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Section 4.5 Design and Implement Course that Teaches Science in the Context of Contemporary Challenges

  • Motivate students by connecting fundamental science with current societal issues

    • choose issues such as climate change and renewable energy

  • Create a coherent narrative

    • plan so that what students learn in the first week helps in the ninth week and makes them excited to stay on in the course and everything inbetween works like that as well.
    • look at your plans from a lot of different angles before presenting something to the students to see what the repercussions are going to be if you try to teach it in a certain way
    • keep the contemporary challenges on the forefront and only do particular science topics when you can link them to such a challenge

  • Gather and synthesize information from diverse sources

    • assemble and review relevant books, YouTube videos, and Internet resources
    • identify Internet data sources that students can access and use to make sense of the world
    • choose data relevant to the students' location and interests when feasible
    • use websites in class to display aspects of a topic visually
    • access Internet resources to teach yourself as needed

  • Match the level of instruction to students' capabilities

    • become aware of notation and language used in introductory courses
    • clarify goals, maintain focus, and avoid tangents and unnecessary details
    • begin with simpler models to build toward comprehension of more abstract models
    • expect differences in background knowledge and interest in abstract approaches
    • perhaps coach more advanced students to assume roles as facilitator in their small groups

  • Create homework sets that emphasize “thinking like a scientist”

    • keep homework in sync with the topics discussed in class
    • design problems that require more than simply manipulating numbers
    • require students to explain their reasoning
    • choose open-ended aspects of a problem carefully
    • discuss explicitly the intent of putting open-ended problems on the homework such as the importance of developing understanding rather than simply seeking a recipe to solve a problem
    • use homework as a context for developing some of the skills needed for analyzing experimental data
    • create problems that use motivating contexts from everyday life or intriguing situations
    • emphasize that to do well on exams, particularly in getting started on solving a problem on one's own, one needs to develop deep understanding through thinking about the homework problems oneself before and after discussing them thoroughly with others, as well as writing up solutions independently
    • provide model solutions but encourage students not to look for these before working on the problems first themselves

  • Integrate laboratory experiences within the course

    • try out and modify the experiment oneself as needed before using in class
    • include opportunities for students to be thoughtful and creative in this context
    • monitor and assist small groups as needed
    • perhaps introduce roles such as “driver” and “navigator” to be sure that all students have opportunities to handle the equipment
    • clarify the goal, whether testing a hypothesis or just exploring relationships among quantities
    • provide access to the equipment outside of class for those who need extra time
    • be clear about expectations for write-ups
    • wrap-up by discussing findings and their implications with the whole group
    • note difficulties and plan ways to address these in earlier class sessions next time

  • Design intriguing demonstrations

    • use everyday examples of phenomena similar to aspects of the more complex phenomena to be discussed
    • incorporate familiar technology such as cell phones if feasible
    • include students as participants when possible

  • Foster student engagement during class sessions

    • welcome student questions
    • become aware of and begin using interactive engagement strategies
    • pose issues that interest students
    • plan explicitly for one or more small group activities in every class session
    • make clear connections between activity and contemporary challenge

  • Communicate clear guidelines for a term paper assignment

    • discuss expectations in class, welcome questions during office hours, provide written directions
    • explain goal of presenting multiple perspectives explicating both the science and issues related to the world
    • encourage students to seek feedback on topic before investing a lot of time
    • provide details of requirements for graphs, diagrams, and explanations
    • value a student's thoughtful writing (even if math mistakes affect conclusions)

  • Seek student feedback in multiple ways

    • encourage students to come to office hours
    • listen to small groups during in-class activities and encourage questions
    • encourage student questions in class

  • Use technology to enhance instruction

    • use a tablet and screen capture to provide videos of class sessions
    • utilize Internet resources in class sessions
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