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

Framework

Objectives

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; and,

• 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; and,

• 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.

Outcomes

Coursework is designed to engage teachers in an active and social process of inquiry. Program experiences encourage teachers to engage in a variety of cognitive activities.

Wonder: When teachers of science wonder, they apply the idea that science is a way of thinking — not doing — thereby furthering their understanding of science content and classroom science teaching.
Explore: Through exploration, teachers of science gain greater awareness of the nature of science, including epistemological questions that distinguish science from other disciplines; the process of scientific inquiry; and, the scientific enterprise and its implications for science teaching.
Question: By formulating testable questions, teachers of science achieve deeper understanding of essential scientific content relevant to the K-9 curriculum, with an emphasis on physics as the most fundamental science around which all scientific content is organized.
Investigate: Investigations by teachers of science lead them to understand the ways in which students learn science, and the implications these have for science teaching and learning.

Reflect: Through careful and thoughtful analysis, teachers demonstrate increased confidence and competence in the use of methodologies and techniques that reflect current understanding of exemplary science teaching practices.
Share: When teachers of science share, they demonstrate competency in effectively using the range of resources, including technology and informal sites, that are available to support science teaching and learning and extend it beyond the classroom walls.
Act: Acting on the outcomes that result from this process of scientific wondering enables teachers to assume roles of leadership and advocacy for the improvement of science education practices in their schools, districts, and communities.
Wonder: This action naturally inspires further wonder as teachers recognize that professional development in science is a lifelong process shaped by diverse, continuous, and extended experiences and opportunities.