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Re: Socratic Method



On Wednesday, Nov. 13, John Clement posted this on how to learn Socratic
dialogue:
"Jane Jackson I am sure can inform you of the latest Modeling
workshops. Extended workshops have a much greater impact, and may help an
instructor get over the barriers to implementing new ideas."


Below is information about Arizona State University's modeling workshops in
SUMMER 2003.
Cheers,
Jane Jackson, Co-Director, Modeling Instruction Program

-----------------------
PHS 530: Methods of Teaching Physics (Modeling Workshop I in mechanics)
June 16-July 3, 2003 (experienced physics teachers), or
July 7-Aug 1 (new physics teachers)
at ASU, Tempe, Arizona. 8 - 3:30 MTWThF. 3 graduate credits.
Stipends, free housing, some free tuition. Inquire to jane.jackson@asu.edu
For more information, visit modeling.asu.edu and click on ASU's graduate
program for high school teachers of the physical sciences.

PHS 530 DESCRIPTION:
The workshop is a Methods of Physics Teaching course that thoroughly
addresses most aspects of high school physics teaching, including the
integration of teaching methods with course content as it should be done in
the high school classroom. The workshop incorporates up-to-date results of
physics education research, best high school curriculum materials, use of
technology, and experience in collaborative learning and guidance.

Participants will be introduced to the Modeling Method as a systematic
approach to the design of curriculum and instruction. Content of the entire
first semester course in high school physics (mechanics) is reorganized
around five basic models to increase its structural coherence. Participants
are supplied with a complete set of course materials and work through all
the activities alternately in the roles of student or teacher.

Teachers improve their physics content knowledge and are equipped with a
robust teaching methodology for developing student abilities to:
* make sense of physical experience,
* understand scientific claims,
* articulate coherent opinions of their own and defend them with cogent
arguments,
* evaluate evidence in support of justified belief.

Specifically, teachers learn to:
* ground their teaching in a well-defined pedagogical framework (Modeling
Theory), rather than following rules of thumb;
* organize course content around scientific models as coherent units of
structured knowledge;
* engage students collaboratively in making and using models to describe,
to explain, to predict, to design and control physical phenomena;
* involve students in using computers as scientific tools for collecting,
organizing, analyzing, visualizing, and modeling real data;
* assess student understanding in more meaningful ways and experiment with
more authentic means of assessment;
* continuously improve and update instruction with new software, curriculum
materials and insights from educational research;
* work collaboratively in action research teams to mutually improve their
teaching practice.

Since "teachers teach as they have been taught," the workshop includes
extensive practice in implementing the curriculum as intended for high
school classes. Participants rotate through roles of student and instructor
as they practice techniques of guided inquiry and cooperative learning.
Plans and techniques for raising the level of discourse in classroom
discussions and student presentations are emphasized. Teachers are immersed
in studying the physics content of the entire semester, providing indepth
remediation for underprepared teachers. Altogether, the Modeling Workshop
provides a detailed implementation of the National Science Education
Standards.
---------------------------

TEACHERS SAY:
* "I'm a better teacher after modeling, I like my job more, I feel the kids
walk away with real transferable skills."
* "It moves students in the direction of being independent learners, and it
puts the responsibility for learning where it belongs - on the students."
* "The Modeling program is the only one I have found that is truly
grounded in how students learn and attacks head-on the misconceptions
students have."
* "After teaching science for 30 years, I felt that it was going to be too
hard to change my style of teaching... Today my approach is completely
changed and I have no desire to ever return to my old way of teaching
physics by lecture, cookbook labs, etc. My students are excited about
learning physics."
* "It is the finest example of constructivist teaching in the U.S. It has
changed my life and the way I teach."
------------------------------

Jane Jackson, Co-Director, Modeling Instruction Program
Box 871504, Dept.of Physics & Astronomy,ASU,Tempe,AZ 85287
480-965-8438/fax:965-7331 <http://modeling.asu.edu>

This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.