube
Hickcock Power Supply
Circuit board
Wheatstone bridge circuit
Resistance box and slide potentiometer
Pasco magnetic field sensor plus interface
Large diameter magnetic field coil
Tektronix power supply
Oscilloscope
--PHYS 242 (General Physics with Calculus Laboratory III)
Spectrometer
Magnifier
Photometer
Polaroid filters
Excel spread sheet software
Gas tank and Pasco pressure sensor
Temperature sensor
Electronic pressure read-out unit
Winsco vacuum
Calorimeter
Steam generator
Digital thermometer
Thermocouple
Thermal expansion apparatus
Stefan-Boltzman lamp
Thermal radiation sensor
--PHYS 321 (Modern Physics Laboratory)
Computers with Linux operating system
KDE/XWin32 Graphical User Interface
36
MATLAB Mathematical analysis program
Daedalon EN-01 Geiger tube
Daedalon EN-15 counter/ power unit
Co-60 gamma source
Sr-90 beta source
Po-210 alpha source
Beck interferometer
Sodium lamp, tensor lamp
--PHYS 490 (Physics Project Laboratory)
Pasco Geiger-Muller counter
Gamma ray detector
Co-60 gamma source
Am-241 alpha source
Tl-204 beta source
Chlorine-37 source
Fastie high resolution optical spectrometer
TracerLab NaI scintillation counter
LynxOO CCD Digital Imaging System
Teltron X-ray Diffractometer
MINSQ non-linear least squares fitting software
NAND gate (SN74LS00)
Interactive data language program
LF 411 chip
Global Specialties Protoboard with function generator and power
supply
LabView software
Jarrell-Ash Spectrometer
Breadth courses
-- BIOL 230/240 [Introductory Biology I and II]
Numerous dedicated classroom computers
Audio-visual projectors
Pipettes [Mohr, serological, volumetric]
Zeiss compound microscope
B+L Spectronic 20 Spectrophotometer
pH meter
paper chromatography
--CHEM 115 [General Chemistry I]
Ocean Optics USB 2000 Diode Array Spectrophotometer
Ocean Optics Base32 Software
SPARTAN software
37
--GEOL/METR/OCN 405
WorldWatcher software
Java Script animation tool
NOAA online data base
STELLA model building software
American and Canadian government agency website data bases
TASA software
EdGCM software, running the NASA Goddard Institute for Space
Sciences data and the Global Climate Model II
Students learn to use the above-listed technology in these and other
courses and will be extremely well-prepared to teach the instruments and
methods available to most secondary students in California.
Required Element 3.2 Prospective teachers demonstrate information processing
competency, including but not limited to the use of appropriate technologies and tools for
research, problem solving, data acquisition and analysis, communications, and
presentation.
Students enrolled in the SSMPP in physics use and develop competency
with various forms of information processing technology throughout their
coursework. The following examples show specific technologies for research,
problem solving, data acquisition and analysis, communication, and presentation
in representative courses.
• Research Students in the SSMPP in physics carry out research in both
breadth and depth courses. For example, students in the required introductory
courses BIOL 230/240 access numerous websites to research information on
mitosis, human chromosome maps, chromosome abnormalities, and genetic
diseases. [See Lab manual for BIOL 230, Laboratory Exercise 9 in Appendix 3,
pp. 44-45]. In the required breadth course GEOL/METR/OCN 405, students
research various topics on government agency websites including NOAA data on
ocean temperatures and salinity for lab activity 10 [see Appendix 3, pp. 46-49];
information on North American glaciation from a Natural Resources Canada
website for lab activity 14; and information on global earthquake and volcano
patterns via dedicated course websites [see Appendix 3, pp. 50-53].
SSMPP candidates take either PHYS 490 or ASTR 490. In PHYS 490
(Physics Project Lab), most of the experiments require extensive research before
beginning the necessary data collection and analysis. For example, before
beginning Lab D4: The Mossbauer Effect, students research and study
background information on gamma ray absorption; alpha, beta, and gamma
38
decay; data on cobalt-60 and other isotopes; and instructional manuals for
operating various instruments [see Appendix 3, pp. 54-56]. Before beginning a
project on the Chaotic Pendulum, students research specifications for several
digital electronic devices; on-line directions for a Stepper-Motor translator device;
and a former student’s lab notebook on the experiment [see Appendix 3, p. 57].
In ASTR 490, students are required to extensively research key topics in the
current astrophysical literature [see ASTR 490 syllabus in Appendix PS].
• Problem Solving Problem solving is central to every depth course in the
physics SSMPP at SFSU. The required course PHYS 222 (General Physics with
Calculus I Laboratory) is a good example. Students must complete homework
problem sets each week and turn them in for 25 percent of the course grade.
Each lab exercise in the sequence of 13 is set up as a series of questions that
the student must solve and record in a lab notebook. Appendix 3, pages 58 to
67, includes laboratory exercises 3 and 5 on force and acceleration, and shows
the problem-based structure of each unit and the questions students must
answer through calculation, laboratory activity, and observation.
• Data Acquisition and Analysis As with problem solving, data acquisition
and subsequent analysis are central to every course in the physics SSMPP. The
manual for the required laboratory course PHYS 222, for example, includes a list
of items to be included in every laboratory write-up. As Appendix 3, pages 68 to
81 shows, that list includes five types of “Data” and six types of “Analysis.”
Laboratory directions often include details for data collection. For example, in
Laboratory 6, Acceleration Due to Gravity, students follow a detailed procedure
for collecting data. Lab instructors then require student to analyze the data they
have collected. In Laboratory Exercise 8 on Friction, Work, and Energy on an
Inclined Plane, the student collects several kinds of data then is instructed in its
analysis in several places [see Appendix 3, pp. 82-87]. In yet another example,
the introduction to the required course PHYS 242 (General Physics with Calculus
III Laboratory] explains that the elements of each student’s lab report for each lab
session must include a section on data collection and a section on data analysis
in which the student uses the data to calculate or establish something [see
Appendix 3, pp. 88-90]. Laboratory 2 on Waves and Resonance, for example,
directs students to analyze the data they collect in each part of the experiment
[see Appendix 3, pp. 91-92].
• Communication Candidates in the SSMPP in physics are required to
communicate their understanding of program concepts in many ways. Using the
required lecture/lab course pair PHYS 230/232 as an example, students
communicate through written assignments and exams, through laboratory
notebooks, through participation in laboratory exercises, through discussion
sections offered each week, and by asking questions during and after lecture. In
PHYS 490, students write midterm and final reports in addition to weekly
homework assignments and lab reports [see PHYS 490 syllabus in Appendix
PS], while in ASTR 490 there are weekly written homework assignments and
39
extensive in-class discussions [see ASTR 490 course syllabus in Appendix PS].
• Presentation. In both PHYS 490 and ASTR 490, a key course objective is
for students to learn to present their work orally, assisted by modern multimedia
tools. In PHYS 490, they complete a PowerPoint presentation at midterm, and a
final PowerPoint presentation on the entire semester’s work [see Appendix PS].
In ASTR 490, each student prepares multiple PowerPoint presentations over the
course of the semester: to lead the class discussion of a given paper; to present
“astronomy in the news” reports, and for their final project. Other required
courses in the SSMPP in physics demand the same presentation skills;
examples include PHYS 695, SCI 510, ASTR 405, and the teaching practicum
course SCI 652 [see Appendix PS].
Required Element 3.3 In the program, prospective teachers use current and emerging
technologies relevant to the disciplines of study to enhance their subject matter
knowledge and understanding.
The evidence presented in Required Elements 3,1 and 3.2 demonstrates
that SFSU students not only have access to current and emerging technologies
relevant to physics, astronomy, biology, chemistry, and geosciences, but also
shows that must learn how to use and then apply them through their coursework.
The application of technologies is crucial to gaining subject matter knowledge
and understanding in all modern scientific fields [see Appendix 3, pp. 93-112].
As described in Elements 3.1 and 3.2, as part of lab exercises for a
number of courses, students must acquire data using instrumentation (possibly
including a computer and the internet), analyze it to solve a problem (perhaps
using spreadsheet software on a computer), communicate the results in writing
(using word processing software), and occasionally present the results (using
presentation software such as PowerPoint). Information and observational
technologies have become essential tools to help students learn subject matter
and understand concepts, from computer-based molecular models in biology and
chemistry to animations of global cloud patterns in the geosciences. Most
physics and other science courses that are part of the SSMPP, particularly lab
courses, rely on technology as a teaching and learning aid. Course syllabi and
materials in Appendix PS offer additional examples.
40
Standard 4: Literacy
The program of subject matter preparation for prospective Single Subject teachers
develops skills in literacy and academic discourse in the academic disciplines of study.
Coursework and field experiences in the program include reflective and analytic
instructional activities that specifically address the use of language, content and discourse
to extend meaning and knowledge about ideas and experiences in the fields or discipline
of the subject matter.
Virtually all of the required and elective courses in the SSMPP in physics
promote the ability to understand, communicate, and present physical science
concepts by applying the terminology, content, and conventions of the discipline.
SFSU reaffirms the centrality of writing to a higher education and states the
university’s intention to insure that all graduates write proficiently [see Academic
Planning and Educational Effective Goal II; in Appendix 4, pp. 1-2.] In response
to this and other university-wide initiatives in writing excellence, the Department
of Physics and Astronomy has incorporated a writing emphasis in its courses, as
have other departments within the College of Science and Engineering. The
interdisciplinary courses SCI 510 and ASTR 405, at least one of which must be
taken to complete the SSMPP in physics, are both good examples of this
emphasis. In SCI 510, during the semester-long investigation of one aspect of a
multifaceted scientific issue such as global warming, students must carry out
intensive library research and analysis; make oral presentations and poster
presentations; keep on-going work logs and reflective journals; and submit
literature presentations as well as written peer evaluations [see syllabus in
Appendix PS]. In ASTR 405, students read and discuss scientific articles crucial
to questions about the evolution and development of life in the universe; write
and present a research paper; and as a final project, draw all their findings
together to write an original analysis that quantifies the probability of life
elsewhere in the Milky Way [see ASTR 405 syllabus and description in Appendix
PS].
Required Element 4.1 The program develops prospective teachers’ abilities to use
academic language, content, and disciplinary thinking in purposeful ways to analyze,
synthesize and evaluate experiences and enhance understanding in the discipline.
All SFSU students must complete 6 units in designated written
communication and oral communication courses [see Appendix 4, pp. 3-10].
These fundamental courses--as well as the many written and oral assignments in
breadth and depth classes for the SSMPP in physics --allow prospective
teachers to acquire generalized and specialized academic language and content.
This growing literacy helps them develop the scientific thinking needed to
understand, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and express themselves about their
highly varied lab, field, lecture, and seminar experiences in the program. This, in
41
turn, helps prepares them for effective communication in K-12 classrooms.
The following types of coursework in required depth and breadth classes
are instrumental in developing such skills:
• Exams: Most physics courses contain problem-solving questions in weekly
homework and exams, requiring analysis, precise written expression, technical
terminology, evidence of conceptual understanding, and the ability to apply
principles, models, and formulae to novel problems. Examples include the
required courses PHYS 220, 230, 232, 240, 242, and 490 [see syllabi, Appendix
PS]. The depth courses SCI 510, ASTR 405 and 652, and the breadth courses
BIOL 230 and 240, CHEM 115, GEOL 110, and GEOL/METR/OCN 405 also
have midterm and final exams that require various degrees of essay responses,
analysis, and problem solving [see syllabi, Appendix PS].
• Essays and Written Reports: Weekly problem sets that require
calculations as well as essay-type explanations and/or reports are common tools
throughout courses in the SSMPP in physics. Depth courses include PHYS 320,
321, 490 and 695; ASTR 116, 320, 321, and 490. Breadth courses include
CHEM 115, among others. In PHYS 490 (Physics Project Lab), for example,
program candidates write a report on their first detailed lab experiment in the
style of Physical Review Letters, then correct, modify, and rewrite it as a second
draft and then final report [see syllabus, Appendix PS]. In ASTR 490, students
write short essays as part of many weekly homework assignments. Students
taking ASTR 321 keep a diary of nightly observations answering the questions
shown in Appendix 4, pp 11-15. They also complete short essay homework
assignments such as the one in Appendix 4, pp. 16-17. Students taking ASTR
320 (Stars, Planets and the Milky Way) write short essays on key concepts as a
part of most weekly homework assignments [see ASTR 320 and 321 syllabi in
Appendix PS]. A breadth requirement of all science SSMPP candidates, BIOL
230, requires an in-depth term paper [see syllabus, Appendix PS].
• Lab reports: All full laboratory courses and all courses with lab
components require lab notebooks, flow charts outlining lab procedures, and
other submitted lab reports that record, analyze, and present results using
physical science terminology and standard scientific conventions. The same is
true for many breadth courses. Depth course examples include PHYS 222, 232,
242, 321, and, 490, ASTR 116, 321, and SCI 652. Breadth course examples
include BIOL 230 and 240, CHEM 115, and GEO/METR/OCN 405 [see syllabi,
Appendix PS].
• Presentations: Many required breadth and depth courses in the physics
SSMPP also assign students to complete a significant research project, often in
collaboration with other students, and to prepare written and oral reports for inclass delivery. Breadth requirement examples include BIOL 240, which requires
oral presentation of a term paper, and GEO/METR/OCN 405, during which
students lead group discussions on articles from Scientific American and other
recent sources [see syllabi, Appendix PS]. In the following depth requirement
courses, students must complete significant term papers and present these
42
topics to the class: PHYS 490 (Physics Project Lab) and ASTR 490 (Seminar in
Astronomy); SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) and ASTR 405 (Astrobiology); SCI
652 (SFSU Science Partners in K-12 Schools); and PHYS 695 (Culminating
Experience in Physics) [see course syllabi, Appendix PS].
Required Element 4.2 The program prepares prospective teachers to understand and
use appropriately academic and technical terminology and the research conventions of
the disciplines of the subject matter.
Students enrolled in the SSMP program in physics develop proficiency with
the academic and scientific terminology and research conventions of the
discipline through much of their required coursework. In particular, reading
textbook assignments, attending lectures, and writing out tests, term papers, and
lab reports reinforces student learning and application of the extensive academic
and technical vocabulary in physical science.
Problem sets and lab notebooks require both an understanding of
technology and its application to practical situations. Regular submission of lab
notebooks and reports are significant features of breadth courses such as BIOL
230 and 240; CHEM 115; and GEOL/METR/OCN 405. The same is true for
required depth courses such as PHYS 222, 232, 242, and 490; ASTR 321, and
SCI 652 [see syllabi, Appendix PS].
Students must demonstrate an understanding of the research conventions
of physics in numerous assignments. For example, for PHYS 490, SSMPP
candidates must complete major physics projects based on their own
experimental design, keep careful laboratory notebook records of each
experiment, then present methods, data, analysis, and conclusions of their work
in good scientific writing style in midterm and final reports [see syllabus,
Appendix PS]. Students in ASTR 490 read numerous articles from the
professional astrophysical literature and analyze different aspects of them in
detail for individual weekly homework assignments. These assignments help
them to become well-versed in the use of academic and technical terminology
and the research conventions of the field [see ASTR 490 syllabus in Appendix
PS and Appendix 4, pp. 18a-20].
Required Element 4.3 The program provides prospective teachers with opportunities to
learn and demonstrate competence in reading, writing, listening, speaking,
communicating and reasoning in their fields or discipline of the subject matter.
Students have innumerable opportunities to hone disciplinary literacy skills
while enrolled in the SSMPP in physics.
• Reading Most depth and breadth courses for the program assign students
to read scientific papers and other reference materials in addition to textbooks.
PHYSICS: THE NATURE OF THINGS, by Susan M. Lea and John Robert Burke
forms an instructional reading foundation for PHYS 220, 230, 240, and 320, with
43
various more specific texts assigned in upper division courses. SFSU faculty
write and distribute their own lab manuals for the labs that accompany the above
courses (222, 232, 242, 321).
Astronomy courses use such texts as AN INTRODUCTION TO MODERN
ASTROPHYSICS by Carroll and Ostlie and TELESCOPES AND TECHNIQUES
by C. R. Kitchin [see Appendix 4, pp. 21 to 35 for tables of contents].
In both PHYS 490 (Physics Project Lab) and ASTR 490 (Seminar in
Astronomy) students complete independent literature searches and reports on
their readings.
The required breadth course GEOL/METR/OCN 405 is notable for its
extensive reading requirements from a main text, THE EARTH SYSTEM by
Kump, Kasting, and Crane [see Appendix 4, pp. 36-37, for table of contents];
from supplemental readings, and from online resources [see syllabus, Appendix
PS].
• Writing As stated in Element 4.2, students write lab reports for every
dedicated lab course or class with a lab component. These contain the data,
observations, analyses, and conclusions they record in a lab notebook for each
lab session. Students are required to write papers or projects for virtually every
depth course and many breadth classes.
• Listening Listening to lectures and to laboratory instructions is a crucial
part of learning physics. The same is true for discussion sections of larger
lecture courses such as PHYS 220, 230, and 240. In addition, program
candidates are required to take SCI 652, SFSU Partners in Science Education
during which they study issues surrounding science teaching and learning at the
K-12 level. Students attend weekly seminars to listen to and participate in
discussions led by instructors Kimberly Tanner and Mary Leech, by graduate
students, and by departmental and outside scientists [see course syllabus,
Appendix PS].
• Speaking Students give oral presentations, often based around
collaborative projects, in depth courses such as PHYS 490, ASTR 490, SCI 510,
ASTR 405 and SCI 652. They do so in breadth courses such as BIOL 230 and
GEOL/METR/OCN 405.
• Communicating. Students write lab reports for every lab class, as stated
above, and give oral reports in many classes, also described above.
•Reasoning. All physics and astronomy courses require disciplinary
reasoning and problem solving. Good examples include the problem sets
students must analyze and solve for PHYS 220, 222, 230, 232, 240, 242, 320,
321, and 490; ASTR 116, 320, 321, and 490; CHEM 115; and others [see syllabi
in Appendix PS]. Reasoning and problem-solving are also prominent
requirements in BIOL 652, and students must communicate their solutions
through writing and speaking.
44
45
Standard 5: Varied Teaching Strategies
In the program, prospective Single Subject teachers participate in a variety of learning
experiences that model effective curriculum practices, instructional strategies and
assessments that prospective teachers will be expected to use in their own classrooms.
Required courses in the program expose future teachers to a wide range
of instructional circumstances and styles. Class sizes range from relatively large
classes taught mostly in lecture mode such as PHYS 220 [see Appendix PS] to
small classes for most upper-division courses. The latter are taught mostly using
inquiry-based methods, small-group collaborative problem solving, and wholeclass discussion (some of it student-led), with lecture employed intermittently
only as needed, such as in PHYS 490, ASTR 490, SCI 652 and
GEOL/MET/OCN 405 [Appendix PS]. Many courses with labs divide instruction
between lecture mode and individual or collaborative, semi-independent lab
and/or field exercises. Lab and field courses, in particular, routinely require
students to collect and record data, then analyze and interpret it and report their
results.
Required Element 5.1Program faculty include in their instruction a variety of
curriculum design, classroom organizational strategies, activities, materials, and
field experiences incorporating observing, recording, analyzing and interpreting
content as appropriate to the discipline.
