JoinClassroom seating arrangements
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-08-14
I am trying to decide how to arrange my classroom with 22–27 chemistry students per class. Last year, my desks were arranged in the traditional manner: rows with an aisle. This year I’m thinking of setting the desks up in pods of four or in pairs. Do you have any advice on desk arrangements?
—Melanie, Huntley, Illinois
We’ve all seen pictures of (or even experienced) classrooms where individual student desks were bolted to the floor in straight, orderly rows. This is certainly the exception rather than the rule today. But there are several factors to consider as you explore different seating arrangements.
Safety is a priority. If you’re in a typical chemistry lab, you probably have an area with lab tables and a “classroom” section with individual desks or small tables. This area is probably not as large as a regular classroom, so your placement options are more limited. Whatever arrangement(s) you use, be sure students can enter and exit the classroom efficiently and backpacks, electrical cords, and other materials can be kept out of the walkways.
Logistically, determine the focal points of the classroom (e.g., whiteboard or projection screen, demonstration table) and be sure that your arrangement allows students to see presentations. Put materials such as handouts, staplers, calculators, or pencils where students can easily access them. If space is tight, count the number of students in your largest class assigned to the room, add one or two to allow for move-ins, and ask if extra desks can be stored elsewhere.
Review student individual education plans to determine any special seating requirements. Make sure seating arrangements can accommodate the visual, auditory, and physical needs of your students as well as any assistive technologies or devices they use. (One year my seating arrangements included space for a student’s service dog.)
No single seating arrangement is “best”—each has advantages and disadvantages, depending on the learning activities. If you use a mixture of instructional strategies in your class, you’ll want to consider using a variety of seating arrangements.
Traditional rows of desks or tables facing the focal point are often used for teacher-centered activities (lecturing, giving directions, or presenting on the whiteboard) or for independent activities (tests, silent reading). Many teachers use this arrangement as the “default.” However, there are “dead zones” in the corners and the back of the room with this arrangement; students in the front center also are more likely to get your attention. While this arrangement minimizes distractions, it also limits student-to-student discussions since students are looking at the backs of other students.
With a U-shaped arrangement, students can see each other, which fosters student-to-student discussions within a large group. This is also useful for teacher-centered presentations, as you can maintain eye contact with all students. As students work, you can zip across the inner space to provide assistance where needed. For large group discussions, you can close the U into a circle and sit with the students, sending the message that you are part of the discussion. However, this takes up a lot of space, and some students may be easily distracted during independent work.
If you do a lot of collaborative activities, consider pushing desks together. Pairs of desks are good for turn-and-talk activities, and groups of three to four are appropriate for cooperative learning. You can also use the lab tables for small group work, unless equipment and materials are set up for another class. In pairs or groups, be sure students can still see a screen or focal point for instructions or debriefing. This arrangement could be distracting during independent work.
Here are two examples of classrooms I’ve visited where teachers had routines in place to align the seating arrangements with the learning activities:
- Students came into the middle school classroom and sat at individual desks in rows. They worked independently on a bell-ringer activity while the teacher took attendance and then introduced the lesson. The students pushed the desks together in pairs for the first activity. The teacher debriefed with them and then had each pair team with another to form groups of four for the next activity. The teacher monitored the discussions and assisted the groups. At the end of the lesson, the students returned the desks to the rows (default).
- Students in a high school chemistry class sat in a U-shaped formation, oriented to the front of the lab where there was a demonstration table and the whiteboard. The teacher easily maintained eye contact with all students as he presented the material, since no one was “hiding” behind another student. This arrangement was conducive to the think-pair-share activity the teacher frequently used. As the students did practice problems, the teacher looked over their shoulders and assisted when necessary. For group work the students moved to the lab tables. They then returned to the desks for the lesson summary.
Some teachers may worry that changing the seating arrangements, particularly during a class period, is confusing and time-consuming and that students prefer a consistent arrangement. In the classrooms described above, the seamless transition between activities doesn’t happen overnight. The teacher needs to communicate the reason for the change and the norms for appropriate behaviors.
