General Science Map Fillable - doee

General Science

Institutions and Organizations seeking State Approval for programs which prepare and result in the recommendation of candidates forlicensure as Science shall be required to demonstrate that they meet the following program standards. The Standards below are anadapted version of the 2003 standards of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), for the preparation of Science Teachers.

Standard 1: Content KnowledgeTeachers of science understand and can articulate the knowledge and practices of contemporary science. They can interrelate and interpretimportant concepts, ideas, and applications in their fields of licensure; and can conduct scientific investigations.

Elements IndicatorsMap to Field Experience / Map

to Curriculum and CourseExperiences

Assessment Strategies

To show that they areprepared in content, teachersof chemistry mustdemonstrate that they:

a. Understand and cansuccessfully convey tostudents the majorconcepts, principles,theories, laws, andinterrelationships of theirfields of licensure andsupporting fields asrecommended by theNational ScienceTeachers Association.

b. Understand and cansuccessfully convey tostudents the unifyingconcepts of science

All secondary teachers shouldalso be prepared to leadstudents to understand theunifying concepts of scienceincluding:

• Multiple ways we organize ourperceptions of the world andhow systems organize thestudies and knowledge ofscience.

• Nature of scientific evidenceand the use of models forexplanation.

• Measurement as a way ofknowing and organizingobservations of constancy andchange.

• Evolution of natural systems

delineated by the NationalScience EducationStandards.

c. Understand and cansuccessfully convey tostudents importantpersonal andtechnological applicationsof science in their fields oflicensure.

d. Understand research andcan successfully design,conduct, report andevaluate investigations inscience.

e. Understand and cansuccessfully usemathematics to processand report data, andsolve problems, in theirfield(s) of licensure.

and factors that result inevolution or equilibrium.

• Interrelationships of form,function, and behaviors inliving and nonliving systems.

All teachers of biology should beprepared to lead students tounderstand the unifying conceptsrequired of all teachers ofscience, and should in additionbe prepared to lead students tounderstand:

• Life processes in livingsystems including organizationof matter and energy.

• Similarities and differencesamong animals, plants, fungi,microorganisms, and viruses.

• Principles and practices ofbiological classification.

• Scientific theory and principlesof biological evolution.

• Ecological systems includingthe interrelationships anddependencies of organismswith each other and theirenvironments.

• Population dynamics and theimpact of population on itsenvironment.

• General concepts of genetics

and heredity.

• Organization and functions ofcells and multi-cellularsystems.

• Behavior of organisms andtheir relationships to socialsystems.

• Regulation of biologicalsystems including homeostaticmechanisms.

• Fundamental processes ofmodeling and investigating inthe biological sciences.

• Applications of biology inenvironmental quality and inpersonal and communityhealth.

In addition to these corecompetencies, teachers ofbiology as a primary field shouldbe prepared to effectively leadstudents to understand:

• Bioenergetics including majorbiochemical pathways.

• Biochemical interactions oforganisms with theirenvironments.

• Molecular genetics andheredity and mechanisms ofgenetic modification.

• Molecular basis forevolutionary theory andclassification.

• Causes, characteristics andavoidance of viral, bacterial,and parasitic diseases.

• Issues related to livingsystems such as geneticmodification, uses ofbiotechnology, cloning, andpollution from farming.

• Historical development andperspectives in biologyincluding contributions ofsignificant figures andunderrepresented groups, andthe evolution of theories inbiology.

• How to design, conduct, andreport research in biology.

• Applications of biology andbiotechnology in society,business, industry, and healthfields.

All teachers of biology shouldalso be prepared to effectivelyapply concepts from othersciences and mathematics to theteaching of biology includingbasic concepts of:

• Chemistry, including general

chemistry and biochemistrywith basic laboratorytechniques.

• Physics including light, sound,optics, electricity, energy andorder, magnetism, andthermodynamics.

• Earth and space sciencesincluding energy andgeochemical cycles, climate,oceans, weather, naturalresources, and changes in theEarth.

• Mathematics, includingprobability and statistics.

Standard 2: Nature of Science

Teachers of science engage students effectively in studies of the history, philosophy, and practice of science. They enablestudents to distinguish science from nonscience, understand the evolution and practice of science as a human endeavor, andcritically analyze assertions made in the name of science.




