PHYSICS 310 - READINGS FOR TEACHING HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
Spring Semester 2022
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Catalog Description:
| READINGS FOR TEACHING HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS | 3 s.h. | Spring |
10 hrs in PHY.
Essential readings and background experiences for teaching high school physics that center around developing science literacy in studentsInstructor:
Dr. Carl J. Wenning, Physics Teaching Specialist (semi-retired)
ISU Physics Teacher Education Program (Director 1994-2008)
Office Hours: Online by appointment using Zoom
Office Location: N/A
Office Phone: N/A
Mobile Phone: (309) 830-4085 (cell)
Preferred e-mail address: carlwenning@gmail.com (Please avoid using cjwennin@ilstu.edu because I check it infrequently.)Meeting Days/Times/Location:
Starting on January 11, 2022, the class will meet online using Zoom every Tuesday and Thursday, from 5:30 PM to 6:45 PM. Reading quizzes begin online (over ReggieNet) 24 hours prior to class and must be completed by classtime. There is a strict 15-minute time limit. Please start your quiz no later than 5:15 PM so you don't run out of time. Make-up quizzes are not available.
COVID-19 Adjustments:
With the current COVID-19 pandemic, the first two weeks of this course will be held online using Zoom. The Zoom address is as follows and it will be used as necessary otherwise: https://illinoisstate.zoom.us/j/92375064473
Methodology:
This course will have a learning environment that is student centered, knowledge centered, assessment centered, and community centered. This course will be student centered to the extent that the teacher builds on knowledge students bring to the learning situations. This course will be knowledge centered to the extent that the teacher helps students develop an organized understanding of important concepts in the physics teaching discipline. This course will be assessment centered to the extent that the teacher makes students' thinking visible so that ideas can be presented and verified. This course will be community centered to the extent that the teacher establishes classroom norms that learning with understanding is valued and students feel free to explore what they do not understand.
Emphasis will be placed on an Assessment-for-Learning Policy. That is, assessments of student performance will be used not only to assign grades, but to improve student performance. Unsatisfactory work will be returned to the student for improvement. A student's scores can be improved following appropriate revision and resubmission of unsatisfactory course projects, so long as all conditions and deadlines are met. Note: The Assessment-as-Learning policy does not apply to examinations and reading quizzes. Consistent with the Assessment-as-Learning Policy, students are encouraged to write drafts of essays or other projects, submit them for review by the course instructor, and make revisions based upon the instructor's written comments. Please keep in mind the that very best papers/projects in this course typically have been produced by students who submit their papers/projects for review 2 to 3 times before submitting the final copy. Electronic attachments are the preferred form of submission.
This is a "readings heavy" course; students must keep up with reading requirements; don't procrastinate; read ahead. Read for retention. Highlighting or taking notes is strongly encouraged.
Course Goals:
This course provides essential background for teaching high school physics that centers around developing science literacy in students. It does so by developing critical thinking and teaching skills among teacher candidates. This course will provide students with philosophical and pedagogical background in the teaching of physics. The course is built around both pedagogical knowledge - a knowledge of generic teaching practices - and pedagogical content knowledge - a knowledge of how to actually teach the content of physics. Physics content knowledge per se is assumed. There are four major themes:
- inquiry-oriented instruction (Levels of Inquiry, intellectual skills, and processes of science)
- student interactions (cooperative learning & classroom conversations)
- instructional planning (curriculum, unit, and lesson planning)
- assessment & evaluation (testing and grades)
This course is based on the belief that teachers must act on grounded principles, and not arbitrarily. What teachers do as they present their lessons should be rooted deeply in their attitudes about issues that concern them, their students, the scientific profession, and society -- balancing declarative knowledge with procedural knowledge, balancing expository teaching with inquiry learning, balancing depth of coverage with breadth of content, emphasizing learning over teaching, and knowing what values and knowledge are worth learning in light of national and state standards, and the needs of the student and society. The goals of imparting such attitudes are to improve the educational process, enhance the achievement of the learner, produce better and more productive citizens, and improve society. The aim is to prepare all students for life in a democratic society. This course provides essential background for PHY 311 -Teaching High School Physics.
