Science Education, Center for

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Director: Dr. Elsun Seung
Center Office: Science Building, room 191
Web site: http://www.indstate.edu/scied
E-mail: elsun.seung@indstate.edu

The Center for Science Education coordinates the Science Education program and provides the required Science Education courses in science teaching methodology. These courses are designed for students preparing to become teachers in elementary, junior high/middle school, and high school settings. The Science Education Program for secondary teaching leads to a double major in either Biology, Chemistry, or Physics and Science Education. An option for a major in Science Education with a concentration in teaching the Earth and Space Sciences and Middle School Science is also available. These programs qualify candidates for the Indiana State teaching certification for teaching science in grades five through twelve (grades 5-8 for the Middle School Science concentration). The Science Education program is comprised of science classes, professional education classes offered in the Bayh College of Education, and professional Science Education teaching courses. The Center for Science Education also offers a Middle School Science minor. This minor is designed for Elementary Education or Secondary Education majors who want to add a Middle School Science licensure to their initial teaching licensure. The Center for Science Education also participates in a number of research and outreach projects that provide undergraduates with unique opportunities for experiential and academic learning.

The majority of courses offered by the Center for Science Education are directed towards people interested in teaching science. However, because most of these offerings will develop perspectives on and an understanding of basic science and current science teaching strategies, the offerings are valuable to students pursuing science-related careers or with specific science interests.

These curricular patterns enable students to develop broad, interdisciplinary backgrounds in science and utilize the existing courses and the faculties of the various science departments to meet state standards.

FOUNDATIONAL STUDIES COURSES

A listing of Foundational Studies courses currently approved for the Science Education major appears in the Foundational Studies section of this Catalog. An updated listing is available from the Office of the Coordinator of Foundational Studies or on the Foundational Studies website. The following notes about the most appropriate Foundational Studies for this major should also help guide the student:

Junior Composition: English 305T (Technical Writing) is recommended.

Mathematics: Mathematics 131 (Calculus I) is the required mathematics course; it also fulfills the Quantitative Literacy requirement and a core science requirement.

Social and Behavioral Sciences: Educational Psychology 202 (Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence) is required.

Global Perspectives and Cultural Diversity: Educational Psychology 341 (Education in a Multicultural Society) is required.

Integrative and Upper Division Electives: Earth and Environmental Systems 360 (General Astronomy) and Earth and Environmental Systems 460 (Conservation and Sustainability of Natural Resources) are recommended and also fulfill requirements within the Earth/Space Science Concentration.

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION COURSES

Students enrolled in the Elementary Education Program are required to take Science Education 393 and 393L to fulfill a portion of the licensure requirements in Science Education. Students enrolled in the Science Education major, which leads to licensure in the junior high/middle school and high school settings, take Science Education 396L and 398L prior to student teaching. Science Education majors also must take Science Education 402 during their professional education (student teaching) semester.

TEACHING CURRICULA

Students should be thoroughly familiar with the requirements for admission to the Teacher Education Program found in the Bayh College of Education section of this Catalog. When added to the senior high-junior high/middle school or all grade instructional license in a discipline other than science, a science content minor, a science methods course, and developmental (pedagogy) assessments, content assessments required for Indiana licensure areas enable students to be licensed to teach that specific science subject in grades 5-12. The Middle School Science minor, in conjunction with an education major, and the appropriate state licensure tests qualify the student to teach middle school science. All of the science patterns include the general requirements described on the curriculum pages. Students also need to be aware of the requirements to Developmental (Pedagogy) Assessments and Content Assessments prior to certification.

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