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Course Description: Strengthening Your Mathematical and Scientific Thinking

Teachers need to understand the processes of mathematical and scientific thinking and be trained to think like mathematicians and scientists. This course will provide hands-on experiences in collecting data through systematic investigations, analyzing/interpreting data, and forming hypotheses, which - in turn - lead to new questions.

This course focuses on conceptual learning, interactive math and science lessons, and innovative 3D simulations provided by Adaptive Curriculum. The course will explore (a) the nature of mathematical and scientific thinking, (b) the importance of math, science and technology in society, (c) strategies needed for rigorous inquiry and problem solving, (d) strategies for representing data visually, (e) the importance of clearly communicating scientific and mathematical discoveries, and (f) pedagogies for enhancing mathematical and scientific thinking in elementary and secondary students.

Student Learning Outcomes

An important goal of this course is for students to be empowered by technologies and understanding of mathematical and scientific thinking to enhance instruction in their classrooms. Students should gain a solid understanding of the many emerging ways technology and math and science concepts can be appropriately used in their classrooms. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an ability to use a wide variety of hardware, software, and Internet-based tools including Adaptive Curriculum Activity Objects that are applicable for mathematics and science within elementary or secondary classrooms.
• Demonstrate an understanding of exploratory learning as facilitated by electronic simulations and electronic manipulatives.
  • Example 1: Light Reflection Puzzles
  • Example 2: Sorting and Identifying Animal Fossils
  • Example 3: Analysis of Fossil Evidence
  • Example 4: Find the Appropriate Graph
• Develop a unit of study facilitated by electronic simulations and electronic manipulatives. Example: Special Numbers
• Demonstrate an understanding of national and state Math and Science Standards and their alignment to units of study. Example: Problem Solving Involving Ratio and Proportion
• Develop (through the integration of the class readings, class discussions, personal use of technologies, and personal philosophy of education) a theoretically informed argument for embedding mathematical and scientific thinking strategies across the curricula;
• Demonstrate the ability to synthesize relevant information regarding the use of technology and mathematical and scientific thinking in elementary or secondary education. Example: Identifying pH of Substances
  
• Demonstrate an ability to collect, evaluate, synthesize, and share real-world data relevant to curricula in elementary or secondary education. Example: Physical and Chemical Changes
• Demonstrate an ability to solve problems, evaluate the efficacy of possible solutions, and discuss strategies and processes needed for effective problem solving;
• Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of and ability to use local and global news relevant to mathematical and scientific thinking in elementary or secondary education;
  
• Demonstrate an ability to use a variety of pedagogical strategies to enhance mathematical and scientific thinking in elementary or secondary students;
• Demonstrate improved efficacy of teaching mathematics and science;
• Demonstrate improved content area knowledge in math and science
  
• Deal effectively with the frustrations that are inherent in using technologies.
  

Required Texts

• Online Readings
  Choose two articles to read each week of online classes.
• One textbook to be chosen by each student during the first class meeting
  
• A Flash drive to store files
  
• Notebook for recording notes during demonstrations and exploration

Required Materials

• Adaptive Curriculum (Provided free to each participant during the course).

Course Format

Class Policies

Attendance and Participation: Since this class is highly participatory, attendance and a high level of participation are mandatory. Students are responsible for attending all face-to-face classes and for participating in all online classes.

Late Arrival to Class: Classes are carefully planned to maximize learning. Late arrivals disrupt class and reduce learning.

Cell Phones and Pagers: Please turn OFF all cell phones and pagers during face-to-face classes.

Collaborative vs. Cheating: Cooperative or collaborative learning is encouraged! However, there is a fine line between collaboration and cheating. Turning in the work of another person is considered cheating and offenders are subject to disciplinary action.

Disabilities: If you have a disability, please tell me at the beginning of the semester. I will do all we can to enhance your learning experience.

Course Assignments

1. Readings and Reading Response Sharing (10% of final grade)
   
   You will use any Web 2.0 tools to exchange ideas with your instructors and classmates about your assigned online readings. Choose tools that help you communicate your ideas effectively AND model effective teaching/learning strategies for 21st century students. For example, when sharing your ideas on the readings on how social networking is changing the way people relate to each other, you might create a del.icio.us page rather than write a more traditional essay or Powerpoint presentation. Note: Create one site from which you will link all your reading responses. Send me the URL by Wednesday, October 28, 2009. Example from previous class.
   
