Chapter 5Best Practices in Science

July 6, 2009

Christie L. Esparza

Carmen Ortega

Best Practice: Today’s Standards for Teaching & Learning in America’s Schools

(Zemelman, Daniels, & Hyde 2005)

Standard Documents• American Association for Advancement

of Science (AAAS) – 1985 initiative to reform K-12 science education

- Project 2061

- Science for All Americans: A Project 2061 Report on Literacy Goals in Science, Mathematics, and Technology (1989) .

*”calling for students to experience science” (Zemelman, Daniels, & Hyde, 2005, p. 143)

Two other documents created by AAAS• Benchmarks for Science Literacy (1993)

- a list of ideas and skills• Atlas of Science Literacy (2001)

- Interconnected ideas to be developed over time.

Doucments Created by the National Research Council (NRC)

- National Science Education Standards (1996)

- Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning (2000)

Standard Documents Cont’d

Qualities of Best Practice Students must be immersed in doing science

and conducting systemic inquiry

-no more rote memorization

-more hands on approach

-Inquiry is key

* Understand inquiry

* Learner centeredLearners attempt to answer questions, communicate and justify

explanations, evaluate explanations, extend their own understanding, and review and assess what they have learned. (NRC 200) as cited by (Zemelman, Daniels, & Hyde, 2005, p. 146)

Qualities Cont’d

True inquiry requires educators to ensure students answer scientific questions with good evidence- students must be able to evaluate evidence and data

There is more than just Scientific Method to answer inquiries

* Trial and Error* Documenting* Prediction Testing* Product Testing* Experimenting* Reflecting* Generating Models* Inventing (Zemelman, Daniels, & Hyde 2005, p.

147)

Qualities Cont’d

Scientific inquiry and Hands-On science are NOT identical.

- Five different approaches to Hands-On1.) Demonstration – topic is taught and an activity is then carried out to demonstrate the topic.

2.) Discovery – Students are given materials with little direction. Guided discovery is usually conducted with smaller Children.

3.) Exploration – Goal is to make students comfortable with topic.

4.) Process Skills – attempts to teach individual processes

5.) Inquiry – expects students to learn concepts and develop capacity to carry out inquires on their own.

Qualities Cont’d

The focus for inquiry should be kept on understanding- Attainment of initial threshold of knowledge in necessary- Students need to continuously make connections

Conceptual Change is required- Teachers must work hard to battle students’ beliefs of

concepts.- Students hold many misconceptions that need to be

addressed so that learning may occur. - The best way to address these matters is to have them

become dissatisfied with their own explanations having to adopt what is being taught. Use Collaborative group work

- “Research indicates that learners benefit from opportunities to express their ideas to others, challenge other’s ideas, and in doing so , reconstruct their own ideas” (Zemelman, Daniels, & Hyde 2005, p. 153).

Qualities Cont’d Self-directed Learning

- Aid students to think for themselves and depend

less on teacher explanations.

- Recognize what they do not understand and seek

information.

- Student – self Assessment Base content on Needs

- must be appropriate for grade level Guide with few fundamental concepts

- Make it easy to follow

- Give examples to broad concepts Provide meaningful Assessments

- Test the “doing” of science not just all the facts

and details.

Why Best Practice?

Using these mentioned qualities mention in Zemelman et al. (2005) book Best Practices can contribute greatly to educator performance in teaching science as well as open up a world of exploration, providing a risk free learning environment for the most important stake holder, the student.

Questions to Consider• What is the difference between

inquiry and hands-on science?• Is direct instruction the best

method for teaching science? Why or why not?

• Should schools cover many topics over a period of time or should they focus on the more broad and fundamental concepts to build on?

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=learning+science+videos&qs=n&docid=1051930198492&mid=3CD532CC52C28B8AD9853CD532CC52C28B8AD985&FORM=VIVR26

Learning by Doing

Music In Science

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=8298659

More Links

• Virtual Labs (experimentation)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/0809-virtual_lab.htm