Let us know how your new arrangements work!
Image: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2705/4168858547_e03f9d324c_t.jpg
I am trying to decide how to arrange my classroom with 22–27 chemistry students per class. Last year, my desks were arranged in the traditional manner: rows with an aisle. This year I’m thinking of setting the desks up in pods of four or in pairs. Do you have any advice on desk arrangements?
—Melanie, Huntley, Illinois
Back to school with SciLinks
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-08-09
For many of you, the school year is starting soon. Summer certainly flies by quickly! But if you have a little prep time left and are looking for new materials to add to your curriculum, check out SciLinks, NSTA’s online database of vetted web pages.
You can access the websites in the database either by using the codes in a SciLinked textbook or NSTA publication or by searching for a keyword and grade level on the site.
Keep reading to find out how can you use SciLinks.
Recommending sites to students. As a teacher, you can provide logins for students to search for sites, or you could give them a printed list of suggestions. Perhaps you’ve used the “Favorite Websites” feature of SciLinks, in which you can create your own selection of websites to share with students. For interested or advanced students, you might go to the next grade level or you could go down a level for students who may struggle with the text.
You could suggest sites to supplement or update the textbook information. Share a login with the librarian so that he/she can remind students of this resource. If your students use the technology at a local public library, perhaps the staff there could be alerted as to how and why students would access this.
In group settings. Why just talk about science topics when there are many sites that lend themselves to illustrating the concepts? Building bridges, watching volcanoes erupt, seeing animals congregate around a water hole at night, or accessing photographs and video of various topics bring these topics to life. If you have a projection unit, using a simulation or video clip with the class or a small group of students could be an engaging experience for them – and the resources are free and ready when you are.
With the new Quiz Manager feature, you can create questions for a particular website in the SciLinks database and assign students to complete them. You can keep the questions just for your class, or you can choose to share the questions with other SciLinks-using teachers, creating a common item bank.
Teacher learning. One thing I’ve enjoyed over the years is using the SciLinks websites to keep current on topics such as the human genome or climate change. I especially like the earth science topics (I taught life and physical science, so I’m continuing to learn). If you’re unfamiliar with a topic, searching for sites geared to middle or high school students would be a quick and painless way to learn more about it.
For many of you, the school year is starting soon. Summer certainly flies by quickly! But if you have a little prep time left and are looking for new materials to add to your curriculum, check out SciLinks, NSTA’s online database of vetted web pages.
"Iron Science Teacher"
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-08-07
Iron Science Teachers at work
As part of a three-year professional development project for elementary and middle school science teachers, the directors and coaches wanted to have a culminating activity to demonstrate what the teachers had learned. In addition to the questionnaires and surveys, they decided to do a local version of The Iron Science Teacher. I was invited to be one of the judges. Here’s how it worked.
—Ms. Mentor, reporting from Sidman, PA
For three years, 60 teachers from 15 school districts participated in an ongoing professional development project at the Appalachian Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania., as part of the Mathematics and Science Partnership program, funded through the PA Department of Education. An intensive two-week summer program was hosted by faculty from St. Francis University who then regularly visited the participating teachers’ classrooms during the school year. The project helped schools to purchase materials and technology for the science classes. Four teachers assisted their colleagues as coaches. The coaches set up a Ning networking site for teachers to share lesson plans, photographs, ideas, and suggestions. But there was a nagging question: How to pull this all together and provide teachers with an opportunity to demonstrate what they learned?
They found their answer in a takeoff of the Iron Chef television program done at The Exploratorium in San Francisco, California: The Iron Science Teacher. The coaches and project directors decided to host a local version as the culminating activity for the project. This activity would provide a way for teachers to demonstrate their ability to plan hands-on science lessons.
