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.
Update -- Aug. 28
ReplyDeleteThe article about misconceptions helps to reflect on what teachers should know to design a lesson plan. It goes back to the Ben Franklin quote of "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." If students are repeatly taught to memorize definitions of words but don't learn the correct application of the word how can they truly know what they mean?
Students need to experiment or make some sort of connection with a phenomenon in order to fully understand it. Until students see an example modeled or even better, are able to model it themselves can they understand a concept like electric circuits.
Everytime my father explains some sort of mechanical fix for one of my appliances over the phone I struggle to implement the fix. It's not until he shows me how to inspect and fix that I understand and can replicate the action and solve the problem.
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ReplyDeleteHow do elementary students learn science?
ReplyDeleteI think after reading the misconception and the sweater articles, students "learn" science when we don't even realize it. I hypothesis about a lot of things that I have no idea about. For the most part, I do not share my ideas for fear of being made fun of. In reviewing my process of “learning” I can see that overcoming my inaccuracies sometimes would be tough. Whoever said, “I can get statistics that will back up either side of the argument,” was very accurate. We can all be swayed for a little while, but we usually go back to our original thinking.
What happens when these inaccuracies are never confronted? I guess if student’s “learn” science inaccurately it will stay with them for a very long time. (I would like to talk to the guy that rewired my old house and wired the ground wire back live in every electrical outlet – we blew several fuses before we realized what they had done.)
What classroom environments facilitate elementary students’ science learning?
ReplyDeleteIn "Teaching with the Brain in Mind" Eric Jensen discusses allowing creating metal models. In oread to create their own models, teachers need to find out what students already know and ask them to make connections. But then students must be allowed to make mistakes and receive enough appropriate feedback to learn. Jensen considers this to be active learning. His examples of active learning are call-response, discussion, games, problem solving, builidng and debating. Teachers often incorporate pair-sharing and author's chair but, according to Jensen, the important part is to reflect and examine the feedback to learn from students' mistakes.
I think the "making connections" and being able to correct mistakes allows the students to build on their prior knowledge and new information is much more relevant.
What should teachers know and be able to do to design and foster effective elementary science learning environments?
ReplyDeleteIn becoming a teacher, for the moment, I think that assessment is what I struggle with most. Designing effective and appropriate assessments are not easy. In science it may be a little more straightforward than in reading but there is still a lot of complex issues. I think we as teachers easily fall into the trap of having students complete a worksheet or answer specific questions. Students tend not to think like adults but we often ask students questions and expect them to know exactly what we want.
In my daughter's investigation of whirlybirds she was asked if she thinks it is okay to have an error? Why or why not? She said it was okay to have an error because no one is perfect. We then discussed why the teacher had the students conduct multiple tests and average out the results. In certain aspects she understood why the teacher wanted the averages but she did not immediately connect that it was in part to address any errors. If she wouldn't have brought the homework home, I don't think she would have answered the questions as thoroughly. Is this a misunderstanding on her part, an oversight in her education or was the teacher assessing something she did not cover in the instruction?
Assessments need to be varied and acurate, it is not as easy as it sounds.
How do elementary students learn science?
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of times when we conduct inquiry-based lessons, we assume that because the students were physically engaged in the learning process that they have understood the learning targets or performances. For most students however, they equate the experiment or collection of evidence as just something fun we did in science class. To make our lessons truly meaningful we need to make sure that students are just as engaged in the evaluation and communication part of the learning process. Until students process the information and make inferences and draw conclusions the learning is not relevant to their lives. If we conduct experiments with a balloon, straws and plastic bags do they understand why we need to know about compressed air? Or do they just think it was really fun? Why is the lesson relevant to them?
What classroom environments facilitate elementary students’ science learning?
ReplyDeleteAfter discussing the inquiry continuum I can see that the more latitude students are given the better they connect with the lesson and have better understanding of scientific concepts. However, getting students to the point they ask scientifically oriented questions that align with education standards and benchmarks may take a lot of work.
A classroom enviroment that is set up the encourges the learner to think more broadly and ask deeper questions will help make the lessons relevant. I think setting up a classroom that is student-driven is started by focusing on what is relevant. Students should be made to understand that the questions that are asked in a science inquiry lesson are relevant to their lives. If they approach the lesson with the goal being to get a good grade, their understanding will be much different than if the goal is to understand the concept and why the information is important to know.
What should teachers know and be able to do to design and foster effective elementary science learning environments?
ReplyDeleteIn order to adequately assess inquiry-based science lessons, teachers need to design learning performances and multidimensional rubrics that measure a student’s understanding of a scientific concept. The performances and rubrics must be tied to the learning goals which are based on the curriculum standards and benchmarks, i.e., the assessment is directly linked to what is being taught. Also, the rubrics must be created in a meaningful manner in order to evaluate whether the student truly understands the concept, not that the student has done the work to get the grade.
What should teachers know and be able to do to design and foster effective elementary science learning environments?
ReplyDeleteAs in all types of classrooms, science instructors should be able to design a curriculum that reaches a diverse group of learners. Modifications and accommodations for learners with special abilities must be considered. For a struggling reader, science can become very frustrating if they have to follow directions to create a kite that flies. The vocabulary involved with many science lessons can also overwhelm many students. Instructors should create clear and concise lessons that address the language, content and lenght of lesson and assessment of a science lesson.