Private Universe

How do the phases of the moon occur? Depending on where the moon is in its orbit around the Earth, we see the reflection of the sun based on our angle.

What causes the season? It depends on the angle of the axis of Earth and how close our hemisphere is to the sun.

What causes the lunar eclipse? When the sun, earth and moon are in alignment, with the earth in the middle.

Misconceptions Die Hard

.
In Educational Psychology, we watched a video called “A Private Universe.” In the video Harvard students informed the filmmakers confidently that eccentricity in Earth's orbit made Earth warmer when it was closest to the sun. They also thought that the phases of the moon were caused by Earth's shadow.

As a class, we laughed at how absurd some of the statements students made in defense of their explanations sounded. At the time I wondered how many of us that were watching had behaved similarly when forced to describe a scientific phenomenon. I am not even sure where some of the misconceptions come from -- were we taught incorrectly, were we never taught and just came up with something that sounded good?

In the article by Stepans, Beiswenger and Dyche, I found it interesting that the college students performed on about the same level as the K-3^rd graders. I am not sure how well I would interpret surface tension, displacement, volume and mass. I am not sure if this is an indictment of the science education system in America, but am sure many people would make that connection.

Based on the information that college-level students preformed on approximately the same level of the kindergarten students, it was only their explanations that were more complex, something is not occurring in our classrooms. I tend to be a hands-on-learner that needs a connection for information to stick with me. Just telling students that certain objects will sink due mass or surface tension is not enough for ensuring learning. Students need to see and connect the scientific phenomenon in order to fully under what is taking place and have a better understanding.
I think "Misconceptions Die Hard" points out to all future and current teachers that checking for understanding needs to go beyond asking students to repeat what educators and texts have told us. We need to  provide authentic assessments to ensure students are actually learning.

A Social Constructivist Model of Learning

          Social constructivism views learning as a process in which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts based upon current and past knowledge or experience. Learning involves constructing one's own knowledge from one's own experiences and is affected by the context in which an idea is taught as well as by students' beliefs and attitudes. Students can use multiple resources and apply concepts and skills to new situations. If a teacher teaches with a social constructivism model students are allowed to explore many solutions to authentic tasks and then are given time for reflection.

            Allowing students to direct learning with their own investigations does come with a few caveats. Teachers that routinely have constructivist lesson plans will not be able to cover as many concepts throughout the year. Also, there needs to be varied evaluation techniques. Some may think there is less planning involved with this more inquiry-based way of teaching, however, it requires more planning. Lessons will not be wrapped up after a 40-minute period with a quick reflection and assessment. Vygotsky, the pioneer in social constructivism, thought it was important to work within the zone of proximal development -- the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers- to achieve maximum learning. In order for students to remain engaged in learning the content of the lesson needs to be satisfyingly difficult for students. To prepare for this type of lesson goes way beyond direct learning. Just take a look a multiple-day science lesson plan and all the contingencies the teacher has to account for.

            After the lesson, students need to be assessed, but how can you grade a week-long group project with many facets that need to be taken into account? A clear rubric needs to be developed with the expectations being realistic and clearly stated. Too many group project grades hinge on the participation of classmates that other students have virtually no control of.

            If done well, a constructivist lesson is one of the most rewarding and beneficial ways to teach students.

Theoretical Foundations for Constructivist Teaching

When I was first presented with the concepts of preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational of development I was fascinated by the concept of intuitive thought. I tested my 5-year-old with two different shaped containers, one taller and narrower than the other. I then poured water from the first container into a shorter and wider glass. When I asked him which container had more water, he completely focused on the water-level line and said the more narrow glass had more water. How could he not see that I poured the exact same amount from one glass to the other? My kid is smart, he should have got this.

Piaget felt that development leads to learning. My experiment proved his theory right -- my son wasn’t developmentally able to grasp an abstract idea like conservation. But I don’t completely agree with Piaget, as soon as I talked my son though what had happened, he understood that the volume of the water never changed.

Vygotsky believed that learning leads to development and I would tend to agree with his theory to a greater extent. Although my son did not intuitively know that the volume was equal, he clearly had the capability to learn it. I think if we limit teaching students to what they are supposed to learn according to their grade or developmental level, we do them a great disservice. When students are allowed to brainstorm, debate, construct and evaluate concepts they have come up with, their development grows beyond the learning.  

Perhaps taking both theories into account, when creating a lesson plan, teachers can reach the diverse range of students that are in everyone’s classroom.   

Hooray for Diffendoofer Day

1.What does it mean when someone knows how to think?

        Thinking goes beyond answering memorized facts and pure recall, it includes analysis, reasoning and maybe a little objectivity.

2.How does a teacher teach a student how to think?

         Teaching a student how to think does not mean, "How to think like you." How to think includes using facts, judgement and insight. Looking at the situation from different viewpoints and being able to back up your thoughts. Synthesizing information sometimes requires recall, application and evaluation. Modeling and think-alouds are great ways to show students how you as a person are using the available information to think through a problem or situation.