Fifteen teams of 3–5 teachers received a box of common materials (rubber bands, a cork, craft sticks, plastic bottles, balloons, paper clips, some beans, wooden blocks, tape, and more). Each team had access to a laptop and printer, and general supplies such as glue sticks and staplers were available. One of the participating school districts volunteered the use of their labs for the competition. The teams had one day to develop a lesson using any or all of the materials, but all lessons had to incorporate a cork as the “secret ingredient.”
The lesson had to include three components: a student hands-on activity, based on a concept from the state science standards for that grade; a related technology resource (such as an online simulation, access to additional information, enrichment activities, or an online graphing site); and a connection to another content area such as mathematics or writing. Rubrics were provided for all three components.In the judging, each team evaluated the other lessons in a peer-review process. The lessons were also critiqued by a panel including a university faculty member, the project director, two project evaluators, and me.
The results were an amazing collection of ideas. With the cork as the secret ingredient, it was no surprise that several investigations related to buoyancy. Other lessons included fermentation (using beans in a corked bottle) and combining simple machines to make catapults and wind generators. Unfortunately, there was not enough time for live presentations, so the descriptions had to be detailed enough that someone could understand and implement the lessons without much explanation.
Congratulations to the "winners" from North Star School District
It was difficult to judge, but the rubrics helped. All of the lessons showed the teachers understood the science content. But the lessons also showed the ability to work collaboratively and a high level of creativity in incorporating technology and in designing an interdisciplinary component. These were all included in the goals of the project, and the Iron Science Teacher activity was an effective culmination. As one elementary teacher remarked, “When I started this professional development project, I never thought I could design something like this myself—a hands-on inquiry activity with simple materials.” The lessons have been posted on the project Ning.
If they do this again (and I think they will), I’d advise video recording the teachers at work to capture some of the conversations. I’d also suggest video recording each team describing and demonstrating their lesson. These videos could be used in other professional development projects.
On another note, if you’re in San Francisco next spring for the NSTA conference, be sure to visit the Exploratorium. It’s a science wonderland, and the home of the original Iron Science Teacher!
Iron Science Teachers at work
Professional development
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-07-29
Click here for the Table of Contents
The “big idea” that evolves in this issue is that one-size-fits-all professional development doesn’t fit many teachers at all! There are many resources and ideas here for teachers who want to take responsibility for their own professional learning. And if you’re a secondary teacher, please read these articles. The content applies to any grade level.
What Kind of Professional Development Is Best for Teachers? This article looks at alternatives to the one-size-fits-all sessions that many of us have been subjected to. And the other articles in the issue describe some of these alternatives in detail, including 7 Principles for Highly Collaborative PD. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are an ongoing, focused alternative to one-shot “sit and git” sessions. How to Create a PLC and Lessons Learned describe authentic experiences of participants, while Searching for Professional Development has suggestions for starting your personalized plan, including going outside your comfort zone.
Action Research describes how teachers planned a cross-grade peer-teaching project as part of their individualized PD. Their research studied the implementation issues and the impact of the project. I really liked the table in this article that described types or levels of action research from a single teacher to a district-wide initiative. In districts where actions research is a professional development option, there is often a journal or website at the district level for teachers to share these projects. (And there is an action research strand at NSTA conferences.)
The authors of Collaborative Distance Learning describe an effective way for teachers to connect with colleagues in other districts or in districts where traveling great distances between schools learning and modeling the technology. They share their experiences and reflections, and they also include a list of free internet-based software for conferencing, so that no elaborate equipment is necessary. It might be interesting to do some action research on the value of conferencing or to assemble a group of teachers to collaborate on learning new content via NSTA’s Science Objects.
Current Research: Summer Reading Suggestions has summaries of these research projects, and the complete versions are available in this month’s Connections. Perhaps the action research model could be used to see what these findings would look like in your classroom or school.
