Licensure in Biology Education

"Since new developments are the products of a creative mind, we must therefore stimulate and encourage that type of mind in every way possible." 

George Washington Carver  (1864-1943)

General Requirements for Licensure in Biology:

  • Completion of the College requirements for graduation including the core curriculum requirements.
  • Completion of the requirements for a Biology major. Biology majors seeking teaching licensure must complete Biology 401.
  • Completion of the requirements for the Teacher Education Program.

Course Requirements:

  • EDU 121 (History of Educational Theory and Practice)
  • EDU 242 (Educational Psychology and Teaching Exceptionalities)
  • EDU 240 (Reading, 'Riting, and Race), 250 (Multicultural Education), or 260 (Social Diversity and Inequality in Education)
  • EDU 400 (Organization for Teaching)
  • EDU 410-411 (Internship in Teaching)
  • EDU 420 (Seminar in Secondary Education)  

Other Requirements:

  • Minimum scores on the Praxis Series or minimum scores on the SAT
  • Students will need to meet the requirements for admission to the Program and admission to student teaching.
  • Candidates must demonstrate their qualifications as Future-Ready Educators by providing the six required pieces of evidence as described here .

To demonstrate depth of content for Evidence #2,

students seeking licensure in biology will complete Biology 401: Senior Colloquium, a capstone course for the major that focuses on a current issue in the biological sciences that has ethical, political, legal, and social implications for the twenty-first century.  As part of this course, students complete an individual research paper on the topic. The research paper must focus on the scientific, especially biological, aspects of the current issue.  In other words, it must reflect in-depth scientific research and analysis, rather than a broad overview of the topic.

 

Directions to Student

 

Students planning to earn licensure in biology are required to submit a revised copy of their individual research paper written for Biology 401: Senior Colloquium.  Regardless of the paper’s final form submitted for the colloquium, it will be evaluated as a unique product by the chair of the Department of Education and the Davidson faculty member who currently serves as the Biology Education representative to the Teacher Education Committee.  The research paper must focus on the scientific, especially biological, aspects of the current issue.  In other words, it must reflect in-depth scientific research and analysis rather than a broad overview.  Further, the structure of the paper must include the following.

 

  • Cover page.  Include your name, the title of your paper, and the date submitted to the Department of Education.
  • Table of contents.  Design your Table of Contents in such a way that your reader will find it helpful in navigating the contents of your project.
  • One page abstract.  This is a summation of the key points found during your research exploration.
  • Introduction.  Here you will outline the issue to be studied and explain why it is worthy of significant research analysis.
  • Summary of previous scholarship.  This is a brief (about two pages) summary of previous scholarly investigation of your topic.  This will provide a context for the main body of your research that is to follow.  You should be careful to make sure that this is a brief document unto itself; in other words, it should be a clear and coherent essay, rather than an annotated bibliography or a series of disjointed paragraphs summarizing previous work.
  • The Research Study. The body of your paper. Here you will present your research findings.
  • Conclusion. Summarize your main findings and then explain the importance of your research.  In other words, explain why your work is important.  This is also a good place to speculate what further lines of inquiry might be fruitful for future research.
  • Bibliography or Works Cited pages.  This section should include sources that were actually cited in the paper.   If you would like, you can also include a list of Works Consulted.  Be sure everything is documented according to an accepted scholarly format such as APA, Chicago, Turabian, etc.
  • Summary of research methods. Here you will provide a detailed summary of the research practices and methods employed during the writing of your paper.  For instance, you will want to explain how you arrived at your topic and what kind of background work went into narrowing and focusing your inquiry.  Also, you will explain how you collected your initial information and what changes occurred during your research—i.e., how your topic became more refined as you continued with your work.  Other items that you will want to include should refer to what databases you used, what people you consulted who helped during your research, difficulties you had in gathering certain information, treasures you stumbled on accidentally while browsing the stacks.  In short, you will want to explain your trials and tribulations encountered during this project.
  • Note. The total length of the paper should stay roughly between 15-25 double spaced pages, not counting bibliography, table of contents, summary of research methods, and abstract.

   Standards for High School Science Teachers

The following standards are mandated by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and are imbedded in the specialty area coursework.

Standard 1.  Twenty-first century science teachers understand safety and liability concerns in science and advocate for the provision and use of appropriate safety materials and enforcement practices in the classroom, laboratory, and field.

Science teacher candidates know and are able to:

  • Ensure that safety precautions and procedures are included in instruction and provide supervision during laboratory and field experiences.
  • Analyze the lab/activities for safety and research materials/chemicals, including use of MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets), to identify safety concerns before they are used.
  • Have a working knowledge of, and comply with, science safety laws, codes, standards, and procedures.
  • Model and enforce appropriate safety behaviors.
  • Collaborate with colleagues to develop a short- and long-term plan for improvement of science safety.

Standard 2. Twenty-first century science teachers understand and are able to use the unifying concepts of science in their instruction.

Science teacher candidates understand the following unifying concepts of science, and organize their instruction around them:

  • Systems, Order and Organization
  • Evidence, Models and Explanation
  • Constancy, Change, and Measurement
  • Evolution and Equilibrium
  • Form and Function

Teachers should possess the content knowledge of life sciences, physical sciences, and earth and environmental sciences, as outlined in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

Standard 3. Twenty-first century science teachers demonstrate an understanding of the nature of science, the historical development of scientific thought, the process of scientific inquiry, and the reciprocal relationship between science and society.

Science teacher candidates understand the following tenets of science, and organize their instruction around them:

  • Science is universal, multidisciplinary, cumulative and self-revising.
  • Science represents a way to answer questions based on observations, confirmable evidence and logical thinking.
  • The development of scientific thought is not necessarily linear.
  • Modern science is based on contributions, both past and present, from diverse cultures.
  • Scientific knowledge and applications affect and change human society.
  • Science progresses through communication within the scientific community, as well as with the public, allowing for feedback, challenges, and peer review.

Standard 4. Twenty-first century science teachers understand and are able to apply scientific skills and math concepts, using appropriate equipment and tools.

Science teacher candidates know and are able to:

  • Demonstrate proficiency in using measurement tools to perform investigations and gather accurate quantitative information.
  • Employ principles and applications of mathematics appropriate to the science content they teach.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in using scientific equipment commonly used in a given science discipline.

Standard 5. Twenty-first century science teachers plan and implement lessons that engage students in the process of hands-on, minds-on scientific inquiry.

Science teacher candidates know and are able to:

  • Plan for acquisition, dissemination and management of materials and equipment.
  • Incorporate appropriate field investigations and field trips.
  • Identify ‘real world’ questions and facilitate scientific investigations of these questions to teach science content.
  • Incorporate appropriate authentic assessment techniques to gauge student progress through inquiry based instruction.

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