january 2009rmc research corp. 1 effective science instruction: what does research tell us? dave...
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January 2009 RMC Research Corp. 1
Effective Science Instruction: What Does Research Tell Us?
Dave WeaverRMC Research Corporation
RMC Research Corp. 2January 2009
Research Results Converge: Reading
Reading—50 years of research Effective reading instruction requires a
balanced blend of: Phonemic awareness Decoding Vocabulary development Reading fluency, including oral reading skills Reading comprehension strategies
Any single approach is inadequate
RMC Research Corp. 3January 2009
Research Results Converge: Mathematics
National Math Panel Report Effective mathematics instruction requires
a balanced blend of: Computational fluency Conceptual understanding Problem solving
Any single approach is inadequate
RMC Research Corp. 5January 2009
Science Is Different FromLanguage Arts and Math
Language Arts (& Reading) and MathAre skills created by people Involves learning established conventions
ScienceUnderstanding how the world worksHow to create new knowledgeLife in the world creates a working
understanding
RMC Research Corp. 6January 2009
Importance of The Learning Theory in Science
Working knowledge is entrenched and difficult to overcome
Sometimes called “Private Universe” Key concepts must be internalized
Sometimes called “Big Ideas” or “Enduring Understandings”
Requires greater attention to the learning theory embodied in the instructional materials
RMC Research Corp. 7January 2009
Most Current Publication
Banilower, E., Cohen, K., Pasley, J., & Weiss, I. (2008). Effective science instruction: What does research tell us? Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.
Posted in documents section of the OEL website
January 2009 RMC Research Corp. 8
Key Points from:Effective Science Instruction: What Does Research Tell Us?
RMC Research Corp. 9January 2009
Reform vs. Traditional
Traditional instructionTeacher delivered information and
independent student work Reformed instruction
Small groups of students participating in hands-on activities
RMC Research Corp. 10January 2009
Debating Which Is Best Misses The Point!
“Current learning theory focuses on students’ conceptual change, and does not imply that one pedagogy is necessarily better than another.”
RMC Research Corp. 11January 2009
Elements of Effective Science Instruction
Eliciting Prior Understanding Intellectual Engagement Use of Evidence Sense-Making Motivation
RMC Research Corp. 12January 2009
Eliciting Students’Prior Understanding
Students come with ideas and beliefs that can either facilitate or impede learning Their Private Universe
Instruction is most effective when it: Elicits students’ initial ideas, Provides them with opportunities to confront those ideas in
light of new evidence, Helps them formulate new ideas based on the evidence,
and Encourages students to reflect upon how their ideas have
evolved.
RMC Research Corp. 13January 2009
Intellectual Engagement Students must do the intellectual work and the
thinking Must involve meaningful experience that
engage students intellectually with important science content
Activities must be explicitly linked to learning goals
Students must understand the purpose of the instruction
Must engage with ideas, not just the materials
RMC Research Corp. 14January 2009
Use of Evidence
Lessons must provide multiple opportunities for students to:Make claims and conjecturesBack up their claims with evidenceUse evidence to critique claims made by
other students Science discourse
RMC Research Corp. 15January 2009
Sense-Making
Lesson must provide opportunities for students to make sense of the ideas with which they have been engaged in order to draw appropriate conclusions
Closure Reflection Meta-cognition Application to new situations
RMC Research Corp. 16January 2009
Motivation Types of Motivation
Extrinsic Motivation (Accountability) Deadlines, competition, tests, grades May actually be detrimental
Intrinsic Motivation Stems from intellectual curiosity, personal
interest or experiences, desire to resolve discrepant events or cognitive dissonance
Appropriate blend is needed
RMC Research Corp. 17January 2009
Research On Effective Science Instruction is Also Converging
Considerable evidence from research shows that instruction is most effective when it elicits students’ initial ideas, provides them with opportunities to confront those ideas, helps them formulate new ideas based on evidence, and encourages students to reflect upon how their ideas have evolved.
(Horizon Research, 2008)
RMC Research Corp. 18January 2009
Untrenching Their Private Universe
Without these opportunities, students “may fail to grasp the new concepts and information that are taught, or they may learn them for purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions outside the classroom”
(National Research Council, 2003, p. 14)
RMC Research Corp. 19January 2009
Motivation is the Driving Force
Effective Science Instruction
Elicit Prior Understanding
Identify InitialIdeas
Sense-MakingReflect Upon How
Ideas Have Evolved
Use of EvidenceFormulate New Ideas Based on Evidence
Intellectual Engagement
Experience to Confront Initial Ideas
January 2009 RMC Research Corp. 20
The new OEL observation rubric was designed to address this vision of effective science instruction.
RMC Research Corp. 21January 2009
Reference
Banilower, E., Cohen, K., Pasley, J., & Weiss, I. (2008). Effective science instruction: What does research tell us? Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.
National Research Council. (2003). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. J. D. Bransford, A. L. Brown, & R. R. Cocking (Eds.). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.