Within the current climate of educational reform, where changes to the national curriculum are accused of being focused on acquiring knowledge (Coughlan, 2013), much debate has arisen regarding the importance of practical scientific enquiry as a tool for promoting scholarship (Wellcome Trust, 2013: ASDC, 2013). Through the course of school inspections, carried out in both primary and secondary schools between 2007 and 2010, OfSTED (2011:1) found that the ‘development of the skills of scientific enquiry were key factors in promoting pupils’ engagement, learning and progress.’ Therefore, in accordance with new curriculum guidance (Department for Education, 2013:144), the teaching of science through a combination of acquisition of new knowledge and application of this knowledge in the context of enquiry based learning will support learning and progress while addressing the concerns of critics.
Scientific enquiry involves the development of pattern seeking skills, the ability to test and explain ideas, identifying and classifying properties of elements, the use of technology and fair testing (Howe, et al, 2013:xi). It is the teaching of fair testing, where just one variable (independent) is allowed to affect another (dependent) (Williams, 2011), that often forms the basis for much practical work in primary schools (Goldsworthy, et al, 2000). One of the process skills for developing investigative enquiry (Murphy, 2003:11), fair testing enables pupils to understand the need to test scientific phenomena or questions in a reliable way that will result in scientifically valid data (McMacIntyre & Lewthwaite, 2005). As a result of this need for accuracy, teaching the concept of fair testing can prove to be challenging for both teachers and...
... middle of paper ...
...the place of ICT in developing good practice in primary science’, In: Teaching and Learning Primary Science with ICT. Warwick, P., Wilson, E. & Winterbottom, M. (eds.), Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Wellcome Trust, (2013). Department for Education: Reform of the National Curriculum in England,
Response by the Wellcome Trust, [Online], Available at: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/stellent/groups/ corporatesite/@policy_communications/documents/web_document/wtp052330.pdf, Accessed: 17/10/2013.
Williams, D. (2011). How Science Works: Teaching and Learning in the Science Classroom, US: Continuum Publishing Corporation.
Williams, J. & Easingwood, N. (2003). ICT and Primary Science: A Teacher's Guide, London: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
Woodley, E. (2009). ‘Practical work in school science – why is it important?’, In: School Science Review, Association for Science Education.
doi: 10.1787/9789264195714-en SAME AS >> Learning to Change: ICT in Schools. (2001). Schooling for Tomorrow, [online] p.10. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264195714-en [Accessed 29 May. 2014].
Table 2.2 describes these variations. I created activities that were concrete and straightforward. The investigations were a tool for me to connect students to abstract concepts such as force and motion. McDonald et al. (2002, p. 5) believes that “learners need access to the world in order to connect the knowledge in their head with the knowledge in the world”. To give this access, teachers need practices such as hand-on investigations. Each investigation was aligned with Newton’s Laws of Motion. The concepts in the investigations were observable, and students not only designed the investigations, but they were able to observe the scientific phenomenon through carrying out multiple trials. I chose activities that were not overly challenging or too easy and were suited to the skill and knowledge level of the 7th and 8th grade students. By using the recommendations of Colburn (2000) with structured-inquiry learning segments, students in my study had more control of their
Glibert (as cited in Preston, Harvie & Wallace, 2015) gives a simple three step overview of the inquiry process. The first step is to define the inquiry, which includes posing questions and planning the inquiry (Glibert, as cited in Preston, et. al., 2015). Questions may arise spontaneously or be prompted by provocations or artefacts that teachers provide (O’Brien, Peavey, & Fuller, 2016; Walker, 2015). Ralston Elementary School (2015) suggest that teachers should role model questions to students which encourage higher order thinking. The next step is to collect information and analyse it (Glibert, as cited in Preston, et. al., 2015). Reynolds (2012) suggest the use of brainstorming and graphic organisers as ways to collate and present the information. The final step is to decide what to do with the information. This requires students to make conclusions, reflect on and respond to the information (Glibert, as cited in Preston, et. al., 2015). Gilbert (as cited in Preston, et. al., 2015) also points out that the process may go back and forth through these steps as children pose more questions throughout the
Last summer, I worked at Project Think, a summer academic program for kids ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade. As an assistant teacher, I was to create an environment that would inspire a passion for science. Having a parent as a teacher, I knew how difficult it could be, but I was ready for the challenge. As a science enthusiast, I was determined to make the kids enjoy learning science, even during summer break!
Inquiry-based learning is geared with a student-centered approach, where teachers use the scaffolding technique to help students move toward stronger understanding of the subject area. Being directed towards a Science class, Forrest discovered that the literacy skills of listening, reading, writing, and speaking are all components of the inquiry process and are essential to learning in a Science classroom. Methods of using inquiry-based learning in a Science classroom includes; active reading where students are given a purpose for reading, scaffolding or teacher provided guidance, and collaboration in small groups to provide feedback on a specific source. The goal of active reading is to help students focus their inquiries on specific topics in an effort to increase learning. Another discovery that was made is that Middle-school students enjoy gaining new knowledge, especially when it is presented in a social way where they can provide their own ideas and listen to the ideas of their classmates which further promote their literary proficiencies. The article concludes that using inquiry-based literacy strategies will motivate and engage students in all subject
In conclusion, at primary level, science enquiry skills have evolved over time to encompass a flexible structure that allows children to explore, discover and acquire cognitive knowledge. Constructivists have influenced and advanced children’s learning, and teaching techniques, allowing misconceptions to be identified and readily adjusted.
