It is my personal belief that effective science teaching appears to be very complex with many crucial aspects that must be included, however, I think that if you focus on a couple important aspects the task becomes much easier. I have included four important variables in my vision of effective teaching and learning for the science curriculum. They include the use of teaching through inquiry, using learning goals to guide teaching, understanding students and knowing where to find and how to utilize good resources. These variables all have other important features that are included in them as well. Each variable is important by itself and each variable becomes more meaningful when combined with the other variables, resulting in better preparation for teaching. Which, then leads to students having a better and clearer understanding of the scientific information.
Inquiry based teaching is included in my vision for effective science teaching because I believe it is imperative for students learning. When teachers use this model to teach students are actively engaged in scientific questions, students are able to explore the phenomena by experimenting with different ideas and solutions; students then explain their findings and understandings by using different charts, graphs and applying newly learned scientific vocabulary. Students are also involved in comparing and sharing their knowledge with their classmates. Students then apply this new understanding of the phenomena to answer questions and develop new questions. (MSU Inquiry & Application Instructional Model) Just as the students are working on inquiry, the teacher also needs to be actively engaged in making sure they are providing certain criteria, materials and information for each of the five steps in this approach. I believe if the teacher does a good job of evaluating himself or herself, then the students will benefit even more because of the modifications the teacher will make in order to fulfill these fundamental aspects for teaching science. An example of inquiry-based teaching is when we were given the opportunity to discover the different configurations that light a light bulb with two wires, a battery and a light bulb. We were given a scientific question of what will cause the light to become lit and we discussed our initial ideas. The class was then given time to mess around with these materials and to form an opinion, we shared our ideas using specific detail, as well as listened to our classmates ideas. We were then told how exactly the light was lit and given a couple of science vocabulary words and we then applied this information to other areas in our life where we used this phenomena. This systematic approach of Inquiry teaching is important to the way that I view teaching science effectively.
I believe that learning goals are essential in teaching science. Learning goals are guides for teachers to follow and to strive for student understanding. Teachers are responsible for teaching these learning goals and students are responsible for learning and acquiring the key concepts of the learning goals. Learning goals can be broken up into three categories, which include constructing, reflecting and using benchmarks. Constructing benchmarks include the beginning of an idea and developing that idea. Reflecting benchmarks are associated with having the student see patterns and connecting ideas with others. Using goals include the idea that students will be able to explain and predict based on their understanding of the phenomena and the world around them (Anderson 2003). Learning goals show the main ideas; which should be acquired through the lessons. If students do not show an understanding of the important ideas on their assessment tasks, then teachers will recognize the fact that they need to revisit some key ideas in the unit. Assessment tasks are vital in order to achieve effective science teaching and learning. Assessment tasks are directly related to the learning goals. There are three main types of assessment tasks, they are pre, embedded and post assessments. Pre assessments are used to find out student ideas about a certain topic; these are also known as real world experiences. Embedded assessments are used to see how their ideas are changing throughout the unit and post assessments are used to measure the students learning at the end of the unit. There are numerous ways to accomplish these assessments; a few examples are science talks, journal entries, self-reports, brainstorming, illustrations, maps and personal interviews (Enger and Yager 2001). However, no matter which assessment you use, each assessment is imperative and should relate back to the main learning goals. If the assessment tasks are not related to the learning goals, then the whole lesson does not flow and the students are not being tested on the information that the teacher is trying to teach them.
It is incredibly crucial for teachers to understand the students in their classroom. This task can be very challenging, but it is possible. There are many different ways for teachers to learn about the students in their classroom. One way is to start by learning about the students in your classroom, by understanding each students’ misconceptions as well as understanding their beliefs about science. You can do this simply by having them write journal entries as well as drawing basic pictures of an idea. Trying to learn students’ achievements and successes in science and in life is also a fundamental aspect to understanding students. By doing this you will have a clearer understanding of what the students’ know. These tasks can be associated with learning the Habits of Mind that your students have. Habits of mind include, the ability for students to be active in “talking, and writing about science in such a way that they not only construct knowledge about scientific concepts or acquire skills in the processes of science, but also adopt attitudes that are associated with the shared values of science” (Reddy, Jacobs, McChrohon & Rupert. 1998). Understanding the students’ funds of knowledge can lead to a clearer understanding of each individual student. These are all great ways to learn more about students. Once you know their background, it is easier to relate scientific phenomena to their real life experiences and it is easier to engage students in topics of interest. These experiences are wonderful ways for students to identify with a certain subject or have some background knowledge of the subject. Many students will understand the real world application first and then comprehend the phenomena from it. In addition, students commonly have experience with whatever topic or subject, but do not realize they have. Once students are given an example, they reflect back and realize they have already had that experience. Experience is part of the elements of inquiry and is the base for steps involved. Knowing your students can make it easier for the students to learn the material and easier for you to teach the material. Another important aspect of teaching science is adapting to special need students. These adaptations can be simple tasks such as considering that particular child while making seating charts and when forming groups and partner work. Another way to adapt is by making small alterations to lesson plans, so that they are still able to participate as much as possible. Allowing them to only list four examples when the class has to give six. By doing this, the student will feel more like a member of the class and less like an outcast. This is a fundamental step for these students. They want to be as normal as possible and if teachers do not pre-plan lessons for them, these students will stand out to the rest of the classroom, which reinforces the idea that these students are different. Other ways to adapt to these students is to include visual models, and use non-verbal signals before calling on student that way you are building up their confidence. All of these are simple and easy tasks that do not take much time or effort but can really make a difference in the learning that takes place in the classroom. (Keenan 2004) Most of these steps in understanding the students are easy and can be quickly established at the beginning of the year.
