SCIENCE LITERACY AND
PEDAGOGY
ESTS 333 Syllabus
Professor James M. Lipuma Fall 2007
ESTS 333, “Science Literacy
and Pedagogy,” is a Humanities Capstone course. This course investigates the principles of
scientific literacy for the general public and how it can be achieved. Particular attention is paid to identifying a
personal pedagogy, method of teaching, and how this can be capitalized upon to
assist others to become more scientifically literate and aware. The
course begins with a brief introduction to the obstacles to understanding
science as well as the importance of a scientifically literate citizenry. It delves into different teaching methods
that can be used to identify and overcome obstacles as well as assess
learning. In the end, the course will
allow students to appreciate the importance of science and the importance of
being literate about this as well as being able to teach others. The two texts for this class are: Hazen
R. M. & Trefil, J. Science Matters:
Achieving Scientific Literacy (Anchor Books and Donovan, S. & John Bransford,
J. How Students
Learn: History, Mathematics, and Science in the Classroomby
Attendance will be taken
randomly throughout the semester. A
greater emphasis is placed on participation rather than simple attendance;
however, you cannot participate if you do not attend. Absences and late work are excused only by
prior arrangements with the instructor.
Any late assignment is assessed a 10% reduction of grade per class day
after the due date. Throughout the
semester, there will be homework and paper assignments that each student must
complete in order to receive a grade in the class. There is an in-class presentation and a final
essay that is required for this class.
The papers handed in for
this course are to be college-level research papers. A college-level paper is type written, has
page numbers, contains references to research and includes a reference page at
the end for works quoted or otherwise referenced to in the document. Citations for the research used needs to be
included with the paper and should follow the APA format for citations. This means parenthetical citations within the
text with a reference page at the end of the document. Only works that are actually quoted from or
referenced directly should be cited. Do
not list all works that were read for the creation of the paper. This is not a bibliography but rather a
“Reference Page.” Please remember,
simply lifting text from a dictionary or encyclopedia is something found mainly
in high school. Though it may be
necessary to quote from these types of sources, rarely are they the only works
used for references.
It
should be stressed that the work for this class should be formal research
papers. There should be no contractions, spelling errors, punctuation errors,
or mistakes in grammar. Please be
consistent within the paper with abbreviations and other acronyms. Double-space the paper. Please use Times New Roman 12-point font, as
it is clear and easy-to-read. Your
margins should be a uniform 1-inch on all sides and the paper should minimize
large areas of white space within the text.
If you wish to have assistance with writing, the HSS department has a
writing tutor who can be contacted for assistance with all aspects of the
paper. The lead contact is Dr. Janet
Bodner (Bodner@njit.edu). You may also ask your professor, Dr. James
Lipuma, for further assistance or more detailed information. All assignments handed in for this course
should be original and the sole work of the student. The rules and procedures set down in the
student handbook as administered by the Dean of Students office will be used to
judge plagiarism. DO NOT PLAGIARISE. If you
are unclear about the rules, please see the NJIT student handbook.
Turnitin.com will be used to check for plagiarized
work. All major writing assignments must
be submitted to this page for review.
You will be able to view the report and make revisions for the rough
drafts of your work. You must register
for an account and then log into our class using the class ID and password
provided. http://turnitin.com
{Class ID: 1965776Password: science}.
PORTFOLIOS
Students are
required to submit a portfolio of their work in the class at the end of the
semester. All the work for the class
should be kept in a binder. The binder
is to be submitted at the end of the semester and should contain all work,
including rough drafts, completed in the class along with the completed front
matter that will be handed out electronically.
A Table of Contents should be included that lists all the material
contained in the portfolio along with the grade received (if any) on the
assignment. A copy of the syllabus and
assignments for the class should also be included at the beginning of the
portfolio. All work submitted should be
arranged in an easy to follow manner using separators and tabs. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your
accomplishment in the class and make an argument for the grade you feel you
deserve. The portfolios will be collected at the end of the semester and
reviewed by the department administration to assess the continuity between and
among different sections of the course as well as different courses. Students wishing to have their portfolios
returned should contact the department at the end of the semester to make
arrangements for pick-up of the work once the review has been completed by the
department. Part of your course grade
will be given for completion of the portfolio according to the guidelines given
in the binder. In addition, students
should keep their work in a series of word files in one folder with the
student’s name as its title so that if a problem arises, the electronic
portfolio can be submitted to Dr. Lipuma. It is also helpful if a student
wishes to discuss a course grade with the professor.
SYLLABUS
|
WK |
SUBJECT MATTER |
|
ASSIGNMENT DUE |
|
1 |
Introduction to Scientific Literacy |
WebCT
Handout |
WebCT1-
Intro/Definition |
|
2 |
Obstacles to Scientific Literacy |
WebCT
Handout |
WebCT
2—Definitions 2 |
|
3 |
Learning Styles |
WebCT
Handout |
WebCT
3—Article |
|
4 |
Understanding basic scientific principles |
|
|
|
5 |
Understanding advanced scientific principles |
|
Group
Oral Report |
|
6 |
Understanding technology principles |
|
Group
Oral Report |
|
7 |
Methods of teaching-different pedagogical methods: |
|
Group
Oral Report |
|
8 |
Methods of teaching-Inquiry, problem-based, Hands-on |
WebCT
Handout |
|
|
9 |
Federal Science standards |
WebCT
Handout |
|
|
10 |
State and Local standards |
|
|
|
11 |
Formative and Summative Assessment |
|
|
|
12 |
Lesson Planning |
|
|
|
13 |
Lesson Planning |
|
|
|
14 |
performance indicators & achieving Science Literacy |
|
Pedagogy
Style Essay |
CONTACTING THE PROFESSOR
Office: Culimore—Room 420 Phone:
973-642-4743 http://web.njit.edu/~lipuma
Lipuma@NJIT.edu Fax:
973-642-4689 Office Hours: TR
10-11:30, 4-5
GRADING
WebCT will be used
to handle some homework submissions along with out-of-class communications and
participation. You must register for a
WebCT account and log yourself into this class.