   STEM Class # 1 Reading Responses
   
   
2. What's New? (5% of final grade)
   
   Being aware of news that is important to today's learners is one of the professional responsibilities of all teachers. Our class will create and maintain a blog on recent and newsworthy ideas to make science and math relevant every day to your students. Post one news story, your summary, and a strategy for incorporating this story in your classroom to our blog. Example from a previous class. Post to our blog at least once each week throughout the semester.
   
   STEMnews Blog
   
   
3. Wiki Article (10% of final grade)
   
   You and your peers will contribute to and collectively write a wiki article entitled Fostering Mathematical and Scientific Thinking in K-12 Classrooms during the online segment on our class. Your individual efforts will be part of a semester-long project to share our collective understanding and examples of how K-12 teachers can incorporating a variety of electronic simulations in their math and science classrooms. I created created a PBWorks Wiki entitled STEMthink that will be private (only members of our class can contribute) for this assignment.
   
   
4. TeacherTube Video (10% of final grade)
   
   This assignment is designed to create a way to share Mathematical or Scientific Thinking Strategies/Activities with other teachers. The video should feature you and/or your students using an Adaptive Curriculum lesson to enhance mathematical and scientific thinking.
   
   YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS: Take digital still pictures of your students (and yourself, if possible) interacting with Adaptive Curriculum Activity Objects. Record three or more students speaking about their experiences with an Adaptive Curriculum Activity Object.
   
   MY CONTRIBUTION: I will use the pictures and voices of your students to create a 5 minute video that we will submit to YouTube and TeacherTube.
   
   
5. Integrating Activity Objects and Modeled Strategies into K-12 Curriculum (10% of final grade) Revised
   
   You will create a 3- to 4-week math or science unit into which you will integrate 2-3 Adaptive Curriculum Activity Objects. You will also integrate any four or more of the following: real-world data, spreadsheets and graphs, case studies, hands-on problem solving activities, thinking webs (Inspiration, bubbl.us, etc.) Wordle webs, Mad Minutes, blogs, wikis, links to online resources, vocabulary, and puzzles. Face-to-face class time will be available for work on this assignment. See Inspiration Web on Unit Components class participants generated to describe a good unit.
   
6. Mathematical and Scientific Thinking Assignment (15% of final grade)
   
   You will choose one type of puzzle (sudoku, pattern recognition, rubik's cube, mazes, construction puzzles, stick puzzles, disentanglement puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, lock puzzles, folding puzzles, spot the difference puzzles, tangram puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles or logic puzzles) and work on completing this/these puzzles each day of the course. The purpose of this assignment is to think metacognitively about your thinking process while completing one type of puzzle. You will journal this experience each day and share a summary of your personal development as a mathematical and scientific thinker with your classmates.
   
   
7. Assessment Assignment (10% of final grade)
   
   You will conduct a mini-research project to evaluate your students' use of Adaptive Curriculum Lessons. This will include: (1) a short survey that will be posted on the Web, (2) a focus group with your students or a subset of your students. All survey and focus group questions will be provided by your course professors, and all data collected will be synthesized and analyzed by your course professors. Your contribution is to assist with data collection and assure a high rate of participation by your students.
   
   
8. Research Paper: Theoretically Informed Argument for Embedding Adaptive Curriculum Activity Objects/Lessons and Thinking Activities into the Curricula to Enhance Mathematical and Scientific Thinking (15% of final grade)
   
   You will write a synthesis paper that explains specific reasons and ways Activity Objectives can be used to enhance the teaching and learning at the elementary, middle or high school level. You are encouraged to cite class readings, class discussions, personal use of Activity Objects, and personal philosophy of education, among others, in your paper. You will probably wish to focus on key objectives for this class in this paper.
   
   
9. Reflections (10% of final grade)
   
   You will write a 4-5 page Reflection Paper that speaks of your growth in each area of the course, and specifically answers the questions of (1) how Adaptive Curriculum materials facilitated your instruction in math, science, or both; (2) how this course helped develop your personal thinking skills; and (3) how you will incorporate the thinking skills strategies modeled in this course in your classroom.
   
   

Participation (5% of final grade)

See Attendance and Class Policies Above

Course Schedule

Face-to-face classes will be indicated in white, online classes in yellow. All electronic assignments should be submitted on or before their due date.

Evaluation

We use the following grading scale:

• A: 90 - 100 %
• B: 80 - 89 %
• C: 70 - 79 %
• D: 60 - 69 %
• E: 0 - 59 %