Everybody Needs a Betsy illustrates the value of having a mentor and being a mentor as part of professional development. Many mentoring projects are orientation, Q/A, but this describes how a professional “friend” can be an effective role model. Leaving the Ivory Tower describes another type of mentoring—a collaborative project that involved classroom teachers, university faculty, and teacher candidates.
As I read Pair Up, with directions for making “kits,” I thought that this would be a great win-win for PD – teams of teachers work together to research the unit and then create activities and kits to share.
You Are What You Eat and Challenge of Nutrition provide lists of trade books on the topic and lesson suggestions for food pyramids and food testing. SciLinks also has resources related to nutrition.
Lessons from Portugal describes a collaborative effort to improve PD in other parts of the world, with teachers training other teachers.
As discussed in The Root of the Problem, a characteristic of a “profession” is the requirement for continued learning. (See NSTA’s Position Statement on Professional Development) As evidenced by the articles in this issue, science teachers have many opportunities for individualized and collaborative PD.
Other resources:
Planning Professional Development –SciLinks suggestions
Professional development on a shoestring.
Professional development (Science Scope April 2008)
Click here for the Table of Contents
Creativity and safety
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-07-24
I subscribe to many blogs, listserves, and RSS feeds as a way to keep up with current events. This week, two articles caught my attention for their relation to science teaching.
The ISTE Connects blog had a discussion How do you teach creativity? in response to the recent Newsweek article The Creativity Crisis We often think of creativity in terms of the arts, but I had a great conversation with a colleague on what creativity would look like in science. I’m not sure we can “teach” creativity, but it would be an interesting discussion on how we can promote, encourage, model, guide, or recognize creativity in our science classrooms – new, different, or untraditional ways of problem solving, problem finding, inventing, communicating.
Risk-taking can be a component of creativity, but one area in which we shouldn’t take risks is in safety. Scientific American has a recent article Danger in School Labs. Although the article uses examples from college and university situations, the topic is one that should be on the agenda of every school this fall. NSTA has many resources to assist, including the Safety in the Science Classroom portal with links to many resources. Every school should have a copy of the relevant NSTA publication:
- Investigating Safely: A Guide for High School Teachers
- Inquiring Safely: A Guide for Middle School Teachers
- Exploring Safely: A Guide for Elementary Teachers
Use the keyword “safety” in SciLinks to find web-based resources such as MSDS documents, suggestions for lab safety guidelines, handouts for students, and other suggestions. Two topics to start with are Safety in the Science Classroom and Chemical Handling and Safety. And every month, check out the suggestions in the Science Scope column Scope on Safety.
I subscribe to many blogs, listserves, and RSS feeds as a way to keep up with current events. This week, two articles caught my attention for their relation to science teaching.
Preserving Specimens
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-07-21
It’s me again, the “bone collecting” teacher with a new question. How effective is rubbing alcohol in preserving specimens? Since I live at the beach, I am always finding marine specimens to use for student observations. Typically, I do not have any biological preservative available, so I’ve been using rubbing alcohol.
—Susan, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Many of us remember high school or college biology labs full of jars with preserved specimens and labels showing the name and when it was collected. They were interesting to look at, but the formaldehyde or formalin frequently used as a preservative in those days is a substance to be avoided today. In the NSTA Press book, Inquiring Safely, “Formaldehyde solution—also called formalin—has been replaced largely by newer, less odorous, and less toxic preservatives with a variety of trade names. However, most still contain formaldehyde, albeit in lesser concentrations and mixed with other ingredients. Treat all specimen preservatives as though they contain formaldehyde, particularly if you or your students are sensitive to materials of this type.” (p. 72)
In terms of alcohol as a preservative, I saw conflicting advice on the websites I examined. I contacted a friend of mine, Dr. Walter Meshaka, a zoologist and the senior curator of the section of Zoology and Botany of the State Museum of Pennsylvania. Here is his response to your question:
I advise strongly against formalin. You can use the standard 40% Isopropyl; however, a better choice, also to be found in most drugstores is ethyl alcohol. Additives keep it from being drinkable, so it is not ethanol [that is, it is] not white lightening. If available as stock (c.a. 95% or so strength) then dilute to about 70-75% and you’re good to go!