3.Have you ever been in a class where you really had to think?

As an undergrad I think I had to think a lot in math classes because math does not come easily. In the other classes I probably did what I had to do to pass the class. This time around I tend to think too much in class. I always tend to argue with the premise of an assigment or over analys why the instructor is doing what they are doing. I think the older you get, the more sense you have of what you need to know, what you care to know and how to use what you do know.

5 Good Reasons to Use Science Notebooks

In 5 Good Reasons to Use Science Notebooks, several ideas are presented in support of elementary students using notebooks to express their scientific thinking. I appreciate the idea of allowing students to write for thinking, as this is a skill that can be applied to every problem students need to address. Younger students can start to draw and write questions and think more broadly about scientific concepts. And older students can start to use academic language and expand their base of knowledge and research. (Not that younger students should be discourged from using more complex words. There is nothing better than a first grader talking about photosynethesis or the habitat of their hamster.)

 

Sometimes students, especially younger ones, become so excited when presented with a new scientific concept or process they don’t think thoughtfully but shout out many questions as soon as they pop into their minds. Last year I attended a presentation on animal habits such as migration, hibernation and adaptation. Someone from the local nature center presented students with various pelts and some stuffed animals. Several students could hardly contain themselves as they continuously raised their hands throughout almost the entire presentation. My son, on the other hand, is a very thoughtful student and rather quiet. He never raised his hand to ask a single question, but I know from past experience he had many. In this situation a notebook would be beneficial for both types of students. The more exuberant students would be forced to slow down and form more reflective questions and the teacher could see the more quiet student’s insights. Obviously kindergarteners shouldn’t be expected to write in a notebook but they could draw pictures to reflect their ideas, predications and conclusions.

I also think keeping your ideas and thoughts about science lessons in one place would be a good resource for students to refer to throughout the year. Seeing how their thinking processes have expanded is useful for both student and teacher. If teachers can collorabrate with other teachers and refer to books from several classrooms it would help guide instruction and bring forward new ideas. As a beginning teacher I will need all the guidance I can get.

Rising to Greatness

Iowa’s Department of Education publication of Rising to Greatness presents a rather bleak assessment of science education in Iowa. Today The Des Moines Register also outlined the most recent data regarding ACT science and math scores – “only 51 percent and 38 percent of Iowa test-takers, respectively, were prepared for college-level math and science classes in 2012.”

 Recent stories in the news have indicated that state and national job growth is in the areas of engineering and advanced manufacturing and in Iowa it is also expanding in agribusiness and research. These careers all need a firm ground in math and science, but Iowa is not preparing many of our students adequately in these areas.

Last year, my fifth-grade daughter received her scores on her Iowa Assessment test. She was at the top percentile in almost every area, yet her scores were markedly lower in only one area – science. How can his be? She is being well prepared in every subject but science? I am curious to find out why there is such a large discrepancy between subjects. Have we as a society failed to teach our children to start reading at home, and now schools have become overly focused on reading and have let math and especially science fall by the wayside?

DE’s findings show that Iowa’s students have essentially flat lined over the past decade, while other states’ achievement levels have increased. DE has disaggregated some of the data by community size. Iowa’s inner city and rural area test results show greater disparities than other communities. Iowa needs to work on ensuring that students across the state are receiving the same educational opportunities and that not just the more affluent areas have access to great teachers and educational programming. 

Line of learning

How do elementary students learn science?

I think almost every early elementary student loves to learn about science. What second grader doesn’t want to watch caterpillars turn into pupas then emerge as butterflies, when learning about life cycles?

When presented a hands-on, inquiry-based lesson, most students can’t wait to observe, predict, investigate and make conclusions during any science lesson. As students get older, some times there is less inquiry-based education and more explicit lessons start to enter into the curriculum. I think this is when students start to lose interest in science. Once students are required to label a diagram on which electrical connections make a circuit, they start losing interest in making any conclusions.

The best way to learn science is through exploration that is presented in a relevant manner to all students.

What classroom environments facilitate elementary students’ science learning

The ability to access hands-on materials, and use them in manor that is suited to each student’s individual needs, provides an environment in which student feel safe to explore. Students should be allowed to experiment and fail and retry with new hypotheses. Lessons should let students work independently and with others so they can direct their own learning but also learn to collaborate with others.

Bringing in guest presenters also provides interest and relevance to lessons. STEM programs or conservation officers can create enrichment in any science lesson.

What should teachers know and be able to do to design and foster effective elementary science learning environments?

Knowing how to make a lesson applicable and interesting helps to create an effective learning environment for students. Teachers should also be able to differentiate lessons so each student’s needs are addressed. Lessons should also be created in a way that students can direct some of the learning and are allowed make their own conclusions. Students should be allowed to approach a problem in several different ways.

Instructors should also know how to make the lessons connect with real life. Curriculums that are designed to address real world issues and concerns make for an effective learning environment.