Class 1 Readings

In both readings for this week , it is clear that specialists suggest that students not only inquire and do hands on work, but have the opportunity to talk about what they are working on and what they have just experienced. In Ready Set Science, they mention the strands of science and how important it is that all the strands interact, but rarely do. Similarly, in the Gunckel reading, she mentions how inquiry is good, but if there is no explanation to back up what just happened, the students are missing as much as if they hadn't done the hands on work at all.

Although I am just starting to observe Science everyday, I do know that my students have time to experience the lessons on there own. That being said, I'm not sure whether or not they have the opportunity to then explain what they have experienced and how they can replicate what happens in the classroom again in the outside world. I truly believe that not being able to see how science concepts transfer to life outside of the classroom means that the students are not understanding the concept completely. Seeing a two sided bouncy mall rotate around a yellow lamp is one way to show the moon revolving with the earth around the sun, but if the students don't see how the moon's phases change throughout the month, then they aren't making the transfer of information and therefore are not fluent in the information.

This is going to be a huge challenge for me. I see my students everyday so I should have time to work with them to make them become experts on the topics and be able to transfer the information from the class to the world, but I know that it requires a lot of reflection, and a lot of practice if the students are to be successful learners of science.

Class 1 Reading 2

Ready, Set, Science!: Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms
Sarah Michaels, Andrew W. Shouse, Heidi A.

 

This chapter from "Ready, Set, Science" makes clear what is important in terms of science learning. Many of the stated strands in the article are not present in my classroom. Although not comforting, this article does state that some of the strands are often missing from classrooms, and this can be detrimental to students understanding of science. "Strand 4 is often completely overlooked by educators, yet research indicates that it is a critical component of science learning, particularly for students from populations that are underrepresented in science." (pg6) Students need to be involved science, not just learn about it. 

Unfortunately, students are "doing" very little science in my classroom, and only being told about it. Therefor strand 3 is also missing from the classroom. Strand 3 is explained in the article as bringing "the nature of science into practice, encouraging students to learn what it feels like to do science as well as to understand what the game of science is all about." (pg 5) Both strand 3 and 4 are imperative to student understanding and retention of scientific principals.

Class 1 Reading 1 - Story of Science

Using Experiences, Patterns, and Explanations to make School Science more like Scientists’ Science.
Kristin L. Gunckel

By teaching in a hand on museum, I had hoped to come into teaching this year with an inquiry based - explore, discover, experience - attitude. However, much to my dismay, the art of teaching science in schools is not what most would call exciting. "Traditional school science focuses on providing students with many facts, diagrams, definitions, and isolated skills." (pg4) This is not only boring for the students, and detrimental to their learning, but boring for the teachers themselves. Its hard to hold students accountable to learning material that teachers aren't even excited about teaching. A typical science classroom focuses on the explanations of science, without allowing students to observe the patterns and behaviors of science that lead up to the explanations. "By concentrating on explanations, students only learn the story of science." Students need more than just the story of science, they need to explore - discover - experience science for themselves in order to fully understand the story of science. This beings excitement into the classroom, not only for students but for the teachers as well.

Astronomy Resource