EDUC 255 - Perspectives on Science Education

Science education in the United States is poised for another major shift with the widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. These new standards will directly impact how science is taught in K-12 classrooms, which will in turn influence instruction at the post-secondary level. However, the ideas embedded within these standards are not new as they have been discussed and debated for over a century. For example, two competing goals for science curriculum - to produce more scientists or a scientifically literate society - have driven curricular reform for decades; both are referenced in the NGSS.

This is an introductory course that explores past and present idea within science education including how science is portrayed as a human endeavor, the various goals/purposes of a science curriculum, and what it means to teach science to others. The course is interactive and experiential. To complement course readings and assignments students will participate in a variety of activities such comparing science textbooks from the 1960s (i.e. those published in response to the launching of Sputnik) to modern materials and investigating the diverse experiences and ideas individuals hold regarding science as a discipline and “way of knowing”.

3 credits