To show they are prepared toteach the nature of science,teachers of science mustdemonstrate that they:

a. Understand the historicaland cultural developmentof science and theevolution of knowledge in

All students of science, whetherteacher candidates or not, shouldhave knowledge of the nature ofscience as defined in thisstandard, and should have theskills needed to engage studentsin the critical analysis of scientificand pseudoscientific claims in anappropriate way. This requires

their discipline.

b. Understand thephilosophical tenets,assumptions, goals, andvalues that distinguishscience from technologyand from other ways ofknowing the world.

c. Engage studentssuccessfully in studies ofthe nature of scienceincluding, when possible,the critical analysis offalse or doubtfulassertions made in thename of science.

explicit attention to the nature ofscience, as defined in thisstandard, as a part of thepreparation of science teachers.

Candidates should:

• have multiple opportunities tostudy and analyze literaturerelated to the history andnature of science, such as TheDemon Haunted World(Sagan, 1996); Great Feuds inScience (Hellman, 1998)Facts, Fraud and Fantasy(Goran, 1979) and TheStructure of ScientificRevolutions (Kuhn, 1962).

• they should be required toanalyze, discuss and debatetopics and reports in the mediarelated to the nature of scienceand scientific knowledge incourses and seminarsthroughout the program, notjust in an educational context.Students should engage inactive investigation andanalysis of the conventions ofscience as reflected in papersand reports in science, acrossfields, in order to understandsimilarities and differences inmethods and interpretations inscience, and to identifystrengths and weaknesses of

findings.• demonstrate that they are

effective by successfullyengaging students in the studyof the nature of science.Assessments with regard tounderstanding may includesuch possibilities ascompletion of independentstudy courses, seminars orassignments; projects; papers;summative readings; or casestudy analyses. Assessmentsof effectiveness must includeat least some demonstrablypositive student outcomes instudies related to the nature ofscience as delineated by thestandards in this cluster.

Standard 3: InquiryTeachers of science engage students both in studies of various methods of scientific inquiry and in active learning through scientific inquiry.They encourage students, individually and collaboratively, to observe, ask questions, design inquiries, and collect and interpret data in orderto develop concepts and relationships from empirical experiences.




To show that they are preparedto teach through inquiry, teachersof science must demonstrate thatthey:

• Candidates in a scienceteacher preparation programshould be provided withmultiple opportunities to solveopen-ended problems using

a. Understand theprocesses, tenets, andassumptions of multiplemethods of inquiryleading to scientificknowledge.

b. Engage studentssuccessfully indevelopmentallyappropriate inquiries thatrequire them to developconcepts andrelationships from theirobservations, data, andinferences in a scientificmanner.

appropriate scientific methods.These opportunities should bepresent in their sciencecontent courses, but alsoshould be fundamental in theirscience methods preparation.Many candidates enterteaching because they want toimpart knowledge: It is noteasy for them to lead studentsby listening and questioning,and to allow students to inferproposed solutions toproblems. Practice isessential.

• The preparation of teachers forthe elementary level,especially generalists, shouldrequire inquiry-baseduniversity science courses.Stalheim-Smith andScharmann (1996) andStoddart, Connell, Stofflett andPeck (1993) found that the useof constructivist teachingmethodologies and learningcycles, methods that aregenerally inquiry-based,improved the learning ofscience by candidates inelementary education. Suchcourses also may increase theconfidence level of generalists,who are often not confident intheir ability to do science.

• Secondary programs should

also strongly emphasizeinquiry and pay close attentionto preparing teachers toeffectively lead students insuch activities. All programsshould provide explicitinstruction in the nature ofinquiry as well as itsapplications. Like the natureof science, inquiry is notlearned well simply throughpractice. In general, the term"scientific method" (for thehypothetico-deductive method)should be avoided, since itmay lead students to believethere is only one way toconduct scientific inquiries.Inductive studies have playeda valuable role in science, ashave mathematical andcomputer modeling.Hypotheses are not usedformally by scientists in allresearch, nor are experimentsper se the substance of allresearch. Candidates shouldstudy cases in which differentapproaches to inquiry are usedin science, and shouldendeavor to communicatesuch differences to theirstudents.