Several courses in the SSMPP in physics employ a spectrum of innovative
teaching approaches. All of the laboratory courses in the program are explicitly
designed to provide students with opportunities to observe, record, analyze and
interpret data. This includes PHYS 222, 232, 242, 321, and 490. One example
comes from Physics 222 Lab Exercise 6, "Acceleration due to Gravity" [see
Appendix 5, pp. 1-4]. Students study the acceleration of a basketball in the
laboratory. They do a series of experiments in which they drop a basketball and
record its height as a function of time using a sonic range device to determine its
position every 0.02 seconds. They then analyze the results to see if the ball's
acceleration is consistent with uniform acceleration in a gravitational field.
Interpreting the results, they discover that air resistance is not negligible and
subsequently factor that into their analysis. In PHYS 232, Module E6 "Ohms
Law," students construct a simple circuit containing a single resistor and measure
the current through it and voltage across it. They then construct a graph of
voltage versus current to see if the two are proportional (testing Ohm's Law) and
measure the slope of the graph to determine the resistance. Students use
statistical methods to analyze the data they collect and determine an uncertainty
in the value of the resistance. In interpreting their results, they assess the
accuracy with which resistor manufacturers state resistances by comparing their
46
measurements to stated values.
All students completing the physics subject-matter program must take
either PHYS 490 or ASTR 490. PHYS 490 students carry out a variety of
experiments in small groups during which they employ a wide range of laboratory
instruments and measurement techniques, including computerized data
acquisition. They carry out detailed data reduction and error analyses, write a
publication-quality report on one of the experiments and create and present a
PowerPoint presentation on another [see PHYS 490 course syllabus in Appendix
PS]. In ASTR 490, students read and analyze articles from the current
astrophysical literature (e.g., Astrophysical Journal) and apply the knowledge
they have gained from previous physics courses to develop critical content
analyses. Students take turns presenting, and then leading, the discussions of
different articles on topics ranging from black holes to dark matter to the
accelerating universe. Significant use of statistical methods is integral to their
understanding of many of the articles. Students also have the opportunity to
delve into both the professional literature and popular press to select articles for
presentation to the class [see ASTR 490 course syllabus and description in
Appendix PS].
In PHYS 695, Culminating Experience in Physics, students review their
studies in physics and improve their understanding of the connections between
the various areas of physics. They prepare a portfolio of their work, including lab
reports and significant problems. Students perfect their previous efforts and gain
further experience in communicating their knowledge in writing, using accepted
standards of scientific writing [see PHYS 695 course syllabus in Appendix PS].
Some faculty also make use of interactive computer software that
allows students to perform simulated experiments or analyses of
physical systems. For example, in Physics 230, Prof. Lepeshkin
provides links on the course website to various on-line demonstrations and
simulated experiments. In some of these, student can vary parameters to see
the effects on the system [see Appendix 5, pp. 5-7].
Candidates in the SSMPP in physics encounter numerous examples of
varied teaching approaches in their breadth coursework, as well, that incorporate
observation, recording, analyzing, and interpreting. In the laboratory portion of
the required introductory course BIOL 240, Lab # 13, Floral Variation, An
Evolutionary Key to Success, students are asked to observe and record specific
features of floral morphology from a number of plant species (unidentified);
hypothesize which are pollinated in an abiotic way and which in a biotic way; then
design the perfect flower shape for a list of known animal pollinator [see
Appendix 5, pp. 8-15]. In Lab # 19, students observe and record characteristics
of species from several arthropod subphyla. Then they create a case study by
choosing a habitat and deciding which arthropod groups would make appropriate
bio-indicator species for the ecological health of the site they picked [see
47
Appendix 5, pp. 16-29]. In Lab # 20, students examine examples from seven
orders of insects; observe and record wing structural adaptations; create their
own dichotomous keys for identifying unknown insects by order; make additional
observations of structural adaptations; then create a case study that examines
pesticide resistance and biocontrol issues based on the adaptations they studied
[see Appendix 5, pp. 30-44].
Another good example of a course that employs numerous activity types,
strategies, and materials for observing, recording, analyzing, and interpreting
content is GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change), a required course
in the breadth portion of the SSMPP for biology and the other major sciences.
The course, with its spectrum of approaches, was designed, in part, to model
demonstrably effective pedagogical approaches for future teachers [see
Appendix PS]. It also integrates concepts from geosciences, physics, chemistry,
and biology. Yet another course with a similar goal, in part, is the required
capstone course SCI 510 (Search for Solutions). It directs each student to work
collaboratively in a small group for most of the semester to analyze and
synthesize information bearing on an interdisciplinary problem of significant
scientific and social importance, and to co-present the group’s results at the end
of the semester in a PowerPoint presentation [see Appendix PS].
The following table lists distinct learning/teaching methodologies and
program courses that exemplify their use:
Learning/Teaching
Methodology
Lecture with Multimedia
Aids
Course Examples
Evidence
PHYS 220; ASTR 115, 320;
GEOL 110, 405; BIOL 230, 240;
CHEM 115
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see
bracketed items
Hands-on, In-class
Activities
PHYS 220, 230; ASTR 116, 321;
BIOL 230, 240; CHEM 115;
GEOL 110, 405
PHYS 220; BIOL 230, 240; SCI
510, 652; GEOL 405
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see
bracketed items
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see
bracketed items
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see
bracketed items
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see
bracketed items
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see
bracketed items
Group Learning
Inquiry-based Learning
PHYS 230; BIOL 240;
GEOL/METR/OCN 405
Peer Instruction
PHYS 220; SCI 510, 652;
GEOL/METR/OCN 405
Case Study/Problem
Based Learning
PHYS 490, 695; ASTR 490; SCI
510, 652
48
Software-Based/On-Line
Instruction
Self-Directed
Experimental Design
Literacy-Based Oral and
Written Presentations
Field Experiences
PHYS 220, 230; BIOL 240;
GEOL 405
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see
bracketed items
PHYS 490, 695; ASTR 490
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see
bracketed items
PHYS 490, 695; ASTR 490; SCI Syllabi, Appendix
510, 652; GEOL/METR/OCN 405 PS; see
bracketed items.
ASTR 116, 321; GEOL 110; SCI Syllabi, Appendix
652
PS; see
bracketed items
Required Element 5.2 Program faculty employ a variety of interactive engaging teaching
styles that develop and reinforce skills and concepts through open-ended
activities such as direct instruction, discourse, demonstrations, individual and
cooperative learning explorations, peer instruction, and student-centered
discussion.
Instruction in the program employs student-centered and/or interactive
pedagogical strategies to varying degrees, depending on class size and
instructor training and inclination. The required physics lecture courses (Phys
220, 230, 240, and 320) employ a combination of direct instruction, peer
instruction and small group work within their classroom time. In designing their
curricula, program faculty make use of the results of research in physics
education. For example, in Phys 230, Electricity and Magnetism, Professor
Lepeshkin employs the concept problems and ranking tests embodied in "E&M
TIPERS" that was developed by physics education researches Hieggelke et al.
Faculty teaching all of the above-mentioned courses regularly incorporate
a wide variety of demonstrations into their lectures. Some faculty
teaching large lectures also employ electronic course response
systems ("clickers"). Others, including Professor Barranco in PHYS 220 use
folded pieces of paper with large colored letters (A/B/C/D) printed on them as an
alternative way to engage students and assess their learning during class.
These tools are also integral to the peer instruction method used in several of
these courses. After polling initial student responses, students are given a few
minutes to turn to their neighbors and discuss the problem or concept and are
then given an opportunity to vote again.
Most program faculty make use of WebAssign or iLearn to provide
course materials on line. Many also use these tools to create an
on-line forum for students to be able to pose and answer questions
for one-another. Faculty report checking these forums frequently to
learn what concepts students are finding most challenging and step
49
into the conversations as relevant.
Some faculty also make use of interactive computer software that
allows students to perform simulated experiments or analyses of
physical systems. For example, in Physics 230, Professor Lepeshkin
provides links on the course website to various such on-line
demonstrations and simulated experiments (see material from PHYS 230 web
page in Appendix 5, pp. 5-7]. In some of these, student can vary parameters to
see the effects on the system.
As described in Element 5.1 above, PHYS 490 involves extensive
cooperative learning experiences and discourse while ASTR 490 involves
extensive student-centered discussion and discourse. Both provide significant
open-ended experience for students in a small-class setting. All physics program
candidates are required to take one of these two courses.
Required breadth courses for the SSMPP in physics utilize an equally
large number of approaches. In Astronomy 115, for example, many students
make use of software that provides inquiry-based visual activities, sorting and
ranking tasks, and tutorial activities that are incorporated into the course
homework.
As mentioned in Element 5.1, the required breadth course
GEOL/METR/OCN 310 (Planetary Climate Change) exemplifies the systematic
application of a broad spectrum of engaging teaching styles and techniques, in
part, to model effective pedagogical practices for future secondary science
teachers. The course makes inquiry-based learning its primary pedagogical
strategy, usually employing information technologies but occasionally physical
materials and equipment. Informal peer instruction typically occurs
spontaneously and is encouraged. Presentation of topics in the course is
organized to make connections among topics frequent and straightforward to
establish, and students are directly or indirectly encouraged to make such
connections themselves. The course also frequently asks students to work
collaboratively in small groups followed by whole-class discussion led by the
instructor. Every student must co-lead a whole-class discussion about several
related papers in the scientific literature. Direct instruction (in the form of lecture)
is used intermittently, and usually only briefly, as needed [see Appendix 5, pp.
45-46].
The required course SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) provides another
excellent example of a class that demands a high degree of student engagement
and applies a multitude of teaching styles and methodologies (see Appendix PS).
The following table lists distinct teaching styles and program courses that
exemplify their use:
50
Teaching Styles
Direct Instruction
Course Examples
PHYS 220, 230; ASTR 115, 320; BIOL
230, 240; CHEM 115; SCI 652
Discourse
PHYS 220, 230 490; ASTR 490; BIOL
230; SCI 510, 652; GEOL/METR/OCN
405
Demonstrations
PHYS 220, 230, 240, 320; BIOL 230,
240; ASTR 116, 321; GEOL 110, 405;
SCI 652
Individual Learning
Instruction
PHYS 220, 230 695; BIOL 240; SCI 510,
652
Cooperative
Learning Instruction
PHYS 220, 230, 490; ASTR 490; SCI
510, 652; GEOL/METR/OCN 405
Peer Instruction
PHYS 220, 230; SCI 510, 652;
GEOL/METR/OCN 405
Student-Centered
Discussion
PHYS 490, 695; ASTR 490; SCI 510,
652
Evidence
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Required Element 5.3 Faculty development programs provide tangible support for
subject matter faculty to explore and use exemplary and innovative curriculum practices.
The Center for Teaching and Faculty Development (CTFD) at SFSU
supports faculty for the institution-wide goal of teaching excellence. Providing
programs and activities that promote curricular development and improved
instructional skills and pedagogy is part of the CTFDs mission [see Appendix 5,
pp. 47-49].
CTFD provides individual faculty consultations; resources for course
design; suggestions for construction of syllabi; guidelines for rubrics and effective
grading; ideas for enhancing classroom participation; specific ways to improve
the teaching of large classes and lectures; information on problem-based
learning; plans for increased use of educational technology; and an extensive,
on-going list of workshops in the above areas [see Appendix 5, pp. 50-59].
Workshops for the Fall 2008 semester, for example, included the topics of on-line
51
learning; facilitating large classes; creating and selecting instructional methods;
classroom administration; enhancing writing proficiency for students; engaging
students in class; improving student research skills; and the use of multimedia in
the classroom [see Appendix 5, pp. 60-70].
Physics and astronomy faculty have numerous opportunities to explore
and use exemplary and innovative curriculum practices in program courses.
Physics program faculty attend lunch-time workshops given by the SFSU Center
for Teaching and Faculty Development (CTFD) on new and effective curriculum
practices. Faculty have also taken part in teaching workshops organized by
SEPAL (Science Education Partnership and Assessment Laboratory) at SFSU
and funded by the SFSU's Center for Science and Math Education (CSME).
Physics faculty also attend meetings of the American Association of Physics
Teachers, and day-long workshops about the teaching of introductory astronomy
at meetings of the American Astronomical Society. Some Astr 116 lab
instructors have also attended teaching workshops at meetings of the
Astronomical Society of the Pacific and reported back to the faculty
and other instructors during departmental colloquia.
New faculty attend three to four-day orientations organized by the CTFD
which include discussions of teaching methods and techniques.
These sessions are given by faculty active in education research and
are reported by new faculty to be extremely valuable. Teaching methods are a
regular topic of discussion at weekly lunchtime faculty meetings.
Required Element 5.4Program faculty use varied and innovative teaching strategies,
which provide opportunities for prospective teachers to learn how content is
conceived and organized for instruction in a way that fosters conceptual
understanding as well as procedural knowledge.
Program faculty use varied strategies to engage candidates in high-level
interactions with course content to improve their understanding and ability to
teach.
In SCI 652, a required course in the program, students both experience
and apply a wide variety of teaching strategies including observation, planning,
cooperative learning, hands-on instruction, case-study analysis, evaluation of
their teaching techniques and styles, oral and written presentations, and other
approaches to interact with science education at a high level and to thoroughly
understand their field experiences in the San Francisco public schools [see
Appendix PS, and course materials, Appendix 6, pp. 20-36].
SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) provides another model for how
organizing, analyzing, and communicating information about a complex problem
52
can enhance understanding of concepts relevant to the problem (see syllabus in
Appendix PS).
ASTR 405 (Astrobiology) is similarly diverse in the variety of teaching
approaches it takes. Students read, analyze, and debate seminal papers in
astrophysics and biology; over the course of the semester, they write their own
sample questions to be used in the final exam; and they synthesize knowledge
from many different fields of science to develop their own original analysis of the
probability of life elsewhere in our galaxy [see ASTR 405 syllabus in Appendix
PS].
PHYS 490 and ASTR 490--one of which is required for every physics
program candidate--are specifically designed to give students opportunities to
improve their understanding of the full scope of the discipline of physics. In these
courses, students delve deeply into a few key topics and draw from their
knowledge of a wide variety of scientific concepts and methods to analyze and
interpret fundamental physics experiments or articles from the professional
literature [see PHYS 490 and ASTR 490 course syllabi in Appendix PS].
In PHYS 695, students review all their studies in physics, construct and perfect a
portfolio of significant work, and improve their understanding of the
interconnections between the various areas of physics [see PHYS 695 course
syllabus in Appendix PS].
GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) provides an example
of a required breadth course that models for future science teachers how they
can select, organize, and present content to enable and encourage students
themselves to make interconnections among concepts and thus to reinforce
conceptual understanding. In addition, at several points during the semester
students work collaboratively in small groups to assemble hierarchical concept
maps and dynamic system diagrams showing relationships among key ideas or
climate system components, respectively. Late in the course, students co-lead
discussions about articles from the scientific literature that invoke and apply
concepts introduced earlier. Students are then asked to write a paper
synthesizing information from those articles (and others that they must find) to
address several themes that run through much of the course [see syllabus in
Appendix PS]. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to discuss the
pedagogical approach with the co-instructors. The strategy of interweaving and
reinforcing concepts in a variety of ways seems to engage students throughout
the semester, and based on quantitative analysis of a pre- and post-semester
concept map assessment most students demonstrably learn the subject matter
effectively [see http://www.funnel.sfsu/courses/gm310/assessment].
Finally, virtually every mid-term and final in an SSMPP course contains
synthesis questions that require a student to interact with course content at the
53
level of critical thinking, integration, and analysis. Every program candidate will
have undertaken and benefited from dozens of such integrative experiences.
Required Element 5.5Program coursework and fieldwork include the examination and
use of various kinds of technology that are appropriate to the subject matter
discipline.
Most courses in the SSMPP in physics, particularly lab courses or courses
with labs, employ computer application software or common measurement
instruments as instructional aids. PHYS 222, 232, 242, and 321, for example,
incorporate a wide variety of technology appropriate to physics students and
future science teachers. Students are taught to use the software or
instrumentation as necessary. Since most of the courses in the program can be
part of a B.A. degree program, students use these technologies in the context of
the discipline being taught. Standard 3, Required Element 3.1 lists many specific
technological instruments and methods used in SSMPP courses.
54
Standard 6: Early Field Experiences
The program provides prospective Single Subject teachers with planned, structured field
experiences in departmentalized classrooms beginning as early as possible in the subject
matter program. These classroom experiences are linked to program coursework and
give a breadth of experiences across grade levels and with diverse populations. The early
field experience program is planned collaboratively by subject matter faculty, teacher
education faculty and representatives from school districts. The institution cooperates
with school districts in selecting schools and classrooms for introductory classroom
experiences. The program includes a clear process for documenting each prospective
teacher’s observations and experiences.
SFSU’s College of Science and Engineering (COSE) is fortunate in having
strong, coordinated academic leadership and the support of the Science
Education Partnership and Assessment Lab (SEPAL) and the Center for Science
and Math Education (CSME) to facilitate valuable early field experiences for
potential science teachers [see Appendix 6, pp. 1-4]. The College of Education’s
Credential Services Teacher Preparation Center also provides prospective
teachers with information on gaining early field experience [see Appendix 6, pp.
5-8].
Faculty member Kimberly Tanner, a science education specialist, directs
the Science Education Partnership and Assessment Lab (SEPAL) at SFSU.
SEPAL offers several programs that pair SFSU undergraduates (as well as
graduate students) with K-12 teachers in the San Francisco Unified School
District (SFUSD) [see Appendix 6, pp. 9-10]. Building on the successful model of
BIO 652 which has been taught at SFSU for several years, SSMPP candidates in
physical sciences, including physics, will enroll in SCI 652, which Dr. Tanner will
co-teach with assistant professor of geology, Mary Leech, starting in fall 2009.
SEPAL sponsors and helps coordinate this science education seminar and
fieldwork course, during which teacher candidates accumulate 66 or more hours
of early fieldwork training and experience. (See detailed explanation in Required
Elements 6.1 and 6.3.) Enrollees teach hands-on science lessons and activities
that require them to revisit and apply their physical sciences content knowledge
so they can share it effectively with teacher and student partners.
SCI 652, which is a required course for the SSMPP in physics, represents a
close collaboration between the COSE, SEPAL, the College of Education, and
SFUSD administrators and teachers. Students can enroll in SCI 652 after
completion of one upper division physics course. Since students usually take
their first upper division physics course in their 2nd or 3rd year, the field
experience of SCI 652 can come early in their teacher preparation. They can
take the course later in their SSMP program, as well, for additional field
experience [see SCI 652 course syllabus, Appendix PS].
The SFSU Center for Science and Math Education (CSME) provides
additional field experience opportunities for future teachers as well as other types
of support. It helps recruit and advise science students interested in teaching. It
coordinates several scholarships and fellowships. As described in Standard 2,
55
Required Element 2.2, CSME sponsors a financial support program for preservice teachers called the Math and Science Teaching Initiative (MSTI) that
helps recruit candidates from diverse backgrounds. MSTI fellowships provide
stipends of $2,000 per semester; extra advising and mentoring for pathways into
science and math teaching; meetings with other fellows and advisors; and
access to teaching opportunities [see Appendix 6, pp. 11-15]. MSTI is currently
CSME’s primary fellowship-granting program for pre-service teachers. To qualify
for this financial support, students can be sophomores or above and must
complete 3 to 15 hours per semester of field experience in K-12 teaching.
Required Element 2.2 also describes other scholarships that support future
physics teachers.
CSME helps sponsor additional types of field experiences for prospective
science teachers, including a NASA program called Spaceward Bound. This
program provides financial support for selected pre-service science teachers to
practice “expeditionary learning” by doing supervised field studies in physics,
geology, biology, and other sciences related to space research. Numerous
SFSU pre-service teachers have already traveled to the Mojave Desert to carry
out field research with NASA and CSU scientists and engineers as part of this
program. An important aspect of this field experience is learning how scientific
fieldwork can inform and connect with the work of 6-12th grade teachers [see
Appendix 6, p. 16]
Required Element 6.1 Introductory experiences shall include one or more of the
following activities: planned observations, instruction or tutoring experiences, and other
school based observations or activities that are appropriate for undergraduate students
in a subject matter preparation program.
