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faculty
Stephen Witzig, PhD
Associate Professor
Education
Contact
508-910-9030
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Balsam Hall 9178
Education
| 2012 | University of Missouri | PhD in Science Education |
Teaching
Courses
Empowering in-service teachers to design a variety of instructional opportunities that attend to student learning, Building from a review of basic practices related to addressing academic diversity and responsive teaching in contemporary classrooms, this course focuses on the creation of learning environments supporting effective instructional and management strategies that attend to the dynamic and varied needs of all learners.
The use of current techniques and materials in science in grades 5-9. Using an integrated approach of pedagogy and content special attention will be given to new information technologies, reform-based teaching practices and problem-solving and reasoning. General science concepts are aligned with the academic standards of the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks. This course satisfies state initial license instructional methods requirements.
Marine science for teachers, in application to the local environment. This is a classroom/field-based science course for middle school general science teachers and high school biology teachers that will link specific learning standards from the Massachusetts State Frameworks to the local environment. Sample MCAS questions from fifth, eighth and tenth grade science and technology examinations will be analyzed.
A content/methods course designed to integrate four important aspects of teaching science in the school: becoming a reflective practitioner, gaining knowledge of oneself as a learner of science, gaining knowledge of oneself as a teacher of science, and gaining knowledge of children. This course prepares one to craft a science teaching practice that reflects current educational research, philosophies, and methodologies. DOE Subject Matter Knowledge Requirements are developed via class articles and learning experience and extension assignments. Educators will implement, evaluate, and reflect on instructional strategies unique to high school science teaching.
Synthesize critical research processes. Students will carry out authentic research work that applies the theories of learning and research themes to which they have been introduced in mathematics education.
Capstone course designed to synthesize critical research processes, theories of learning, and current research themes in mathematics education. From this synthesis, students are expected to select and refine a topic for their pilot study to be conducted during the preparatory phase of the doctoral program. A major product of this course is to generate materials relevant for their qualifying exams.
Synthesize critical research processes. Students will carry out authentic research work that applies the theories of learning and research themes to which they have been introduced in science education.
Qualifying Exam Preparation Capstone Course. Prepare students for their qualifying exams by synthesizing the lessons learned by the authentic I.earning experience and focusing research questions in preparation for their advanced coursework. In addition, the course will focus on formal writing both for grant applications, scholarly articles and the dissertation.
Research skills development for STEM Education. This course aims to synthesize prior coursework/research experience, focusing on methods and research questions, in preparation for students' main research project in Year 3. It also focuses on the development of skills to defend one's work and preparation for the written component of the student's qualifying exams. Students will develop essential experience/skills in designing research, reading research critically, writing scholarly work, and developing proposals for research funding. Students will give oral presentations on their research topics and plan of study for peer review
Focuses on developing the dissertation proposal, including conducting a full literature review, identifying the theoretical perspectives and relevant research framing the proposed dissertation research, a clear statement of the research questions and significance of the problem, a description of the research methods and design, and a work plan that identifies how data will be collected and analyzed.
Teaching
Online and Continuing Education Courses
A content/methods course designed to integrate four important aspects of teaching science in the school: becoming a reflective practitioner, gaining knowledge of oneself as a learner of science, gaining knowledge of oneself as a teacher of science, and gaining knowledge of children. This course prepares one to craft a science teaching practice that reflects current educational research, philosophies, and methodologies. DOE Subject Matter Knowledge Requirements are developed via class articles and learning experience and extension assignments. Educators will implement, evaluate, and reflect on instructional strategies unique to high school science teaching.
Register for this course.
The use of current techniques and materials in science in grades 5-9. Using an integrated approach of pedagogy and content special attention will be given to new information technologies, reform-based teaching practices and problem-solving and reasoning. General science concepts are aligned with the academic standards of the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks. This course satisfies state initial license instructional methods requirements.
Register for this course.
Empowering in-service teachers to design a variety of instructional opportunities that attend to student learning, Building from a review of basic practices related to addressing academic diversity and responsive teaching in contemporary classrooms, this course focuses on the creation of learning environments supporting effective instructional and management strategies that attend to the dynamic and varied needs of all learners.
Register for this course.
Marine science for teachers, in application to the local environment. This is a classroom/field-based science course for middle school general science teachers and high school biology teachers that will link specific learning standards from the Massachusetts State Frameworks to the local environment. Sample MCAS questions from fifth, eighth and tenth grade science and technology examinations will be analyzed.
Register for this course.
Research
Research awards
- $ 599,926 awarded by National Science Foundation for Connecting Undergraduates to Biodiversity Instruction through Citizen Science (CUBICS)
- $ 13,000 awarded by Lloyd Center for the Environment, Inc. for Lloyd Center-STEM Education PhD Fellowship Program
Research
Research interests
- Development of teachers’ specialized knowledge for teaching science
- Socioscientific issues based education
- Informal science contexts & field based teaching/learning
- Scientific practices & formative assessment in science
Select publications
- Sickel, A. J. & Witzig, S. B., (Eds.) (2017).
Designing and teaching the secondary science methods course: An international perspective - Witzig, S. B., Halverson, K. L., Siegel, M. A., & Freyermuth, S. K. (2013).
The interface of opinion, evaluation, and understanding while learning about a socioscientific issue
International Journal of Science Education, 35(15), 2483-2507. - Witzig, S. B., Freyermuth, S. K., Siegel, M. A., Izci, K., & Pires, J. C. (2013).
Is DNA alive? A study of conceptual change through targeted instruction
Research in Science Education, 43(4), 1361-1375.
Dr. Witzig holds a Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of Missouri. He joined the UMass Dartmouth faculty in 2012 and teaches courses in both the Ph.D. program in STEM Education as well in the Masters of Arts in Teaching programs. Stephen’s research focuses on the development of teachers’ specialized knowledge for teaching science, scientific practices, and bridging research relationships among scientists, classroom teachers, and science teacher educators. His work focuses on the sources of teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge, how experience shapes knowledge, socioscientific issues based education, qualitative methods in science education, and areas of student learning including the roles of students and teachers in learning science. He has published his work in the International Journal of Science Education, Research in Science Education, Journal of College Science Teaching, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, among others and has a co-edited book entitled Designing and Teaching the Secondary Science Methods Course: An International Perspective.