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"The worst thing that has happened to science education is that the great fun has gone out of it.Very few see science as the high adventure it really is, the wildest of all explorations ever undertaken by human beings, the chance to catch close views of things never seen before, the shrewdest maneuver for discovering how the world works....Every important scientific advance that has come in looking like an answer has turned, sooner or later – usually sooner – into a question. And the game is just beginning."
      — Lewis Thomas, biologist
            Late Night Thought on Listening to Mahler’s Ninth Symphony

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Lewis Thomas’ luminous description of the nature of science is foundational to the conceptual framework on which the Science Education concentration within the Curriculum and Instruction program is based.

Grounded in the spirit of the National Science Education Standards and the NSTA, the Science Education concentration recognizes that multiple vantage points contribute valuable images through which teachers and students construct deep understanding of the world around us. As they progress through the program, teachers experience these vantage points in a variety of ways and, through these unique opportunities, gain personally meaningful and professionally significant insights into the essential qualities that distinguish science education.

• As they experience the content of science, teachers realize that science content is constantly increasing and changing and that a teacher's understanding in science must keep pace.
• As they experience the nature of science, they realize that teachers who are enthusiastic, interested, and speak of the power and beauty of science naturally instill in their students some of those same attitudes.
• As they experience the teaching and learning of science, they perceive the relationship between the nature of science and science teaching as a process of inquiry into authentic questions as a central strategy for teaching science.
• As they experience the relationship between science and society, they come to value the personal fulfillment, excitement, and habits of mind that come from an understanding of science and scientific ways of thinking as part of the scientific literacy imperative.

The Science Education concentration is designed for certified teachers and other educators who are seeking:

• further enrichment, expertise, and confidence in their science content understanding
• new learning experiences to fuel their enthusiasm and passion for science and science teaching
  
• unique opportunities to experiment with, refine, and reflect upon new methodologies and practices to engage children in learning science

The Science Education concentration is ideal for teachers and other educators interested in:

• enhancing their science teaching and learning skills;
• strengthening their knowledge of scientific content;
• deepening their understanding of science as a discipline of inquiry,
• expanding their palette of valuable resources,
• preparing for leadership positions in the field of science education; and,
• realizing their professional vision of exemplary practice.

The Science Education concentration includes:

• study to update the participant's content background in physical, biological, and earth and space sciences
• study that closely integrates the content with critical themes of curriculum, cognition, and instruction, as well as contemporary issues in science education reform
  
• coursework appropriate for teachers interested in obtaining the State of Illinois Middle Level Science endorsement

The Science Education concentration provides teachers and other educators the time and opportunity to describe their own views about teaching and learning; to conduct research on their own teaching; and to compare, contrast, and revise these views; and in so doing, to understand the nature of exemplary science teaching. Please see the Curriculum & Instruction homepage for a description of these options and their corresponding requirements.