SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY AND HOW PEOPLE LEARN: Teaching and Learning Scenario #2

1. MAIN IDEA:

1.1. This reading focuses on how individuals are taught science throughout their time in school

1.1.1. The Scientific Method

1.1.2. Water = H2O

1.2. The standards and guidelines pertaining to how to effectively teach and learn science education

1.2.1. Guidelines emphasize the development of...

1.2.1.1. #1: Becoming familiar with a specific disciplines concepts, models, or theories

1.2.1.2. #2: An ability to understand oh this particular knowledge is made and how they justify it

1.2.1.3. #3: The ability to integrate and use these understandings to engage in new inquiry

2. CONNECTION TO DATA DRIVEN DECISION MAKING...

2.1. "ThinkerTools"

2.1.1. Inquiry based curriculum

2.1.2. Demonstrated gains in a students conceptual thinking and understanding

2.1.3. Aids in the ability to transfer knowledge into "novel problems"

2.2. "Reflective Assessment"

2.2.1. Understanding main ideas/inquiry process

2.2.2. Being inventive

2.2.3. Using reason/teamwork

2.2.4. Good communication skills

2.3. "Assessment-Centered" Learning

3. KEY IDEAS...

3.1. Principle #1...

3.1.1. Addressing Preconceptions

3.1.1.1. Everyday experiences tend to cloud science (what seems to be true because you see it everyday, is most of the time scientifically incorrect) i.e. the idea of "color"

3.1.1.1.1. Teachers will need to learn how to engage those misconceptions to learn and understand science.

3.1.1.2. Students come into the classroom with ideas on how to "do science"

3.1.1.3. Students tend to loss information that they have learned inside of the classroom if it does not involve their everyday lives

3.2. Principle #2...

3.2.1. Knowledge of what science is and what it means

3.2.1.1. Gives student opportunities to learn science as a process of inquiry, rather than just having inquiry times

3.2.1.2. Science is IMAGINATION , QUESTIONING, AND CREATIVITY

3.3. Principle #3...

3.3.1. Meta-cognition

3.3.1.1. "Thinker Tools"- engages students through investigations aimed to confront their misconceptions about science

3.3.1.1.1. Thus a deeper conceptual thinking

4. THE "HOW PEOPLE LEARN" FRAMEWORK:

4.1. Learner-Centered

4.1.1. ENGAGE STUDENTS

4.1.2. Start with what they know or how they know it...Rather than just beginning with new and unfamiliar content.

4.1.3. This will allow you to learn students misconceptions about certain material and get a kick start in addressing them.

4.1.4. Reexamine, reshape, and build upon students ideas!!!!

4.2. Knowledge-Centered

4.2.1. It is extremely important for students to have a baseline of knowledge prior to learning a certain topic

4.2.2. Generate good questions and ways to explore them

4.2.3. GROUP LEARNING!!

4.2.4. The concept of "working smart"

4.2.4.1. adopting, adapting, and even inventing tools/models to help you learn!!!

4.3. Assessment-Centered

4.3.1. Determine the QUALITY of their hypotheses

4.3.2. ADEQUACY of students methods and conclusions

4.3.3. EFFECTIVENESS as learners

4.3.4. Very important for students, however, extremely beneficial for the educators as well to determine the progress --then decide what to do next

4.3.5. More formative than summative assessments

4.4. Community-Centered

4.4.1. Utilize discussion time in class to support the idea of a learning community

4.4.2. Culture of respect, questioning and risk taking