Whether you choose isopropyl or ethyl alcohol, be sure you have the appropriate Material Safety Data Sheet on file and use the appropriate safety procedures as you work with it (e.g., goggles and ventilation). Be sure the jars are securely sealed so inquiring fingers are discouraged from opening the jars.
I’ll put in a plug for specimens preserved in blocks of acrylic. Although they can be expensive to purchase, they last for many years and the students can handle them without worrying about breaking a jar.
For beachcombers, be aware of any regulations or required permits for specimen collecting. Some wildlife refuges or other parks and private beaches may have restrictions on taking things away from the beach.
As teachers, we all have collections of stories and anecdotes from our classes. In addition to her question, Susan and one of her students share a related story:
Things You Should Always Ask Your Students
During our study of animals, my sixth-grade students often bring in specimens to identify using our field guides. Shortly after Thanksgiving, Franklin brought in a jar containing a snake his father had killed in their yard. Since the snake had not been placed in a preservative, I suggested that we open the jar to add rubbing alcohol so we could include the specimen to our collection for observation. I had preserved specimens in the past using this method so was not concerned.
He and I opened the jar, and I immediately learned something you should always ask your students. The odor from the jar almost knocked us off our feet. The odor cleared every student out of my classroom, diffused down the 50-yard hallway (causing other teachers to rush out of their rooms), and finally made it to the principal’s office.
After reassuring the administration, teachers, and students that is was simply a matter of a stinky science classroom, everyone settled down. I expressed to Franklin my surprise about the overwhelming odor. Looking perplexed, he said, “Well, the snake has been dead since Halloween.”
So I learned one thing you should always ask your students: Just how long has the specimen been dead?
It’s me again, the “bone collecting” teacher with a new question. How effective is rubbing alcohol in preserving specimens? Since I live at the beach, I am always finding marine specimens to use for student observations.
What's new for July 19th on NSTA’s various online outposts
By Howard Wahlberg
Posted on 2010-07-19
Highlights of stimulating conversations taking place right now on our listservs:
- Biology—Blood typing, first day activities, board games, job interview help;
- Chemistry—Student response systems (clickers), and the chemical differences between plastic and vinyl;
- Earth Science—More recommendations on what sort of GPS device to buy;
- Physics—Selecting the right whiteboard for your needs.
In NSTA’s online professional learning communities, we welcome our 13 new users this past week.
On our “core site” (www.nsta.org): learn about how NSTA is involved with National Lab Day and check out our web news digest, which is active with stories on the elusive Higgs Boson particle and how body shape may affect mental acuity.
On Facebook, science educators are discussing weather warnings, chemical disposal, and NASA’s Cassini Scientist for a Day program.
On LinkedIn, more direct posts from NSTA’s Career Center, and discussions about bluebirds and wood ducks.
And of course, on our Twitter stream, science educators are tweeting and re-tweeting about several freebies that NSTA offers, the upcoming national San Francisco conference, and more!
Renew Your Membership!
Now is the time to insure that you don’t miss a single journal issue or one minute of the time you use to network and build professional connections here in these online communities. Click the link above to renew your membership and insure that NSTA stays in your corner for your science education career!
Highlights of stimulating conversations taking place right now on our listservs:
Differentiated instruction in science
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-07-17
I am a science specialist and I teach students in first through fifth grades. My school is becoming the resource room building in the district. I expect to have large class sizes, 25–30 students, with mixed ability levels. I could have as many as 12 special education students in one class. I’d like to try differentiated inquiry science instruction. Can you suggest some resources?
—Jane, Waltham, MA
In an online interview, Carol Ann Tomlinson, a teacher and author of many publications on the topic, says differentiated instruction is a result of a teacher “acknowledging that kids learn in different ways, and responding by doing something about that through curriculum and instruction. A more dictionary-like definition is adapting content, process, and product in response to student readiness, interest, and/or learning profile.”
