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faculty
Stephen Witzig, PhD
Associate Professor
Education
Education
| 2012 | University of Missouri | PhD in Science Education |
Courses
A content and methods course designed to integrate four important aspects of teaching science in the elementary 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 science educational research, philosophies, and methodologies.
Contemporary theories of learning in STEM education. The course helps students understand ways of knowing and how this drives research and applies to research in STEM education. Particular attention will be given to enabling students to situate their research in relevant theoretical frameworks and understand the implications of theoretical frameworks on research design.
Frameworks for STEM education research. The course will focus on the components and development of research frameworks in relation to research questions in various STEM education contexts. Students will improve understanding of the connections among the development of research questions, theory, research design, data collection, and data analysis in educational research.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Special topics in STEM education. Students will focus on a topic not included in the regular offerings of the department The specific topic is stated when the course is scheduled. The course will require students to engage in reading existing research and engaging in in a project related to that research that may include conducting new research, synthesizing existing research, or other authentic learning activities related to becoming a scholar in the field of STEM education.
Online and Continuing Education Courses
A content course which serves as a general biology survey course covering all the Massachusetts Life Science (Biology) Curriculum Standards for middle school and high school teachers. This highly interactive course emphasizes research-based core instructional models and inquiry-based laboratories to provide teachers with effective strategies that can be implemented in teaching general biology in today's diverse classrooms and teaching environment.
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.
An advanced treatment of special topics in biology with an emphasis on recent developments. The subject matter varies from year to year.
Register for this course.
A content and methods course designed to integrate four important aspects of teaching science in the elementary 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 science educational research, philosophies, and methodologies.
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 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.