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BEST TEACHING PRACTICES IN SCIENCE
EDUCATION:
WHAT WORKS?
Dr. Ken Mechling
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1. HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES WORK!
Third graders search the schoolyard for make-believe Yarn Worms in colors of
yellow, green, and brown and discover that the green ones are well
camouflaged in the grass. First graders at a learning center match film cans
for contents that make the same sounds. Fifth graders experiment with paper
airplanes, investigating variables that make them fly the longest distances.
Hands-on activities get kids actively involved in science. If they are
physically involved, they are likely to be mentally involved too. They are
thinking about what they are doing. This is called “hands-on, minds-on
science.” Research shows that hands-on, minds-on science works. And kids
love it!
2. CONSTRUCTIVISM AND THE
LEARNING CYCLE WORK!
In science education, constructivism is generally thought of as students
first having experiences and then constructing meaning from them. For
instance, if I showed you an mystery object and asked you what it was, you
might not know. But you might also make some inferences about it.
After you examine it, I tell you it is an olive picker and show how to use
it. Now I give it to you to use for picking olives out of a jar and you
explore with it. You discover that it picks pickles too…and candy…and has a
whole lot of other uses. Your experiences and my teaching have helped you
make meaning of this olive picker. That is constructivism.
For electrical circuits we give students cells, bulbs, and wire. We
encourage them to predict and explore ways to put them together to make the
bulb light. In the Learning Cycle, which is a constructivist approach to
teaching, this is called Exploration. Next, we give this system a
label—“circuit.” As teachers we “invent” the name circuit for our
students and then describe it as having 3 parts: source of
electricity—the cell, transmission line—the wire, and an appliance, or
something that uses electricity in a way we find helpful to us—the bulb.
This teacher explanation or reading from the text is called Concept
Invention. Finally, students apply the concept of circuit to circuits or
parts of circuits that they can observe directly (classroom wires, lights,
fans, etc.) or know about (home appliances such as electric stoves, TV’s,
radios, lights). This last stage is called Application. So the Learning
Cycle is comprised of three stages: Exploration, Concept Invention,
and Application
The learning cycle works and is found today in most science textbooks and
curricula. Most texts begin lessons with an activity using the learning
cycle.
3. SIMULATIONS WORK!
There are lots of concepts in science that are difficult to observe
directly. We don’t actually observe the flow of electrons in current
electricity. Few of us could go to the Antarctica to observe, the mating,
egg laying, and nurturing of baby Emperor penguins. Not many of us are going
to extract coal from the ground while protecting the environment or clean up
an oil spill. But we can pretend or make-believe or make models that will
help us better understand the selected concepts.
Research shows that when we have students do real experiences or simulate
them, they remember related concepts longer and better.
Simulations work! Have students simulate penguins, electron flow, and an oil
spill in a plastic dish.
4. SIMPLE, READILY-AVAILABLE MATERIALS WORK!
A lot of teachers think that they need a lot of fancy, expensive equipment
to teach science. While science teaching and learning does require
purchases, e.g. magnets for experiences with magnetism and cells, bulbs, and
wire for
electricity investigations, much science can be taught with simple,
inexpensive materials—such as paper clips, soda straws, paper, and balloons.
Following are some activities that you can do with just one sheet of paper
(and maybe a few other simple things)—activities to teach students good
science.
Paper Airplanes—processes of science, investigations
Flying Cylinders—technology
Helicopters—investigations, frame of reference, air resistance
Parachutes—air resistance, technology, measurement
Magnetism—thickness of paper magnetism will go through
Magnetism—predict magnetic field with iron filings
Hand Bones—draw, predict, number (26)
Technology—strength of various folds and shapes
Human Reaction Time—experiment, sensory-motor nervous system
Tree Bark—rubbing
Building Rockets—construction of rocket bodies
Optical Illusions—hole in hand
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Money to purchase science materials is always scarce. Using
readily-available or cast-off materials can work for us in science. Other examples include;
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Plastic water bottles for aquaria and terraria
Metal coat hangers for silent bells
Rubber bands for musical instruments and spring scales
Coffee filters for chromatography
Pencils and tape for fingerprints
Paper clips for simple machines
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5. COMBINING SCIENCE WITH
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE WORKS!
More and more data is showing that science linked to children’s literature
and trade books can enhance both reading and science. Children’s books
can teach science concepts. Combined with science activities, books
provide memorable experiences. And together, science and reading can
enhance science process skills common to both reading and science—skills
like observing, predicting, inferring, gathering and organizing data, and
others.
In the USA science books are children’s favorites. More science books
are checked out of libraries than any other kind. Combining science
activities with reading enhances student learning. It works!
6. STANDARDS-BASED
INSTRUCTION WORKS!
Learning and teaching is more effective if students and teachers know what
is expected of them—particularly, what students are to know and do in
science. In the USA, almost all 50 states have science standards based
upon the USA National Science Education Standards. They provide a
valuable vision for what science education should be. And they are
working!
7. SETTING HIGH STUDENT
EXPECTATIONS WORKS!
Research shows that high expectations for students communicated effectively
to them works! Expectations should be high, but attainable. All
students should be challenged and encouraged to do their best.
8. COOPERATIVE
LEARNING WORKS!
Having students work in groups—sometimes in groups of two, three, four, or
more helps prepare students for the roles they will play in real life when
they will be expected to work with other people. My own personal
observations
show that when students work with a wide variety of others, they grow in
leadership, patience, cooperation, and understanding.
9. EFFECTIVE
QUESTIONING STRATEGIES WORK!
When we ask students questions in class, there are two basic techniques that
increase our teaching effectiveness. First, questions such as:
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What would happen if…?
How else could you…?
What if you…?
Is there another way you could do that…?
What did you find out…?
are open-ended and encourage divergent and higher-level thinking.
Second, research shows that if teachers utilize a wait-time of 3-5 seconds
after they ask a question until they call on someone to answer it, more
students respond, their answers are more thoughtful, and reflect higher
levels of thinking. Open-ended questions and wait-time work!
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10. AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT WORKS!
Focusing on isolated facts to be memorized and regurgitated can be
counterproductive to learning science. Instead, schools and teachers
should evaluate students by how well they perform tasks that match
curriculum goals. If students are expected to comprehend a food web,
they should be assessed by having them construct a model of a food web of
organisms in their locality. If students are designing a product such as an
egg catcher, they should be assessed on how they design, test, and redesign
the product. If we expect students to understand the movement of air
masses and jet streams, we should determine their understanding by having
them interpret weather data and make weather predictions.
These are some of the best teaching practices that work in science and can
work for educators and students. Give them a try!
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