Frederick Nelson Carol Fry Bohlin Mara Brady California State University, Fresno

1. Connecting Science Learning for Future Elementary Teachers Frederick Nelson Carol Fry Bohlin Mara Brady California State University, Fresno ............................................................. AAC&U Conference – Transforming STEM Education: Inquiry, Innovation, Inclusion, and Evidence 1 November 2013 • San Diego, CA The Fresno State Liberal Studies STEM team gratefully acknowledges the support of the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the CSU Chancellor’s Office.

2. Who is here? • STEM Faculty • Administrators • Student Support Services • Faculty Teaching and Learning • K-12 Personnel

3. Preparing Preservice Teachers for Tomorrow’s Classrooms

4. An Integrated Approach to Instruction “The [CCSS] call for a more integrated approach to delivering instruction across all subjects. The CCSS are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world... They require student collaboration; ...and the development of strong complex reasoning, problem solving, and communication skills.” – California Department of Education – January 2013

7. Liberal Studies STEM ConcentrationInterdisciplinary PartnershipEducation • Engineering • Science and Mathematics Campus CO/MSTI Fred Nelson Don Williams Carol Fry Bohlin Lloyd Crask Karl Runde Mara Brady Fariborz Tehrani Nell Papavasiliou

8. Bechtel Grant via the CSU Chancellor’s Office

9. New Liberal Studies STEM Concentration • Liberal Studies major  Future K-8 teacher • 120-semester-unit Liberal Studies major at Fresno State includes 9 sem. units of math + 12-13 sem. units of science • Concentration: 12 upper division sem. units • Approved (5/1/13) 4-course STEM Concentration: • “Environmental Earth and Life Sciences” (NCSI 115-Revised) • “Energy, Technology, and Society” (NSCI 116-Revised) • “Physics Pedagogy and Outreach” (Physics 168S-Revised) • “Engineering Literacy” (ENGR 191T-New)

10. Common Course Purposes • Increasing interest in and generating excitement for teaching and learning science • Providing coherent and connected science learning opportunities • Modeling research‐based and inquiry‐oriented science pedagogy • Facilitating awareness of the science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas of the Next Generation ScienceStandards

11. Features of the STEM Concentration • Foundation: CCSS-M, CCSS-ELA, Framework for K-12 Science Education, NGSS • Crosscutting Concepts used as themes for making connections across courses • Integration of Practices with Disciplinary Core Ideas • Inquiry-based instruction, PBL, integrated labs • Service-learning and outreach • Cohort model

12. (MSTI): Promoting Professional Identity & Involvement(Mathematics and Science Teacher Initiative Funds from the CSU Chancellor’s Office) • Facilitate connections with national, state, and local professional communities • Support participation in STEM workshops and conferences, as well as coursework • Support success in K-8 STEM teacher pathways • Celebrate STEM accomplishments

13. $800 Liberal Studies STEM Fellowship! • Receive $200 of the $800 Fellowship when you take Physics Pedagogy and Outreach. Receive $200 when you take Environmental Earth and Life Science this fall or in a future semester. • Receive a total of $400 ($200 each) when you take Engineering Literacy and Energy, Technology, and Society. • Bonus! Students who pass the two content tests that lead to a credential in Foundational-Level General Science or Foundational-Level Mathematics will not only receive reimbursement for the tests, but an additional $200 stipend!

14. Faculty Professional Development • Workshop for STEM Concentration faculty • Maker Faire • Tinkering • Propeller car • Project-based learning • NGSS foundations

15. Building

16. Collaboration

17. What is your familiarity with the Next Generation Science Standards? • Never heard of them • Have heard of them but not really familiar • Somewhat familiar—I can describe them • Highly familiar—I can give the elevator talk

18. Course evolution

19. Earth & Environmental Life Science • Explores environmental issues, sustainability, and interactions among earth’s systems • GE course, taken by all Liberal Studies majors • Two 75-minute lecture meetings per week • High enrollment course (~50 students) • Multiple instructors, departments

20. Earth & Environmental Life Science • Explores environmental issues, sustainability, and interactions among earth’s systems • GE course, taken by all Liberal Studies majors • Two 75-minute lecture meetings per week • High enrollment course (~50 students) • Multiple instructors, departments RE-DESIGN = new textbook, re-organized syllabus topics, learner-centered activities

21. NSCI 115 COURSE CONTENT CROSS-CUTTING CONCEPTS Patterns, Cause & Effect, Scale, Systems, Flows & Cycles, Structure & Function, Stability & Change DISCIPLINARY CORE IDEAS Earth’s Place in the Universe, Earth’s Systems, Earth & Human Activity SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES: Students, Classmates, Instructor

23. Old Syllabus Topics

24. NEW Revised Syllabus Topics

25. Thinking like a scientistCROSS-CUTTING CONCEPTS Patterns Systems & Systems Models Flows, cycles, and conservation Tracking fluxes of energy and matter into, out of, and within systems helps one understand the systems’ possibilities and limitations

26. Thinking like a scientistCROSS-CUTTING CONCEPTS Patterns Systems & Systems Models Flows, cycles, and conservation Scale, Proportion & Quantity It is critical to recognize what is relevant at different measures of size, time, and energy to recognize how changes in scale, proportion, or quantity affect a system’s structure or performance

27. SAMPLE ASSESSMENTLearning Log (Reflection) Learning Objectives: Identify the processes (flows) and components (stocks) within a system. Identify the relationships among the system's components. Consider the complexity of dynamic interactions that create the behavior of the systems in which we live Organize processes and components within a visual and written framework.

