Developed Curricula for Science Teachers

• These are study notes about developed curricula for science teachers

Introduction

• The document aims to summarize a training course material for developed curricula for science teachers in Jordanian schools
• The training course includes four units amounting to forty hours:
• Philosophy of the developed curricula and it's structure
• Teaching the developed curricula
• Pedagogy of teaching and learning
• Digital teaching and learning

First Unit: Philosophy of Education in Jordan

• This section is about the philosophy of education and its reflection on curriculum design
• It aims for students to gain knowledge, skills, values ​​and trends consistent with it
• Vision: Pioneering educational society, affiliated, participatory, committed to values, scientific approach, and excellence to globalize
• Goal: Providing equal opportunities to obtain high-quality education which enables learners to think, criticize, work with the team and be lifelong learners while enhancing skills and values to be active citizens
• Core values: Freedom, justice, equality, citizenship, belonging, moderation, respect, transparency, responsibility, and building partnerships
• Example: Fifth grade science book where students explore their school gardens

The Importance of Vertical Interrelation

• To provide lessons successfully, you must know what your students learned in the previous grade.
• It helps students build upon previous knowledge and remedy any gaps in their understanding
• It's vital to know what students will learn to adequately prepare them for the next grade
• Each unit presents a vertical interrelation chart to demonstrate alignment between grades
• The colored parts in a 4th grade teacher manual shows the interrelation between different grades

Example of Alignment Between Grades

• Helps the teacher in building a deeper understanding of knowledge for students
• An example of cognitive calculation standard shows it's development across different grades
• the importance of the vertical interrelation table for teachers to prepare treatment schemes for students with below average marks

Features of Developed Curricula

• General features: Clear educational content supported by illustrations, content written in age-appropriate language, considers science skills and the scientific method, varied activities to develop students' thinking, a distinct artistic output for its content, and attractive icons
• Information Presentation: New methods to present outputs of learning, give instructions to students using appealing cues, using the same icon as a symbol.
• Content Design: books include family activities, focus on samples from the Jordanian environment, present varied enriching activities and ideas, way of presentation is interesting and attractive, deepened some concepts and skills, cross-curricular integration, a special workbook

Skills and Evaluation

• Skills: Focus on diverse skills, such as verbal fluency, cognitive communication errors
• Evaluation: Different strategies in evaluation, consideration of student differences, formative assessment, involving the student in the learning and evaluation processes, international test examples
• The vision is to make lessons engaging
• An important part is visual design

The Components of the Book

• Each unit in the books follows the five cycle learning which provides students with many opportunities for inquiry, problem solving, research, and the use of technology
• Preparation phase creates curiosity and motivation for students for research & exploration it also activates pre-existing knowledge
• Exploration Phase: the stage of engaging students in the subject and this allows them to build their own understanding through various activities
• Explanation Phase: Offering content in a variety of presentation styles, offering many images, illustrations, and charts related to the topic
• Expansion Phase: Providing students with additional experiences to stimulate their capacities, from conducting experiments, or new activities that lead to expansion to the unit, or deepen comprehension
• Evaluation: Verification of student learning and understanding of the material, giving the teacher a chance to identify strengths and weaknesses among students

Professional Learning Communities

• Shown by educational research
• Lack of co-operation might affect the teachers' performance
• Educational practices are learnt from books that are given by other teachers themselves or other collegues
• A community links channels to promote the exchange of expertise between them
• Professional learning communities contribute to the development of the professional development of teachers by overcoming working in isolation
• It allows for school work culture organization and effectiveness
• These can improve practice, build trust, strengthen professional community, and create a continuous-improvement agenda
• These help with building a shared language, vision, mission and values

Creating Professional Learning Communities

• These can be on several levels (teachers of specific studies, classroom teachers, schools)
• They can be implemented according to the school environment such as (class visits, shared sessions, analysing works, analyse sessions)

Second Unit: Teaching the Developed Curricula

• Model of the units in developed books
• Important note: to master the skills of this unit you must directly match what you read here directly with the math and science books
• The content enhances the science skills and thus came using model of cycle emanating from the building theory in the books to give students bigger role in the processes

Student Learning

• The student is expected to become familiar with the science, how to use the lessons and books
• They also need to know how to use technology in explanations
• they need to apply suitable tools in evaluation

Steps of Cycle Theory

• Readiness in the first module this part of the book makes students curious then helps in explaining and identifying the constituents
• Exploration helps gain skills that can be used in life

Example of the Interrelation of a Skill

• If you are teaching math for fourth grade and you are preparing to teach multiplying numbers
• You need to know what they learned in the previous grades You have to help the students do the proper activities
• Students need to have proper equipment

Tips for Teachers

• The material must be simplified
• You must follow the scientific method
• Give students homework and assign them with certain tasks to do

Third Unit: Pedagogy of Teaching and Learning

• Unit consists of topics which are:
• The scientific approach The first session -
• Second session - photos, illustrations and Headings
• Third session - differentiation
• Fourth session - practical examples

First Topic: The Scientific Approach

• The scientific method is used by researcher to study problems.
• Defining: How the study, identification and investigation problems in various areas of life, that didn't lead for the goal
• Composing problem: The researcher had to give a general template towards the problem

What are the steps of conducting it?

• Collecting information related to the experiment
• 2 Types of collecting methods: Referencing or obtaining info from inaccurate sites
• Put hypothesis: putting a set of questions about the problem they are having while depending on accurate informations, experiences and knowledge
• Reviewing it to know if its accurate or not

What are skills needed?

• Mote the data, analyze it, interpret it or even measure to what it is in need of
• Gathering all inormations and proofs the to know is it can all be done

A list of the steps that will allow it :

• It's main skill is the objective one, so you can make sure of the data and respect others ideas and be certain of all needed is set

What is known as Science?

• Means the full knowledge of the meaning
• Science is more wider from the science itself
• If a researcher followed the scientific method when recognizing staff and finding it, then the scientific acknowledgement has succeeded
• You need to connect it with the environment and to make every detail look more accurate

Fourth Unit: Digital Learning

• Unit consist of:
• Distance education its concepts and historys
• The adaptations that were added to the books for education
• Mixed teaching which include the first 2 items
• Practical items and participation
• What is necessary to use it. it helps with keeping the students at check