SEM 521 - FOUNDATIONS IN STEM TEACHING

College of Education

Credits: 1 - 5 (Variable)

This course is intended to help future mathematics/science teachers build a theoretical background and gain the practical skills needed to begin to develop themselves as effective teachers in secondary classrooms. Students will be introduced to, and gain hands-on experience with a variety of instructional materials appropriate for teaching mathematics/science at the secondary level. Students are encouraged to be creative and reflective in developing, implementing, and evaluating practices associated with teaching concepts and skills. A strong emphasis is placed upon helping students to formulate an understanding of how to integrate the mathematical and scientific practices with the core ideas of the disciplines to develop deep conceptual understanding. The experiences in this course are designed to prepare teachers who will work among diverse populations and constantly be in tune with best practices and their implementation as a way to improve education in Kentucky and beyond. The course will focus on developing a number of general pedagogical skills; the integration of math and science candidates into this single class will enrich the conversations around such topics. SEM 521 will be taught as a hybrid course, with weekly face-to-face meetings paired with online modules that can be completed asynchronously. The course will have an accompanying university research / industry externship / informal STEM education experience associated with it for variable hours and variable credits.

Prerequisite(s):
Prereq: Admission to the TEP and either the B.S. in STEM Education or the M.A.T. in Secondary STEM Education (Initial Certification ”Secondary Ed”) program.
Approved for Distance Learning. Repeatable up to 5 credit hours.