• The role of the teacher is notjust to engage students ininquiry in order to develop their

conceptual knowledge andprocess skills, but also toincrease their understanding ofhow scientific inquiries areconducted, and how decisionsare made in science. In thisregard, the inquiry standardsoverlap and support the natureof science standards.

• Inquiry demands skill in theanalysis of data andassessment of results to reachreasonable and validconclusions. Candidates mustbe able to demonstrate notonly that they know andunderstand common anddifferent modes of scientificinquiry, but also that they canand do effectively engagestudents in inquiries. Theyshould be able to demonstratetheir effectiveness throughstudent data profiles or similarmeans that they are effectivein conducting such activities.

Standard 4: IssuesTeachers of science recognize that informed citizens must be prepared to make decisions and take action on contemporary science-and technology-related issues of interest to the general society. They require students to conduct inquiries into the factual basis of suchissues and to assess possible actions and outcomes based upon their goals and values.

Elements IndicatorsMap to Field Experience /

Map to Curriculum andCourse Experiences


To show that they are preparedto engage students in studies ofissues related to science,teachers of science mustdemonstrate that they:

a. Understand sociallyimportant issues relatedto science andtechnology in their fieldof licensure, as well asprocesses used toanalyze and makedecisions on suchissues.

b. Engage studentssuccessfully in theanalysis of problems,including considerationsof risks, costs, andbenefits of alternativesolutions; relating theseto the knowledge, goalsand values of thestudents.

• Science teacher preparationprograms should give explicitattention to the study ofsocially important issuesrelated to science andtechnology such as speciespreservation, land use,chemical pollution, weaponsdevelopment, and cloning, toname but a few. Such issuesmay be introduced in sciencecourses, but seldom doscience courses provide forstructured cost-benefitanalyses or decision-makingon these issues thatconsiders all perspectives.Programs must ensure thatcandidates are prepared tolead students in learning howto dissect and analyze issuesusing data and information asresources.

• The question of how toconsider an issue is just asimportant as the issuesconsidered. To that end,

candidates will themselvesneed to learn how to exploreissues with an open mind.Once this is accomplished,they will need to learn how tolead students to explorethese issues with the goal ofmaking an informed andjustified decision.

• To meet this standard,candidates must demonstratethat they are aware ofimportant issues and areknowledgeable ofapproaches to analyzingthese issues. Candidatesshould access commonsources of information(newspapers, magazines,televised reports) to relatetheir science instruction tocontemporary issues andevents. They must thendemonstrate through studentachievement that they areable to effectively lead themin the study of an importantissue.

Standard 5: General Skills of Teaching

Teachers of science create a community of diverse learners who construct meaning from their science experiences and possess adisposition for further exploration and learning. They use, and can justify, a variety of classroom arrangements, groupings, actions,strategies, and methodologies.

Elements IndicatorsMap to Field Experience /

Map to Curriculum andCourse Experiences


To show that they are preparedto create a community ofdiverse learners, teachers ofscience must demonstrate thatthey:

a. Vary their teachingactions, strategies, andmethods to promote thedevelopment of multiplestudent skills and levelsof understanding.

b. Successfully promotethe learning of scienceby students withdifferent abilities, needs,interests, andbackgrounds.

c. Successfully organizeand engage students incollaborative learningusing different studentgroup learningstrategies.

d. Successfully usetechnological tools,

• The standards under thegeneral teaching cluster arelargely skills based and mustbe demonstrated by datafrom the classroom. Not allof the standards requiredemonstrations of studentachievement or performance,but where effectiveness mustbe demonstrated, data fromstudents should be used.

• Programs should providecandidates with ampleopportunities to work withstudents using well-definedindicators of effectivepedagogy. Candidates mustgo beyond demonstratingthat they can create variedplans for instruction (as in amethods course) and actuallyimplement a unit that hasappropriate variety.

