Course
Description
“Ours
is the most wasteful nation on Earth. We waste more energy than we import.
With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per
person as do other countries like Germany, Japan, and Sweden.”
-Jimmy
Carter, 39th President of the United States, Address to the Nation, 18
April 1977
Ponds to Particles is intended as a two-semester interdisciplinary introduction to science for nonscience majors. The course has been designed to improve your overall science literacy, in keeping with state and national recommendations regarding what every educated person should know about math and science. It has also been especially developed for pre-k through 6 pre-service teachers, so we will spend some time talking about teaching science in addition to learning about science.
To ensure we cover a wide variety of topics in science, the course is based on two themes. The first semester has the theme of water. The second semester has the theme of energy; in it, we will focus topics such as energy principles and concepts, kinds of energy, pollution caused by energy, energy supply and demand, energy policies, and energy politics.
"I
hear and I forget;
I see...and I remember;
I do...and I understand."
--Ancient Chinese Proverb
As a
part of this hands-on approach to learning, there may be several field
trips outside the scheduled class time. For spring 2007, I am still working
on these field trip dates, so keep in mind that these will be added to
the class schedule after class has already started. I’ll be trying
to arrange visits to a variety of places, including the Plymouth Nuclear
Power Plant, the trash to energy plant, a hydroelectric power plant, and
a local electric company. Many of these field trips will occur on our
lab day (Thursday), with perhaps one scheduled on a Saturday.
Because of the constructivist nature of the course, the syllabus can,
and most likely will, be adjusted at times over the semester. Use the
syllabus you have now as a guide to plan your time. However, I ask for
and will appreciate your input as to any adjustments or changes that you
think will be helpful.
Completing one or more semesters of this course completes the general education science requirements for Wheaton. The course is also part of a Connection (Learning to Learn in Math and Science), in conjunction with Math 133 (Concepts in Mathematics), and Educ 371 (Early Childhood Curriculum) or Educ 381 (Elementary Curriculum).
“We've
arranged a civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend
on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost
no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for
disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this
combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our
faces."
--Carl Sagan
Among
the goals of Ponds to Particles is improving your overall science literacy,
to help you to be a more effective citizen of the 21st century. To that
end, a student who makes satisfactory progress in this course will:
• have a better understanding of the nature of science inquiry
• know some fundamental math and science concepts that our state
and national governments consider essential for every educated citizen
• have an appreciation for the beauty and power of science as a
way of knowing
• have an appreciation for the essential inter-relatedness of all
of the sciences with one another, and with mathematics, humanities, and
social science
• be able to write and talk about science
Many of you are considering a minor in early childhood or elementary education.
This course will model pedagogy that you may use in the future when teaching
science to your students. Science is a dynamic, exciting, interdisciplinary
field of study. By enrolling in this course you will not only learn about
science, but also learn how science is done.
• can work well with others as well as independently
• can think critically and solve problems effectively
• are fluent in job-appropriate computer technologies
• have learned how to learn
In this course, part of your grade will depend on reports made both orally and in writing. You’ll have multiple opportunities to polish your skills, and to seek advice from your instructor and peers as to how you might improve them.
Improving Your Teamwork Skills:
A good part of the work you do in this course will be accomplished in teams. We’ll spend time in class talking about effective teamwork, and you’ll have many opportunities to practice working effectively with others.
Improving Your Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving:
As a college graduate, you will be expected to be a good thinker. Yet rarely in any of your college courses will you be explicitly offered some help on how to think. Contrary to what you may believe, good thinking doesn't come naturally! It isn't all in your genes--it has to be learned. Good thinking is essential for you to be an effective citizen of this planet, and especially for you to be an informed consumer of information about science in the era of hypermedia (and hype!) An understanding of the nature of science is also necessary in our technology-rich society. A second set of goals for this course, then, includes improving your critical reasoning, introducing you to the epistemology* of science, and teaching you some new ways of thinking about your thinking.
Improving Your Computer Literacy:
We’ve just entered the 21st century, a century already critically dependent on computer technologies. Better to prepare now for what will be needed in the new world ahead! That means that you need to be computer-literate: to know how to use a word processor, a spreadsheet, electronic mail, website chat rooms, on-line documents, etc. One of my generic objectives in this course is to help you to become familiar with computer technologies, so that you are ready for the new century! Improving your computer literacy is one of the goals of INT 111. Thus you will be asked to turn in assignments using electronic mail, to regularly read email, contribute to on-line chats, and consult course documents via the Internet, to collect and analyze data using a spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel) and to write up the results of your studies using a word processing program (Microsoft Word).
Improving Your Learning to Learn:
In this course, we will all be learning something new—from and with one another. We’ll practice the kind of flexibility and tolerance that today’s world demands from its working citizens.