 |
Course ListingsVSI TIER 1 COURSESPhysics and Astronomy: SED-5565Year 1 - SummerThis course covers selected topics in physics and astronomy suitable for elementary school teachers. Within this framework, the student will study the physics of motion, forces, momenturm, energy, conservation laws, universal law of gravitation, stars and planets, the solar system, meteorites, asteroids, and comets. Issues in Science Education: EDU-5145NEXT OFFERED: JULY 19-23, LAPDA, MONTPELIERThis course focuses on the development of confidence with inquiry-based teaching and assessment skills and strategies to help K-8 students understand and use the concepts of science and the skills of inquiry appropriate for their grade level. This course is a critical analysis of current research in science education as it relates to classroom practices. Class events and products will be focused on developing knowledge and skills required of elementary/middle school science teachers and teacher leaders including: inquiry, formative assessment, use of current resources, goal setting, implementation and reflection, unit framework development, and use of technology for communication and facilitation of inquiry. Geology and Inorganic Chemistry: SED-5435May 21, 22, July 12-16, July 19 – 23, and one fall 2010 weekendThis course will cover fundamental aspects of inorganic chemistry and geology. Inorganic chemistry course content will include measurement, atoms and molecules, chemical reactions, solutions, gases, bonding, liquids and solids, and environmental applications. Geology course content will include plate tectonics, minerals and rocks, weathering and erosion, geologic time, folds and faults, the effects of water, wind and ice, and earth resources. Educational Assessement in Science Education: EDU-5465Offered again Fall 2011This course will focus on building an understanding of assessment and its relationship to improved student learning. Participants will learn about several key forms of formative assessment including selected response, constructed response, and performance and on-going assessments. Topics of validity and reliability, choosing appropriate assessments for a variety of purposes, creating valid classroom and district assessments, and using assessment data to inform instruction will be examined. Organic Chemistry and Biology: SED-5275Offered Summer 2011Our study of life begins with the basic chemical building blocks of living things (organic chemistry) and their organization into the fundamental building block of life, the cell (cell structure and function). A discussion of major cellular processes (replication, respiration, and gene expression) will provide insight into how cells and organisms function. The analysis will conclude with an investigation of how life forms found have changed over time (evolution). This course addresses Vermont Framework standards 7.12 (Matter, Motion, and Energy) and 7.13 (The Living World.) Application: Action Research: EDU-5925June 4, and one fall 2010 Friday/Saturday. Symposium January 7In this course, teachers will have the opportunity to develop and implement action research in an area(s) of classroom practice, leadership, curriculum design, assessment, or a related topic of their own choice. Support and feedback from VSI staff throughout the semester beyond the course meetings helps teachers implement, reflect upon and then present their findings in a symposium with either a professional poster or power point session. Teacher Leadership: EDU-5520Offered March, April, May 2010This course will focus on building understanding about what it means to be a teacher-leader and the relationship of this role to improved student learning. Participants will learn about the many forms of teacher leaderhsip including mentoring, coaching, performing action research, using data, and observing others in the classroom. Topics related to the knowledge, skills, and dispositions one needs to serve as a teache-leader, as well as the cultures that can help sustain and support teacher leaderhsip in our schools will be explored. The process of building collaborative relationships with colleagues, administrators, and central office leaders will be examined. Independent Study: Science Researcch: SED-5910Year 3Teachers will directly experience the inquiry process in a research project that is planned and implemented in collaboration with a research scientist. The teacher will have the opportunity to implement the scientific method and tools of analytical thinking deveoped over the course of this graduate program. VSI TIER 2 COURSESHands On A WatershedJuly 25-29, 2010 The University of VermontIn this engaging field based course, teachers will conduct inquiry investigations of the Chaplain Valley watershed including the behavior, characteristics, and history of rivers, river corridors, the water that flows through them and related physical and life science concepts. The course is designed to immerse you in the way that practicing, University-level scientists learn and teach about watersheds. For five days we will be in the field, getting our hands and feet wet and dirty and learning how watersheds work by becoming part of them. By the end of the week, you will gain an appreciation for how the Vermont landscape functions and how people and the landscape have interacted. We will use both simple observational techniques that are readily transferred to the K-8 classroom as well as state-of-the art instrumentation. Forest Ecology In and Out of BalanceJune 24,25,28, 29, 30, 2010 Lyndon State CollegeUsing the forest ecosystem as the context, participants will engage in inquiries on the topics of biodiversity, stability, resistance, and resilience, and historic human influences to learn key principles of ecology. This field based course is designed to immerse you in the way that practicing, scientists learn and teach about ecosystems and their dynamics. Reading the LandscapeAugust 2-6, 2010, SEVLC-Dummerston, VTMatt Kolan and guest, Tom Wessels-August 2-6 -Using an inquiry fieldwork approach, we will explore a variety of frameworks (vertical structure analysis, natural community concept, dynamic timeline, and phenology) for practicing field science, interpreting natural history, and sharing landscape ecology with students in an engaging way. By the end of the week, participants will feel more comfortable reading landscapes and giving voice to their rich stories. Physics of MotionAugust 2-6, Middlebury CollegeMotion: Massive objects at rest and massive objects in motion are sometimes said to be "stubborn," meaning that they are often difficult to start or stop. Although the term "inertia" is used to describe this tendency, what does this term really mean and how does it impact our daily lives? We will engage and help learners understand motion concepts with explorations involving inertia (Newton's First Law of Motion) as well as the ideas of mass, acceleration, net force (Newton's Second Law), and action - reaction (Newton's Third Law). Physics of FluidsAugust 9-13, Middlebury CollegeFluids: What causes an object to float? What are the conditions that account for flight? Gases (like air) and liquids (like water) are considered separate states of matter with different physical properties, yet both also have some very important properties in common. Many of these properties can be understood in terms of basic physical principles when placed within the single category of fluids: Fluids at Rest and Fluids in Motion. We will involve participants with investigations that will clarify these concepts. Physics CourseTBA, Lyndon State CollegeWe are developing a Physics related course for the Lyndon area and will post details as they become available. |
|
© Vermont Science Initiative 2010. All rights reserved.
Website design by Bluehouse Group
|