Oct28

SciLinks and Cooperative Learning

Earlier this month, I was asked to search for and upload resources on cooperative learning for SciLinks (use the keyword "community collaborations"). There were many good sites, although some were published in the 1990s (interesting but a bit outdated) and were therefore not added to SciLinks. However, I found some newer sites that would be useful as a refresher, to find some new ideas, or to get started with this effective instructional strategy

Powerful Learning: Studies Show Deep Understanding Derives from Collaborative Methods was recently published on the Edutopia website. The authors (Brigid Barron and Linda Darling-Hammond) summarize research findings and provide examples of student collaborative projects. Download their expanded article Teaching for Meaningful Learning for more information (including links to video resources) and for a list of research studies and other professional writing on the topic.

The Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College has an excellent resource "Teaching Entry Level Geoscience." Although it's designed for teachers of undergraduate courses, the teaching strategies are applicable to younger students as well (and include descriptions of gallery walks, field labs, role-playing, teaching with Google Earth, and others). The section on Cooperative Learning has lots of suggestions on this topic.

Cooperative and Collaborative Learning is a resource from WNET Thirteen Ed Online in its Concept to Classroom project. The four parts of the site guide the user through background information and suggestions for implementation: Explanation, Demonstration, Exploration, Implementation. Throughout this site, the emphasis is on real classrooms and includes ideas for assessment and a discussion of some challenges that might be encountered. There are video clips of actual classrooms (including science classes) using cooperative learning, too.
Published: Oct-28-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Oct21

Science in Society

Science Teacher cover The editor makes a good point - helping students connect science to real issues can help to dispel the "why are we doing this" question.

For example, every part of the country has its real challenges from storms and other disasters (both natural and human-enhanced). Use "severe weather" as a keyword in SciLinks for some additional information and teaching suggestions. The author of Hurricane Katrina: A Teachable Moment suggests Bernoulli's Principle and Storms and Storm Surge: A "Rising" Concern Among Coastal Residents.

Students who watch a lot of "reality" television may not see many examples of constructive conversations. The authors of Socratic Seminars in Science Class show how students can discuss open-ended questions about a text--not as a free-for-all shouting match, but with a structured format for higher-level thinking and sharing of points of view. (I wonder if this could work at a faculty workshop or school board meeting?) They suggest resources such as National Paideia Center and the Ethics Primer.

Most students see the relevance of learning about the environment. Since languages other than English is the reality in many schools, look for resources such as EcoTipping Points that have a Spanish version Los Puntos de Inflexión Ecológica.

Using Issues-Based Science in the Classroom has an "inquiry continuum." Also consider the article EQUIPping Teachers in the April 2009 edition of TST for another discussion of an inquiry continuum (pre-inquiry, developing, proficient, and exemplary.

Check out the Connections for this issue. Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, this resource has ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, and other teaching suggestions.

Published: Oct-21-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Oct16

Asking Questions and Solving Problems

Science and Children cover
In the article CSI for Trees there a quote that sums up the theme of this issue: "An ordinary activity can be transformed into a lesson that includes nature of science themes simply by adding a few key statements and questions throughout a lesson." But the word simply is a little misleading. Asking the right questions (and encouraging students to ask questions) can be challenging. And the authors of the articles in this issue share many insights into how to accomplish this in elementary science.

The article How Do You Ask Effective Questions? has some suggestions. The author mentions "wait time" as a component of questioning and discussion. This strategy is often overlooked or dismissed in a quest to "cover" material, but the published research (and my own action research), indicates that it is a powerful way to increase participation and higher-level thinking. If you need a review of wait time, refer to Using Think-Time and Wait-Time Skillfully in the Classroom. (I love how the cover of this issue illustrates what happens during wait time!) More problem-finding prompts are featured in the article Problem Solving by Design

Dioramas often get a bad reputation as a project, but look at how the teacher in the article Deer Tracks in the City uses them to get young students to act out their predictions. This article also shows the value of asking questions but not necessarily following a lockstep investigation.

Check out the Connections for each issue. Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, this resource has ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, etc.

And remember that SciLinks can provide more ideas and background information on the topics in this issue. For example, the keyword "dendrochronology" as mentioned in CSI for Trees has several sites targeted for grades 9-12. These sites may be OK for more advanced or interested students - or for your own information.

Use the keyword "wind" for grades 5-8 for other lessons and information related to the topics in Wind Solvers. Even traditional classroom distractions such as paper airplanes can turn into opportunities for questioning, as noted in Use the keyword "wind" for grades 5-8 for other lessons and information related to the topics in Secrets of Flight.

Another aspect of problem solving is collecting and Making Sense of Data. Guiding students through this process is (to me) one of the most interesting parts of problem solving. One of my favorite websites is Create a Graph. There is also a tutorial to help you and your students match your data with an appropriate type of graph. The graphs can be saved and printed to attach into a science notebook, too.
Published: Oct-16-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Oct05

Chemistry

Science Scope cover What a bonanza for chemistry/physical science teachers this fall--first, the September issue of The Science Teacher (with the theme of Chemistry for a Changing World), and now the October issue of Science Scope (with the theme of Chemistry). No matter which grade level you teach, there will be ideas in both issues for advanced students and those who are novices at learning about chemistry.

Physical and chemical changes are difficult concepts for younger or less-experienced students. Check out activities with real-world applications: No More Leaks in which students explore super-absorbent polymers through an inquiry-based investigation, Korean Kimchi Chemistry which looks a chemical reactions such as fermentation, Watching the Pot to Improve Inquiry Skills (who knew that watching water boil could be so interesting!), Chemistry in Action: Triple Delight which looks at the chemistry concepts in making ice cream (but not in the lab - try the FCS kitchens), and Enhancing and Student Understanding of Physical and Chemical Changes with lots of examples for demonstrations. And if you ever wondered what inquiry-based science looks like in a classroom, the authors of Inquiry-Based Dissolving give you a peek into their classroom investigation, complete with a step-by-step description of the activity, questions, student discussions, photos and examples of student work.

How many of our students have been assigned the traditional "element report"? In the BI times (Before Internet), the main goal of this activity was to get students to find information about a particular element. This was usually accomplished in the library, using text resources. But today, with a few clicks in a browser (or better yet, a search in SciLinks with the keyword "periodic table") students can get pictures and lots of information about the characteristics and properties of any element. So finding the information is not the exercise it used to be. Why would we ask students to copy facts about an element when the information is already and readily available? Consider the activities in That Is Not Where That Element Goes or The Element Walk as alternatives. If you go to SciLinks and search for "Periodic Table," you'll get many versions of the periodic table with information on each element (which could be used to make the cards for the above activity. Some of them are downright fun. The Poetic Table of the Elements has a traditional-looking periodic table, and for each element there are poems about it But it's really fun to see what people came up with. In the Periodic Table Printmaking Project, artists created blocks for each of the elements. The descriptions of each element include some of its physical properties, but the interesting part is how and why the artists chose their designs. And I really enjoy the Periodic Table of Videos with a short video segment for each element.

Go to SciLinks for more resources to Explore Chemistry. Two of my favorites are Metals in Aqueous Solutions - a simulation that would be great if you have an interactive white board or other projection device and Biochemistry - Carbohydrates, which is part of a larger site on biochemistry with descriptions of other compounds, such as lipids, nucleic acids, proteins, and enzymes, in simple language.

As a former chemistry major, I'm really excited by these two issues!
Published: Oct-05-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post