The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, in collaboration with the WGBH Educational Foundation, welcomes you to Investigating Science Classrooms. This 14-week online course is designed for the professional development of teachers in science. Based on the Science K-6: Investigating Classrooms video series (developed by WGBH and funded by the National Science Foundation) and the Case Studies Series and the Private Universe Series (developed by the Media Group of the Harvard Smithsonian Institution for Astrophysics and funded by Annenburg Foundation), the course aims to foster meaningful discussions about the nature and practice of middle school science education. This course will help you as a practicing middle school teacher to identify elements of inquiry and implement them in your science classrooms.

Throughout the semester, you will look at video clips of real-life classrooms, student interviews focusing on conceptual understanding, and case studies of teachers trying to make changes in their teaching and you will reflect on the teaching strategies you see. Online discussion and course readings will spur further conversations around topics such as questioning, conceptual change, group work, materials management, and classroom culture.

You will explore the topic of inquiry-based science instruction by focusing on student learning, meaning making, conceptual change, and assessment. You will have the opportunity to conduct several scientific investigations, in order to experience the inquiry process firsthand. The entire class will collaborate on a simple investigation into the rusting of nails. Also, you will conduct your own individual classroom study addressing a topic of your choice. This study will include making hypotheses, observing your own classrooms for evidence, analyzing data, and finally presenting your results to your peers.

Instructors

Kathleen Davis, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Science Education
Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
http://people.umass.edu/kdavis/
kdavis@educ.umass.edu

Richard Konicek, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Science Education
Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
konmor@comcast.net

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