Q: How can I address science misconceptions using phenomena-driven instruction?

Integrating engineering into the science curriculum in a meaningful way requires planning that utilizes a 3-dimensional approach. Using a “gather, reason, communicate” framework (Moulding, Huff, Van der Veen, 2020) provided me with an effective structure to guide the planning and facilitation of a phenomena-based design lesson. I found that this new g-r-c approach led to high student engagement and a deeper understanding of the crosscutting concepts of patterns and cause and effect in my fourth-grade classroom. It also optimized my integration of engineering design into my Earth science curriculum.

In this article, we describe how we use classroom phenomena to help fifth grade students develop testable questions and productive investigations. Engaging students in observing and seeking to explain a classroom decomposition chamber has helped them to engage more successfully in the science and engineering practices (SEPs) of asking questions, planning and carrying out investigations, and constructing explanations. We highlight the following important components that teachers can incorporate in their practice: (1) the use of a classroom phenomenon that represents a more complex outdoor process and provides students extended, shared experience; (2) question development as a collaborative and iterative process that teachers and students engage in together; (3) considering how questions will support progress on disciplinary core ideas.

For preservice K–5 teachers, understanding how to implement phenomenon-based learning in an elementary classroom is an important skill, particularly as it relates to integrating the Next Generation Science Standards. This article presents one way to structure a class within a science methods course that introduces students to phenomena as an effective anchor for the lesson sequence. Starting with a photo warm-up to incite interest in phenomena builds curiosity and overall engagement amongst the preservice teachers. The instructor then models effective practices by narrating an example, leading students in a pond water experience, and providing time for the class to peruse exemplary Science and Teacher articles. Finally, the preservice teachers go on “phenomena walk” to search for local phenomena, taking photos of both natural and humanmade objects around their college campus. These photos become a launching point for the class as they practice designing their own phenomenon-based mini-units. This approach provides one model of how to teach teachers about phenomenon-based learning, and future conversations about pedagogy in science methods courses are recommended.

After realizing the difficulty educators face with integrating the crosscutting concepts (CCCs) from the Next Generation Science Standards into their lessons and noticing missed opportunities for caregivers to engage children in scientific thinking, we posited that if the CCCs are presented in a more accessible way children will have more opportunities to engage in sensemaking in science. This lesson is the thinking and learning from our attempt to bring this wondering to life. We are a museum educator, a teacher educator, and a firstgrade teacher. We developed and taught this lesson with the hope that it engages all students in rich thinking by using a small, manageable lesson as an entry point to begin this work regardless of students’ levels of conceptual understanding. This lesson focuses on patterns in students’ everyday lives, particularly on the schoolyard. It demonstrates expansive teaching practice and is accessible to all learners and educators by centering CCCs in a decontextualized manner and using elements of photovoice to highlight students’ thinking. We describe the lesson we taught using the 5E learning cycle format and provide reflections and recommendations for educators.

A child’s world is one filled with observable daily events or facts referred to as phenomenon that exist or happen, especially those that invoke a cause or explanation in question. From the earliest ages, young children are active learners exploring their surroundings, determining what can be done with it, and what it can do. Phenomenon that children cannot directly engage with may be easily misunderstood, attributing the causality to magic or other intuition-based (preoperational) reasoning (Piaget 1971) without expert knowledge and discussion shared by adults. Bubbles is a phenomenon that young children can easily explore and investigate, offering a wide range of design challenges within both natural and man-made worlds.

Using learning objectives to guide course design is often considered an educational best practice, but little research exists that explores how students use them over time and across courses. We surveyed students on their use and perceived value of learning objectives as the semester progressed across four science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, examined students’ ability to match exam questions with learning objectives, and analyzed how their course performance related to these qualities. We also gathered instructors’ information on their implementation of learning objectives in these courses. We identified distinct disciplinary differences both in students’ use and perceived benefit of learning objectives and in instructors’ implementation of them. Students in less quantitatively focused courses, i.e., biology and organic chemistry, reported valuing and using learning objectives more than students in more quantitatively focused math and physics courses. Students’ ability to match learning objectives with exam questions, however, positively correlated with exam score and final course grade in all our study courses. Our results have implications for considering disciplinary practices for use of learning objectives as instructors design and implement courses, educational researchers plan studies, and assessment specialists formulate institutional assessment plans.

This study summarizes the comparison of interactive lecturing and technology-supported student-centered pedagogy across six semesters of an introductory physical geology course. A multiple linear regression analysis of 967 student scores shows that absent raw exam scores, homework, and in-class attendance, performance on the first exam (score <60%), and pedagogy are the strongest predictors of students’ final exam scores. Individual final exam scores showed a significant negative difference between the two semesters with interactive lecturing and the four with student-centered pedagogy. STEM students performed better on average than non-STEM majors; however, this difference became less significant for students who scored <60% in the first exam. Female students scored on average 2% lower than males. We found no evidence that the transition to a swivel-seat auditorium from a fixed seat one in the last two semesters had an impact on the final exam or final grade. We conclude that a student-centered approach that relies heavily on technology does not necessarily imply higher efficacy over interactive lecturing, and that engaging students on how to effectively use learning resources is an important component of active learning.

The development of web-based technologies in recent decades has provided ready access to a wealth of on-line educational resources, and despite concerns that availability of on-line recorded lectures impacts on-campus attendance, we believe there needs to be more focus on the learning resources students engage with, along with why and how they use these resources. Our survey of first year science and mathematics students found that more than 80% of on-campus and off-campus students engaged with ?75% of lectures by attending face-to-face and / or viewing on-line lectures. And when asked about their use of external resources, 80% of students reported using YouTube and / or Open Educational Resources, amongst other on-line resources, to provide increased understanding of content and to view worked problems. Knowing that a large percentage of students will seek out additional on-line resources, we conclude that ensuring all students have well developed on-line search skills and the ability to critically assess the quality of on-line resources are important contributions that teaching staff can make to student learning.