28. SAMPLE ASSESSMENTLearning Log (Reflection)

29. SAMPLE ASSESSMENTLearning Log (Reflection) Sample Statements from Written Responses: When excess nitrogen makes it’s way into water the aquatic algae and plants…flourish due to the boost in nutrients. Algae blooms can deplete the oxygen…killing fish and other life affecting our economy… These mechanisms are the way carbon gets cycled between the atmosphere and ocean, which is the main storage site of carbon, which contributes to the circle of life that we are involved in, where things don’t just go to waste or disappear, they get recycled for other organisms to use as energy.

30. SAMPLE ASSESSMENTLearning Log (Reflection) Sample Statements from Written Responses: Humans have impacted the water cycle…When parts of the water cycle change we see an impact on [ecosystem] services. Many of these various services feed directly back into the water cycle increasing the dynamics of change within the water cycle…

31. SAMPLE ASSESSMENTLearning Log (Reflection) Sample Statements from Written Responses: Humans have impacted the water cycle…When parts of the water cycle change we see an impact on [ecosystem] services. Many of these various services feed directly back into the water cycle increasing the dynamics of change within the water cycle… CHALLENGE: Developing criteria to assess student’s level of understanding of and ability to apply cross-cutting concept to course content

32. Physics Pedagogy & Outreach • Physics majors • Repeat enrollment • Service learning • "Describe the basic laws in precise, concise, and simple languages to educate the general public” • "Stimulate the interest in physical science in the communities” • "This program allows for exposure of physics, highlighting the various aspects of physics and the many opportunities that the major offers"

33. Outreach Apparatus • Ball & ring • Bed of nails • Liquid nitrogen • Newton's cradle • Piano stool • Pipe wrench • Suction cups • Teeter-totter

34. The Re-Visioned Course • Recruitment of teaching credential students • Recruitment of Liberal Studies majors • Pedagogy emphasis • Student writing assignments

35. The New Class

36. Curriculum Changes • Conceptual change • Constructivism • Disciplinary literacy • Discrepant events • Misconceptions • Teacher theorizing • Service learning • Patterns • Cause and Effect • Scale, Proportion, and Quantity • Systems and System Models • Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation • Structure and Function • Stability and Change

37. Pressure

38. Which crosscutting concept relates best to pressure? • Stability and change • Flows, cycles, and conservation • Scale, proportion, and quantity • Patterns

39. Crosscutting Concepts in Rotational Momentum Patterns “Students should be able to notice that when they bring their arms in while holding the weights, they begin to spin faster. They should also be able to notice that when you put your arms out, you begin to slow down.” “If rotational inertia goes down, the speed must increase. If the speed is decreased the rotational inertia must go up. This pattern represents an inverse relationship.”

40. Crosscutting Concepts in States of Matter Scale, proportion, and quantity “100 degrees Celsius is a lot and can cause some quick changes... until you see the effect of 2000 degrees and the speed at which things change when exposed to that temperature compared to our standard 20.”

41. Engineering Literacy • History of engineering • Engineering philosophy and psychology • Engineering trends and implications • Consequences of engineering projects • Engineering resources • Engineering design process • Engineering documentation • Engineering evaluations • Sustainability and resilience

42. Energy, Technology, & Society • Energy transformations • Traditional & alternative sources • Evaluating alternatives • Explicit connections to Engineering Literacy activities • Student-constructed text

43. SUCCESS! • Faculty relationships • Regular meetings • Ongoing collaboration • Administrative enthusiasm • Explicit NGSS integration • Ongoing research • Expanded campus connections and integration for other projects

44. Challenges • Course scheduling • Multiple instructors • Student perceptions • Faculty perceptions • Validation of faculty effort • Marketing/recruiting

45. Moving Forward • Faculty professional development workshops • Earth science • Math Common Core • ELA Common Core • Curriculum module development • Collaboration with other campuses • Research potential • Crosscutting concepts instrument • Dynamics of interdisciplinary collaboration

46. Top 10 Reasons to Select the New Liberal Studies STEM Concentration You will.... • Learn how to integrate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in a K-8 class! • Experience ways to bring science and math to life in the classroom! • Learn many ways to answer the question, "When and how will I ever use this?" • Have some of Fresno State's best science and engineering instructors! • Take 4 terrific courses that incorporate the new Next Generation Science Standards and the Common Core State Standards! • Receive membership in mathematics and science education organizations! • Receive travel support to attend math and science education conferences! • Develop a love and passion for science that you'll be eager to share with your students! • Visit lots of schools (and TV stations!) to do science demonstrations! • Deepen your content knowledge so that you'll be a highly confident and competent teacher of science in grades K-8

47. Questions? Comments?

48. Bechtel Grant via the CSU Chancellor’s Office