Physics 39, Section 1
Teaching Science (2 units, P/NP)
Professor Roger Falcone
Friday 12:00-2:00, 200 LeConte Hall, CCN: 70218

Students will be expected to support science teaching in a local K-12 classroom throughout the course of the semester.

The seminar is for students who are interested in improving their ability to communicate scientific knowledge, and considering a career in teaching science in K-12 schools. It will combine instruction in inquiry-based science teaching methods and learning pedagogy with supervised teaching activities in a local school. Students will practice, with support and mentoring, communicating scientific knowledge through presentations and hands-on activities. The seminar builds on the successful Communicating Science series for upper-division students, which is taught in collaboration with the Lawrence Hall of Science. This seminar is an introduction to a new program for undergraduates called Cal Teach, which is described at http://calteach.berkeley.edu/. It is the first in a series of courses that will prepare undergraduate students in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering for careers in teaching at the K-12 level, while supporting their regular programs for the bachelor's degree in these subjects.

Professor Falcone has been teaching at UC Berkeley in the Physics Department since 1983 and served as Department Chair from 1995 to 2000. He is also affiliated with the Energy and Resources Group on campus, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. His research group conducts experiments in atomic, molecular, and solid state physics using ultrafast-pulse lasers and x-rays. His other activities include working with Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science and other groups on kindergarden-to-twelfth-grade education issues, and occasional studies related to national security. Website: http://www.physics.berkeley.edu/research/falcone/

Mr. John Erickson has been teaching at the Lawrence Hall of Science since 1986. He has taught in all subject areas at LHS, with an emphasis in physical sciences and astronomy, for students at the level of preschool through adult. His work includes curriculum development and teacher training in the content and methods of LHS curriculum materials.

Dr. Greg Schultz received his PhD from the UCLA Astronomy & Astrophysics program in 1999, and since then has been with UC Berkeley's Center for Science Education at the Space Sciences Lab (CSE@SSL; http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/). He came to Berkeley as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Science Education Postdoctoral Fellow, and is now on staff as an Education/Outreach Scientist and Teacher Educator. His work has been primarily focused on teacher education, teacher professional development, and science curriculum development, in particular within the subjects of astronomy, space science, physics, and earth science. He works closely in these regards with colleagues at the Lawrence Hall of Science.