Student Performance Assessments: (Note: Points associated with any scoring process will be normalized so that percentages associated with course grades are strictly observed. All submissions must be made electronically - sent as e-mail attachments to the course instructor at carlwenning@gmail.com.)
310A: Position Papers (20% of course grade)
Students must write two essays during the semester dealing with the following topics: (1) Personal Teaching Philosophy and (2) Physics Teaching Rationale. Written work will be evaluated with reference to an official essay scoring rubric. Each essay is worth 10% of the course grade.
310B: Nature of Science Cumulative Performance Assessment (20% of course grade)
Students must complete a Nature of Science cumulative performance assessment that consists of two parts: (1) Scientific Epistemology Essay, (2) Nature of Science Book Review. An official essay scoring rubric will be referenced when assessing whether the student has demonstrated the required competencies. Each activity is worth 10% of the course grade.
310C: Science Literacy Essay (10% of course grade)
Student must write a Science Literacy Essay. The essay will be scored with reference to an official essay scoring rubric.
310D: NOSLiT and ScInqLiT Self-Assessments (5% of course grade)
Students will complete two independent standardized tests: (1) NOSLiT (Nature of Science Literacy Test) and (2) ScInqLit (Scientific Inquiry Literacy Test). They will then score tests and self-assess using guidelines. Each test with self-assessment is worth 2.5% of the course grade.
310E: Student Performance Objectives (5% of course grade)
Students must write twelve Student Performance Objectives based on Bloom's Taxonomy that can be used as the basis for student assessment in a single subject-matter area (typically from one or two sequential chapters in a physics textbook). Two objectives must be written for each of the six domains of Bloom's Taxonomy. Successfully prepared objectives will be written and assessed with reference to specific guidelines.
310F: Simple Assessment and Complex Assessment with Rubric Tasks (10% of course grade)
Students will create both simple assessment (with answer key) and complex assessment (with detailed rubric). Students should start simple assessment with their approved student performance objectives (see above) and add more as appropriate. Guidelines are as follows: (1) Simple Assessment Task and (2) Complex Assessment with Rubric Task. Each task is worth 5% of the course grade. Assistance with Equation Editor is available.
310G: Curriculum Development and Mapping Project (10% of course grade)
Students will employ a curriculum development process to create a one-semester-long course syllabus that aligns curriculum goals with Illinois Learning Standards, subject matter, activities, resources, and assessments; demonstrates an understanding of the depth of coverage vs. breadth of coverage argument; and incorporates community resources to enhance scientific literacy. Definitive performance criteria are available in the form of a scoring rubric.
310H: Reading Quizzes (15% of course grade)
Students will complete a quiz for reading assignments at the start of each class. These will be short essay responses with the intent of having the student provide evidence that the current reading(s) has been read with comprehension.
310I: Discussion Leadership (2.5% of course grade)
Students will lead discussions for a variety of topics using specific guidelines. Performance will be peer/instructor scored using an interactive discussion leadership scoring rubric. The discussion leader will be selected and announced immediately before the start of the discussion; every student should come to every class prepared to lead a discussion of assigned readings. Each student will lead the same number of discussions.
310J: PowerPoint Presentations (2.5% of course grade)
Students will make presentations using PowerPoint for a variety of topics. Performance will be peer/instructor scored using a standardized scoring rubric. Topics and presentations leaders will be announced in advance. Students will work in teams. Assistance with PowerPoint is available. View this PowerPoint Tutorial video (23 minutes) and PowerPoint Presentation Tips.
310K: Class Attendance & Participation (up to 10% demerit)
The instructor reserves the right to penalize students for failure to attend and participate in classes. All students are expected to attend every class and be fully engaged. Students are permitted up to two unexcused absences. Students will be evaluated on the degree of their participation in class discussions and other group activities. Class participation will be assessed with reference to an official Participation Rubric.
