Case Study Clarity

A recent assignment sent me on a search to uncover the premise of the case study. An article by Cook and Deaton (2012) proved to be very beneficial. First, the authors explained why children... See More

A recent assignment sent me on a search to uncover the premise of the case study. An article by Cook and Deaton (2012) proved to be very beneficial. First, the authors explained why children need opportunities to build science literacy. It was suggested that learners need to be actively involved in the whole process of learning. The research had been gathered from as far back as 1994 and clearly defined the case study. The suggestions for a well-designed case study were detailed and easy to follow. The authors gave an example of a fifth-grade teacher’s case study. The explanations were precise and even included a story and a picture. Any reader would be able to replicate the ‘Kudzu Case Study’. The steps for completing a case study were reiterated and the details were precise. National Science Education Standards were included that could be easily adapted to Georgia Performance Standards or Next Generation Science Standards. The authors (Cook & Deaton, 2012) utilized such descriptive language that I could see myself completing the suggested steps. I will use their format and their suggestions to create my own case study. I pictured a real problem that my students have at school and began to visualize the process of guiding the students to find solutions to the problem. I feel I hit the jack-pot with this article selection. I began not knowing anything about the case study and now feel confident enough to begin one for my third- grade students this weekend.

Learning Through Play

Learning to play is not just for little kids. Learning to play allows students to: connect new knowledge with background knowledge by forming a link; provide experiences to increase backgrou... See More

Learning to play is not just for little kids. Learning to play allows students to: connect new knowledge with background knowledge by forming a link; provide experiences to increase background and knowledge that is building while playing; and informally evaluate or assess the students’ background knowledge. Within this article lies a first grade activity about shadows that models this type of learning by play.