Cognitive and Learning Sciences News

The Engineering Process

ENG 5100 4 credits
July 11 – 22, 2016
Deadline: May 6, 2016

The course is intended to introduce engineering to pre-college teachers* in order to help teachers acquire tools for integrating engineering into their science classrooms under the framework of the new Michigan Science Standards. The course provides teachers with a meaningful experience about the process and methods that engineers use to solve problems. The engineering process (as compared with the scientific process) will be outlined, as will some of the “non-technical” aspects of engineering. Students will explore how the course objectives are related to the NGSS (and the new Michigan Science Standards), specifically identifying ties to the foundational dimensions of the standards; Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs). Students will be required to complete a design project that meets design criteria culminating in testing of the project and analysis of the results. This course is a required, cornerstone course for our Master’s degree program in Applied Science Education.

*Mi-STAR curriculum developers will be given first preference.

ENG 5100
4 credits

Learn more and apply at Teacher Professional Development Summer Institutes.

Teaching Science in Three Dimensions: The NGSS in Theory and Practice

ED 5540 3 credits
June 27 – August 11, 2016
Deadline: May 6, 2016

This course examines the Next Generation Science Standards and Framework for K-12 Science Teaching (NGSS), the theory underlying them, and what it will take for teachers to transform science teaching practice in ways that align with these standards. The course will focus on critiquing and developing lessons and assessments that incorporate the three dimensions of disciplinary core ideas, cross-cutting concepts, and science and engineering practices. The benefits and challenges of integrating across science and engineering disciplines will be discussed.

ED 5540
3 credits

Learn more and apply at Teacher Professional Development Summer Institutes.

Designing and Implementing 3D Learning Experiences

ED 5602 1 credit
June 20 – 24, 2016
Deadline: May 6, 2016

Teachers* will deepen a practical understanding of how to design and teach 3-dimensional learning experiences that support students in developing and revising their scientific ideas over time while bringing together the scientific and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and cross cutting concepts identified in “A framework for K-12 Science Education” and the “Next Generation Science Standards.” Through exploration of classroom video cases and collaborative work with colleagues, teachers will develop strategies to engage students in figuring out scientific phenomena or designing solutions to real world problems through developing models and engaging in evidence-based argumentation and explanation.

*Mi-STAR curriculum developers will be given first preference. Teachers who have not participated in Mi-STAR must have completed ED5540 in Spring 2016 or complete a 10 to 15 hour Mi-STAR NGSS Professional Development Series prior to enrolling in this course.

ED 5602 (previously ED 5550)
1 credit

Learn more and apply at Teacher Professional Development Summer Institutes.