Connecting Science Content and Science Methods for Preservice

Elementary School Teachers

Presentation of the thesis

The researcher Scott Kirst is an assistant professor in the Department of

Education and Tim flood is a professor in the department of geology they are

both at St. Norberth College in De Pere,Wiconsin presented a research

entitled "Connecting Science Content and science Methods for Preservice

Elementary School Teachers". The integration of an undergraduate science

content course and science methods course into a single combined course for

preservice teachers, including a precourse field experience, was undertaken

at a small, liberal arts college.

They have a wide ranging of study. Their task is to further exacerbate the K-8

education majors were they're expected to advocate science to their future

students along with many other subjects. Also as a postsecondary educators,

their ultimate goal is should not be the future elementary teachers be

familiarizes only with the nature of science, but also to implant them how

science is exciting that they will share to their students.

The First part of the research was about the Research Base where the recent

studies shown between science and teaching of science is that there are need

for more information which particularly for education majors. Most of

elementary teachers feel ill-equipped to teach the basics of K-8 science then
they graduate which is greater than 50% of the population of new teachers.

And to successfully create the new combined course they required between

the respective instructors in the Geology Department and those in the

Education Department a comprehensive and complementary process of

integration.

The second part was the Assessment of the new Course where different

assessment strategies were used is stated. The characteristics, helped to

measures the attitudes, perceptions, knowledge, skills, and disposition of the

students through the new K-8 geoscience instruction. The first characteristics

assessed was the preservice teachers' attitude towards science. The second

characteristics assessed was the nature and depth of the preservice teachers'

understanding of science and critical thinking skills. The third characteristic

was assess is the perceptions and recognition of the connections to science

and crosscutting concepts

The third part Shown the results and the assessment of the learning goals

which was multifacted and included outside consultants for guidance. The

qualitative or quantitative assessment was collected from the survey. The

science attitude survey results the quantitative science attitude survey asked

four questions and was administered between four control groups (n=72) and

three experimental groups (n=35). Focus group results focuses on performed

on three cohorts of experimental students (N= 35) immediately on the

conclusion of the course.

Introductory

To have a better Understanding for Science in preservice teachers, they want

to produce and implement new K-8 program for the future educators students.

It's very challenging issue for the many educators students college in United

States. St Norbet Collage introduce the idea to have a new K-8 system. The

education and the geology department, they want the preservice elementary

teacher to have a geology course. The main goal of them is not to simply

familiarize them in the nature of science, rather to share their knowledge to

students about science.

The geology course it is the required curriculum course of St. Nobert

College. The St. Nobert College is the liberal arts college that have a 2,200

undergraduate, 30 academic major's, 60 graduated students in two-master’s

program, and 75 students graduate every semesters with degree in

elementary education's.

The recent studies shown that have more integration or process between

science and the teaching of science, specifically for education majors.

Research shown that 50% of elementary teacher's they feel ill to teach the

basics of K-8 science, when they graduate. Compare to 80% of new

elementary teachers, they are very confident in terms of teaching reading,

language arts and the mathematics (Banilower et al. 2013).

 The effectiveness of being inspire and interest in science in elementary

school children, If the teacher itself understand the nature of science the

children got come up to have interest in science too.(Koenig Schen. & Bao,

2012)

General Approach

The approach of the research was always to promote the K-8 preservice

teacher which is essential, in the part any institution of higher learning, there

were challenges in combining content and pedalogy they should have

elaborated it more for the readers to understand it better and uses simple

words.this approach applies also to the course of events, which is presented

step by step and in which the main perspective disappears among

innumerable more or less irrelevant details.

The research proposed different courses they make the ideas precise and

concrete with regard to the Project goals that were at the intended, a broader

impacts of the project that provided an innovative approach will surely

improve the K-8 Science. The learning goals and new courses that will bring

the Institution up.

As the text goes along it is somewhat difficult for the readers to understand

well the article all about. The words used should be simpler and shorter for

the readers to understand it.

Length and clarity

The research appear the prescribe goal and outcome, and the most

important to this research is having a connections between science and the

teaching of science. Here is the example of this. Research (Avery & Meyer,

2012; Saxman. Gupta, & Steinberg. 2010) also illustrated that an inquiry

based content science like geology, specifically with science methods course,

can increase the confidence of preservice teachers. And can help to

implement their skills in teaching.