Understanding where to find help and utilizing the resources that are available to teachers is also extremely important. I believe one of the most important things for teachers to engage in is collaborating with other teachers and others professionals. This way, teachers have the ability to learn as much as they can about phenomena that they do not know much about, as well as gather ideas from the other teachers; in addition, they can bounce ideas of each other and create better lessons. Collaborating also minimizes the chances of forgetting something. When one teacher is giving directions, the other is listening and can interject and add things if the other one forgets. They become part of a team and each team member observes different things going on in the classroom. This was demonstrated through our use of Lesson Lab throughout the year, because we saw how the two teachers worked together, they created the lessons together, they co-taught science all the time, they learned from each other. It was a great opportunity to see this and to see how well it can work. Students will also notice this collaboration and comprehend the importance of sharing ideas and group work. As well as show students that we all have different strengths as well as weaknesses and we can build off these strengths. Students who understand their own strengths will be able to help out students who have weaknesses in their strength area (Delpit 2006). Using books, including informational as well as fictional books are great for younger students to have an understanding of science in the real world. Teachers can use these books for themselves to understand material and then find childrens’ books to match up with these ideas (Papas et. al. 2004). Science and technology is a fundamental aspect to teaching and learning science. Using technology in science allows students to comprehend the material in different ways and possibly to have a clearer understanding of the information. For example, our use of Kidspiration for a project was a great way for us to see how using diagrams on computers is neat and a cool way to organize our ideas. Kidspiration is one of these technological tools and I feel that this software would be perfect for use in science lessons. It is a fun and easy way to jot down ideas, create charts, and take notes and so on. (Kidspiration) Programs like this are needed in schools and will advance the students’ knowledge of both science and technology. Another great technological tool is computers, simply using excel, PowerPoint, word and other Microsoft applications students obtain practice that they can use inside and outside of school. Also finding websites that allow for student interaction can be extremely beneficial. Technology
“can make the search for information easier, supply another example, connect a student to others who are dong the same investigation, provide data, or help to being a new inquiry. Computer technology and its related resources-the Internet, software packages, interfacing laboratory instruments, and multimedia presentation packages-help learners construct their own meaning” (Koch 2005).
Another great resource for teachers, as well as students is the use of field trips. Field trips often offer students and teachers the ability to see phenomena in a different light. They also allow for experts to teach them information. The ability to seek out and use these resources is important for all teachers.
When teachers are actively involved in these practices of inquiry, learning goals, understanding students and using resources they will have a better teaching environment for not only themselves, but for their students to learn as well. Students who are taught in this environment will be well rounded and will have more knowledge and understanding than students who do not experience these four key variables to better science teaching.
Bibliography
Delpit. (2006). Lessons from Teachers. Journal of Teacher Education.
Enger and Yager. (2001). Assessment in the context of teaching. In From Assessing Student Understanding in Science.
Keenan S. (2004). Methods & Strategies: Reaching English Language Learners: Strategies for teaching science in diverse classrooms.
Kidspiration Concept Mapping Software
Kock. (2005). Chapter 12: Science and Technology. In Science Stories.
Lesson Lab internet course and CD-ROM’s
MSU Inquiry & Application Instructional Model by Kristin Gunckel, Christina Schwarz and Edward Smith
Pappas et al. (2006). Lessons from Teachers. Journal of Teacher Education
Reddy, M., Jacobs, P., McChrohon, C., & Rupert, H. (1998). Acquiring scientific habits of mind in a learning community. In Creating Scientific Communities in the Elementary Classroom.
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