SEC/540 - Science Content and Curricular Knowledge

Course Description

This course is designed to prepare teacher candidates to teach science at the secondary school level. To meet this objective, candidates explore the instructional methods in science content areas in middle level and high school settings. Candidates identify the educational needs of secondary students by exploring current instructional theory; national, state, and local standards; and social issues that affect the science classroom. The course also helps candidates develop skills in selecting and adapting instruction and management plans for all student populations.

This course is not available for enrollment to residents of Arkansas, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

This graduate course is 6 weeks.

This course has a prerequisite. Please see details in the Prerequisite section below.

PLEASE NOTE:
Attendance and participation are mandatory in all university courses, and specific requirements may differ by course. If attendance requirements are not met, a student may be removed from the course. Please review the Course Attendance Policy in the Catalog for more information.

Additionally, this course has a prescriptive guided clinical experience which requires students to meet with a classroom teacher at their placement site, implement assessments, and teach a lesson to a small or whole group of students. 

Course Objectives

Week 1

• Connect the science education framework to best practices in the classroom.

• Examine state and national secondary science education standards.

• Explain the importance of teaching science in a secondary setting.

Week 2

• Analyze innovative instructional strategies and materials for teaching science to adolescents.

• Identify instructional strategies for incorporating real-world problem solving that uses scientific reasoning.

• Connect chosen instructional strategies to underlying instructional theory and research.

• Describe instructional activities that illustrate science concepts and principles, scientific investigation, and experimentation.

Week 3

• Explain how teachers can develop an in-depth understanding of their students and how this awareness contributes to increased student engagement and academic success.

• Examine how family and personal experiences shape teaching and learning biases in the science classroom.

• Explore strategies to utilize school, district, and community resources in the science classroom.

• Identify strategies for effective parent-teacher-student communication.

Week 4

• Analyze various strategies for assessing objectives in science.

• Analyze assessment data to determine current levels of student understanding and next steps for students.

• Create a formative and summative assessment to achieve student science outcomes.

Week 5

• Determine media and digital tools and resources that align with content standards and promote active learning and critical thinking.

• Evaluate strategies for integrating technology and media into English and language arts curriculum and assessment.

• Investigate written, oral, visual, digital, and multicultural literacy in a 21st-century language arts classroom.

• Examine strategies for teaching skills in research, speaking, and listening.

Week 6

• Determine strategies for using self-reflection to stay current and improve instructional practice.

• Examine the impact of family and personal experiences on teaching and learning in an English language arts classroom.

• Describe the importance of collaborating with parents, students, staff, and community to promote student learning.

• Compare professional resources and organizations for English and language arts educators.

Notes

Disclaimers

The University of Phoenix reserves the right to modify courses.

Although our continuing education for teacher’s courses are accepted by some state agencies in the United States toward teacher certifications and endorsements, this may not be the case in all states or foreign jurisdictions. If you plan to use courses for certification or endorsement, please check with your own state agency and your school district for applicability. Continuing education for teachers’ courses is not eligible to apply to degree programs at University of Phoenix. These courses are not eligible for federal financial aid.

Transferability of credit is at the discretion of the receiving institution. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm whether credits earned at University of Phoenix will be accepted by another institution of the student’s choice.

While widely available, not all programs are available in all locations or in both online and on-campus formats. More information about eligibility requirements, policies, and procedures can be found in the catalog or please check with a University Enrollment Representative.