LRS 200/L. Liberal Studies Seminar and Lab: Learning, Thinking, and Doing Physical Science (3/1)

Prerequisite: ITEP-Freshman Option students only. Corequisite: LRS 200L. This course provides aspiring elementary school teachers with an understanding of how young children construct and comprehend key facets of science including explanations, theories, models, and experiments. In tandem with learning and doing science, students think about the philosophical and cognitive underpinnings of these facets of science. The course will also look at the nature of some of students’ alternative conceptions in science and strategies for assessing children’s existing beliefs. The laboratory component, LRS 200L, involves practicing physical science core ideas as both learners and teachers. As learners, they conduct physical science investigations themselves. As teachers, they teach lessons to elementary children based on the concepts learned and conduct interviews with the elementary children. This lab meets for 3 hours per week. 15 hours of offsite laboratory work is required.