• Not all schools have diversityin terms of racial or ethnicmakeup, but almost all havevariations in socio-economic

including but not limitedto computer technology,to access resources,collect and processdata, and facilitate thelearning of science.

e. Understand and buildeffectively upon the priorbeliefs, knowledge,experiences, andinterests of students.

f. Create and maintain apsychologically andsocially safe andsupportive learningenvironment.

status, gender and learningstyles. Candidates should beable to show how they haveconsidered such differencesin their planning andteaching. Theseconsiderations may bedirected at a group or atindividuals. For example,demonstrating the ability tomake appropriate provisionsfor a student who does notspeak English well, or whohas a defined disability mightbe acceptable evidence ofadapting instruction.

• The ability to use structuredcollaborative learningeffectively is an importantpart of Standard 15. Thisincludes, but goes beyond,setting up effective labgroups. Strategies such asTeams-Games-Tournament(TGT) and Student Teams,Achievement Division(STAD) are examples ofalternative ways to organizeinstruction, where studentsteach each other (Slavin,1996).

• Technology use is theemphasis of standard 16, asopposed to teaching abouttechnology in contrast withscience. The availability of

technology in schools maylimit the ability of somecandidates to demonstratetheir performance withstudents. If a teacherpreparation program issituated in an area wherecomputer technology is notcommon in the schools, itmay be necessary topurchase laptops and labware for use in the schools.

• Pretesting andpreconceptions surveys areexcellent ways for candidatesto determine the priorconceptual knowledge oftheir students. Candidatesshould also be able to showhow they used priorconceptions and variations inthe knowledge of theirstudents to plan instruction inrelation to the target concept.

• The cooperating teacher,using a rubric designed bythe program, may assessclassroom atmosphere. Thecandidate may also collectstudent feedback using aninstrument of his or her owndesign.

Standard 6: CurriculumTeachers of science plan and implement an active, coherent, and effective curriculum that is consistent with the goals andrecommendations of the National Science Education Standards. They begin with the end in mind and effectively incorporatecontemporary practices and resources into their planning and teaching.




To show that they are preparedto plan and implement aneffective science curriculum,teachers of science mustdemonstrate that they:

a. Understand the curricularrecommendations of theNational ScienceEducation Standards, andcan identify, access,and/or create resourcesand activities for scienceeducation that areconsistent with thestandards.

b. Plan and implementinternally consistent unitsof study that address thediverse goals of theNational ScienceEducation Standards andthe needs and abilities ofstudents.

Teacher candidates shouldengage in planning andimplementing lessons and unitsof instruction early and often, andshould be held responsible fordemonstrating such planningthroughout the program. Withlittle experience in teaching,candidates may find suchplanning difficult and time-consuming. There is a tendencyamong novices to fall back uponactivities for their own sake,rather than to deliberately plan alesson or a unit with concern forhow it might be made moreeffective. Practice inimplementing units that havebeen designed to portray theNational Science EducationStandards and that have beenfield-tested may offer anopportunity to practice inquirybased teaching in a supportivecontext with a high probability ofsuccess.• Resource units or collections

of related materials are oneway candidates can be shownto be familiar with a widevariety of materials in relationto a particular topic. Lessonplans and unit plans aregenerally required in mostprograms and can be used asdata to verify that the programaddresses the standards.

• Candidates can be asked toformally assess the internalconsistency of their plansusing program criteria andmay create a reflectivenarrative to explain thatassessment. This assessmentmay then be returned as partof a portfolio or as anindependent assessment andmay be used by the programto verify candidate skills inrelation to standard 20.

Standards 7: Science in the Community

Teachers of science relate their discipline to their local and regional communities, involving stakeholders and using the individual,institutional, and natural resources of the community in their teaching. They actively engage students in science-related studies oractivities related to locally important issues.




To show that they are preparedto relate science to thecommunity, teachers of sciencemust demonstrate that they:

a. Identify ways to relatescience to the community,involve stakeholders, anduse community resourcesto promote the learning ofscience.

b. Involve studentssuccessfully in activitiesthat relate science toresources andstakeholders in thecommunity or to theresolution of issuesimportant to thecommunity.