After being in class for just two weeks, I have already seen so many great ideas and have been given new insights on how science should be taught and why it is important. Science is different in its own way, and many students end up not liking it. This is not simply because of the material, but because they way it is being taught in schools. Science is seen as almost an afterthought, whenever it can be fitted in will suffice. The problem with this is that teachers then don’t spend time on their science lesson, it gets taken out if they need more time for something else, or it ends up just reading from a book or powerpoint and students taking notes.
Fischer-Mueller, J., & Zeidler, D. L. (Spring 2002). A case study of teacher beliefs in contemporary science education goals and classroom practices. Science Educator, v11, n1, p46-57.
88) in finding out what our students already know and helping them to ‘use that understanding to construct new knowledge’ (Vacc, 1993, p. 88). I agree with the author that the kind of questions that a teacher asks matter. Rather than asking questions that make students produce the memorised factual information, it will be worthwhile for teachers to focus on asking ‘non-fact seeking questions’ (Vacc, 1993, p. 90) which challenge the student’s thinking. Questioning can be used to provide students an opportunity to talk about what they know and explore this understanding to create novel connections. The article made me critically reflect on the questions that I am posing to my students. The article draws our attention to the power of questioning and what can be achieved through the right kind of questions. The author also made reference to a literature review (Vacc, 1993, p. 88 referencing Watson and Young, 1986) which highlights the difference between the numbers of questions being asked by students as opposed to teachers. Questioning helps students develop a critical and deeper understanding. I will be encouraging my students to ask more
On my journey to become a science teacher, the development of my personal philosophy of teaching has provided me with the foundation that structures my teaching vision and values. I am committed to create a learning environment that models democratic values and embraces diversity to educate students to become responsible, productive and lifelong learners in a multicultural society. Furthermore, I am dedicated to develop my students’ language, literacy and numeracy using a wide range of teaching strategies and resources across all phases of learning, but, particularly, in the context of the science and technology. My teaching principles include my life time
However, prior knowledge can be seen as a problem as children rarely go to class with no existing knowledge of a particular subject, the problem arises when children have misconceptions within that subject, children do not come to the classroom as a blank sheet of paper with no existing information, but with their knowledge and experiences which are gained from their social environment either at home or school (aştürk, 2016). This knowledge is sometimes not accurate making it harder for a teacher to deliver the correct information. The students ' prior knowledge gives a clue of the misconceptions gained and the scientific conceptions the students have (Hewson and Hewson, 1983). In a teachers pedagogical practice, they should identify children’s
Siry, C. Ziegler, G.& Max, C.(2012)“Doing Science” through discourse-in-interaction: Young Children’s Science Investigations at the Early Childhood Level. Science Education. 96(2) p311-326.
Technology is a recent development that has been widely used in many fields to enhance productivity and output. For instance, it has been incorporated in the education sector to allow easier access to information. Mostly, technology in education has taken the form of using computers and related accessories like software to enhance the learning capacity, information access, and development of students’ learning capabilities. In essence, extensive use of technology in classrooms has reduced the workload of tutors while enhancing the overall performance of students through employment of various programs aimed at developing the learning of students. Technology is used on all sorts of classroom scenarios including early childhood education. Some technologists and educations specialists, however, cite that use of technology in early childhood may be detrimental. This paper seeks to explore both the positive and negative attributes of use of technology in early childhood education.
I have ensured that I meet my students’ science needs by assuring that the material needed to be cover in the class was covered. Furthermost, the students are able to learn from exploring, which is different from teaching the students how to and giving them the information needed. The students were still able to learn the material needed to be covered by discovering the content.
In Science, teachers serve as the facilitator of learning, guiding them through the inquiry process. Teachers must ask open-ended questions, allow time for the students to answer, avoid telling students what to do, avoid discouraging students’ ideas or behaviors, encourage to find solutions on their own, encourage collaboration, maintain high standards and order, develop inquiry-based assessments to monitor students’ progress, and know that inquiry may be challenging for some students so be prepared to provide more guidance. There are three types of Science inquiry: structured, guided, and open. Structured is the most teacher-centered form of inquiry. This type of inquiry is mainly seen in laboratory exercises where the teacher needs to provide structure, however the students are the ones who conduct the experiment and find conclusions. Guided inquiry is where the students are given tools to develop a process and find the results. As an example, the teacher would instruct the students to build a rocket, but not tell them how to design it. This leaves creativity and uniqueness for the students to be able to apply their knowledge and skills. Open inquiry is when students determine the problem, i...