Rationale
In classrooms today, educators are constantly seeking and implementing engaging lessons that will increase student knowledge and skills. The intent of the activities is to help students become independent learners and use process thinking skills. Students seem to learn best by actually directing their own learning and doing, rather than being led from step to step by the teacher. In science, it is especially important that students learn by inquiry and use more of a hands-on approach to learning scientific concepts. According to Wilke and Straits (2005), inquiry-based learning is where students explore a problem using the processes and tools of the discipline. It is often shown in a way that resembles the scientific method (Wilke & Straits, 2005). The scientific inquiry model demonstrates four phases that involve students in identifying a problem and investigation using inquiry-based learning (Joyce, Weil & Calhoun, 2009). The four phases suggests that students are introduced to an area of investigation, then they develop a problem, next the problem is identified in the investigation and finally students come up with ways to solve the problem (Joyce, Weil & Calhoun, 2009). Science education is part of everyday life being that the skills learned in science, such as, the scientific method are used in solving problems that occur daily. Dalton, Morocco, Tivnan, & Mead, 1997 found that students seem to learn best by actually doing science, such as asking questions, designing experiments, observing, predicting, manipulating materials, and learning from their own mistakes. I believe the scientific inquiry model exemplifies an excellent way to implement inquiry-based learning by using the scientific method in any classroom; es...
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Rebecca Skloot’s novel, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks told the story of the injustice done a a young African American woman, and her family. Henrietta’s cancerous cells were taken from her without her consent, and turned out to be immortal. They were sold all over the world for billions of dollars, while her family, struggling to put food on the table, did not receive a penny of it. Rebecca Skloot uncovers the hidden story of the HeLa cells, and provides a novel not only highly informational, but also with insight to the workings of science. This book outlines the process of scientific inquiry, reveals the contrary forces of altruism and profit that influenced HeLa, and the risks and benefits of profit guiding research as well as the obstacles faced when conducting research for purely altruistic reasons.
In an essay titled Creating a Foundation Through Student Conversation by Ann Rosenbury she outlines one specific form of formative assessment called science talks and reflect on the benefits fo...
...tion or student learning through the inquiry method which allows students to develop their own truths.
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
The following essay provides the reader with a cursory understanding of observational learning and how it may be implemented within the classroom. The paper first explores a workable definition of observational learning primarily through the concept of modeling and vicarious learning. The second part discusses the roles of the teacher and environment. The paper then discusses how observational learning may be used to teach positive attitudes and effective thinking skills, also achieved through vicarious learning. “Scaffolding”, a learning strategy that utilizes observational and vicarious learning is explored in the last section of this paper.
I believe that science needs to be taught in the same way we had our station during class. This means that students will be going through an inquiry, challenged, and guided section of the lesson. While students do this I believe that teachers should be going through the 5 E’s. Inquiry as talked about in Foundations is “an approach to learning
Scientific inquiry is a process of critical thinking and asking questions that helps determine factual information that has been tested and proved or disproved instead of relying on assumptions and intuition. Scientific inquiry is important in psychology, as it is in all fields of science, allowing us to examine assumptions, assess outcomes, discern hidden values, evaluate evidence, and put ideas to the test. This scientific approach guards us against hindsight bias, believing after learning an outcome that we would have foreseen it, known also as the knew-it-all-along phenomenon. It also protects us from judgmental overconfidence, the bias to seek information that confirms a judgment based on intuition. Hindsight bias and overconfidence often lead those to overestimate their intuition and common sense. Instead, scientific inquiry follows a scientific approach that is fed by a curious eagerness to skeptically scrutinize competing ideas and open-minded humility; utilized daily as critical thinking and allowing us to determine fact from fiction. With this scientific attitude we deploy the scientific method to create a theory. It begins with making observations. From these observations we form a theory, later refining the theory as new observations shed light on the subject matter. This scientific theory creates a hypothesis, the testable prediction.
It is important for children to be able to develops the necessary skills to make sense of data, memorising information is no longer the most key skill for children to possess (Inquiry-based learning, n.d.). Inquiry-based learning is defined by Lutheran Education Queensland (n.d.) as seeking for truth, information or knowledge and understanding and is used in all aspects and stages of life. Inquiry based learning assists children with learning by developing critical and creative thinking skills. The twenty-first century requires “young people to be creative, innovative, enterprising and adaptable, with the motivation, confidence and skills to use critical and creative thinking purposefully” (ACARA, 2016b). According to Touhill (2012a) Inquiry-based learning is supported when educators are co-learners with children as they develop, supporting and extending on a child’s own attempts at understanding. This knowledge can be broadened by ensuring that children have the time, space and resources to become deeply involved in their investigations and there are opportunities for reflections during and after activities (Touhill, 2012a). Furthermore, it is imperative that the physical environment contains spaces as well as materials that encourage a child’s curiosity and investigation (Touhill, 2012a). By providing interesting and engaging materials educators are able to provide stimulus for children’s investigation and
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
Inquiry Learning is a way to make the student find their own answers for their questions (Lakes Matyas, Ph.D). Posing a question for the students is a way to get them started. Then, by guiding the students on their own different searches, they all come together in the end to share their findings to answer the question.
When integrating Nature of Science into curriculum, assumptions are made about students and instructors. These assumptions include that students are all at the same level in terms of science understanding and concepts as the rest of their classmates, and also assumes that the students learn at the same rates (NGSS: Appendix A). These assumptions are detrimental to science education when focus needs to be on the content being taught rather than teaching background of science as a standalone. Teaching NOS explicitly becomes increasingly difficult when students aren’t given access to proper science learning environments. As mentioned in the High Hopes – Few Opportunities reading, it is stated that, “California students do no typically experience high-quality science learning opportunities[.]” (Dorph et al., 2011). When students don’t have a basis for scientific concepts, it becomes increasingly difficult to teach NOS. America’s Lab Report further expands on the idea that this style of learning is not likely achievable, as “[N]o single […] experience is likely to achieve all of these learning goals.” (Schweingruber et al., 2005) where learning goals is referencing the goals of laboratory experiences that include understanding Nature of Science. Again, when a lack of understanding for general science exists, its arguably much more difficult to teach
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...
UniServe Science. (2004). Alternative strategies for science teaching and assessment. Retrieved March 7, 2004 from http://science.uniserve.edu.au/school/support/strategy.html
Children in grades 3 through 5 are moving from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" and from "learning to write" to "writing to communicate". Students learn to work independently. They learn to read words and make mental pictures. Third through fifth graders also learn to write paragraphs, short essays and stories that make a point. The curriculum becomes more integrated. "Reading to learn" helps third through fifth graders better understand the scientific method and how to test hypotheses about the physical world. Additionally, "reading to learn" aids students in graphing and calculating scientific observations and then writing up their conclusions. Third grade science class will open new worlds of wonder and invite curious mind to explore (Williams, 2012).
A prominent and unique feature of science education is “Practical work”. Students observe and manipulate real objects and they witness teacher demonstration by practical work. Practical work carried out by the students is an essential element of high standard science teaching.