Many teachers have been differentiating without ever attending a workshop on the topic. They have realized one-size-fits-all instruction doesn’t work with the diversity of students in their classrooms. Strategies such as flexible grouping, cooperative learning, learning contracts, learning stations/centers, tiered assignments, independent study, direct instruction, authentic and alternative assessments, multimedia, inquiry, and problem-based learning can be used skillfully and purposefully to fit the many needs and varied interests of their students.
On Tomlinson’s website, you can find out more about the topic. I would recommend her book The Differentiated Classroom, an easy-to-read discussion of the topic with examples and suggestions. On YouTube, use the phrase “differentiated instruction” to find videos of what this can look like in real classrooms, where students are engaged in the learning process through a variety of activities. It’s also encouraging to see how students are taking more responsibility for their learning in these classrooms.
For your science classes, consider the book Differentiated Instructional Strategies for Science, Grades K-8 available through NSTA’s Science Store with many sample lessons and assessment activities. You could also look at the February 2010 issue of Science Scope, which had differentiated instruction as its theme. Some of the ideas in the articles could be used in your upper grades.
The resources noted at the end of this response have more suggestions for planning and implementing differentiated instruction. An important consideration is to relate the instructional activities to the learning goals of your curriculum and state standards. I observed a class in which some of the “differentiated” activities included coloring pages and find-a-word puzzles. I would certainly question their value in helping students learn science content and skills.
Your teaching assignment sounds like a challenging one. You mentioned in a follow-up note that you will see the students once a week in your role as science specialist. If the classroom teachers also provide instruction in science, it will be important to communicate with them to help students make connections between the lab and classroom activities. A quick glance at a few science notebooks would let you know what the students have been doing since their last visit to your lab. And the homeroom teacher can see what projects the students are doing with you.
With your special education students, you may have the opportunity to co-teach with a special education teacher or to work with a paraprofessional. Having another adult in the classroom to work with the students can be a valuable resource for your differentiated instruction. I’m hoping you also have planning time with them to learn more about the students and their learning plans.
Last month, a colleague in a similar situation asked about cooperative learning roles in the lab. The blog also has suggestions for organizational strategies and procedures in a lab situation.
Additional resources:
- Teaching by Tiering
- How to Differentiate Instruction
- Differentiated Instruction and Implications for UDL Implementation
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fontplaydotcom/504443770/
[links updated 2019.08.19]
I am a science specialist and I teach students in first through fifth grades. My school is becoming the resource room building in the district. I expect to have large class sizes, 25–30 students, with mixed ability levels. I could have as many as 12 special education students in one class. I’d like to try differentiated inquiry science instruction. Can you suggest some resources?
—Jane, Waltham, MA
Summer reading
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-07-14
Click here for the Table of Contents
I’m getting ready for a camping trip to the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts for some sightseeing and hiking later this month. In addition to attending a concert at Tanglewood and perhaps adding to my birding lifelist, I’m also looking forward to propping up my feet and reading in the fresh air. As I packed my bag of reading materials, I found some great ideas in this month’s A Diverse Summer Reading List and the NSTA Recommends feature. I also looked at Kick Off Summer with Reading in this month’s Science Teacher for another list of suggested books, and at the NSTA Recommends website you can get even more reading resources.
In addition to reading text materials, this month’s issue has articles relating to other types of “literacy.” Visual Literacy in Science has some terrific ideas for helping students to understand what information is communicated through the photographs, diagrams, tables, graphs, and sidebars in their textbooks or other documents. The authors have a set of four brief lessons that introduce students to the concept of visual literacy. This could be complementary to the “textbook tour” that many teachers use to point out the purpose of the table of contents, index, glossary, headings and subheadings, sidebars, and summaries. This type of instruction is important, especially when in the middle years, as students make the transition from “learning to read” to “”reading to learn.”
