College and Career Readiness Initiative

1. College and Career Readiness Initiative Science Faculty Collaborative Introduction to CCRI – SFC Workshop Funding for this project is provided by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board through the College and Career Readiness Initiative – Science Faculty Collaborative

2. Workshop Objectives Texas’ and THECB’s • Improve the preparation of future K-12 science teachers • Improve college science success for entering college Freshman • Increase the number of students pursuing and completing a STEM degree • Increase the State’s economic growth and competitiveness by “growing our own” STEM professionals Faculty’s Objectives • Increase retention of undergraduate students pursuing STEM degrees* • Recruit undergraduate students to STEM degrees/careers* • Increase enrollment • Improve attendance • Increase student engagement and participation • Enhance the breadth and depth of student learning

3. A Portrait of Your Students: Science Majors Science Non-Majors Elmhurst.edu Research Motifake.com OTHER Health STEM Academia Teachers OTHER Science Teachers Scientifically Literate Society

4. What do high school graduates need to know and/or be able to do in order to be successful in science courses at the college/university level?

5. Are we Cultivating ‘Coach Potatoes’? 1. Brief discussion in teams of the article 2. Individual Test 3. Team Test using Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique 4. Appeals? http://lizfoulisatwork.blogspot.com/2008/11/team-work-pitfalls-and-benefits.html

6. Further Discussion • How does this article relate to the College and Career Readiness Initiative? • Reflect on the items we brainstormed. Are the students in the article example learning, practicing, or acquiring the content and skills you identified as being important for success in college science? • Refer to the following College and Career Readiness Standards: • 1. Page 15 Item A • 2. Page 31 Item I • How closely do you think these standards reflect the items you identified as being important to success in college science courses?

7. Introduction to the College and Career Readiness Initiative (CCRI) and Standards (CCRS) EPIC

8. Organization of the Workshop Module 1: Introduction to CCRI & CCRS for Science Module 2: Nature of Science: Scientific Ways of Learning and Thinking Module 3: Scientific Applications of Mathematics Module 4: Scientific Applications of Information and Communication Technologies * NOTE: The modules reflect the first five strands of the science CCRS which are discipline general process strands (pages 14-17). These are followed by discipline specific content strands for biology, chemistry, physics, earth & space science, and environmental science.

9. Module 2 - Nature of Science: Scientific Ways of Learning and Thinking What is the Nature of Science? How Historians, Philosophers, and Science Educators Have Defined Nature of Science: The values and assumptions inherent to science, scientific knowledge, and/or the development of scientific knowledge. CCRS: “…students learn what it means to think like a scientist. This includes…the way that empirical evidence [observations] is used to draw conclusions [inference], and how such conclusions are then subject to challenge and interpretation. Students come to appreciate that scientific knowledge is both constant and changing [tentative] at any given moment, and that the evolution of scientific knowledge does not mean that previous knowledge was necessarily “wrong.” Students grasp that scientists think in terms of models and systems to comprehend complex phenomena.” (EPIC p. 15)

10. What Aspects of Nature of Science CanWe Reasonably Expect to Teach? 1. Tentativeness 2. Creativity 3. Observation vs. Inference 4. Subjectivity 5. Functions and Relationships of Theory and Law 6. Socially and Culturally Embedded 7. Empirically Based

11. Nature of Science: Black Box as Analogy to Scientific Models • Observation vs. Inference • Predicting • Scientific Models • Scientific Visualization • Application Exercise DEMONSTRATION

12. Black Box Example

13. Nature of Science: Scientific Ways of Learning and Thinking Jean Francis Podevin (Nature.com)

14. Scientific Theory NOS: Theory versus Law Scientific Law Boyle’s Law Mendel’s Law of Genetics Law of Gravity • Newton’s Second Law of Motion (F=ma) • NO agreed upon Theory of Inertia – yet! “Another profound, perhaps the most well-known, conclusion of the theory of Special Relativity (Einstein) was that energy and mass are not separate things, but are, in fact, interchangeable. The logical conclusion of Special Relativity was that if mass exhibits the principle of inertia, then inertia must also apply to energy as well.” Wikipedia http://cephasborg.wordpress.com/ Kinetic Molecular Theory Gene Theory Gravitational Theory

15. What is the difference? A scientific law states, identifies, or describes the relationship(s) among observable phenomenon. A scientific law is an expression of a mathematical or descriptive relationship observed in nature. A scientific theoryis a set of inferred explanations for observable phenomena. A scientific theory is an explanation inferred from multiple lines of evidence for some broad aspect of the natural world and is logical, testable, and predictive. A scientific hypothesis is an inferred explanation of an observation or research finding; while more exploratory in nature than a theory, it is based on existing scientific knowledge. Theories do NOT change into Laws. The two are different kinds of knowledge. Scientific LAW Scientific theory Hypothesis Observation

16. Law versus Theory: Examples in your discipline? What are some examples of Law versus Theory that you could highlight for your students in your discipline? How do you think making the distinction between scientific law and theory could help your students’ understandings of the Nature of Science and/or of the specific phenomena ? Is it worth it to teach them the difference?