Students enrolled in SCI 652 get a wealth of in-service learning fieldwork as
well as a sound academic footing in effective ways to teach. They have the
opportunity to:
--explore and develop their own understanding of scientific concepts
--practice and develop their own teaching style and philosophy
--gain skills in science teaching and the development of lessons that
engage students in scientific investigations
--increase their knowledge of research, theories, and policies that shape K12 science education
--share their knowledge and enthusiasm for science with K-12 students in
San Francisco [See course syllabus and description, Appendix PS]
SCI 652 students collaborate in teams of two, working in conjunction with
one to two teachers to prepare six science lessons for students at one of a
number of SFUSD or other Bay Area schools.
In their planning sessions to prepare for six separate 1 to 1 ½ hour
classroom lessons—each taught in two classrooms—SCI 652 students spend
about 24 hours in direct planning with student co-teachers and with certificated
secondary education science teachers from SFUSD or other Bay Area schools.
The students spend 12 to 18 hours in direct, supervised classroom instruction to
56
teach the lessons. They also spend 30 hours attending a two-hour seminar each
week for 15 weeks on effective science learning and teaching. [Topics are listed
in course syllabus, Appendix PS] In total, students receive 66 to 72 hours of early
fieldwork training and experience.
Required Element 6.2 Prospective teachers’ early field experiences are substantively
linked to the content of coursework in the program.
SCI 652 counts as 4 units toward the SSMPP in physics because the
coursework is substantially linked to physical science as well as pedagogical
content. Enrolled students revisit their physics content knowledge in order to
prepare six science lessons. Students prepare lessons plans and case studies
that require them to review physical science topics such as motion and light. SCI
652 is a new course designed specifically for students in the physical sciences
and will be taught beginning in 2009. It builds on the experience gained from
BIOL 652 which has been taught since 2005 and has enrolled more than 60
students. For examples of the kinds of lesson plans students have developed as
part of BIOL 652, see Appendix 6, pp. 17-27. Students in SCI 652 will carry out
similar assignments.
Required Element 6.3 Fieldwork experiences for all prospective teachers include
significant interactions with K-12 students from diverse populations represented in
California public schools and cooperation with at least one carefully selected teacher
certificated in the discipline of study.
Following the successful model developed for BIO 652, pairs of pre-service
teachers enrolled in SCI 652 will be partnered with one or two certificated
secondary education science teachers in the SFUSD or other Bay Area public
schools. Like SFSU, this district is renowned for its racial and ethnic diversity.
No group represents more than 30 percent of the student population, and Asians,
Latinos, Filipinos, African Americans, Caucasians, and others are well
represented. The school district thus serves a highly diverse urban population
that represents a full spectrum of California racial and ethnic groups. The SFSU
students attend a three-hour orientation session with their teacher partners at the
beginning of the semester. Throughout the semester, they meet in a series of
planning sessions to prepare their six classroom lessons. During the six 1 to 1 ½
hour lessons delivered to two separate classes, the students have frequent and
intensive interactions with secondary school students. These include instruction;
demonstrations of techniques; leading group discussions; providing one-on-one
help during experiments and other class activities; and assessments of student
understanding. [See course syllabus and description, Appendix PS].
Required Element 6.4 Prospective teachers will have opportunities to reflect on and
analyze their early field experiences in relation to course content. These opportunities
57
may include field experience journals, portfolios, and discussions in the subject matter
courses, among others.
The pre-service teachers in SCI 652 have numerous opportunities to reflect
upon and analyze their early fieldwork experiences.
--Each student writes 15 reflective journal entries, one per week of the
semester, which they submit to the course instructor. [See Guidelines for
Electronic Reflective Journals, Appendix 6, p. 28] They spend 45 minutes per
entry, write 600 to 800 words, and address prompts such as these:
• How are you using questions in your teaching? When do you use them
during a lesson and for what purpose?
• Record questions, written and verbal, that you, your SFSU partner, and
your teacher partner asked during your first lesson.
• At this point in time, what are you most struggling with in your teaching?
• What did you learn this week through your teaching partnership
experience?
[For examples of reflective journal prompts, see Appendix 6, pp. 29-32]
--Students each write a detailed case study that analyzes and works
through a teaching dilemma and arrives at a successful solution. These are
presented during the seminar portion of SCI 652, thus each student is exposed to
a dozen or more realistic problem situations and resolutions. [See case study
assignment; Appendix 6, p. 33]
--Students reflect upon and write a statement of personal teaching
philosophy. This becomes part of their course portfolio and students often find it
relevant to identifying and reaching their employment goals. [See teaching
statement assignment; Appendix 6, p. 34-35]
--Students write a final individual reflection of what they learned from their
field and seminar experiences in SCI 652 and how they learned it. [See final
reflective assignment; Appendix 6, p. 36].
Together, these journaling and analytic assignments provide structure
through which students can thoroughly evaluate and understand their physics
teaching experiences.
Required Element 6.5 Each prospective teacher is primarily responsible for
documenting early field experiences. Documentation is reviewed as part of the program
requirements.
As described in Element 6.4, each student reflects upon, analyzes, and
documents their physics teaching fieldwork through written lesson plans, journal
entries, case studies, personal teaching philosophy, and a final evaluation. The
course instructor reviews and assesses all documentation for each student as a
58
required part of his or her SSMP program in physics. The course syllabus clearly
states the criteria for evaluating each student’s participation and achievement on
a 600-point scale. [See syllabus, Appendix PS].
59
Standard 7: Assessment of Subject Matter Competence
The program uses formative and summative multiple measures to assess the subject
matter competence of each candidate. The scope and content of each candidate’s
assessment is consistent with the content of the subject matter requirements of the
program and with institutional standards for program completion.
No preamble statement presented in 2005 draft of this proposal, nor requested
by reviewers.
Required Element 7.1 Assessment within the program includes multiple measures such
as student performances, presentations, research projects, portfolios, field experience
journals, observations, and interviews as well as oral and written examinations based on
criteria established by the institution.
Courses in the SSMPP in physics employ a wide array of assessments to
insure that students have acquired an understanding of the common principles,
methods, and communications within all sciences; an in-depth knowledge of the
concepts, vocabulary, and disciplinary thinking within physics; a knowledge of the
basic concepts, vocabulary, and disciplinary thinking within chemistry, biology,
and geosciences; and the ability to demonstrate scientific understanding through
experimental design, analysis, and communication of results in planned and
original laboratory work.
The required sequence of introductory physics courses [PHYS 220, 222,
230, 232, 240, 242] and the required lecture and lab courses in modern physics
[PHYS 320, 321], for example, employ a number of assessment approaches.
These include midterm- and final exams in the lecture portion; lecture and
laboratory quizzes; in-laboratory exercises; pre-lab worksheets; homework
problem sets; lab notebooks; and individual and group lab reports. Faculty use
grades recorded and tracked on-line institutionally to indicate performance in
these and all other courses. Faculty have developed grading rubrics and have
integrated grading standards into their syllabi [see individual course syllabi;
Appendix PS].
In introductory courses, faculty use innovative assessment tools to adjust
and insure effective teaching and demonstrable student understanding. For
example, in PHYS 220, General Physics with Calculus I, faculty employ the
“Force Concept Inventory” (FCI), developed by physics educators, as a pre-test
to identify student misconceptions, misunderstandings, and lack of sufficient
background. They adjust their lesson plans accordingly. They also use this test
as part of the final exam.
In PHYS 230, General Physics with Calculus II, faculty use the
“Mechanics and Electrostatics Assessment Tool” (MEAT) as pre- and post-
60
exams to assess the overall effectiveness of our instructional program in
Electricity and Magnetism (E&M). The MEAT is intended to provide insight into
how students’ understandings change after a semester of study in electrostatics.
It also illuminates the relationships between parallel issues in mechanics and
electrostatics. Faculty throughout the physics educational community use these
tests extensively to assess innovative teaching methods in E&M. PHYS 230
students at SFSU take the test on-line.
In PHYS 321, Modern Physics Laboratory, faculty employ a series of
computer exercises that use an Excel or Matlab platform to assess students’
ability to apply computer methods to the analysis of experimental data [see
Appendix 7, pp. 1-9].
Students completing the SSMPP in physics are required to take either
PHYS 490 or ASTR 490. In PHYS 490, students write a publication-quality
report on one of their lab experiments and prepare a powerpoint presentation on
another, which they present to the class [see PHYS 490 course syllabus in
Appendix PS]. In ASTR 490, students perform in-depth analyses of articles in
professional journals (e.g., Astrophysical Journal) as part of homework
assignments. They also take turns taking the lead in presenting papers (via
powerpoint) to the class and then leading class discussions, both of which are
assessed as part of their course grade [see ASTR 490 course syllabus in
Appendix PS].
In PHYS 695, Culminating Experience in Physics, required for all physics
SSMPP candidates, students take the ETS Major Field Test (a standardized test)
as a final exam. In upper division physics or astronomy electives, students often
design, describe, and present original experiments for assessment by faculty.
Candidates for the SSMPP in physics are required to take one of two
integrative science courses: SCI 510 or ASTR 405. In SCI 510 (Search for
Solutions), SSMPP candidates are graded on a detailed term paper and oral
presentation [see SCI 510 syllabus in Appendix PS]. In ASTR 405
(Astrobiology), students write one research paper and present their findings to
the class. As a final assignment, they write an original analysis that quantifies
the probability of life elsewhere in the Galaxy. These assessments are in
addition to weekly quizzes, homework, and a comprehensive final exam [see
ASTR 405 syllabus in Appendix PS].
In SCI 652--required of all candidates of the SSMPP in physics--students
write and instructors assess reflective journal entries, a teaching dilemma case
study, statements of teaching philosophy, and a course portfolio.
Required Element 7.2 The scope and content of each assessment is congruent with the
specifications for the subject matter knowledge and competence as indicated in the
content domains of the Commission-adopted subject matter requirement.
61
The sequence of required introductory courses and labs in the SSMPP in
physics [PHYS 220, 222, 230, 232, 240, 242] covers at a university level all of
the major subject matter competences as indicated in the Commission-adapted
subject matter requirements: Motion and forces, Conservation of Energy and
Momentum [PHYS 220/222]; Heat and Thermodynamics [PHYS 240/242];
Waves [PHYS 240/242]; Electronic and Magnetic Phenomena [PHYS 230/232].
The various types of assessments in these and other depth and breadth courses
insure that program candidates have encountered and mastered the scope and
content of all concepts listed within the Science Framework for California Public
Schools for each physical science domain, as well as those in other integrated
sciences [see Appendix 7, pp. 10-29].
The following matrix shows the kinds of assessments employed in
each breadth and depth course within the SSMPP in physics. Eleven forms of
assessment are represented here. Evidence for the assessments used in each
course can be found in course syllabi [See Appendix PS].
Breadth Courses
for the SSMPP in
Physics
ASTR 115/116 or
ASTR 320/321
BIOL 230
BIOL 240
CHEM 115
GEOL 110
GEOL/METR/OCN
405
Depth Courses for
the SSMPP in
Physics
PHYS 220
PHYS 222
Written
Exams
Assignments
Quizzes
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Written
Exams
Assignments
Quizzes
X
X
X
X
X
X
PHYS 230
PHYS 232
PHYS 240
PHYS 242
PHYS 320
PHYS 321
PHYS 490 or
ASTR 490
PHYS 695
SCI 510 or
ASTR 405
SCI 652
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
On-line
quizzes
Lab
Notebook
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
On-line
quizzes
Lab
Notebook
Formal
Lab
Report
Short
Paper
Formal
Lab
Report
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Poster
X
X
X
X
X
X
Oral
Presentation
X
X
Short
Paper
Term
Paper
Poster
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Required Element 7.3 End-of-program summative assessment of subject matter
competence includes a defined process that incorporates multiple measures for
evaluation of performance.
62
Term
Paper
X
X
X
X
X
Oral
Presentation
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
The SSMPP in physics includes a multidimensional summative
assessment of subject matter competence.
Program candidates are required to take PHYS 695, Culminating
Experience in Physics. As mentioned above, this course employs the
standardized ETS Physics Major Field Test as a final exam. In so doing, it
provides an excellent assessment of program candidates in terms of concept
mastery. Students in PHYS 695 also submit a portfolio containing problems from
selected courses and reports from selected labs. Together, the exam and
portfolio give a very clear sense of a student’s subject matter knowledge and
competence.
Each program candidate receives a survey that directs him or her to
evaluate their own progress in attaining various learning objectives. This gives
students an awareness of their own sense of mastery and alerts faculty and
advisors to areas of needed educational support. For a copy of the survey see
Appendix 7, pp. 30-45.
All candidates are required to take SCI 652, a program of early fieldwork
experiences in science teaching in conjunction with the San Francisco Unified
School District. Candidates are allowed to take the course more than once to
enlarge their practical experience and application of physical science concepts.
Students in SCI 652 revisit major elements of their introductory physics courses
as they prepare six lesson plans to teach at the secondary level. Together,
course instructors Dr. Kimberly Tanner and Dr. Mary Leech assess these lesson
plans and their students’ mastery of physical science concepts, as well as all
other aspects of the teaching fieldwork. Students submit and the instructor
evaluates reflective journal entries; a detailed written case study of a commonly
encountered teaching dilemma; an oral presentation of their personal solutions;
statements of their individual teaching philosophy and reflections; and a course
portfolio of all journaling and analytical assignments and practical classroom
experiences [see SCI 652 course syllabus in Appendix PS].
All SSMPP candidates take either SCI 510 or ASTR 405. SCI 510
(Search for Solutions), draws connections among various disciplines and
interrelationships among science, technology, and society. Students research a
significant science-based phenomenon such as global warming and its effects on
society. Each student proposes a solution to one aspect of the problem; creates
hypotheses, predictions, and test procedures; and reports in a detailed term
paper, PowerPoint display, and oral presentation [see course syllabus in
Appendix PS]. In ASTR 405 (Astrobiology), students synthesize concepts from
different disciplines (physics, astronomy, biology, chemistry, and geology) to
understand the pre-requisites for life. Instructors employ a wide variety of
assessment tools in this course, as described in element 7.1 above [see ASTR
405 course description and syllabus in Appendix PS]. By using this variety of
63
evaluations in the two courses, instructors get a summative assessment of each
student’s competence in several interrelated sciences, as well as in methodology
and applications.
Finally, program alumni receive a survey regarding their career success
and their own evaluation of preparedness after completing the SSMPP
curriculum [see Appendix 7, pp. 31-33].
Required Element 7.4 Assessment scope, process, and criteria are clearly delineated and
made available to students when they begin the program.
Students in the SSMPP in physics have access to several clear sources of
information about assessment scope, procedures, and criteria while in the
program.
COSE’s CSME provides regular advising for all SSMPP candidates and
distributes electronic and hard copies of a SSMPP packet to all potential
candidates [see Appendix 7, pp. 44-61]. The packet discusses subject matter
competency, required grade point averages, and the requirements and content of
BIOL 652, the early fieldwork course.
On its general advising webpage, the Department of Physics and
Astronomy invites the interest of future physics teachers. Potential candidates
are directed to SSMPP advisor Dr. Adrienne Cool, who provides answers to
questions regarding departmental grading policies during advisement sessions
[see Appendix 7, p. 62].
Finally, the SFSU Bulletin for 2008/2009 discusses grading policies
and systems in depth. It provides basic definitions of A,B,C,D, and F work [see
Appendix 7, pp. 63-68]; the determination of grade point average; and the
university-wide procedures for student grade-change appeals. In each course
syllabus, the instructor presents parameters for assessment as a basis for
student preparedness as well as appeals.
These multiple avenues provide each SSMPP candidate an overview of
the program’s performance expectations and assessments.
Required Element 7.5 Program faculty regularly evaluate the quality, fairness, and
effectiveness of the assessment process, including its consistency with program
requirements.
As stated in Standard 10, COSE’s CSME works with individual science
departments to oversee the SSMPPs in all science disciplines. This includes
64
monitoring course offerings to insure compliance with program goals and state
requirements.
SFSU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy regularly evaluates the
quality, fairness, and effectiveness of the assessment process in all of its courses
and sequences, including the SSMPP curriculum and the proposed
Concentration in Physics for Teaching, which is closely aligned with the SSMPP
requirements. This occurs as part of the department’s ongoing assessment
procedures, during which department faculty assess outcomes and implement
changes on an annual basis. They also do in-depth assessments as part of 5year reviews. As explained in more detail in Standard 9, evaluation of the
SSMPP in physics will be integrated into this 5-year review, in close consultation
with CSME. Our planned BS in Physics, Concentration in Physics for Teaching
[see Introduction to this proposal, p. 2], is very closely aligned with the SSMP
program in physics and thus would naturally be reviewed in detail during these 5year departmental reviews.
Peer and student evaluations are a regular part of every physics course.
Each semester, typically two independent faculty members come to a class
session of each course taught by a faculty member seeking tenure or promotion
and write formal evaluations of instructor effectiveness. Student evaluations are
mandatory each semester for each course, regardless of instructor. Both types
of evaluations typically include evaluation of assessment procedures. The
Department Chair reviews peer and student evaluations. Both figure prominently
in the departmental tenure and promotion process.
The Department Chair handles individual student complaints and appeals
regarding assessment issues such as petitions for grade changes.
Dr. Adrienne Cool, who handles student advisement for the SSMPP
candidates, also checks student transcripts for compliance with pre-requisites
and monitors student demand for required courses.
Required Element 7.6 The institution that sponsors the program determines, establishes
and implements a standard of minimum scholarship (such as overall GPA, minimum
course grade or other assessments) of program completion for prospective single subject
teachers.
As stated in the CSME single subject matter packet provided to all
SSMPP candidates, a minimum GPA of 2.67 overall or 2.75 in the last 60
semester units is required for entry into the teacher certification program at SFSU
[see Appendix 7, p. 45]. The Department of Physics and Astronomy also states
the minimum GPA of 2.75 for its majors and minors in the SFSU Bulletin,
including those in the planned concentration in physics teaching. Finally, the
SFSU Bulletin for 2008/2009 discusses grading policies and systems in depth. It
65
provides basic definitions of A,B,C,D, and F work [see Appendix 7, pp. 63-68];
the determination of grade point average; and the university-wide procedures for
student grade-change appeals. In each course syllabus, the instructor presents
parameters for assessment as a basis for student preparedness as well as
appeals.
66
Standard 8: Advisement and Support
The subject matter program includes a system for identifying, advising and retaining
prospective Single Subject teachers. This system will comprehensively address the
distinct needs and interests of a range of prospective teachers, including resident
prospective students, early deciders entering blended programs, groups underrepresented
among current teachers, prospective teachers who transfer to the institution, and
prospective teachers in career transition.
The efforts of, and coordination between, a number of resource centers at
SFSU, have resulted in the identification and encouragement of prospective
physical science teachers, advising as to SSMPP requirements, and the
improved retention of program candidates.
The initial interface with resident students, early deciders, and transfer
students is typically the Department of Physics and Astronomy, its website [see
Appendix 8, pp. 1-10] and its SSMPP advisors; COSE’s Center for Science and
Math Education (CSME); and/or COSE’s Student Resource Center for Science
and Engineering Students [details in Required Element 8.2]. Once identified as
prospective candidates for the SSMPP in physics, students are referred to
departmental advisors Adrienne Cool or James Lockhart for help with program
planning, transfer credits, and tracking required courses through graduation. The
Department works closely with CSME, which provides future teachers with
ongoing advisement, professional development, financial stipends, and other
forms of support such as fellowships and field experience opportunities [see
Appendix 6, p. 4 and pp. 11-16].