Another example is (1) to improve and have a better practice to the K-8

science instructions (2) the engagement of the education and science faculty

in a cooperative strain (3) an opportunity to propagate a replicable model of

preservice education for any field of science (4) the most important is to train

the next generation of K-8 science educators whose knowledgeable.

Some details

When it comes to the overall criticism and impression of this study, it is

credible and will be effective and useful after it will be implement. As far as

data was arrange appropriately and observe what should do next. The Parts

of the research must be examine and observe the data. It should be having

more summary and precise arrangement of data, and the figure 1 is a good

assets, it makes the K-8 program more efficient and more applicable to use.
Then the ideas should be shorter and precise for the readers to understand it

well and generate more ideas quickly and will not get bored reading it.

Conclusion

The intent of this research is to target instructional methodology of the

science and the education course to meet specific needs of the K-8

preservice teachers. They want to implement about the K-8 program for the

next and future educators. They determine if the preservice teacher

integrating higher thinking skills, they determine if have any change towards

the attitude of science teachers.

They examine the preservice teacher if their understanding, knowledge,

and skills have a different outcome. And they have an assessment to

implement and evaluate if the preservice teachers have a better

understanding of science, and if the preservice teachers is qualified to

teaching skills.

The Pairing of a Science Communications and a Language Course to

Enrich First-Year English Language Learners' Writing and

Argumentation Skills

Presentation of the thesis

The Researchers Ashley J. Welsh a postdoctoral teaching and fellow with the

university of British Columbia Vantage College and the science Centre for

Learning and teaching, Amber Shaw a lecturer in the vantage one academic

English program at University of British college, and Joanne A Fox the

principal of UBC vantage College and joint appointed in the Michael Smith

laboratories and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, All at UBC in

Vancouver, Canada Proposed a research Entitled "The Pairing of a Science

Communications and a Language Course to Enrich First-Year English

Language Learners' Writing and Argumentation Skills". The article explores

how the English language learners' writing evolved during a first-year seminar

in science course aimed at developing students' argumentation skills.

This research highlight how science communications course in the context of

a highly coordinated and enriched first-year was paired with weekly academic

English course program for international students. This kind of research is a

kind of research were show how collaboration between science and language

facility that will lead to the development and facilitation of the targeted

activities and assignments that will surely improve the English language skills

of the first year students in the university. This will also focus on the

communication and writing skill in the first year students and also will improve

the critical thinking skills of the students that will surely help them and also it

will increased the focus of the students and knowledge

The first part of the research was about the SCIE113 and Vantage one

program which is a large Intensive research where the first year enrollments

in science courses can reach more than 300 students per section. The faculty

of science made a commitment that the first year students would have a small

class experience that allowed them to interact with a faculty member which

would a first year student can be develop in intensive course writing. Within

this program the instructor and coordinator collaborated with one another to

develop activities and assignments to strengthen the students' writing and

argumentation skills.

The next part was the table 1 showing the SCIE 113 units the first and the

second week are the defining the nature of science, the next one science as a

way of knowing, the fifth, sixth and seventh week the presenting scientific

arguments the scientific community will be the next one and the last is the

science and society. The units should be done with more amount of time for

the students to understand well the SCIE 113 units.

The methods and analysis of the study paralleled those of previous study with

all students registered in SCIE 113 that the first year students' writing and

skills in argumentation will improve with the help of vantage one program and

also with the help of instructors. The analysis of the all data are examined

using pseudonyms to address issues of confidentiality. Within the semester

the students will complete 3 types of essay which contains 500 words each

that should be only minimum of 300 words or 400 words in accomplishing one

of the essays that will reflect the content of the courses. And for the term
paper it should be the students are the one who will select their literature

about the unresolved scientific questions in the area of their interest.

The Result part stated that the analyzation of the data revealed significant

improvements in international ELLs', Writing and argumentation skills with

their perceptions of their skills and abilities to write and communication

scientifically. The statistically significant in the top group of students' writing

assignments and performance has no increases or no changes, which had to

have a result or improvement using their program. To increase the

performance and the critical thinking skills of the students with regards to

writing performance and argumentation they must asked the weaknesses of

the students to provide new strategies that will surely improve the

performance of the students and will also show the positive effect and

improvements.