Evaluation:
The final course grade will be determined on the basis of a composite score according to the following schedule: (These numbers might seem a bit high, but fully complete tasks score 100% which naturally inflates the average.)
| A > 94% | 86% < B < 94% | 76% < C < 86% | 66% < D < 76% | F < 66% |
Required Texts and Readings:
Readings will come primarily from TEACHING HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS (Carl J. Wenning & Rebecca E. Vieyra, AIP Publishing, Melville, New York, 2020). ISU students, faculty, staff, & retirees as well as alumni and Friends of Milner Library have free online access to these references. The volumes are as follows:
ORDER COPIES: Black & white copies (color covers) are available to ISU students, faculty, and staff via print-on-demand for $30 per volume or $90 plus tax and shipping. Follow the blue MyBook links found on the above pages to order copies. Look for discounts. Print-on-demand delivery time is about one week. |
Course Outline:
| Dates (T/R) |
Topics | Assignments |
Tuesday Jan. 11 |
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Thursday Jan. 13 |
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Tuesday Jan. 18 |
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| Thursday Jan. 20 |
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Tuesday Jan. 25 |
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Thursday Jan. 27 |
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Tuesday Feb. 1 |
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| Thursday, Feb. 3 |
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Tuesday Feb. 8 |
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Thursday Feb. 10 |
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Tuesday Feb. 15 |
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| Thursday Feb. 17 |
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Tuesday Feb. 22 |
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Thursday Feb. 24 |
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Tuesday Mar. 1 |
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| Thursday Mar. 3 |
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| Mar. 8+10 | Spring Break | |
Tuesday Mar. 15 |
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Thursday Mar. 17 |
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Tuesday Mar. 22 |
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Thursday Mar. 24 |
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Tuesday Mar. 29 |
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Thursday Mar. 31 |
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Tuesday Apr. 5 |
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Thursday Apr. 7 |
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Tuesday Apr. 12 |
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Thursday Apr. 14 |
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Tuesday Apr. 19 |
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Thursday Apr. 21 |
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Tuesday Apr. 26 |
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Thursday Apr. 28 |
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Finals Week |
No Final Exam | |
POLICIES:
Academic Integrity: Students are expected to be honest in all academic work. A student's name on any in academic exercise shall be regarded as assurance that the work is the result of the student's own thought and study. Offenses involving academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to the following: cheating, computer dishonesty, plagiarism, grade falsification, and collusion. For more information about this important topic, visit the Student Dispute Resolution Web site.
Penalty for Late Submissions: There WILL be a penalty for late submission of course work -- 20% of rubric-based score for each day (Saturdays and Sundays included) following the electronic submission deadline. Submissions more than 5 days late will be of no value whatsoever. Submissions of DUE projects MUST be made sending e-mail attachment to carlwenning@gmail.com. Hard copy submissions of DUE projects are NOT acceptable.
Discussions: A student discussion leader will be "randomly selected" and announced immediately before a scheduled class discussion; every student should come to class prepared to lead a discussion of assigned readings if their name is chosen. All students will be called upon to lead the same number of discussions during a given semester. If the first student identified as a discussion leader cannot or will not lead the discussion, that student will score a zero and another student will be selected to lead the discussion. All discussions will be time limited.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Disposition Concerns: The College of Education, in an effort to ensure top quality graduates, provides faculty members and interested others with the opportunity to provide input into the teacher preparation process. One of these inputs is in the area of disposition concerns. Education faculty, in particular, are encouraged to bring to attention of CECP any significant problems associated with the following major areas. If three or more filed dispositions concerns have not been resolved, the teacher candidate will be blocked from advancing in Professional Studies.
- Collaboration Issues: The ability to work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort.
- Honesty/Integrity: The ability to demonstrate truthfulness to oneself and to others; demonstrate moral excellence and trustworthiness.
- Respect: The ability to honor, value, and demonstrate consideration and regard for oneself and others.
- Reverence for Learning: Respect and seriousness of intent to acquire knowledge.
- Emotional Maturity: The ability to adjust one's emotional state to suitable level of intensity in order to remain engaged with one's surroundings.
- Reflection: The ability to review, analyze, and evaluate the success of past decisions in an effort to make better decisions in the future.
- Flexibility: The willingness to accept and adapt to change.
- Responsibility: The ability to act independently, demonstrating accountability, reliability and sound judgment.
Caution: Keep in mind as you progress toward student teaching that as a student teacher your students will have an interest in finding out about you. This will lead them to Internet searches. Don't put anything on a web page, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc., that you wouldn't want students, parents, teachers or administrators to see.