The initial interface for current teachers without single subject matter
credentials, including underrepresented groups, as well as for college graduates
making career transitions, is typically the Credential Services and Teacher
Preparation Center (CSTPC) within SFSU’s Department of Education. The
CSTPC publicizes and holds monthly orientation sessions to identify and
encourage prospective teachers [see Appendix 8, pp. 11-12]. If a candidate
needs to fulfill undergraduate physics course requirements, he or she is referred
to departmental SSMPP advisors.
Required Element 8.1 The institution will develop and implement processes for
identifying prospective Single Subject teachers and advising them about all program
requirements and career options.
As described above, the Department of Physics and Astronomy, COSE,
CSME, and CSTPC have each developed and implemented processes for
identifying potential science teacher candidates and directing them to the
appropriate advisors and advisement information. The Department of Physics
and Astronomy has instituted mandatory advising, so that students must speak
67
with a departmental advisor each semester before they are allowed to register for
classes. This provides a key opportunity for students who express an interest in
teaching to be directed to one of our SSMPP advisors (Professors Cool and
Lockhart). The department also directs students interested in teaching to the
SSMPP advisors via their website. The website also links students to information
about additional support for future teachers available through CSME, including
two financial aid programs aimed specifically at future high school teachers (The
Knowles Science Teaching Fellowships for prospective high school science
teachers, and the Barbara Lotze Scholarships for future high school physics
teachers offered through the American Association of Physics Teachers), and
one program devoted to minority participation (The Louise Stokes Alliance for
Minority Participation) [see Appendix 8, p. 10). The proposed new Concentration
in Physics for Teaching is also a part of the Department’s efforts to make K-12
teaching as a career path both more visible and more understandable to our
students.
Both COSE and CSME web materials and office personnel direct potential
science teachers to the same advisement system. CSME web materials link
candidates directly to on-line physics advisement pages and provide contact
information for departmental advisors.
CSTPC associates direct current teachers and other career professionals
to that center’s printed and on-line materials which address subject matter
competency [see Appendix 8, pp. 11-12]. CSTPC also provides in-person
advising. This may include completing courses within the approved subject
matter program in physics; these students are directed to Dr. Adrienne Cool, the
main SSMPP advisor within the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Required Element 8.2 Advisement services will provide prospective teachers with
information about their academic progress, including transfer agreements and
alternative paths to a teaching credential, and describe the specific qualifications needed
for each type of credential, including the teaching assignments it authorizes.
As described in element 8.1, the Department of Physics and
Astronomy has instituted mandatory advising as of Fall 2008. Students meet
with their official advisor once per semester and agree upon a course of study.
Prospective teachers are provided with information about their academic
progress during these required advising sessions [see Appendix 8, p. 9]. The
ratio of SSMPP candidates in physics to academic advisors is very low,as at
present the number of SSMPP candidates in physics is small; additional advisors
will be trained as needed to maintain a low student/advisor ratio and insure that
students are well informed.
68
SFSU’s Center for Science and Math Education (CSME) tracks current
California State credential requirements and works with SSMPP advisors in the
Department of Physics and Astronomy to insure their understanding of the
requirements of the single subject matter program; transfer agreements between
SFSU and California community colleges and between SFSU and other
California State University campuses and other universities; issues relating to
transfer of units from institutions not party to the formal transfer agreements; the
distinctions among and limitations on different types of credentials in California;
and the alternative paths leading to the various credentials. [For more detail on
CSME’s involvement, see Standards 9 and 10.]
The SFSU Academic Senate has established a Policy on Undergraduate
Academic Advising that delineates at least five pivotal points at which students
should seek and obtain academic advising, including the point at which the
student enters a program such as the SSMPP in physics [see Appendix 8, pp.
13-17]. Students are responsible for a number of things, including seeking
academic advising from the appropriate sources at pivotal and other times and
maintaining a personal academic advising folder to take to each advisement
session. Faculty advisors, departments, and programs have additional
responsibilities, including appointing and training advisors; establishing
advisement mechanisms; producing informational materials; creating advisement
plans and criteria for students on probation; and evaluating the effectiveness of
their advisement process [see Appendix 8, pp. 16-17].
Required Element 8.3 The subject matter program facilitates the transfer of prospective
teachers between post-secondary institutions, including community colleges, through
effective outreach and advising and the articulation of courses and requirements. The
program sponsor works cooperatively with community colleges to ensure that subject
matter coursework at feeder campuses is aligned with the relevant portions of the Stateadopted Academic Content Standards for K-12 Students in California Public Schools.
The chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, in consultation
with the Department’s Curriculum Committee, makes formal assessments of
course equivalency between institutions before recommending or denying
articulation to the SFSU Articulation Officer. The recommendation is reviewed by
the Dean or Associate Dean of COSE, and goes back to the University
Articulation Officer. If articulation is denied, reasons are provided in writing on
the articulation request form and communicated to the institution requesting
articulation. Science courses that are covered by the articulation agreements are
considered equivalent in content to SFSU science courses. Science courses
equivalent to courses in our program are therefore aligned with the relevant
portions of the State-adopted Academic Content Standards for K-12 Students in
California Public Schools. See Appendix 8, pp. 18-24 for an example of
correspondence and departmental data demonstrating discussions of articulation
69
issues and agreements in astronomy breadth requirements for the SSMPP in
physics. Such requests for articulation agreements cross the chair’s desk
roughly once per month.
Students enrolled at community colleges or other institutions can see the
results of formal articulation agreements by visiting the Assist website
www.assist.org. A student taking physics courses at City College of San
Francisco, for example, can see course equivalents at SFSU for required
courses in the SSMPP [see Appendix 8, p. 25].
COSE’s CSME has assembled a Teacher Advisory Board and a process
(see Standard 9) for facilitating the transfer of prospective science teachers from
community colleges. The single subject matter advisor in physics is responsible
for advising transfer students who express an interest in teaching physical
science [see Appendix 8, pp. 26-27].
Required Element 8.4 The institution establishes clear and reasonable criteria and
allocates sufficient time and personnel resources to enable qualified personnel to
evaluate prospective teachers’ previous coursework and/or fieldwork for meeting subject
matter requirements
Dr. Adrienne Cool, professor of astronomy and a faculty co-director of the
Center for Science and Math Education (CSME), is the primary SSMPP advisor.
She is fully versed in all aspects of the program and evaluates coursework for
subject matter requirements. Her work in developing the program was enabled
by 20% release time granted by COSE and by the release time she currently has
as a result of her position as a CSME co-director. She also evaluates course
materials to help provide equivalency authorization when no formal articulation
agreements exist. She consults as needed with other faculty members who
teach specific courses to make final evaluations and sign authorization forms.
70
Standard 9: Program Review and Evaluation
The institution implements a comprehensive, ongoing system for periodic review of and
improvement to the subject matter program. The ongoing system of review and
improvement involves university faculty, community college faculty, student candidates
and appropriate public schools personnel involved in beginning teacher preparation and
induction. Periodic reviews shall be conducted at intervals not exceeding 5 years.
SFSU’s College of Science and Engineering (COSE) is fortunate in having
The Center for Science and Math Education (CSME)--a college-wide body
charged with improving the quality of teaching within COSE and more broadly,
with promoting and improving the preparation of more K-12 science teachers--to
help review and evaluate single subject matter programs [see Required Elements
9.2-9.4]
The program review and evaluation includes both formative and
summative elements. Interim (formative) data will be collected each year, and
five year longitudinal reviews will be the basis for the summative review.
While CSME will spearhead the evaluation, the Center plans to enlist
some or all of the following individuals and groups to contribute to the reviews:
1) A well-respected evaluator [e.g. Dr. Elsa Bailey, who has evaluated the MSTI
program at SFSU, or the CSME director] .
2) SSMPP advisors from the physics faculty (e.g., Drs. Adrienne Cool, James
Lockhart, and/or others)
3) College of Education professor Larry Horvath, who teaches the Curriculum
and Instruction course in science for COE’s secondary credential program;
4) Dr. Jeanne D’Arcy, Director of science and math teacher professional
development for the San Francisco Unified Schools;
5) Ms. Kathleen White, Director of teacher professional development for the City
College of San Francisco.
The reviews themselves will include: 1) Data from current students,
regarding the effectiveness of program elements; 2) data from SFSU physics
alumni, particularly those who have moved into teaching and into teaching
credential programs; and 3) reviews of curricular materials and other program
elements. For details see Required Element 9.1.
Formative data will be collected annually. A complete program review will
take place every 5 years. Additionally, any new developments in California’s
Physics Standards will spark an immediate review of SFSU’s physics SSMPP
program to determine whether changes need to be made to comply with
revisions in the Standards. For example, recent changes in California’s plan to
implement algebra for all 8th graders has led to SFSU’s consideration of how to
better prepare prospective middle and elementary school teachers to teach
algebra. Similarly, if major changes are made in the Physics Standards, CSME
71
and the physics faculty will immediately address ways that SFSU’s program can
adjust to meet the changing Standards.
Beyond the CSME review process, each SFSU department undergoes a
formal program review every five years, with self-review, external review, and
university review components. The goal of these regular reviews is to identify and
articulate the values, competencies, and learning outcomes expected for each
program, assessing the currency of learning objectives and describing how those
learning objectives have been revised in response to changing needs and new
knowledge. The purpose also includes assessing how well the articulated
values, competencies, and learning outcomes have been achieved and
describing methods being explored as to their achievement. Improvements to
course presentations in the SSMPP in physics will be carried out as part of
departmental self-studies conducted every five years. An explanation of the
process and its guidelines in the Handbook for the Fifth Cycle of Academic
Program Review, appears in Appendix 9, pp. 1-4.
Required Element 9.1 Each periodic review includes an examination of program goals,
design, curriculum, requirements, student success, technology uses, advising services,
assessment procedures and program outcomes for prospective teachers.
The CSME evaluation of the SSMPP in physics will list all major outcomes
for SFSU program candidates as well as for the program itself. The Center
director and personnel will accomplish this work, followed by the establishment of
a timeline for implementing the goals.
For 5-year reviews, CSME will convene expert review panels, consisting
of:
The CSME Director (convener)
2 Physics faculty members
1 science education professor from the SFSU Department of Education
1 representative from San Francisco Public Schools
1 representative from City College of San Francisco.
This group will be provided with the following data:
• course syllabi from courses for prospective physics teachers;
• synthesized evaluation data from these courses;
• data from CSME and SFSU’s Teacher Preparation Center regarding the
movement of prospective physics teachers into credential programs and into the
classroom.
• data regarding students’ strategies for entering credential programs: To what
extent are they enrolled in the approved SSMPP and to what extent are they
taking the CSET as a way of entering credential programs?
72
The group will be asked to review these data and address these questions:
1) To what extent is core course content aligned with the needs of prospective
science teachers?
2) To what extent is course content aligned with high school physics Standards in
California?
3) To what extent are physics students engaging in the single subject matter
preparation program, versus taking the CSET as an entry method into teaching?
As a result of the 5-year reviews, CSME may institute more in-depth evaluation
procedures to identify reasons for key findings. For example, an important
outcome is the decrease of students using CSET as an entry level into credential
programs and an increase in students enrolled in the approved physics program
as preparation for their credential program. If we find no changes in these
indicators, we will interview new credential students to determine why they have
chosen one entry method versus another.
The summative (Year 5) evaluation will also involve a review of all longitudinal
data by an outside evaluator such as Dr. Elsa Bailey. Outcomes will be
considered by the entire team named above. In addition, we will obtain validation
of the evaluation by requesting one or more independent reviewers from other
CSUs which have similar teacher preparation programs.
Required Element 9.2 Each program review examines the quality and effectiveness of
collaborative partnerships with secondary schools and community colleges.
SFSU prepares the majority of science teachers for the San Francisco
Unified School District (SFUSD), and works closely with the District to ensure
that teacher preparation programs are aligned with the needs of the City’s public
schools. While teachers who prepare at SFSU also teach in other districts, the
evaluation focus will be on ensuring that the partnership with SFUSD is working
well: Is SFUSD satisfied with the quality of physics and general science teachers
who go through the SSMPP at SFSU? How could we enhance teacher
preparation?
To address these questions, the five-year review will include a component
on “SFSU-SFUSD Partnerships.” We will address the overall level of satisfaction
of SFUSD school personnel with the quality of SFSU-prepared science teachers
by analyzing longitudinal data collected annually as part of the SCI 652 course.
In this course, teachers who have been paired with SFSU students are asked to
evaluate their student partners.
Another component to the partnership evaluation involves “SFSU-City
College Partnerships.” Again, many community colleges function as feeder
schools to SFSU, but we will focus resources on evaluating our major partnership
with City College. A key rationale for SFSU’s decision is that City College has a
73
very strong teacher preparation program, and due to its location, it already has a
strong partnership with SFSU. There is a “Bridge Articulation” program that
prepares City College graduates for entry into SFSU and that provides advising
for these students when they reach SFSU. The question we will address, and
the methods/data sources for addressing it are as follows: To what extent do the
City College students who identify science teaching as their major career goal
actually pursue this goal when they arrive at SFSU? Using data already
gathered by Kathleen White, Director of teacher professional development for
City College, CSME will track students identified by City College to monitor their
progress at SFSU toward entering a credential program. (Note that the Center
will also actively advise these students by involving them in CSME’s teacher
preparation activities.)
An additional source of evaluation for the SSMPP in physics will be the
Science Education Partnership and Assessment Laboratory (SEPAL). During
the administration of SCI 652, which provides early fieldwork experiences in
secondary schools throughout SFUSD, SEPAL staff examine the effectiveness of
collaborative partnerships with secondary schools. This evaluation is carried out
both at the level of individual students, such as those taking the recommended
sequence of courses and electives for the SSMPP in physics (including their
required enrollment in SCI 652) and at the level of participating school teachers.
SEPAL director Kimberly Tanner is a biological educator interested in assessing
science learning and science teaching across all scientific disciplines. She
designed and evaluated an assessment for graduating seniors to gauge their
attitudes and experiences in biology courses as part of the Department of
Biology’s on-going academic program review. This survey allows for tracking of
the percent of graduates who identify teaching as a primary career pathway. The
survey questionnaire and tabulation appear in Appendix 9, pp. 5-24. A parallel
survey of physics students is in the planning stages.
Required Element 9.3 The program uses appropriate methods to collect data to assess
the subject matter program’s strengths, weaknesses and areas that need improvement.
Participants in the review include faculty members, current students, recent graduates,
education faculty, employers, and appropriate community college and public school
personnel.
The CSME Advisory Board, comprising representatives (as described above) of
the constituencies defined by this required element, will assess program
strengths and shortcomings using data including, but not necessarily limited to,
the following: enrollment and graduation statistics; student grades; surveys of
current students, former students, and interviews with program faculty members,
particularly single subject matter program advisors; and standard SFSU student
course evaluations. Elements 9.1 and 9.2 address the board members, their
participation, and specific assessments for the program evaluation in more detail.
74
Required Element 9.4 Program improvements are based on the results of periodic
reviews, the inclusion and implications of new knowledge about the subject(s) of study,
the identified needs of program students and school districts in the region, and
curriculum policies of the State of California.
COSE’s CSME, guided by periodic, formal Advisory Board reviews, formal
SFSU departmental program reviews, and by more frequent, less formal
formative assessments, will monitor the currency of the coursework in the
program and the needs of future science teachers and local school districts (as
detailed in Elements 9.1 and 9.2) and will recommend program modifications as
needed. Assessments by SEPAL director Kimberly Tanner of institutional
partnerships and student experiences will also contribute to program
improvements. As stated above, CSME will monitor California state curriculum
policies and ensure that the program remains in compliance [Appendix 9, pp. 2527]. Recent improvements to the SSMPP in physics include the implementation
of SCI 652 and its required early fieldwork experiences, as well as SCI 510 and
ASTR 405 and their integrated application of scientific skills, reasoning, and
problem solving for every prospective science teacher. SCI 652, and the course
on which it builds, BIOL 652, have both been launched since our original
proposal submission, in part to meet needs identified during our work on the
SSMPPs. Thus the process of program improvement is already well underway
We anticipate that one of the key pieces of data that will go into both our
formative and summative assessments will be why (or why not) students choose
to pursue the SSMPP in physics rather than opting to take the CSET exams.
75
Standard 10: Coordination
One or more faculty responsible for program planning, implementation and review
coordinate the Single Subject Matter Preparation Program. The program sponsor
allocates resources to support effective coordination and implementation of all aspects of
the program. The coordinator(s) foster and facilitate ongoing collaboration among
academic program faculty, local school personnel, local community colleges and the
professional education faculty.
The Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME) takes
primary responsibility for administering the physics SSMPP at SFSU. In carrying
out this responsibility, the director of CSME works in collaboration with CSME
advisors, with COSE, and with the chairperson and SSMPP faculty advisors of
the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The many roles played by CSME in
coordinating the SSMPPs for all participating science departments are detailed
in our responses to and evidence for Standard 9 [see Appendix 9, pp. 25-29].
Required Element 10.1 A program coordinator will be designated from among the
academic program faculty.
The director of CSME is responsible for coordinating all the science
SSMPPs at SFSU. The current interim director of CSME is Dr. Nilgun Ozer,
professor of Engineering. Dr. Ozer works in conjunction with the Department of
Physics and Astronomy’s chairperson as well as the departments’ SSMPP
advisors (Adrienne Cool and James Lockhart), and with CSME advisors [see
Required Element 10.2] to coordinate the SSMPP in physics.
Required Element 10.2 The program coordinator provides opportunities for
collaboration by faculty, students, and appropriate public school personnel in the design
and development of and revisions to the program, and communicates program goals to
the campus community, other academic partners, school districts and the public.
CSME has designated an SFSU Science and Mathematics TeacherPreparation Advisory Board, comprising SFSU and community college faculty
members, school district representatives, and current and former students, to
offer advice about the structure and administration of the program and to formally
review it periodically [see Appendix 10, pp. 1-2] The director also consults
periodically with program faculty and other stakeholders about the program.
Program faculty from the Department of Physics and Astronomy include Drs.
Adrienne Cool and James Lockhart [see Appendix 10, p. 3].
SFSU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy has primary responsibility
for defining, developing, and revising the physics SSMPP. CSME’s director
coordinates and administers the program, and works with the Department to
76
define and revise program goals. CSME is primarily responsible for
communicating the program goals to the campus community and to other
stakeholders. The Center maintains an extensive website describing the ongoing
crisis in math and science education; potential solutions; the Center’s own goals
and objectives; and its current program [see Appendix 10, pp. 4-8]. CSME also
distributes a printed brochure and SSMPP information packets to potential
SSMPP and credential candidates. The director and other Center personnel
speak at numerous events, and provide individual advising sessions and other
forms of assistance, as needed. They also direct potential candidates to advisors
in specific departments such as physics and astronomy. The specific goals and
objectives of CSME, formally initiated in September 2006, include developing,
administering, and assessing subject-matter preparation programs in math and
science [see Appendix 10, p. 5].