Introductory

The capability to understand and communicate science is an important skill

to the students. If the English and science combine, the students’ ability to

argumentation skills will be developed. This collaborative model can help the

students to improve their writing ability, and to improve their writing skills and

argumentation skills. Unfortunately, the communication science training is

limited for the undergraduate. They said that the students must understand

the characteristics of the nature of science, and also the argumentative

discourse. Within undergraduate education have an instruction how to

effectively communicate their ideas.

The undergraduate science classroom is the place where the students can

developed and improve the skills. The North American universities have a lot

of students that attending in this institutions. With that increasing students that

attend in North American universities, classroom strategies and assessments

are needed to support the respectful communication and learning of the

students.

The University of British Columbia have a large numbers of enrollees in

science course, that can reach more than 300 students per section because

of this large enrollees the faculty member decide that the first year students

would have a small class experience. To the development of SCIE 113, a first

year writing intensive course must be pair a science faculty member, and

graduate teaching assistant, the result of this is every section have a 25 first

year science students.

The SCIE 113 is have a 3hours/week courses that focuses on developing

the writing critical thinking, and argumentation skills, it's the requirements of

one student for their degree. They want every students developed and

improve their writing skills and argumentation skills.

General approach
This approach applies also to the course of events, which is presented

systematically and in which the main perspective disappears among

innumerable more or less irrelevant details. The development of SCIE113, has

been paired with the languages that focuses to the support of VANT 140, the

its support of the writing, argumentation, critical thinking and communication

skills of the students positively. The study also shows how the students will

improve their skills about the stated qualities and skills that will surely help

and improve the students and assuring they will use those skills in the near

future.

One the questions is that how they would implement the research to all first

year students in the schools and universities and how are they sure that these

programs will benefits the students. What the improvements and strategies

are they going to formulate if they are some lacks of areas that are needs to

improves for those students that are not fast learners or the one who can't

cope with their program.

On the table 1 shows the units they are going to implement and objectives

which are the defining the nature of science, the next one is science as a way

of knowing, presenting scientific arguments, evidence in a scientific world

view, scientific community and science and society showing the objectives of

each units that they should elaborate more the information and make it

precise to know what should the students learn and improve , and how they

are going to improve those skills through the program. They should also a lot
a few more time or days for the students to understand well and improve their

critical thinking skill and writing skills positively.

Length and clarity

The research is want to improve and implement the writing skills and

argumentation skills of the students. The course curriculum and goal

encourage the students to explore how science is conducted and

communicated in various scientific disciplines. Each section of SCIE 113 3

hours/week is linked with a VANT 140 academic English course 1 hour/week

taught by an AEP instructor. In Vantage One, language learning is combined

with disciplinary learning and the language and content instructor closely work

to one another.

SCIE 113 and VANT 140 AEP, they collaborated to develop new activities

and assignments to strengthen the writing and argumentation skills of

international students. The SCIE 113 coordinator have a background in

chemistry and physics, and a PhD in curriculum studies, the VAT 140

instructor has a background in Teaching English to Speakers of Other

Languages with a master of applied linguistics. They observe the students if

every students improve and implant their writing and argumentations skills,

the help of SCIE 113 coordinator and the VANT 140 AEP instructor, and

biweekly the instructional teams have a meeting they will discuss issues

related to language learner, this collaboration have a better goal for the

students.
Some Details

When it comes to the tables inserted to the research the table shows that

different units that they are going to apply in the Vant 140 program, that they

should increase the amount of time spended on the designated units for the

students to understand well the different areas and for them to be able to

improve their writing skills, and critical thinking skills. The last table shows the

students' reflection towards critical thinking, argumentation, hedging, and

writing in science.

Conclusion

The target of the research to provide a program developing the skills of the

first year students with regards to their writing skills, and critical thinking skills

of the students and improve their science skills. This study is a promising

example of how collaboration between science and academic English faculty

which can lead to the development of the target activities.

They examine and provide activities that will implement those target

learning and their understanding, knowledge, and skills have a different

outcome. In addition, they have an assessment to implement and evaluate if

the preservice teachers have a better understanding of science and writing

skills.