This can be done at Http://webct.njit.edu
with your UCID. These assignments are
part of the class participation grade.
Some class files and assignments will also be posted on WebCT for you to
download. You should write all posts for
WebCT in MS Word or another word processing program before posting and then
paste them into a blank submission page as well as keep the file with all your
posts so that the file can be placed in your journal and portfolio. Do not attach assignments to WebCT or use it
as an email to contact the professor. It
is designed for class interaction. Late
assignments will not count towards participation grades.
WebCT 1—Introduction/Definition Please post
a brief introduction to yourself for others in the class in the introduction
folder. You should provide your background
so others in the class know about your background and what you feel are your
strengths and limitations. Then, in the
definitions folder, define the terms in the title of the course.—Science,
Science Literacy, and Pedagogy. Please
use your own words. You can look at
definitions but I do not want you to just copy and paste or retype what they
have written.
WebCT 2—Definitions 2 Define the following terms: Pseudo-science, misconceptions
and preconceptions. You may use outside
sources but you must use your own idea of what these words mean. If you use a source, please indicate it
properly in the APA style.
WebCT 3—Article Each student should find and summarize an article
about different learning and/or teaching styles. The final summary will be submitted as an MS
word document attached to an email to Dr. Lipuma’s e-mail:Lipuma@NJIT.edu
Throughout
the course, you must maintain a written journal that keeps your thoughts about Science
issues, teaching Science, class topics and your opinions of what happens in
class. You will find a folder on WebCT that is only accessible to you and the
professor. This is where you should
write your diary entries. You should
also keep a copy of the entries in a Microsoft Word file dated at the start of
each new entry. It is suggested to write
at least one entry each week. It is
important to reflect on the previous week's group or class discussion and how
the lessons covered throughout the semester tie together so that your learning
and understanding are shown in the diary you are keeping. DO
NOT neglect your diary and try to write all of your entries at once
when it is to be reviewed. Journals will
be reviewed and evaluated on your 1) conceptual clarity 2) writing and
expression 3) degree of reflection and depth of discussion. WebCT will keep the
record of when you wrote but in case of problems, the Word file will be a
backup and a way to include the diaries easily in your portfolio.
Initial Entry,
Autobiography— The
first entry in your journal should be a brief history of your academic and
personal life to explain what has brought you to this class. Afterwards, give an evaluation of your own
strengths and weaknesses. In particular
look back over your academic career and give insight into the courses you have
taken and what skills these courses have provided to you with a focus on
different aspects of leadership. How
would you assess yourself as a leader and what skills do you feel you might
need to improve?
Book Report
As part of
the class each student will be asked to write an individual report on a text
related to science teaching and then present a short summary to the class as
part of a group of 2-3 students. The
texts to be summarized will be provided electronically via WebCT. The written summary should briefly cover the
major points of the text, explain the usefulness of what the text presents and
then critique the good and poor aspects of the reading. The oral report will be approximately 20
minutes total for the group. After the
oral report, each member of the group should submit a written report on the
text that was chosen giving a more in-depth summary and review of the book
along with how he or she might use some of the materials presented in the text
in his or her classroom to teach science topics. The final written report should be
approximately 4-6 pages with appropriate quotes and citations in the APA
format. The finished book report should
be submitted to Dr. Lipuma as an MS word file attached to an email sent to Lipuma@NJIT.edu .
Lesson Plans
The major assignment for this
class is the creation of lesson plans and presentation of the lesson to the
class. Each student will be asked to
make at least 2 different lesson plans appropriate for the level of student and
discipline of science he or she is interested in pursuing in the future. The
lesson plans need to demonstrate an understanding of different pedagogical
methods to present science to students of different learning styles. Each student will have 30 minutes to present
at least one of the lesson plans to the class for feedback and assistance with
creating a good method of teaching the specified material. By the end of class the lesson plans along
with any other supporting materials need to be submitted to Dr. Lipuma as MS
word files attached to an email sent to Lipuma@NJIT.edu.
Teaching Style Essoy
Each
student will be required to submit a final written essay that explains his or
her style of teaching and how this relates to the styles of teaching and
learning covered in the class. The essay
should begin with a description of the level and type of class the student
expects to teach. Next, his or her
strengths and limitations should be presented.
Then a discussion of the needs to student sand the view of the role of
science in the classroom and more generally in society should be
presented. Finally, other comments on
the idea of what makes a good pedagogy for science should be given as part of
the conclusion. The paper should be
approximately 5-7 pages long. It can be longer, if necessary, in order to
accomplish the objective of persuading the reader of your points. The essay should be submitted to Dr. Lipuma
as an MS word File attached to an email sent to Lipuma@NJIT.edu
End of Semester Reflection:
The end of semester assignment asks you to reflect on what you have
done in the class. It will ask you to
explain the sources and information you used to build and document your work in
the class. You will also explain how you
thought critically about the work and revised it throughout the semester to
arrive at the final semester essay. This will be in the front of your final portfolio
along with an argument for the grade you feel you deserve in the course..
Good luck and if there are other
questions, please contact me.