CSME has awarded mini-grants [see Appendix 10, pp. 9-10], including
one that has already improved BIOL 240 (Introductory Biology II), a breadth
requirement for all science SSMPP candidates [see Standard 5, Required
Element 5.3 and Appendix 10, p. 10]. Collaborative external grants have also
benefited SFSU science SSMPPs,: A NASA-NOVA grant to Dr. David Dempsey
led to the collaborative development of GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary
Climate Change) by faculty in both the Department of Geosciences and the
College of Education. This integrated geosciences course is a required breadth
course for physics SSMPP candidates, and it addresses state standards. A
MASTEP mini-grant also led to the development of the capstone course SCI 510
(Search for Solutions), which is also part of the SSMPP in physics [see Standard
11, Required Element 11.3 and syllabi in Appendix PS].
Required Element 10.3 The institution allocates sufficient time and resources for faculty
coordination and staff support for development, implementation and revision of all
aspects of the program.
CSME’s director is a full-time position, and current interim director Dr.
Nilgun Ozer, a faculty member in the SFSU School of Engineering, recently
stepped away from her directorship of MESA, a minority enrollment program for
the School of Engineering, in order to direct CSME. Co-directors drawn from the
math and science faculty assist departments with the development of SSMPPs.
For their CSME duties, they receive 20 percent release time in addition to the 20
percent of time they and other faculty members are expected to devote to
campus service.
In addition, each of four science departments, including the Department of
Physics and Astronomy, appoints at least one faculty member as its single
subject matter program advisor. Professors Adrienne Cool and James Lockhart
are currently the designated advisors for physics candidates.
77
Required Element 10.4 The program provides opportunities for collaboration on
curriculum development among program faculty.
CSME’s mission includes promoting science and mathematics education
grant writing, research, and curriculum development collaborations among faculty
within and across disciplines, such as COSE single subject matter faculty and
College of Education faculty. Appendix 10 p. 3 lists the CSME faculty and their
various disciplines. Appendix 10, pp. 5-6 lists the Center’s specific goals and
objectives. Appendix 10, pp. 7, 9, and 10 describe and list numerous curriculum
development projects already being directed by CSME’s interdisciplinary faculty.
As stated in Required Element 10.2, numerous grants to program faculty have
supported curriculum development and improvement for SSMPP requirements.
Required Element 10.5 University and program faculty cooperate with community
colleges to coordinate courses and articulate course requirements for prospective
teachers to facilitate transfer to a baccalaureate degree-granting institution.
As described in Required Element 8.3, the chairperson of the Department
of Physics and Astronomy, in consultation with the department’s Curriculum
Committee, makes formal assessments of course equivalency between
institutions before recommending or denying articulation to the SFSU Articulation
Officer. The recommendation is reviewed by COSE, and signatures from the
Chair and from the Dean or Associate Dean of COSE go back to the University
Articulation Officer. If articulation is denied, reasons are provided in writing on
the articulation request form and communicated to the institution requesting
articulation. The SSMPP in physics is closely matched to the planned B.S. in
physics for teaching. The depth portion of the SSMPP is a subset of the existing
B.A. in physics. Much of the articulation of courses and lower-division
requirements for degree programs therefore also applies to the SSMPP.
Additionally, science courses in our program are aligned with the relevant
portions of the State-adopted Academic Content Standards for K-12 Students in
California Public Schools. See Appendix 8, pp. 18-24 for examples of
correspondence demonstrating discussions of articulation issues and
agreements.
Students enrolled at community colleges or other institutions can see the
results of formal articulation agreements by visiting the Assist website
www.assist.org. A student taking physics courses at City College of San
Francisco, for example, can see course equivalents at SFSU for required
courses in the SSMPP [see Appendix 8, p. 25]. Community college students can
also obtain preparation information from the California State University LowerDivision Transfer Pattern Project [see Appendix 10, pp. 12-13].
78
COSE’s CSME has assembled a Teacher Advisory Board and a process
(see Standard 9) for facilitating the transfer of prospective science teachers from
community colleges. The single subject matter advisor in physics is responsible
for advising transfer students who express an interest in teaching these physical
science subjects.
The CSME director works with department chairs, the SFSU Articulation
Officer, and articulation staff and science faculty at local community colleges (for
example, through the SFSU Science and Mathematics Teacher-Preparation
Advisory Board) to articulate course requirements that facilitate the transfer or
prospective science teachers to SFSU. The CSME director also works with
departmental single subject matter advisors to ensure that they are prepared to
evaluate courses taken at other institutions for transfer credit in our program.
For evidence of this cooperation, see our response to Standard 8, Required
Element 8.2].
79
Standard 11: The Vision for Science
The institution articulates a philosophical vision of science and the education of
prospective science teachers. Each program references the current Science Framework
for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (2002) as part of its
vision statement.
SFSU’s College of Science and Engineering (COSE) stated mission
(Appendix 11, p. 1) is:
… to provide an encouraging environment to develop the
intellectual capacity, critical thinking, creativity, and problem
solving ability of its students so that they may become
honorable, contributing, and forward-thinking members of the
science and engineering community of the San Francisco Bay
Area and beyond; to foster a conducive environment for
scholarly and creative activities so that new knowledge or
solutions to problems are discovered or created; and to provide
science education to all students in the University so that they
may be equipped to succeed in the modern world.
COSE’s stated vision includes:
… [a commitment] to … recruiting talented students, providing
them with high-quality and up-to-date curricula, and fostering an
effective teaching/learning environment.
… [a commitment] to offering students an academic experience
of “thinking, learning, and doing.” The best way to provide this
experience is through involving students in research and the
solution of real world problems. Thus, teaching and research
are mutually supportive and one cannot excel without the other.
The College encourages the faculty to carry on research which
involves students and which serves the science and engineering
community.
… [a commitment] to full participation in the community through
service. This service applies the knowledge and experience of
its faculty, staff and students to the solution of problems facing
the University, industry, government, or civic organizations. The
College will expand its already strong cooperative relationship
with various local and national organizations, especially in areas
related to K-12 science and math education.
COSE’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME)
articulates a vision for science teacher preparation consistent with the COSE
80
vision for science education. The following excerpt was adapted from material
presented on the CSME website [see Appendix 11, pp. 2-3]:
A 2005 report from the National Academies of Science, “Rising
Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a
Brighter Economic Future,” chronicles the United States' loss of its longstanding global lead in the production of engineers, and the erosion of its
lead in the production of other science, technology, engineering and
mathematics professionals. In California, more than in almost any other
state, industries that drive California’s economy depend heavily upon a
continuously growing scientifically and mathematically literate work force.
The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) reports that in
2000, the demand in California for workers with science and engineering
B.A. degrees exceeded the 20,000 science and engineering B.A. degrees
granted by California universities by 14,000.
Factors cited by the CCST as contributing to this shortfall include
poor preparation of high school students for college, particularly in math,
science and engineering, and low levels of interest expressed by K-12
students in science and engineering. Both of these factors are attributed to
a lack of exposure to science and engineering in K-12, and to the
inadequate qualifications of many K-12 science and mathematics
teachers. This lack of teacher training is, in turn, attributed to the growing
shortage of secondary science and mathematics teachers available to
teach. Beyond that, it can lead to the poor preparation of students entering
college and eventually it can contribute to a large attrition rate (nearly 40
percent) of qualified and certified K-12 science and mathematics teachers
from the profession.
The goals of the SFSU Center for Science and Math Education will
be to recruit, support, and develop good science and mathematics
teachers; to establish and support research into math and science
education and promote its application; and to establish a community of
math and science education scholars, teachers and students to support
and sustain these efforts into the future. Ultimately, the goal is to focus on
and encourage the fledgling interest of SFSU students in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, and nurture,
develop and sustain that interest at SFSU and other CSU schools. Center
projects will include developing, administering, and assessing subjectmatter preparation programs; recruiting, mentoring, advising, and tracking
the training experiences of potential mathematics and science teachers;
and training graduate teaching assistants and in-service K-12 math and
science teachers.
The mission of the SFSU Department of Physics and Astronomy includes
a dedication to “…the enhancement of its educational program through providing
opportunities for hands-on laboratory experience, whether in the teaching
81
laboratory or through research projects.” The department is also “…firmly
committed to affirmative action: currently, we have 25 percent female faculty
members and a student population that is approximately 65 percent male, 35
percent female, and of diverse national and ethnic backgrounds.” [see Appendix
11, p. 7].
Through the breadth and depth courses they take and their contact with
faculty members, students in the SSMPP in physics acquire a philosophy of
quality science education, hands-on training and experience, and interaction with
and service to the community. Throughout their coursework, they encounter a
multitude of teaching approaches that benefit a range of learning styles [see
evidence in Standard 5], much of it requiring hands-on, minds-on participation.
Through their required early fieldwork course in science teaching, SCI 652, they
themselves interact with and serve the San Francisco community. Materials for
that course rely on and reference the Science Framework for California Public
Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (2002). Students can also
participate in educational programs for the San Francisco community by
volunteering through the SFSU Institute for Civic and Community Engagement
[see Appendix 11, p. 8-9].
Required Element 11.1 The program includes a code of ethics that can be applied to the
practice of science.
Basic standards of academic ethics, emphasizing plagiarism, apply to all
academic work at SFSU and also apply to the practice of science. An on-line
student guide gives detailed information on plagiarism [see Appendix 11, pp.1012], as do instructions in the SFSU Faculty Manual [see Appendix 11, p. 13].
Instructors in every physics and astronomy course announce at the first class
meeting the existence of the physics and astronomy department’s Policy on
Academic Cheating and Plagiarism [see Appendix 11, p. 14-16]. The syllabus for
every lower division physics and astronomy course also refers to this policy. This
document defines cheating and plagiarism as “Presenting, as your own work,
material produced by or in collaboration with others, or permitting or assisting
others to present your work as their own without proper acknowledgement.” The
document explains the requirement of originality and lists prohibited practices. It
states guidelines for faculty use, procedures for cheating or plagiarism cases,
and discusses penalties. It gives specific examples of when academic cheating
and/or plagiarism have and have not occurred.
In several physics laboratory classes, instructions for proper citations are
included in the directions for submitting lab notebooks [see course syllabi for
PHYS 222, 232, 490, and 695 in Appendix PS].
Students in the SSMPP in physics take several breadth courses, including
the introductory biology course BIOL 230. The syllabus for this course also
describes specific regulations concerning plagiarism [see Appendix 11, p. 17].
Lab instructors for each BIOL 230 lab section discuss plagiarism, cheating, and
doing ones own homework in their initial class meeting. Lab instructors also learn
82
and teach specific protocols for animal experimentation [see Appendix 11, p. 1820]. Finally, they discuss issues surrounding academic integrity, including
honesty in reporting research results; the appropriate use of citations; giving
credit fairly; and the proper use of data, including what constitutes misuse.
Likewise, all SSMPP candidates take the breadth requirement CHEM 115 and
are exposed to ethical discussions in at least two places within the first few days
of class: The course syllabus addresses academic honesty [see Appendix 11, p.
21-25], and the introduction to the lab manual describes the importance of
reporting ones own independent lab work. “All analysis, evaluation, calculation,
and answering of questions using shared data must be done on your own,” it
states. “Copying of lab reports or any part of the report constitutes cheating and
plagiarism” [see Appendix 11, p. 22]. Lab instructors often discuss the subjects
in class, as well.
Professional societies, which students are encouraged to join as student
members, have codes of ethics that include plagiarism, falsification of research,
and falsification of data. For example, student leaders of the Physics and
Astronomy Club encourage fellow members to join professional associations and
the club provides links on their SFSU website to several professional
associations. These include the American Institute of Physics and the Society of
Physics Students [see Appendix 11, p. 26]. Codes of ethics for these groups
appear in Appendix 11, pp. 27-34. Finally, most students are also exposed to
professional ethics through interactions with faculty during research experiences.
Required Element 11.2 The program examines ethical, moral, social, and cultural
implications of significant issues and ideas in science and technology.
All students in the SSMPP in physics take GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary
Climate Change). In this course, students encounter the social and ethical
implications of climate change, including the geographically disparate influence
of global warming and specific vectors for disease transmission. Students are
encouraged to attend departmental colloquia on topics of current interest.
Students in the SSMPP in physics read textbooks in several required depth and
breadth courses that address ethical, moral, social, and/or cultural implications of
physics, chemistry, biology, and other sciences. For example, three required
depth courses, PHYS 220, 230, and 240, assign PHYSICS: THE NATURE OF
THINGS by Lea and Burke. The book covers numerous societal applications
including space exploration, nuclear power, medical imaging, and hydroelectric
power and other forms of alternative energy [see Appendix 11, pp. 35-49]. The
required breadth courses BIOL 230 and 240 use BIOLOGY by Campbell, et. al.
Chapter 20 covers medical, forensic, environmental, and agricultural applications
of DNA technology as well as safety and ethical issues.
Required Element 11.3 The program explores practical solutions to challenging
important and relevant problems.
83
In addition to the applications of physical science just discussed, all
students in the SSMPP in physics are required to take either SCI 510 (Search for
Solutions) or ASTR 405 (Astrobiology), both of which address social, ethical
and/or cultural implications of important issues in science and technology today
In SCI 510, students use a multidisciplinary, problem-solving
approach to exploring practical solutions to challenging, important and
relevant issues such as global climate change. They apply critical thinking
skills to propose and critique a convincing course of action to mitigating
the effects of the phenomenon. They demonstrate their understanding of
the problems and solutions through the course requirements for
collaborative oral reports, poster presentations, work logs and reflective
journals, and literature searches and presentations [see details in SCI 510
course syllabus, Appendix PS].
In ASTR 405, students grapple with a wide range of issues
concerning the formation of life on earth and the possibility of its existence
elsewhere in the universe. The issues have great ethical and societal
implications in the real world. This course requires students to delve
deeply into components from many scientific disciplines to address these
fundamental questions. It also requires them to present their own,
original, quantitative analysis of the factors contributing to the probability
of life’s existence elsewhere in our galaxy. They will additionally
demonstrate their understanding of the pre-requisites for life through inclass discussions of key readings from the professional literature, writing a
research paper and doing an oral presentation [see ASTR 405 description
and syllabus in Appendix PS].
84
Standard 12: General Academic Quality
The program is academically rigorous and intellectually stimulating. It provides
opportunities for students to experience and practice analyzing complex situations to
make informed decisions and to participate in scientific problem solving. In the program,
each prospective teacher develops effective written and oral communication skills with a
focus on concepts and methodologies that comprise academic discourse in science.
The SFSU Department of Physics and Astronomy is known for the
outstanding education it affords its students. San Francisco State physics and
astronomy graduates are accepted into the top doctoral programs in the country
or go on to jobs as technical associates, laboratory physicists, physics or
astronomy data analyzers, or engineers, or become high school or community
college teachers. Course standards and requirements are high throughout all
departmental offerings, including those designated in the single subject matter
preparation program to teach physics and/or astronomy. As a result, candidates
are well-prepared to continue with certification studies and to teach at the K-12
level. The matrix presented below summarizes the evidence for Required
Elements 12.1-12.5:
Breadth
Courses for
SSMPP
Communication Quantitative Investigations Critical
Models
Skills
Reasoning
Thinking
ASTR 115, 116 or
ASTR 320, 321
BIOL 230
BIOL 240
CHEM 115
GEOL 110
GEOL/METR/OCN
405
Depth Courses
for the SSMPP in
Physics
PHYS 220/222
PHYS 230/232
PHYS 240/242
PHYS 320/321
PHYS 490 or
ASTR 490
PHYS 695
SCI 510 or
ASTR 405
SCI 652
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Communication Quantitative Investigations Critical
Models
Skills
Reasoning
Thinking
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
85
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Required Element 12.1 The program requires sufficient practice in written and oral
communication skills that enable prospective teachers to express scientific ideas,
concepts, and methods accurately.
As discussed in Standard 4, Required Element 4.3, SSMPP candidates in
physics develop and reinforce their literacy and communication skills in virtually
every course through regular reading, writing, listening, and speaking
assignments. For example, students write lab reports for every class with a lab
component including the depth courses PHYS 220/222, 230/232, 240/242, and
320/321. All SSMPP candidates take either PHYS 490 or ASTR 490. In PHYS
490, students write extensive lab reports in the format of scientific articles and
give oral presentations on their results [see PHYS 490 syllabus in Appendix PS].
In ASTR 490, they read papers from professional journals (e.g. Astrophysical
Journal), analyze and critique them in depth, give oral presentations, and lead
class discussions about the papers [see ASTR 490 syllabus in Appendix PS].
Program candidates are also required to take SCI 652, Introduction to
Science Education, Pedagogy, and Partnership, during which they study issues
surrounding science teaching and learning at the K-12 level. Students attend
weekly seminars to listen to and participate in discussions led by the instructors,
Dr. Kimberly Tanner, a biologist and education researcher and Dr. Mary Leech, a
geoscientist. Discussions are also led by graduate students, and by
departmental and outside scientists [see SCI 652 syllabus, Appendix PS] They
do extensive journaling, write several reports, and make numerous oral
presentations to the class as well as teaching science concepts to students in the
San Francisco Unified School District. As noted in Required elements 11.2 and
11.3, students also research and write papers and present them orally in SCI 510
and ASTR 405, at least one of which is required for all program candidates.
Students develop and reinforce their literacy and communication skills in
breadth courses, as well, including ASTR 116 or 321, BIOL 230 and 240, CHEM
115, GEOL 110, and GEOL/METR/OCN 405. In BIOL 230 and 240, for example,
SSMPP students turn in the data and observations they record in a lab notebook
for each lab session. Students are required to write critiques, papers, and
projects for virtually every class as indicated in the above matrix and as
evidenced in the course syllabi in Appendix PS. Students research and write
papers and present them orally in GEOL/METR/OCN 405, as well.
Required Element 12.2 The program promotes the use of quantitative reasoning and
encourages prospective teachers to analyze complex situations, make informed decisions,
and participate in scientific problem solving.
All physics courses require quantitative reasoning via the application of
math and/or statistics. Students are required to solve physics problems using
86
calculus and other mathematical systems, to graph trends, determine standard
deviations, calculate amounts and percentages during lab procedures, and
synthesize information as they report results and draw conclusions.
For example, in the introductory laboratory course PHYS 222, Laboratory 3,
Activity 1, students learn and apply the rules of vector addition, answering a list
of questions by calculating magnitudes and angles and applying various
geometric principles. In Laboratory Exercise 9, students explore acceleration and
force in uniform circular motion. They build and carry out tests with a rotating
apparatus, then solve scientific problems such as how, in terms of Newton’s
Second Law, the magnitude of forces applied in two test situations could be the
same even though the accelerations were different.
Program candidates take either PHYS 490 or ASTR 490. In PHYS 490, in
Lab B2: Radioactive Decay, students investigate the statistical nature of GeigerMuller counts from random sources, and compare Gaussian and Poisson
distributions with experimental distributions of counts, using least-squares fitting
[see Appendix 12, pp. 1-7]. In ASTR 490, students perform a critical analysis of
the evidence from which astronomers have concluded that the expansion of the
universe is accelerating; such analysis requires a thorough understanding of
Gaussian statistics [see ASTR 490 course syllabus in Appendix PS; also
Appendix 12, p. 8].
Breadth courses for the SSMPP demand similar approaches. Lab Exercise
13 in the required course CHEM 115, for example, demonstrates the need for
accurate scientific measurement and precise calculations in determining the
results of practical problems such as distinguishing the density of pennies minted
in specific years, and in determining the identities of metals in a mixed sample
[see Appendix 12, pp. 9-19]. Likewise, in GEOL/METR/OCN 405, Lab Activity 3,
students use World Watcher software to plot a model budget equation for global
absorbed solar radiation and compare it to actual data for incoming reflected and
absorbed solar radiation, then answer numerous questions about the differences
[see Appendix 12, pp. 20-26].