To meet this standard,candidates must know thecommunity in which they teach.Programs should providecandidates with the backgroundand tools they need to learnabout the community. This couldinclude a community survey orvisits to a community websitethat provides demographic andresource information about thecommunity. Candidates shouldalso know how to obtaininformation from their studentsthat might help them tounderstand their needs, andmight lead to guest speakersfrom the students' families.• A good resource for finding out

about the community is thelocal newspaper. News mediamay report on issues relevantto science and technology,which then may be used asthe focus of discussion andcost-benefit analysis. It maybe desirable for candidates to

create and maintain aresource list for topics in theirfield and arrange to either takestudents to the field or haveguest speakers come in. TheInternet can also be a usefultool for finding resources insome communities.

• It is not always necessary forcandidates to arrange forguest speakers or a field trip inorder to make use ofcommunity resources.Students, alone or in smallstudy groups, may be asked toinvestigate questions, collectdata, visit sites¸ attendpresentations, or interviewpeople after school or onweekends.

Standards 8: Assessment

Teachers of science construct and use effective assessment strategies to determine the backgrounds and achievements oflearners and facilitate their intellectual, social, and personal development. They assess students fairly and equitably, and requirethat students engage in ongoing self-assessment.




To show that they are preparedto use assessment effectively,teachers of science mustdemonstrate that they:

a. Use multiple assessmenttools and strategies toachieve important goalsfor instruction that arealigned with methods ofinstruction and the needsof students.

b. Use the results of multipleassessments to guide andmodify instruction, theclassroom environment,or the assessmentprocess.

c. Use the results ofassessments as vehiclesfor students to analyzetheir own learning,engaging students inreflective self-analysis oftheir own work.

• An important tenet ofeducation is that the mode ofassessment often drivesmethods of instruction ratherthan the other way around.The very nature of aperformance based teacherpreparation program requirescandidates to pay far moreattention to determining theresults of instruction than hasbeen necessary in the past.

• Multiple assessment toolsshould be aligned with themultiple purposes ofinstruction. Candidates shouldbe called upon to justify theirselection of assessment toolsin relation to the purposes ofthe instruction. For example, itis clearly inconsistent to use amultiple-choice quiz to assessthe result of an open inquiry.Variety of assessments doesnot just include different kindsof traditional and nontraditionalassessments, but also

assessments to measuredifferent dimensions oflearning-cognitive, affectiveand psychomotor knowledgeand skills-and dispositions ofstudents.

• It would be expected thatcandidates should show atleast some disposition to useassessments to guide andchange instruction. Theseassessments may be formal orinformal, formative orsummative. A supervisor maynote this occurring andassistant the candidate inreflecting upon this change.Alternatively, candidates mayuse pretests or may collectdata formatively to determinewhether further instruction ona concept or in a skill isneeded. Some teachers havefound it effective to asksstudents at the end of eachclass period to write somethingthey have learned that day;they have then used thestudent response to guide theirwork the next day and clear upmisconceptions ormisunderstandings.

• It is also important thatteachers be able to involvestudents in self-analysis. Toooften assessment is something

done to students. It takes littleeffort for candidates to includeitems that require studentreflection on tests, projects, oractivities they have completed.Conferencing with studentsusing data from theirassessments may also be away of involving students inself assessment as long as thestudents themselves are doingthe assessing: suchconferences would not meetstandard 25 if it is just anotherform of teacher assessment.

Standard 9: Safety and Welfare

Teachers of science organize safe and effective learning environments that promote the success of students and the welfare of allliving things. They require and promote knowledge and respect for safety, and oversee the welfare of all living things used in theclassroom or found in the field.




To show that they are prepared,teachers of science mustdemonstrate that they:

a. Understand the legal andethical responsibilities ofscience teachers for thewelfare of their students,the proper treatment ofanimals, and the

• Teacher preparation programsmust ensure that candidatespossess the knowledgeneeded to maintain a safeenvironment for all students.This includes knowledge ofhow to avoid or controlhazardous materials ororganisms, how to prepareand/or store materials

maintenance anddisposal of materials.

b. Know and practice safeand proper techniques forthe preparation, storage,dispensing, supervision,and disposal of allmaterials used in scienceinstruction.

c. Know and followemergency procedures,maintain safetyequipment, and ensuresafety proceduresappropriate for theactivities and the abilitiesof students.

d. Treat all living organismsused in the classroom orfound in the field in asafe, humane, and ethicalmanner and respect legalrestrictions on theircollection, keeping, anduse.

properly, and how to clean upspills and dispose of chemicalssafely.