17. Take Home Points • Understanding the Nature of Science is critical for developing key cognitive skills in science. • Understanding the Nature of Science helps our students to become more scientifically literate. • Nature of Science should not be taught as an add-on or separate from content. It is best understood when it is taught through the course content. • It is believed that science teachers that have a good understanding of the Nature of Science are better teachers – better able to prepare students for success in college science.

18. Module 3:Scientific Applications of Mathematics http://www.mathlabonline.org/india/2011/11/01/shadow-board/

19. Use Proportional Reasoning to solve problems - Chemistry Ideal Gas Law PV = n RT P = pressure of the gas V = volume of the gas n = amount of the gas (moles) R = constant T = temperature of the gas Predict: If you increase the pressure and keep the amount of gas and the temperature of the gas the same, predict what will happen to the volume of the gas. How do you know? http://www.epa.gov/eogapti1/bces/module2/idealgas/idealgas.htm

20. Use Proportional Reasoning to solve problems: Biology - Osmosis Predict: Given that water molecules will move across a semi-permeable membrane to the area with the greatest concentration of solute (or the lowest concentration of water) and that sugar molecules cannot cross the membrane, which direction will the water flow in this example? How do you know? At Equilibrium: X1/ml1 = X2/ml2 In this example: 31/100 ≠ 11/100 http://www.goldiesroom.org

21. Data Collection, Data Analysis, Identifying Patterns Among Data: Geosciences NOAA’s Historical Hurricane Tracks Go to: http://csc.noaa.gov/hurricanes/# Click the drop down for “location” Select “Storm Name/Year” Enter “Rita 2005” Transformation of Information: Plot the air pressure and corresponding wind speed for every 5th point onto a line graph Based on the Patterns in the Data, what is the relationship between air pressure and wind speed at the center of the hurricane?

22. CCRS and Applications of Mathematics Examine the science standards on the Scientific Applications of Mathematics in the CCRS (page 16). In what areas and in what ways could you intentionally highlight or model applications of mathematics in your undergraduate courses? CHALLENGE: Think beyond calculations from given equations or balancing equations. How can we also get our students working with data and thinking with mathematics?

23. Take Home Points: • The more mathematics completed in high school, the greater the academic success in college science. • Mathematize! Create mathematics around real world problems. • Have students collect and analyze data as part of every science course. • Have students consider outcomes and results that are not already known - a surprise. • Require students to predict prior to data analysis. • (A + B)2 ≠ A2 + B2

24. Module 4: Scientific Applications of Information and Communication Technologies http://www.asolutioninc.biz/svcs_infotech.html

25. Information Technology • IT is student use of technology to collect, organize, and analyze information. • IT can be used for: • Measurement • Storage and Management • Data Manipulation • Visualization • Modeling • IT includes scientific tools such as microscopes, GPS, spectrometers, plot boxes, and environment sensors as well as computer tools such as on-line data sources, Excel, SPSS, and Geographic Information Systems. http://www.climate.gov/#dataServices/mapServices_global

26. Communication Technology • CT can help to facilitate: • Familiarity • Mobility • Collaboration • Community

27. Information/Communication Technology How do you currently use Information and/or Communication Technologies in your classroom?

28. Climate Data – NOAAhttp://gis.ncdc.noaa.gov/map/ncs/?thm=themeHourly

29. Drought Data - NOAA

30. ICC – Live Piracy Map http://www.icc-ccs.org/piracy-reporting-centre/live-piracy-map

31. Have your students use on-line data as homework then discuss patterns and analysis in class. Example: • Go to: http://www.icc-ccs.org/piracy-reporting-centre/live-piracy-map • You can also search: IMB Live Piracy Map • Look for patterns in the data. • Where are the greatest density of attacks occurring? • Where are they not? • List three observations from this data set. • List two inferences from this data set. • How is this activity related to science and/or college readiness for science? • Do you know of any on-line data sources specific to your discipline?

32. Take Home Points • Information/Communication Technology competency is increasingly essential for doing science. • Preparing our students includes teaching the tools of science - information technologies and communication technologies. • Student use of Information Technology complements Scientific Applications of Mathematics. They can be integrated. • Modeling student use of Information/Communication Technologies for pre-service science teachers increases the likelihood that they will do the same in their K-12 science classroom.

33. Integration and Connections The College and Career Readiness Initiative is an effort to improve access to higher education and the preparation of students at all academic levels; K-12 teachers, K-12 students, undergraduate students, pre-service teachers, and higher education faculty. The science standards highlighted in this workshop are process standards critical to the doing and understanding of science. It is hoped that gains in students’ abilities to achieve these standards will improve scientific literacy and will increase the number of individuals completing a STEM degree in Texas. Closure: Closing remarks, questions, and/or ideas? Hand Out Article “Improved Learning in a Large Enrollment Physics Class” Please complete a workshop evaluation. Thank you!