Required Element 12.3 The program regularly requires prospective teachers to
participate in scientific investigations.
In their required breadth and depth courses, physics students are often
required to design and evaluation lab or field experiments.
For example, in the required depth course PHYS 321, Modern Physics
Laboratory, students learn interferometry by observing interference fringes from
monochromatic and white light in a Michelson interferometer. They measure the
separation of sodium D lines, then set up and conduct a scientific investigation of
the effects on the system would be if the Earth were traveling through a
luminiferous ether [see Appendix 12, pp. 27-30]. Likewise, in the required course
PHYS 490, students must learn scientific inquiry, observation, measurement,
testing, and creating hypothesis. They must record data and analyze it, present
87
their work orally using PowerPoint and other multimedia tools, and they must
present their work in written form in good scientific writing style. For example, in
Lab C4, students design and set up an experiment to measure and analyze the
intensity pattern from diffraction of light by a pair of slits. They use a non-linear
least squares fitting program, and assemble a semi-automated computer data
acquisition program to collect the data. Finally, they must present their data and
analysis in oral and written forms. Similarly in-depth analyses are carried out by
students who opt to take ASTR 490 instead of PHS 490. For example, students
use measurements taken of the motions of several stars in the central 1
arcsecond of the Milky Way to calculate the mass of the black hole at our
galaxy’s center. Students compare and discuss their results and their
significance in a student-led discussion, following a student’s powerpoint
presentation of the journal article. [see ASTR 490 course syllabus in Appendix
PS; also Appendix 12, p. 8].
In the required breadth course CHEM 115 (General Chemistry I), for
example, students design and evaluate a laboratory experiment on the copper
cycle [see Appendix 12, pp. 31-40. In the required breadth course BIOL 230, Lab
12, students must understand the biochemistry and energetic of aerobic
respiration and fermentation. They set up an experiment to test the conditions
under which yeast ferment and break down food sources aerobically. They must
create hypotheses and predictions for the effect of temperature on enzyme
catalysis during aerobic respiration in goldfish (ectotherms) and mice
(endotherms), explain the reasoning in both cases, then carry out lab tests of
their own design then interpret and report their findings.
As described in Required Elements 13.2 and 13.3,many upper division
physics courses in the SSMPP provide laboratory experiences that engage
students in one or more research or research-like projects, sometimes focusing
on a single discipline and sometimes on multiple disciplines. These give students
the most complete experience of the process of science, integrating the most
extensive set of scientific skills including observation, analysis, hypothesis
posing, hypothesis testing, and communication of results. PHYS 321, 490, and
695 and ASTR 490 are all examples [see course syllabi in Appendix PS].
Required Element 12.4 The program allows prospective teachers to gain experience in
critically analyzing and reviewing scientific writings and research.
Many program courses assign students to read scientific papers and other
reference materials in addition to textbooks. Upper division physics and
astronomy courses PHYS 490 and ASTR 490, one of which must be taken as
part of the physics SSMPPs, both require in-depth written assignments or oral
presentations based on extensive reading and analysis of scientific papers.
In SCI 510 and ASTR 405, one of which is taken by all SSMPP candidates,
students also delve into the scientific research literature with a critical eye. In
88
SCI 510 students carry out interdisciplinary literature research for collaborative
projects. They analyze and synthesize ideas from the literature on some aspect
of a designated multidimensional issue such as global climate change. They then
write a substantial, well-integrated report on potential solutions to the problem
and deliver conclusions orally, along with an original PowerPoint presentation. In
ASTR 405, students read and discuss articles from the research literature on a
wide variety of topics, including planet formation and evolution, the chemistry of
life, and the earliest evidence for life on Earth. They have weekly homework
assignments to extract key ideas about the development of life from these
readings, and synthesize it all in a final project that is an original analysis
quantifying the probability of life elsewhere in the Galaxy [see ASTR 405 syllabus
and description in Appendix PS.]
Each of the above courses and others like them help prospective teachers
gain experience in critically analyzing and reviewing scientific writings and
research.
Required Element 12.5 The program provides opportunities for prospective teachers to
examine conceptual and physical models and their evolution over time.
The study of physics is replete with physical and conceptual models, and
candidates for the SSMPP learn and work with them in every class. This begins
in PHYS 220 and 230 with Newtonian mechanics and classical electromagnetic
theory and develops through to PHYS 320; in that course, students first
encounter modern physics and the probabilistic quantum world for the first time.
The evolving nature of scientific models is most in evidence in this transition from
deterministic theories to probabilistic theories but pervades the entire curriculum.
In breadth courses such as ASTR 115 and 320, students examine models of the
universe on every scale, from the atomic level to planetary to galactic scales and
beyond. The curricula of these courses expressly deal with the changing
conceptions of the universe from early to modern times. They also focus on the
evolution of the theory of gravity from Newtonian’s work to Einstein’s general
theory of relativity and its connection to central topics in physics and astrophysics
today, including black holes and the expansion of the universe [see course
syllabi for ASTR 115 and ASTR 320 in Appendix PS].
Students study and apply these and many other models in all program courses
[see earlier matrix in our preamble to Standard 12]. Breadth courses expose
students to models in other scientific disciplines, as well. Examples of physical
models from BIOL 230 and 240 include atomic and molecular structure, DNA
structure, the musculoskeletal system, fertilization, and blood circulation.
Examples of conceptual models include chemiosmosis, the fluid-mosaic model,
protein synthesis, signal transduction, the sliding filament mechanism, and neural
transmission.
89
Standard 13: Integrated Study of Science
The program reflects science as an integrated entity and examines interrelationships
among the disciplines, and variations in the structures, content, and methods of inquiry in
the disciplines are studied. Each prospective single subject teacher gains an
understanding of how the
conceptual foundations of the scientific disciplines are related to each other.
The SSMPP in physics integrates the different scientific disciplines into the
curriculum in three different ways, all built into the required components of the
program.
First, the core (breadth) program for all science SSMPPs requires that
students learn fundamental principles, content, theories, and methods of inquiry
for biology, physics, astronomy, chemistry, and the diverse geosciences
disciplines (geology, meteorology, and oceanography). In addition, the extended
(depth) programs of study require calculus and computer science. By themselves
these requirements are not necessarily sufficient for students to appreciate the
commonalities and differences in the way science is practiced among the
disciplines. However, studying the individual disciplines is a necessary condition
for that appreciation, and students have both implicit and explicit opportunities to
make such connections.
Second, most courses in the SSMPP in physics, even in the core
(breadth) part of the program, apply at least some basic knowledge and skills
from other disciplines. For example, BIOL 230 and 240 (Introductory Biology I
and II) and GEOL 110 (Physical Geology) require basic chemistry knowledge;
CHEM 115 integrates basic physics concepts; ASTR 115/116 and 320/321
employ concepts from physics, chemistry and geosciences; and
GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) employs all of the
disciplines, including all of the geosciences disciplines. Some of the courses in
the extended (depth) parts of the program require extensive enough knowledge
and skills from other disciplines to have prerequisites in those disciplines (e.g.,
ASTR 490, SCI 510, ASTR 405) [see prerequisites noted in course listings in
Appendix PL and in course descriptions in Appendix PS].
Third, as detailed in the individual elements below, the physics SSMPP
includes two courses, of which all students are required to take one, that
explicitly bring together all the branches of science to address important scientific
questions of our time: SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) and ASTR 405
(Astrobiology).
Required Element 13.1 Each integrative study component develops the prospective
90
single subject teacher’s understanding of how the conceptual foundations of the scientific
disciplines are related to each other.
As noted above, the SSMP program in physics requires breadth courses
that cover all four of the scientific disciplines (plus mathematics). The breadth
courses BIOL 230 and 240, for example, integrate the principles of chemistry into
discussions of biomolecular transport, protein synthesis, and other cellular and
molecular biology topics. Those same courses integrate physics principles into
the topics of photosynthesis, vision, and muscle action. And they integrate
geosciences principles into discussions of biomes, the origins of life,
biogeochemical cycles, and marine biology. ASTR 115/116 and 320/321 (one
pair of which must be taken as part of the breadth requirements) incorporate
fundamental geosciences concepts in discussions of planetary formation and
fundamental physics concepts in nearly every topic they cover.
The SMPP program in physics also requires depth courses that integrate
conceptual foundations from other disciplines. PHYS 240 and 242, for example,
rely heavily on chemistry concepts including atomic structure, thermal effects,
and the properties of gases. PHYS 490 and ASTR 490 both incorporate
concepts from chemistry. And ASTR 490 also incorporates concepts from
physics extensively, as well as some concepts from geosciences (e.g., in reading
of papers on the solar system) [see course syllabi, Appendix PS].
The courses SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) and ASTR 405 (Astrobiology)- one of which each SSMPP candidate must take--integrate all of the disciplines.
In SCI 510, students learn how each separate scientific discipline contributes to
our understanding of the complex problem of climate change (or other
designated interdisciplinary issue) and how solutions will require integrations of
several. In ASTR 405, all the disciplines are brought to bear on the question of
the origin of life in the universe. The breadth requirement GEOL/METR/OCN
405 (Planetary Climate Change) also brings together all the science disciplines.
These courses are described in detail in Required Elements 5.1, 5.2, and 5.4
[also see course syllabi in Appendix PS]. Thus prospective teachers in the
SSMPP in physics have ample opportunities to see the many interrelationships
between the conceptual foundations of the scientific disciplines.
Required Element 13.2 Each integrative study component provides opportunities for
prospective teachers to examine the interconnections between different fields of science.
All of the courses that apply principles, knowledge, and skills from two or
more different disciplines (examples noted above) demonstrate interconnections
among the disciplines. For example, all science SSMPP candidates take the
breadth courses BIOL 230/240 and read BIOLOGY, 8e (Benjamin Cummings,
2008). The first five chapters of this main text cover inorganic and organic
chemistry, biochemistry, and show how chemical concepts such as molecular
structure, electron orbitals, the chemistry of water, carbon bonding, and chemical
91
reactions underlie most biological structure and function. Chapters 8, 9, and 10
cover the biochemistry of metabolism, cellular respiration, and photosynthesis,
including energetics and other physical chemistry concepts. Chapter 25 on life’s
history brings in many chemistry and geosciences concepts such as Earth’s
formation, the early synthesis of organic compounds, the fossil record,
radiocarbon dating, geological eras, continental drift, and changes in oceanic and
atmospheric compositions. Chapter 52 on ecology of the biosphere integrates
additional chemical and geosciences concepts such as abiotic factors in
environments, global and local climatic patterns, and oceanic thermoclines.
Chapter 55 also introduces biogeochemical cycles such as the water, carbon,
nitrogen, and phosphorous cycles, each of which is in itself an instructive
integration of biological, geological, and chemical concepts.
Likewise, all physics candidates take PHYS 220/222, 230/232, 240/242,
and 320/321, and read PHYSICS: The Nature of Things (Brooks/Cole, 1997).
The chapters on the laws of conservation (Ch 6-10) explain many
interconnections between chemistry and physics. The chapters on waves and
oscillation (Ch 14-18) reveal integration between physics and geosciences. The
chapters on thermodynamics (19-22) draw on chemistry, geosciences, and
biology for examples.
GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) and SCI 510 (Search
for Solutions) also emphasize interdisciplinary study in and applications of
geosciences, physics, chemistry, and biology, as does ASTR 405 [see Required
Elements 5.1, 5.2, and 5.4, as well as Appendix 13, pp. 1-5 and Appendix PS].
Required Element 13.3 The integrative study component(s) of the program require that
prospective teachers use higher-level thinking skills while involved in coursework and
research in each science discipline.
The courses in the SSMP program in physics, starting with the largely
introductory courses in the core (breadth) part of the program, require students to
make observations, analyze, make deductions and inferences, make judgments,
generalize, synthesize, and in some cases pose hypotheses and test them. This
is just as true of the portions of the courses that apply principles, knowledge and
skills from different disciplines as it is of the single-discipline portions of the
courses. For example, in Lab 12 of the laboratory portion of required breadth
course BIOL 230, students must understand the biochemistry and energetics of
both aerobic respiration and fermentation. They are required to set up an
experiment using chemical reagents and fructose to test the conditions under
which yeast ferment and break down the food source aerobically. They must
create hypotheses and predictions for the effect of temperature on enzyme
catalysis during aerobic in gold fish (ectotherms) and mice (endotherms); explain
their reasoning in both cases; then carry out laboratory tests, report their results,
and explain and interpret their findings.
92
In the depth portion of the program, students take either PHYS 490 or
ASTR 490. In PHYS 490 (Physics Project Lab) students gain extensive
experience in scientific inquiry, observation, measurement, testing, and creating
hypotheses. They must record and analyze data, present their work orally using
PowerPoint and other multimedia tools, and they must present their work in
written form in professional scientific writing style. For example, in Lab C4,
students design and set up an experiment to measure and analyze the intensity
pattern from diffraction of light by a pair of slits. They use a non-linear least
squares fitting program, and assemble a semi-automated computer data
acquisition program to collect the data. Finally, they must present their data and
analysis in oral and written forms. In ASTR 490, students delve deeply into the
scientific literature, critically analyze important papers in astrophysics, and apply
their knowledge of physics, astronomy, chemistry, and statistical analysis.
Higher level thinking skills and multidisciplinary topics are routine in all
upper division physics and astronomy courses.
In SCI 510 (Search for Solutions), students carry out interdisciplinary
literature research for collaborative projects. They analyze and synthesize ideas
from the literature on some aspect of a designated multidimensional issue such
as global climate change. They then write a substantial, well-integrated report on
potential solutions to the problem and deliver conclusions orally, along with an
original PowerPoint presentation [see SCI 510 course syllabus and description in
Appendix PS]. In ASTR 405 (Astrobiology), students synthesize readings from
all areas of science to understand the pre-requisites for life. In the process, the
develop critical thinking skills and enhance their quantitative analysis skills, and
hone their scientific writing and communication skills [see ASTR 405 syllabus
and description in Appendix PS].
Required Element 13.4 Faculty teaching in the program and prospective teachers in
various disciplines of science meet regularly to exchange ideas and perspectives.
The Department of Physics and Astronomy hosts a series of seminars
with departmental and guest speakers lecturing on interdisciplinary topics such
as materials research, optics, and the search for Earth-sized planets. The
weekly colloquia at 4 to 5 p.m. on Mondays bring together physics and
astronomy students and faculty. Speakers are usually physicists and
astronomers from universities and industries around the San Francisco Bay
Area, but include colleagues from other parts of the country who are doing
research of particular interest. These talks always involve a significant question
and answer session at the end, and students can often go to dinner with the
speaker and other faculty members. A recent colloquium schedule appears in
Appendix 13, pp.6-7. It includes Stanford physicists Jung-Tsung Shen
discussing “Novel Properties of Light- and Meta-Materials;” U.C. Berkeley
93
astronomer Gibor Basri presenting “The Search for Earth-Sized Planets Around
other Stars;” and a special panel on teaching physics and astronomy [Appendix
13, p. 7]. That latter event, on April 13, 2009, brought together former SFSU
physics and astronomy alumni to discuss their careers in education (at two local
high schools) and outreach (at a museum and an astronomical society)
[Appendix 13, p. 8].
Other COSE science departments also have regular, widely advertised
seminar series open to all students
Through contact with physics and astronomy faculty in upper division labs,
courses, and independent lab studies, students can get first-hand experience
with the practical integration of various disciplines. Many physics and astronomy
professors research topics that integrate multiple fields. Astronomer Debra
Fischer studies exoplanets, integrating astronomy, physics, geosciences,
biology, and chemistry in her work [Appendix 13, pp. 9-11]. Astrophysicist
Joseph Barranco’s theoretical work integrates astronomy with fluid dynamics and
computational physics [Appendix 13, p. 12]. Both Drs. Andisheh Mahdavi and
Adrienne Cool do work that integrates astronomy physics with instrumentation
(solid-state physics). [Appendix 13, pp. 13-16]. Physicists James Lockhart
integrates physics with medical instrumentation [Appendix 13, pp. 17-19]. .
Roger Bland integrates physics with studies of marine life and fluid flow in the
San Francisco Bay [Appendix 13, p. 20]. And Drs. Barbara Neuhauser, Zhigang
Chen, Nick Lepeshkin, and Weining Man integrate physics with chemistry and
engineering in their work with solid-state devices, laser optics, photonic crystals,
quasi-crystals, and spheroidal packing [Appendix 13, pp. 21-31].
All SSMPP science candidates interface with Dr. Kimberly Tanner,
biologist and science education researcher, in SCI 652, which sponsors
collaborations between students and working science teachers in the San
Francisco Unified School District and other Bay Area public schools. In other
programs sponsored by the Science Education Partnerships and Assessment
Laboratory (SEPAL), which Dr. Tanner directs, students, teachers, and scientists
from various disciplines collaborate on research to discover new educational
methods, scientific misconceptions, effective learning styles, and more [see
Appendix 13, pp. 32-35].
In addition, meteorology professor David Dempsey and Prof. Petra
Dekens, a paleoceanographer, co-teach the required core breadth course
GEOL/METR/OCN 405. Dr. Dempsey and chemist Ray Trautman also co-teach
the interdisciplinary course SCI 510, and Dr. Debra Fischer, an astronomer
teaches ASTR 405. Once again, SSMPP candidates interact with, learn from,
and share ideas with these professors from other disciplines.
The Center for Science and Math Education (CSME) also regularly brings
together students and science faculty from many disciplines in the promotion of
94
more and better- qualified science teachers at a series of workshops they
organize. This consists of day-long workshops at the beginning of each
semester and 2-hour workshops twice during each semester. SSMPP students
receiving MSTI fellowships through CSME are required to attend, and workshops
generally attract numerous other interested students and faculty as well.
Required Element 13.5 The program includes courses and/or projects that integrate
science as a whole.
SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) and ASTR 405 (Astrobiology), one of
which is taken by all SSMPP physics candidates, both provide an opportunity to
see how science as practiced in multiple disciplines can be brought to bear on
important scientific problems of our day [see Appendix 13, pp. 36-40].
As described in Required Elements 13.2 and 13.3, the most advanced
courses in each concentration consist of laboratory or field experiences that
engage students in one or more research or research-like projects, sometimes
focusing on a single discipline and sometimes on multiple disciplines. These give
students the most complete experience of the process of science, integrating the
most extensive set of scientific skills including observation, analysis, hypothesis
posing, hypothesis testing, and communication of results. Examples of these
courses include PHYS 490 and ASTR 490 [see course syllabi in Appendix PS].
95
Standard 14: Breadth of Study in Science
The science program is organized to provide prospective teachers a sufficiently broad
understanding of science so that, as future literate science teachers, they have the
necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to develop scientific literacy among their
students. A breadth of study provides familiarity with the nature of science and major
ideas foundational to all the sciences and provides a basis for prospective teachers to
engage in further studies of a scientific discipline. The program is aligned with the
Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten through Grade
Twelve (1998).
The core (breadth) program of study (Table 14 below) comprises thirtyfive semester units of courses in astronomy, geology/meteorology/oceanography,
biology, physics, and chemistry. It is designed to provide a broad but rigorous
introduction to the principles and methods of each of the four areas of
concentration (biology, chemistry, geosciences, and physics). All but one course
are lower division, but all but one are designed for science majors and all include
laboratory components, characteristics that we feel are particularly important for
preparing future high school science teachers.
Depending on the extended (depth) program of study that a student elects
to complete, at least 8 of the 35 units in the core (breadth) program will also
satisfy requirements, or at least prerequisites, of the extended (depth) program.
(The particular courses that overlap between the two depend on the
concentration selected.) This reduces the total number of units required to
complete the single subject matter program.