Two other articles address the “reading to learn” concept. When reading nonfiction text, such as a science article or textbook, it’s important for students to have strategies to process the content. Reading fast is not enough (and is probably inappropriate). Graphic organizers, such as the one described in Fishbone Diagrams, can help students to organize and make sense of the text. The authors of this article discuss how to use this and include many examples of student work. I’ve often used these fishbones in cause-and-effect activities and in teacher workshop on root cause analysis, but I now see how they can be used in other contexts.
An Understanding for Their Method shows how students can learn about scientific inquiry through biographies of famous scientists. The article includes resources for the activity, such as a graphic organizer for the students and a list of book titles. If your school is fortunate enough to still have a librarian (don’t get me started on this!), share the list with him/her to see what you have available. Through online sources, you can check to see what titles might be in your local public library, too. And don’t forget that there are online sources, too. SciLinks has a collection of Scientists’ Biographies ranging from in-depth articles to brief summaries such as Famous People in the History of Energy and Nobel Prize Winners in chemistry, physics, medicine. And this article segues with the theme of Practical Ways to Assess and Change Students’ Perceptions of Scientists.
Bees in the News: Connecting Classroom Science to Real-Life Issues illustrates how students connected a news article with what they were learning about insects, food webs, adaptations, and the impact of human activity on other organisms. SciLinks has a set of website on Honeybees for middle schoolers (and also for 9–12 and K–4). Speaking of bees in the news, who would think about beekeeping in a city?
In a radio call-in show I was listening to, a caller very adamantly stated that students should be taught the steps of the scientific method. The author of Teaching the Practice of Science, Unteaching the “Scientific Method” would probably take issue with two points. The first would be the existence of a single, formulaic “method” that is and should be used in science investigations. In the article, he illustrates the many ways that investigations are conducted, including experimentation and observation. He also might mention that while a student may have memorized a list of steps, this is not the same as actually engaging in the questioning and creativity that are part of any science investigation. And I loved one of his headings: It’s OK to be baffled.
But you won’t be baffled by the instructional strategies described in Should We Continue Space Travel? (the blogging strategies could be adapted to any topic). If you do use the topic of Space Travel, share some of these related websites in SciLinks with your students.
Click here for the Table of Contents
Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards, draft ready for our review
By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2010-07-13
Science learning begins in early childhood.
Teachers of K-12, including early childhood educators, we have until August 2nd, 2010 to comment on the preliminary public draft of the Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards
Here are a few paragraphs from the beginning of the document to get you interested:
“This document is an interim draft of a report from a committee of the National Research Council (NRC) on K-12 science education in U.S. schools. It is being made public so that the authoring committee can receive comments and suggestions from interested practitioners, researchers, and the public to inform its final product.” (first page of Memo)
[Peggy: They want to hear from us! Therefore the authors may be forgiven for staying within the K-12 scope by describing children who are “entering school” as being kindergarteners. In this preschool teacher’s view, children “enter” school the first time they are formally taught, at home, in preschool, or in kindergarten.]
“The conceptual framework in this report presents the committee’s vision of the scope and nature of the education in science and engineering that is needed in the 21st century. Thus, it describes the major scientific ideas and practices that all students should be familiar with by the end of high school. Engineering and technology are featured alongside the natural sciences in recognition of the importance of understanding the designed world and of the need to better integrate the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.” (Chapter 1, Introduction: A New Conceptual Framework, pg. 1-1)
“The rationale for organizing content around core ideas comes from studies that show that one major difference between experts and novices in any field is the organization of their knowledge. Experts understand the core principles and theoretical frameworks of their field. Their retention of detailed information is aided by their understanding of its placement in the context of these principles and theories. Novices tend to hold disconnected and even contradictory bits of “knowledge” as isolated facts, and struggle to find a way to organize and integrate them. Learning to understand science or engineering in a more expert fashion requires development of an understanding of how facts are related to each other and to overarching core ideas. Research on learning shows building this kind of understanding is challenging, but is aided by explicit instructional support that stresses connections across different activities and learning experiences.” (Chapter 1, Introduction: A New Conceptual Framework, Understanding Develops Over Time, pg. 1-6)
[Peggy: Making connections may be easier in early childhood—before students have different teachers for different subjects.]