• Candidates must know how tocheck and use safetyequipment properly and thehazards of improperly shieldedequipment, and must be ableto avoid risks from fire hazardsand biological contaminants.

• It is also important thatcandidates actually behave ina safe manner, model ethicaland safe behavior, and ensurethat students behave safely atall times. They must giveproper safety instruction andcausations, and must labelmaterials and equipment insuch a way as to maintainsafety.

• In addition to safety concerns,candidates who may keep oruse animals in the classroomor field should beknowledgeable of their care.They should know and complywith laws and professionalstandards for classroomtreatment of animals andshould be aware of regulationscontrolling the use of sentient,usually vertebrate, animals.They should be able toproperly maintain theenvironment of the animals

and dispose of wastes,respond to the illness of theanimals and ensure that theyhave the food, water, space,shelter and care needed fortheir well-being.

• Where candidates may useviruses, microorganisms, orother living things potentiallyharmful to students,candidates should know howto clean up the classroom anddispose of materials in order tomaintain safety for studentsand anyone who mayencounter such materials.Chemical hazards orbiohazards must be dealt withaccording to rules andregulations that apply to alllaboratories.

• Candidates should know andrespect restrictions oncollecting and using plants andanimals, or parts of plants andanimals, from the wild. Theyshould be aware of thepotential hazards of commonplants as well as animals.

• Finally, they should know thecommon emergencyprecautions, responses, andreporting procedures that theyare to follow in the eventproblems arise.

• Both knowledge and behaviors

are essential components indemonstrating that thisstandard is met. Safetyreadings, tests, artifacts,projects, classroom safetyevaluations, and so forth maybe used to demonstrateknowledge and attention tosafety matters. Reviews ofregulations related to thecollection and use of livingthings and general guidelinesfor safety and use of livingthings may also contribute toevidence of preparation.Actual performance in theclassroom might bedemonstrated by completion ofa safety and ethical behaviorsrubric or checklist bycooperating teachers.

Standard 10: Professional Growth

Teachers of science strive continuously to grow and change, personally and professionally, to meet the diverse needs of their students,school, community, and profession. They have a desire and disposition for growth and betterment. To show their disposition for growth,teachers of science must demonstrate that they:




a. Engage actively andcontinuously inopportunities forprofessional learning andleadership that reachbeyond minimum jobrequirements.

b. Reflect constantly upontheir teaching and identifyways and means throughwhich they may growprofessionally.

c. Use information fromstudents, supervisors,colleagues and others toimprove their teachingand facilitate theirprofessional growth.

d. Interact effectively withcolleagues, parents, andstudents; mentor newcolleagues; and fosterpositive relationships withthe community.

• Programs must helpcandidates the professionalcommunity as scienceeducators.

• Science teaching is acomposite profession requiringknowledge and skills in bothscience and education.Ideally, these skills cometogether in the preparationprogram.

• Associations and activitiesrelated to science teaching areabundant. Participation insuch activities at the local,state and national levelsshould be encouraged, somebeing required.

• They are a resource forimproving one's teaching, butalso they provide theopportunity for constructiveinteraction with others in thesame field.

• Teacher preparation programsshould keep records of suchactivity so that they may then

try to increase the activity oftheir candidates year by year.

• The best teachers tend to begoal-focused, but flexible andreflective. Thesecharacteristics allow them torelate to students and tomodify and improve theirpractices.

• Candidates in teacherpreparation programs mustdemonstrate the ability toreflect, but also to respondpositively to constructivefeedback from others. Fewteacher educators areunfamiliar with candidates whoenter their programs withpreset ideas that they refuse tochange, even when studentsdo not respond well to them. Itis imperative that suchindividuals not be allowed tocontinue on into teaching.

• The ability to get along withothers is crucial in education,certainly with students, butalso with other stakeholderssuch as teachers,administrators, support staffand parents.

• Dispositional factors can beassessed through thebehaviors of candidates;candidates should be heldaccountable for behaviors that

are contrary to theexpectations of the professionas determined by the facultyand reflected in thesestandards.

• Carefully constructed criteriaare needed and may be usedas a source of data forcandidate preparation andpractice by the program.

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General Science Map Fillable - doee