Table 14: Core (Breadth) Program of Study in Science
Courses1
Course Titles
Semester
Units
ASTR 115, 116
Introduction to Astronomy,
Introduction to Astronomy Lab
GEOL 110
Physical Geology
[lecture (3) and lab (1)]
4
GEOL/METR
310
Planetary Climate Change
[lecture (3) and lab (1)]
4
BIOL 230
Introduction to Biology I
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
5
BIOL 240
Introduction to Biology II
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
5
PHYS 111, 1122
General Physics I,
General Physics I Lab
3, 1
PHYS 121, 1222
General Physics II,
3, 1
96
3, 1
General Physics II Lab
CHEM 115
General Chemistry I
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
Total core (breadth) units:
5
35
Footnotes:
1. For course descriptions, see Appendix B, pp. 3-7; App. C, p. 0a; App. D,
pp. 0a-0g; and App. E, pp. 0a-0b.
2. The General Physics w/Calculus sequence and its associated labs, PHYS
220/222, 230/232, and 240/242 (each 3+1 units), may be used instead of
the PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 sequence. MATH 226 and 227 (Calculus I
and II, each 4 units) are prerequisites for PHYS 220, 230, & 240.
Required Elements:
14.1 Tables 14.1-2, 14.3-5, 14.6-7, 14.8-9, 14.10-11, and 14.12 on the
following pages summarize how the core (breadth) program addresses the
required elements for general science subject matter knowledge and
competence.
Each entry in the tables is a reference to page(s) in an appendix. The
references have the general form: “Letter-page#”. For example, “F-14” refers to
page 14 in Appendix F.
The number of semester units for each course listed in the left-hand
column of each table has the general form: “(# lecture + #lab units)”.
Not all of the required elements that are addressed by each listed course
are necessarily referenced. However, for each required element, one or more
courses that we judge to be minimally sufficient to address that required element
are listed.
We note, in response questions from the reviewers in spring 2010
regarding elements 3.1f and 8.1a, that plasmas are covered in Phys 230
(Electricity and Magnetism). The text for that course by Lea and Burke includes
multiple readings concerning plasmas. Plasmas are particularly relevant in
astronomy, and so are also covered in Astr 115 (Introduction to Astronomy)
which is a required breadth course for all the science SSMPPs at SFSU.
Seismic waves are covered in Geology 110 ("Physical Geology"), which is a
required breadth course for all science SSMPPs. They are also covered in
Physics 240, which is the physics course that deals with waves. The text for that
course includes readings about seismic waves and how they are used to learn
about the structure of the Earth.
97
Table
14.1-2
Subject Matter Requirements for Prospective Teachers: General Science
Content Domains for Subject Matter Understanding and Skill in General Science
1. Astronomy
Courses
1.1 Astronomy
2. Dynamic Processes of the Earth (Geodynamics)
2.1 Tectonic
Processes
and Features
2.3
2.2 Rock Surficial
2.4 Energy
Formation Processes in the Earth System
& Features
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)
ASTR 115, 116:
Intro Astronomy
& Lab
(3 + 1 units)
GEOL 110:
Physical
Geology
(3 + 1 units)
GEOL/METR
310: Planetary
Climate Change
(3 + 1 units)
F-2 F-2 F-2
F-2
F-2 F-2 F-2 F-2
F-4 F-4 F-4
F-4
F-5 F-5 F-4 F-4
F-7 F-7 F-7
F-5
F-14 F-14
F-14 F-14 F-14 F-14 F-14 F-14 F-1 F-14
F-14
F-20
F-22 F-21
F-27 F-27 F-27 F-27 F-27 F-26 F-20 F-22
F-20
F-23 F-26
F-30 F-30 F-30 F-31 F-30 F-30
98
Subject Matter Requirements
for Prospective Teachers: General Science
Table
14.3-5
Content Domains for Subject Matter Understanding
and Skill in General Science
3. Earth
Resources
Courses
GEOL 110:
Physical
Geology
(3 + 1 units)
BIOL 230:
Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
BIOL 240:
Intro Biol II
(3 + 2 units)
4. Ecology
5. Genetics and Evolution
3.1 Earth
4.1 Ecology
5.1 Genetics and Evolution
Resources
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i)
F-14 F-14 F-14 F-14 F-14
F-27 F-27 F-27 F-27 F-28
F-46
F-55
F-56
F-57
F-50 F-50
F-50 F-50 F-50 F-50
F-51 F-66
F-67 F-67 F-67 F-67
F-67 F-67
99
F-46
F-46 F-46
F-46
F-46 F-46
F-48
F-48 F-49
F-49
F-57 F-57
F-49
F-49 F-57
F-57
F-58 F-58
F-57
F-57 F-58
F-50
F-59
F-50 F-50
F-50
F-51 F-51
F-59
F-59 F-59
Subject Matter Requirements for Prospective Teachers: General
Science
Table 14.6-7
Content Domains for Subject Matter Understanding and Skill in General
Science
6. Molecular Biology
and Biochemistry
Courses
(a)
BIOL 230:
Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
F-6
F55
6.1 Biology and
Biochemistry
(b) (c)
(d)
F46
F48
F55
F46
F49
F58
F46
F48
F56
7. Cell and Organismal Biology
7.1 Cell and Organismal Biology
(e)
(a)
(b)
F46
F48
F56
F57
F46
F48
F56
F46
F48
F56
BIOL 240:
Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
(c)
F46
F48
F56
(d)
(e)
F46
F56
F57
F46
F48
F57
F50
100
(f)
F46
F56
F59
F60
F62
(g)
F46
F48
F49
F62
F63
(h)
F46
F49
F63
F64
F65
F50
F51
F66
(i)
F46
F48
F62
F50
F51
F60
F-
(j)
F46
F48
F56
F57
F62
(k)
F48
F50
F51
F60
F-
61
101
61
Subject Matter Requirements
for Prospective Teachers: General Science
Table 14.8-9
Courses
PHYS 111, 112:
Gen Phys I & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
PHYS 121, 122:
Gen Phys II & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
PHYS 220, 222:
Gen Phys I w/Calc & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
PHYS 230, 232:
Gen Phys II w/Calc &
Lab
(3 + 1 unit)
PHYS 240, 242:
Gen Phys III w/Calc &
Lab
(3 + 1 units)
Content Domains for Subject Matter Understanding
and Skill in General Science
(a)
8. Waves
9. Forces and Motion
8.1 Waves
(b)
(c)
(d)
9.1 Forces and Motion
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(e)
F-134 F-134
F-139
(a)
(g)
F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134
F-139
F-139
F-139
F-157
F-157
F-139
F-164
F-164
F-164
F-166 F-183 F-164
F-185
F-185
F-164
F-168
F-191
F-174 F-188 F-174
F-174
F-174
F-175 F-189 F-189
F-189
102
F-174
F-187
F-188
F-174
F-188
Subject Matter Requirements
for Prospective Teachers: General Science
Content Domains for Subject Matter Understanding
and Skill in General Science
Table 14.10-11
10. Electricity and Magnetism
Courses
10.1 Electricity and Magnetism
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
PHYS 121, 122:
Gen Physics II & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
F139
F139
F139
F139
F139
F142
F139
PHYS 230, 232:
Gen Phys II w/Calc &
Lab
(3 + 1 units)
F168
FFE-46
168
168
F168
F168
CHEM 115: Gen Chem I
(3 + 2 units)
PHYS 111, 112:
Gen Physics I & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
103
11. Heat Transfer and
Thermodynamics
11.1 Heat Transfer and
Thermodynamics
(a) (b) (c)
(d) (e)
(f)
FFF-197 197 197
F-197 FF-200 FF-200 201
F200 200
F134
F149
(g)
F197
F198
Table 14.12
Subject Matter Requirements
for Prospective Teachers:
General Science
Content Domains
for Subject Matter Understanding
and Skill in General Science
12. Structure and Properties of Matter
Courses
CHEM 115:
Gen Chemistry I
(3 + 2 units)
12.1 Structure and Properties of Matter
(a) (b)
(c) (d) (e)
(f)
(g) (h)
FFFFFF197 197 197 197 197 197 F-197 F-197
FFFFFF- F-198 F-198
198 198 198 200 198 198
(i)
CHEM 115:
Gen Chemistry I
(3 + 2 units)
(j)
(k)
(l)
FF197 F-197 F-197 197
F- F-198 F-199 F198
199
104
(m)
(n)
(o)
(p)
F197
F199
F197 F-46 F-46
F- F-55 F-55
200
14.2 Tables II.1.1-1.3, II.1.4-1.5, II.2, and II.3 on the following pages
summarize how the program addresses the required elements of subject matter
skills and abilities applicable to the content domains in science.
Each entry in the tables is a reference to page(s) in an appendix. The
references have the general form: “Letter-page#”. For example, “F-113” refers to
page 113 in Appendix F.
Semester unit values for each course listed in the left-hand column of
each table have the general form: “(# lecture + #lab units)”.
Not all of the required elements that are addressed by each course listed
are necessarily referenced, nor are all courses in the program that address at
least some required elements necessarily listed. However, for each required
element, one or more courses that we judge to be minimally sufficient to address
that required element are listed.
In response to CCTC reviewer comments on our original 2005 proposal
submission, we also note the following concerning how observation and data
collection are handled for Chemistry:
Observation and data collection are integral aspects of chemistry labs, including
the CHEM 115 lab, a breadth requirement for all science SSMPP candidates at
SFSU. Three CHEM 115 lab exercises illustrate the point.
In Lab Exercise 3, "The Chemistry of Fireworks" [Appendix 14, pp. 1-7], students
use a hand-held spectroscope to observe the results of placing several different
chemical compounds in a bunsen burner flame. Students observe and record
each chemical’s appearance, changes as it burns, and the chemical’s spectrum
in the flame. Using the spectroscope, they also observe spectra produced by an
incandescent bulb and by gas discharge tubes. Students tabulate results in their
lab books and use the data to answer a variety of questions.
In Lab Exercise 9, "Deductive Chemical Reasoning" [Appendix 14, pp. 8-15],
students hone their observational skills further. They make detailed observations
of reactions between a set of six unknown solutions and five known chemicals.
They record their observations in lab notebooks and construct a table. The
observations must be made with care, and the table must accurately represent
their observations for them to succeed with the last two parts of the lab, during
which students must identify unknown substances based on comparisons to their
earlier observations.
Lab Exercise 18, "Introduction to Reaction Kinetics" [Appendix 14, pp. 16-21],
requires similarly detailed observations and data collection. In Parts A and B of
the lab, students carefully observe the "Iodine Clock Reaction," including noting
how reactant concentrations affect the rate of the reaction. In Part C of the lab,
students are then assigned different times by the instructor, and required to
demonstrate in front of the class that they can use their earlier tabulated findings
to choose a concentration that will produce the desired reaction time.
105
Part II: Subject Matter Skills and Abilities Applicable to the Content Domains in Science
Skill and Ability Domains in Science
Table II.1.1-1.3
1. Investigation and Experimentation
1.1 Question
Formulation
Courses
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
BIOL 230:
Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68
F-69 F-69 F-69 F-69
F-80 F-80 F-80 F-80
BIOL 240:
Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
F114
F115
F116
CHEM 115: Gen Chem I
(3 + 2 units)
C-14 C-14 C-14 C-14
1.2 Planning a
Scientific
Investigation
(a) (b) (c)
1.3 Observation and Data Collection
(h)
(i)
(j)
F-68
F-68
FF-68 F-68
F-68
F-68 F-70
F-68
105
F-69 F-69
F-68 F-68 F-68 F-69 F-68 F-68 F-68
F-70 F-75
F-80
to
F-80 F-80
F-80
F-76 F-80
FF-85
108
F114
FF- 115
129 Fto 116
FF131 125
to
F131
C-1 C-1 C-1 C-1
C-14 C-14 C-14
C-4 C-4 C-4 C-4
106
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
GEOL/METR 310:
Planetary Climate
Change
(3 + 1 units)
F-34 F-30
F-35 F-31
F-42 F-42
107
F-44 F-45
Table II.1.4-1.5
Part II: Subject Matter Skills and Abilities
Applicable to the Content Domains in
Science
Skill and Ability Domains in Science
1. Investigation and Experimentation
1.4 Data
Analysis/Graphing
Courses
BIOL 230: Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
F-68
F-73
F-75
F-90
F-68
F-73
F-75
F-90
F-68
F-73
F-75
F-90
1.5 Drawing Conclusions and
Communicating Explanations
(e)
(a)
F-68
F-68
F-73
F-73
F-68
F-75
F-74
F-90
F-90
F129
to
F131
BIOL 240: Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
GEOL 110:
Physical Geology
(3 + 1 units)
(b)
F-68
F-73
F-90
F102
F129
to
F131
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
F-68 F-68
F-73 F-73 F-68
F-90 F-90
FF129 129
to
to
FF131 131
F11
to
F16
108
Part II: Subject Matter Skills and Abilities
Applicable to the Content Domains in Science
Table II.2
Skill and Ability Domains in Science
2. Nature of Science
2.2 Scientific
Ethics
2.1 Scientific Inquiry
Courses
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e) N/A N/A (h)
BIOL 230:
Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68
F-80 F-80 F-80 F-80 F-80
BIOL 240:
Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
F- F113 113
CHEM 115:
Gen Chemistry I
(3 + 2 units)
C-1
C-4
C14
(i)
(j)
(k)
(a)
(b)
(c) (a)
F68
FF68
F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68
109
F-80 F-80 F-80 F-80 F-80 F-80
Fto
80
F112
F113
C14
2.3 Historical
Perspectives
F113
C-1 C-1
C-4 C-4
C- C14 14
C-1 C-1
C-4 C-4
C- C14 14
109
C14
C-1 C-1 C-1
C-4 C-4 C-4
C- C- C14 14 14
(b)
(c)
F68
F80
(d)
F68
F80
F113
C-1 C-1 C-1 C-1
C-4 C-4 C-4 C-4
C- C- C- C14 14 14 14
Part II: Subject Matter Skills and Abilities
Applicable to the Content Domains in Science
Table II.3
Skill and Ability Domains in Science
3. Science and Society
3.1 Science Literacy
Courses
(a)
BIOL 230: Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
BIOL 240: Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
CHEM 115:
Gen Chemistry I
(3 + 2 units)
3.3
3.2
Science
Diver- Technolog
sity
y&
Society
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(a)
(a)
(b)
F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68 F-53
F113
F129
to
F131
F113
F129
to
F131
C-1 C-1
C-4 C-4 C-14
C-14 C-14
F113
F129
to
F131
3.4 Safety
(a)
F105
to
F108
(b)
F105
to
F108
(c)
F105
to
F108
(d)
F105
to
F108
(e)
F105
to
F108
(f)
F105
to
F108
F113
C-1
C-4
110
C18b
C-35
C-14 C-14 C-14 C-14 C-14 C-14
CCCCCC14a- 14a- 14a- 14a- 14a- 14am
m
m
m
m
m
ASTR 115:
Introduction to Astronomy
(3 units)
GEOL/METR 310:
Planetary Climate
Change
(3 + 1 units)
F-1
to
F-2
F-31
F-44
F-45
F-45
111
Standard 15: Depth of Study in a Concentration Area
Each candidate for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in Science must complete
a subject matter program that includes Concentration 15A, 15B, 15C, or
15D. Concentration in the identified discipline prepares prospective teachers to teach a
full range of courses authorized by the single subject credential authorization. Depth
within a discipline is essential for teaching advanced and specialized courses.
Standard 15D: Depth of Study in Physics
The Concentration in Physics includes a depth of study of physics significantly greater
than that required for a general understanding of science as described in Standard 14.
The depth of study in Concentration 15D should provide conceptual foundations in
physics and should provide conceptual foundations distributed across the discipline of
physics. Integral to the concentration are conceptual foundations that include motion and
forces, conservation of energy and momentum, heat and thermodynamics, waves,
electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics and the standard model of particles.
Concentration 15D include in-depth study and laboratory experiences in physics,
achievement of an appropriate level of understanding in mathematics and use of methods
employed by scientists in the generation of scientific knowledge. Candidates for the
Science Credential with a Concentration in Physics will be able to teach a wide variety of
physics courses in their teaching assignments. The program is aligned with the
Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade
Twelve (1998).
The extended (depth) program of study in physics (Table 15D below)
totals 30 semester units of required physics courses, 10 units of electives in
physics or related science and mathematics, and 12 units of calculus
prerequisites. The required physics curriculum comprises three semesters of
general physics with calculus, all including laboratory components; a semester of
modern physics with laboratory; a semester each of analytical mechanics,
electricity and magnetism, and thermodynamics; an introduction to theoretical
physics (PHYS 385); and an advanced laboratory course experience (Phys 490).
(For course descriptions, see Appendix E, p. 0a.) The junior- and senior-level
courses enhance the basic knowledge taught in the first three semesters of
general physics. The advanced laboratory course enables prospective teachers
to be innovative in their own teaching labs.
This program provides a secondary school teacher with discipline
knowledge, lab experience, and insight and understanding into physical theory
and processes that go well beyond that encountered in a traditional or AP high
school physics course. A teacher with this background will be well prepared to
teach physics at the high school level and make instructional contributions to a
physics curriculum.
112
Table 15D: Extended (Depth) Program of Study in Physics
Course
PHYS
2201,
Course Title
222
PHYS 2302, 232
PHYS 2403, 242
PHYS 320, 321
PHYS 330
PHYS 360
PHYS 370
PHYS 3854
PHYS 490
Semester Units
General Physics with Calculus I,
General Physics with Calculus I Lab
General Physics with Calculus II,
General Physics with Calculus II Lab
General Physics with Calculus III,
General Physics with Calculus III Lab
Modern Physics I, Modern Physics
Lab
Analytical Mechanics
Electricity and Magnetism
Thermodynamics
Introduction to Theoretical Physics
Physics Project Laboratory
Total physics required course units:
Electives in physics or related science and mathematics5:
Mathematics prerequisite units:
Total physics depth program units:
3, 1
3, 1
3, 1
3, 1
3
3
3
3
2
____
30
10
12
____
52
(Footnotes: see next page)
Footnotes to Table 15D:
4.
5.
6.
4.
5.
PHYS 220 has MATH 226 (Calculus I; 4 units) as a prerequisite.
PHYS 230 has MATH 227 (Calculus II; 4 units) as a prerequisite.
PHYS 240 has MATH 228 (Calculus III; 4 units) as a prerequisite.
MATH 374 (Advanced Calculus) may substitute for PHYS 385
Must be 300 level or above; PHYS 325 (Modern Physics II) recommended
Required Elements:
15D.1
Tables 15D.1-3, and 15D.4-6 on the following pages summarize how
the extended (depth) program in physics addresses the required elements of
physics knowledge and competence.
113
Each entry in the tables is a reference to page(s) in an appendix. The
references have the general form: “Letter-page#”. For example, “E-33” refers to
page 33 in Appendix E.
Semester unit values for each course listed in the left-hand column of
each table have the general form: “(# lecture + #lab units)”.
Not all of the required elements that are addressed by each listed course
are necessarily referenced, nor are all courses in the program that address at
least some required elements necessarily listed. However, for each required
element, one or more courses that we judge to be minimally sufficient to address
that required element are listed.