“As a result of our effort to identify fewer core ideas of science and engineering, some scientists and educators may be disappointed to find little or nothing of their favorite science topics included in this framework. The committee is convinced that by building a strong base of core knowledge and competencies, understood at a deep enough level to be used and applied, students will leave school with a better grounding in scientific knowledge and practices and greater interest in further learning in science, than those whose instruction “covers” multiple disconnected pieces of information, to be memorized and forgotten as soon as the test is done.” (Chapter 1, Introduction: A New Conceptual Framework, Selecting Core Ideas and Practices, pgs. 1-14 & 1-15)
[Peggy: Yes, let children work on a few topics or concepts for a long time to develop the deep understanding they are capable of. There are many favorites still in the mix.]
There are four grade level bands, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12. I have only taken a brief look at Chapter 3, Core Ideas and Chapter 7, Learning Progressions, (similar in structure to the conceptual strand maps in the Atlas of Science Literacy (AAAS)), and see that there is more than one progression for each branch of science, one for each Core Idea. I definitely need more time to read and think about this draft and may need to see it printed out to really be able to think about it.
Here’s one question I have:
Does the Life Science Core Ideas 1, or 3, (see below) need to add something about plants and animals needing access to air into the K-2 section? Maybe it is omitted because the concept of matter existing as a gas is not introduced in the Physical Science Core Idea progression until Grades 3-5 (also below).
On page 7-9, Life Science (LS) Core Idea 1: Organisms have structures and functions that facilitate their life processes, growth, and reproduction.Grades K – 2
How do living things meet their basic needs?
All living things have various external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, seek, find and take in food and move from place to place. Plants also have different parts that help them meet their needs.
On page 7-11, LS Core Idea 3: Organisms and populations of organisms obtain necessary resources from their environment which includes other organisms and physical factors.
Grades K – 2
Where do animals get food?
Animals depend on plants and other animals for food. When animals and plants (or plant parts) die, they are fed upon by tiny organisms that break them apart. Plants depend on air, water and light to grow.
On page 7-40, Physical Science (PS) Core Idea 1: Macroscopic states and characteristic properties of matter depend on the type, arrangement and motion of particles at the molecular and atomic scales.
Grades K – 2
What kind of parts are objects made of? (macroscopic)
Objects are generally made of different parts. The parts can be made of different materials. Materials can be natural or manufactured from natural resources. The identity, characteristics and function of an object depend on the materials/building blocks used to make it, and the way they fit together. The same materials can exist as a solid or a liquid depending on the temperature. Solids have a definite shape while liquids flow to the lowest level in the container.
Grades 3 – 5
How do the parts of an object affect its structure and function? (macroscopic)
All substances are considered matter. Matter can exist as solid, liquid, or gas. In all forms it can be felt and weighed. It is possible to break materials apart into pieces too tiny to see. However, the material still exists and continues to have weight even though we can’t see it. You can make a great variety of objects with just a few types of components. The structure, properties and uses of the objects depend on the nature of the components and they ways they attach to one-another, but can be quite different from those of the components. Knowing about the characteristics of materials helps design uses of them. Many substances can exist as solid, liquid or gas depending on the temperature. Solids have definite shape and volume, liquids also occupy definite volume, but not shape, gases are made of particles too small to see that move around throughout the full volume of any container.
Thank you to all involved in this important endeavor. Let’s take a close look and give the committee our feedback. A survey will be posted on July 14, 2010.
Peggy
- Read more about Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards, draft ready for our review
Science learning begins in early childhood.