Online Courses for Teachers

Active and Hands-On Science Instruction

(Grades K-6) / Flex Course

PDI Course Number: 98T02 / UCSD Course Number: EDUC41446

Course Description

With the advent of the new science standards, are you finding it increasingly difficult to make science more interesting and “hands-on?” In order to create student interest and fascination in science, teachers need to design curriculum where students do not simply learn about science, but also “do” science. This online course for teachers is designed for K-6 educators who are interested in learning a variety of ways to enhance their science instruction through active, hands-on experiences, while at the same time being able to “hit” the various standards. Teachers will gain a variety of ideas for conducting hands-on experiments and investigations, establishing science learning stations, integrating science with other content areas, and using technology to enhance science instruction. Time will also be spent on introducing ways to integrate science into other content areas including language arts and math. Teachers will also learn specific strategies for making science motivating so that even their hardest-to-reach student populations (which include English language learners and students with special needs) will be able to make sense of the new science standards in an engaging and fun way. By the end of this continuing education course, teachers will feel entirely confident to implement hands-on science practices in the classroom. This online professional development course is worth 3 ⅓ semester units/5 quarter units (50 hours of training) from University of California San Diego (UCSD) Division of Extended Studies. For detailed information on receiving university credit for your PDI professional development course, visit our credit page.

Need help? Kimya Nabavi, PDI Program Coordinator, is ready to assist.

"I thoroughly enjoyed this course and am excited to use the information and insight in my classroom. The material and resources are excellent and useful. The ideas and concepts motivated me to use more hands-on inquiry based science lessons in my classroom." - Judy Compton