114
Physics Subject-Matter Requirements
Subject-Matter Domains
Table
15D.1-3
Physics
Courses
PHYS 220, 222:
Gen Phys I
w/Calc & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
1. Motion and Forces
2. Conservation of
Energy and
Momentum
3. Heat and
Thermodynamics
1.1
2.1
3.1
(c
(d) (e) (f) (g) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)
)
E-2
E33
E-2
E-4
E-2
E- E-2 EEE-2
E-2 EE-2
E-2 E-2 E- E-2 E-2 34 E- 33
2
E-4
33
34
E- 34 E35
34
E48
(a) (b)
PHYS 230, 232:
Gen Phys II
w/Calc & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
E13
E38
E39
PHYS 240 + 242
Gen Phys III
w/Calc & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
115
E13
E38
E13
E38
E13
E39
E13
E38
E39
116
Physics Subject-Matter Requirements
Subject-Matter Domains
Table
15D.4-6
Physics
Courses
PHYS 220, 222:
Gen Phys I
w/Calc & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
6.
4.
Qntm.
5. Electric and
Wave
Mech..
Magnetic Phenomena
s
& Std.
Model
4.1
6.1
(a) (b) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (a) (b)
E-6
E-6
EEE-6
E-6 40 E-6
E-6 47
E-9
EE42
49
PHYS 230, 232:
Gen Phys II
w/Calc & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
PHYS 240, 242:
Gen Phys III
w/Calc & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
5.1
E12
EE- 13
12 E47
E49
E12
E43
E44
117
PHYS 320, 321:
Mod Phys & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
E21
118
15D.2
Tables II.1.1-1.3, II.1.4-1.5, II.2, and II.3, which appear under Required
Element 14.2 of Standard 14 in this document, summarize how the program
addresses the required elements of subject matter skills and abilities for the
content domains of science. The courses listed in those tables are all part of the
core (breadth) program that is integral to this physics single subject matter
program.
15D.3
As noted in Table 15D, prerequisites for several physics courses in the
program include MATH 226, MATH 227, and MATH 228 (Calculus I, II, and III,
each 4 semester units), SFSU’s three-semester lower-division calculus
sequence. Also required is an advanced course in mathematical methods in
physics, which may be satisfied with either PHYS 385 (Introduction to Theoretical
Physics) or MATH 374 (Advanced Calculus).
119
Standard 16: Laboratory and Field Experiences
Laboratory and field experiences constitute a significant portion of coursework in a
program that includes open- ended, problem solving experiences. Prospective teachers
have the opportunity to design a variety of laboratory experiments. Data are collected,
analyzed, and processed using statistical analysis and current technology (where
appropriate).
No material for the Standard 16 preamble was presented in the 2005
proposal submission, and none was requested by reviewers.
Required Element 16.1 The program includes required laboratory components in no less
than one-third of its courses.
All of SFSU’s single subject matter programs in science, including the
SSMPP in physics, are strong in laboratory and fieldwork. Below are three
matrices. The first shows the breadth courses required for physics teaching
candidates and the lecture, lab, and field credit hours assigned to each course.
The second matrix shows the required depth courses and credit hours for the
SSMPP in physics. Note that over half of the courses have lab and/or field
components. [Also, see the course list and course syllabi/descriptions in
Appendices PL and PS.]
Breadth Courses Required for candidates
in the SSMPP in Physics at SFSU
Lecture
Units
ASTR 115 or 320
ASTR 116 or 321
BIOL 230
BIOL 240
CHEM 115
GEOL 110
GEOL/METR/OCN 405
3
3
3
3
3
3
Depth Courses Required for candidates
in the SSMPP in Physics
Lecture
Units
PHYS 220
PHYS 222
PHYS 230
PHYS 232
PHYS 240
3
Lab
Units
1 or 2
1
2
2
1
1
Lab
Units
1
3
1
3
120
Field
Units
Field
Units
PHYS 242
PHYS 320
PHYS 321
PHYS 490 or ASTR 490
PHYS 695
SCI 510 or ASTR 405
SCI 652
1
3
1
2
1
3
2
2
Required Element 16.2 The program includes periodic open-ended, problem solving
experiences in its coursework.
All physics and astronomy courses require disciplinary reasoning and problem
solving, much of it open-ended. Good examples include the problem sets
students must analyze and solve for PHYS 220, 230, 240, 320, and 490; and
ASTR 115, 320, and 490 [see syllabi in Appendix PS]. For example, in PHYS
490, students design, conduct, analyze, and present data and conclusions from
their own experiments; in ASTR 320, order-of-magnitude problems--for which
there is no single correct answer or solution method--regularly appear on
homework sets. Both courses thus demand the application of open-ended
problem-solving.
All SSMPP candidates in physics must also take several breath courses
including BIOL 230 and 240, CHEM 115, and GEOL/METR/OCN 405. Required
Element 5.1 described some of the problem-solving laboratories in these courses
[see Appendix 5, pp. 8-44]. For example, in BIOL 240 Lab # 13, Floral Variation:
An Evolutionary Key to Success, students are asked to observe and record
specific features of floral morphology from a number of plant species
(unidentified); hypothesize which are pollinated in an abiotic way and which in a
biotic way; then design the perfect flower shape for a list of known animal
pollinator [see Appendix 5, pp. 8-13]. In Lab # 19, students observe and record
characteristics of species from several arthropod subphyla. Then they create a
case study by choosing a habitat and deciding which arthropod groups would
make appropriate bioindicator species for the ecological health of the site they
picked [see Appendix 5, pp. 16-29]. In Lab # 20, students examine examples
from seven orders of insects; observe and record wing structural adaptations;
create their own dichomotous keys for identifying unknown insects by order;
make additional observations of structural adaptations; then create a case study
that examines pesticide resistance and bio-control issues based on the
adaptations they studied [see Appendix 5, pp. 30-44].
The breadth course CHEM 115 assigns several problem-solving labs
121
exercises with some open-endedness Lab Exercise 13 demonstrates the need
for accurate scientific measurement and precise calculations in determining the
results of practical problems such as distinguishing the density of pennies minted
in specific years, and in determining the identities of metals in a mixed sample
[see Appendix 12, pp. 9-19]. CHEM 115 students also design and evaluate a
laboratory experiment on the copper cycle [see Appendix 12, pp. 31-40].
GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) models for future
science teachers how they can select, organize, and present content to enable
and encourage students themselves to make interconnections among concepts
and thus to reinforce conceptual understanding. At several points during the
semester, students work collaboratively in small groups to assemble hierarchical
concept maps and dynamic system diagrams showing relationships among key
ideas or climate system components, respectively. Late in the course, students
co-lead discussions about articles from the scientific literature that invoke and
apply concepts introduced earlier. Students are then asked to write a paper
synthesizing information from those articles (and others that they must find) to
address several themes that run through much of the course [see syllabus in
Appendix PS]. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to discuss the
pedagogical approach with the co-instructors. The strategy of interweaving and
reinforcing concepts in a variety of ways seems to engage students throughout
the semester, and based on quantitative analysis of a pre- and post-semester
concept map assessment most students demonstrably learn the subject matter
effectively [see http://www.funnel.sfsu/courses/gm310/assessment].
Required Element 16.3 The program requires prospective teachers to organize,
interpret, and communicate observation data collected during laboratory or field
experiences using statistical analysis when appropriate.
Once again, required breadth and depth courses throughout the SSMPP
in physics require students to acquire, organize, interpret, and communicate
observations, including quantitative observations, some of which are subject to
statistical analysis. For instance, one lab assignment for BIOL 240 directs
students to observe the number of fin supports in individuals within populations of
fluffy sculpin fish. They must then organize their data, calculate the variance in
fin counts, analyze their findings statistically, then communicate their conclusions
in a formal lab report [see instructions in Appendix 16, pp.1-10]. In the required
breadth course GEOL/METR/OCN 405, students select monthly average solar
flux, outgoing infrared radiation flux, and surface temperature data from a
database on a computer. They generate color-filled contour plots of it and
describe the temporal and geographic distributions; average the data over
distinct geographic regions at mid-latitudes in the Northern and Southern
Hemispheres for each month of the year, and compare them. They also compute
122
and compare similar averages over the globe and compare the averages of
different months [see Appendix 16, pp. 11-17].
In the required depth course PHYS 222, the very first lab activity,
Laboratory Experiment 1A, directs students to execute and record sets of
measurements, then calculate the mean and standard deviations of the sets.
They analyze and record the findings in their laboratory notebooks [Appendix 16,
pp. 18-30]. In that same course, Lab Exercise 2 on Area, Volume, and Density,
includes an open-ended problem: analyzing and discovering the composition of
an unknown metal cylinder. Students collect and analyze data, and determine
potential error rate using standard deviations [Appendix 16, pp. 31-37]. Such
problem-solving is ubiquitous throughout all physics and astronomy courses.
Required Element 16.4 The program requires prospective teachers to design and
evaluate laboratory experiments and/or fieldwork.
In their required breadth and depth courses, physics students are often
required to design and evaluate lab or field experiments. As discussed above, in
the breadth requirement CHEM 115, students design and evaluate a laboratory
experiment on the copper cycle [see Appendix 12, pp. 31-40].
In the depth course PHYS 490, students demonstrate scientific inquiry and
presentation. Their original projects include observation, measurement, creation
of hypotheses, experimental design and testing of their hypotheses, data
recording, data analysis, and oral and written presentation using modern
multimedia tools and standard scientific writing. Lab B4 on Gamma Ray
Spectroscopy is a good example, including the suggestions for optional, openended experiments shown in Appendix 16, pp. 38-43.
In the required early fieldwork course SCI 652, candidates also design and
present original lab experiments to junior high school and high school students,
evaluate similar experiments designed by other prospective teachers, and
evaluate the work of their students [see Standard 6, Required Element 6.3].
Required Element 16.5 The program involves prospective teachers in research and
collection of data that requires utilization of current technology.
Students in the SSMPP in physics employ current technology for data
collection and analysis as part of laboratory and field research in many of their
courses. Standard 3, Required Element 3.1, lists the many types of technologies
candidates employ in both breadth and depth courses.
For example, in the required breadth course CHEM 115, students use an
Ocean Optics USB2000 diode Array Spectrophotometer to measure the
absorption, percent transmission, relative irradiance, and luminescence from an
unknown sample, as well as the reflection from a material surface.
123
In the required breadth course BIOL 230, students use a
spectrophotometer to collect data on unknown starch and protein solutions, then
plot the absorption data for each unknown.
In the required depth course PHYS 321 (Modern Physics Laboratory),
students use laboratory computers with the Linux operating system; the
KDE/XWin32 Graphical User Interface; the MATLAB Mathematical analysis
program; Daedalon EN-01 Geiger tubes; a Daedalon EN-15 counter/ power unit;
a cobalt-60 gamma-ray source; a strontium-90 beta-ray source; a polonium-210
alpha particle source; a Beck interferometer; and sodium lamps.
In PHYS 490 (Physics Project Laboratory), they use Pasco Geiger-Muller
counters; a gamma-ray detector; a cobalt-60 gamma-ray source; an americium241 alpha particle source; a Tl-204 beta-ray source; a chlorine-37 source; a
Fastie high resolution optical spectrometer; a TracerLab sodium-iodide
scintillation counter; a LynxOO CCD Digital Imaging System; a Teltron X-ray
Diffractometer; MINSQ non-linear least squares fitting software; a NAND gate
(SN74LS00); the Interactive Data Language (IDL) program; a LF 411 chip; the
Global Specialties Protoboard with function generator and power supply;
LabView software; and a Jarrell-Ash Spectrometer.
124
Standard 17: Safety Procedures
The program instructs prospective teachers in proper safety procedures prior to laboratory
and field experiences. This includes instruction in emergency procedures and proper
storage, handling and disposal of chemicals and equipment. The program provides
facilities equipped with necessary safety devices and appropriate storage areas. When the
program provides experiences with live organisms, they are observed, captured, and
cared for both ethically and lawfully.
No Standard 17 preamble material was presented in our 2005 proposal,
and none was requested by reviewers.
Required Element 17.1 The program instructs prospective teachers in proper safety
procedures (safe uses of chemicals, specimens, and specialty equipment) prior to
laboratory and field experiences, and implements current safety guidelines and
regulations.
To satisfy the depth and breadth requirements in physics and other major
sciences, SFSU students planning to teach physics at the secondary level must
take numerous courses that have lab components or are entirely devoted to
laboratory studies. The list includes the following breadth courses that include
labs: ASTR 321 (Observational Astronomy Lab); BIOL 230 (Introduction to
Biology 1) and BIOL 240 (Introduction to Biology II); CHEM 115 (General
Chemistry I); GEOL 110 (Physical Geology) and GEOL/METR/OCN 405
(Planetary Climate Change) [see Preconditions, pp. 2-3; and Appendix PS]. The
list also includes these depth courses with lab sessions: PHYS 222, 232, 242,
321, and (optionally) 490 [see Preconditions, pp. 2-3; and Appendix PS]. In
each of the above-listed courses, students learn laboratory safety either through
written materials in lab manuals and hand-outs, through demonstrations and
verbal instructions by lab instructors, or both. This safety education helps
students learn the importance of safe behavior and techniques in all lab settings
as well as common preparation and emergency procedures.
Laboratory safety is a high priority in all science programs at SFSU, and all
faculty and students teaching for or taking courses from the College of Science
and Engineering (COSE) become familiar with laboratory safety for their main
disciplines and those that are part of breadth programs. This awareness includes
the elements of
• Personal safety (i.e. avoidance of shock hazards or radiation exposures,
and work space cleanliness)
• Laboratory procedures (i.e. handling and operation of instruments and
equipment)
• Proper disposal techniques (for hazardous radioactive materials)
• Emergency procedures (i.e. reporting shocks, excessive radiation
exposures, injuries; operation of safety and emergency equipment; location
125
of exits, etc.)
COSE sponsors a safety website that provides in-depth information. A
detailed handbook for faculty and staff supervisors explains all campus, COSE,
and building emergency contacts; all evacuation procedures; procedures for
sudden illness, accidents, injuries, power outages, floods, earthquakes, and
other issues [see Appendix 17, pp. 1-3]. It also presents a primer on handling
hazardous chemicals, wastes, and biohazards [see Appendix 17, pp. 4-45]; on
the safe use of lasers and radioisotopes [see Appendix 17, pp. 46-49]; and codes
of safe work practices [see Appendix 17, pp. 50-61]. In addition, the COSE
website posts a streamlined version of the manual for laboratory lecturers and
teaching assistants [see Appendix 17, pp. 62-83].
These handbooks inform the training of all faculty and staff, who, in turn,
convey safety information verbally or in written form in lab manuals and web
materials to students in laboratory courses in physics and other sciences.
Instructors for the 100- and 200-level physics laboratory courses are
Graduate Student Assistants (GTAs). These instructors receive training in
safety procedures as part of the GTA trainings that take place at the
beginning of each semester. GTAs also meet weekly with lab
coordinators in preparation for teaching each lab. In these meetings,
coordinators review safety matters so that the GTAs can instruct their students in
proper safety procedures associated with each week’s upcoming lab.
All physics laboratories and lab assignments at SFSU have been
designed with safety in mind. Many present no significant safety concerns. The
minority that do tend to involve the use of high voltages or radioactive
materials. [Required Element 17.3 presents several specific examples.] Lab
manuals specifically state relevant safety concerns and procedures in the context
of individual experiments. Students are required to read the lab manual
before coming to class. The GTAs, who have been trained in safety procedures,
then review these written materials at the start of lab sessions, field questions,
and demonstrate proper approaches when needed.
Radioactive materials are stored in a highly secure facility designed
especially for this purpose. Faculty laboratory coordinators instruct GTAs in the
proper use and storage of these materials.
College of Science and Engineering health and safety specialist Linda Vadura
oversees all safety matters for COSE and insures that hazardous materials are
properly stored and handled [see Appendix 17, p. 1]. Details are provided to all
students, staff and faculty on the College's Safety web page at:
http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~lvadura/COSE_Safety/ This resource includes links to
the university’s radiation safety program [see Appendix 17, p. 2].
126
Required Element 17.2 The program provides facilities that are equipped with
appropriate safety devices.
Laboratory classrooms in SFSU’s College of Science and Engineering are
equipped with plumbed eyewashes, emergency showers, fire extinguishers,
and/or fume hoods, depending on the disciplinary requirements. Campus health
and safety staff and facilities personnel maintain this laboratory safety
equipment. Chapter 3 of the Chemical Hygiene Plan discusses Laboratory
Safety, and Chapter 4 describes lab equipment and work practices that can
minimize the chance for injury.
Required Element 17.3 The program provides instruction in, and demonstrates
emergency procedures and proper storage, handling, and disposal of chemicals,
specimen, and equipment.
Instructors and instructional materials for physics laboratory classes present
significant safety information related to individual lab assignments. All students in
the SSMPP in physics take PHYS 222 (General Physics with Calculus I), 232
(General Physics with Calculus II), 242 (General Physics with Calculus III), and
321 (Modern Physics Laboratory); many also take PHYS 490 (Physics Project
Laboratory).
In physics labs, safety instruction centers mainly on safe handling of
equipment rather than exposure to chemical reagents and/or live specimens.
Students in the SSMPP receive instruction on these additional matters in their
required breadth courses CHEM 115 and BIOL 230 and 240. Verbal and written
safety warnings fall into four major categories: Safety involving mechanical
motion, heat, or light; safety involving high voltage electricity; safety involving
radioactivity; and safety related to maintaining equipment and instrumentation.
Examples of the first category include a warning to keep hair, jewelry, and
loose clothing away from a centripetal force assembly [see Appendix 17, p. 84;
A warning to avoid burns from hot rods in the thermal expansion of solids
experiment [see Appendix 17, pp. 85-86]; directions to avoid staring into a laser
beam [see Appendix 17, p. 87]; and warnings against looking directly into the
exit slit of a monochrometer [see Appendix 17, p. 88].
Examples of the second category (involving high voltage electricity) include
a general discussion of the dangers inherent in using high voltages in
experiments [see Appendix 17, p. 89]; directions for working safely with circuits
[see Appendix 17, p. 90]; and emergency procedures in the event of an electrical
discharge from an electrometer [see Appendix 17, pp. 91-92].
127
Examples of the third category (involving radioactivity) include a safety
warning about ultraviolet radiation from a mercury lamp used to test diffraction
[see Appendix 17, p. 93]; and more information on radioactive decay, exposures,
tolerances, and protection [see Appendix 17, pp. 94-98].
Examples of the fourth category (equipment maintenance) include
precautions to avoid nicks and burrs on Pasco rotational dynamics disks;
precautions to avoid burning out the light in a Stefan-Boltzman lamp [see
Appendix 17, p. 99]; a warning about fire an injury danger while using a digital
multimeter; and instructions to avoid touching the surface of a Geiger-Muller
detector [see Appendix 17, p. 100].
Lab instructors also demonstrate and discuss these and other safety
warnings in class. Through reading the above-cited references and direct
instruction, SSMPP candidates in physics become well-versed in laboratory
safety.
Finally, significant additional instruction in safety procedures is provided as
a part of the breadth course CHEM 115. The lab manual for this course includes
an extensive discussion of lab safety in the introduction [see Appendix 17, pp.
101-112] that:
--defines chemical, physical, personal, and environmental hazards.
--presents 12 classifications of chemical hazards, including flammable
gases and liquids, corrosive acids and bases, and poisons type A and B.
--presents chemical hazard codes
--introduces the National Fire Protection Agency Hazard Identification
System.
--gives hazardous waste guidelines. It describes equipment hazards,
including electrical devices and explosive chemical combinations.
--gives an extensive list of safety rules and the reasons for each rule.
--explains the personal safety rules and techniques.
Through their numerous breadth and depth courses, candidates for the SSMPP
in physics become fully aware of laboratory safety issues, adept at maintaining
safety in disciplinary labs, and prepared to instruct and manage K-12 students in
laboratory classes.
128