EDUC 4300

Week 9 – 10/29 & 10/31

Review : Chapter 5:  Inquiry

Basic Goals:

1.      To construct one’s own personal conceptualization of the constructivist approach to teaching and learning

2.      To apply constructivism to the teaching of science

3.      To investigate the application of principles of cognitive development to elementary science education

Discuss assignments:

1. Develop expository, free-discovery and guided-inquire lessons:  See p. 226, 5.2 “constructing your ideas”.  Use one of your science activities and develop a short, 10-minute lesson in the 3 styles described.
2. p. 242 – 5.3 , “A guided –inquiry lesson” under constructing your idea.  Prepare a process-oriented guided-inquiry lesson that takes about 15 minutes to teach.
3. p. 275, 6.2 – “dinosaurs” – use the example in the textbook  to develop a lesson plan that uses multiple intelligences

A Different Kind of Bloom (NSES Program Standard B, Teaching Standard E)):  Benjamin Bloom (Bloom et al., 1956) developed the taxonomy of the cognitive domain that all education students have studied. We tell children our expectation for higher levels of thinking through the questions we ask.  Using an example, such as plants, to illustrate how we can use questioning to expect higher levels of thinking skills.  Remember “pause time” is necessary for the children to process their thinking.

1. KNOWLEDGE:  recall of facts and specific information; characterized by recognizing, memorizing, remembering
2. COMPREHENSION:  transforming information; characterized by interpreting, translating, describing on one’s own words
3. APPLICATION: using information to solve new problems, characterized by solving problems
4. ANALYSIS:  separating the whole of an idea into its component parts; characterized by subdividing, taking apart thoughts and problems
5. SYNTHESIS:  combining elements to form new and unique entities; characterized by creating something new to the individual
6. EVALUATION:  suggesting well-reasoned decision on debatable topics; characterized by resolving differences of opinion

Chapter 6:  Learner Differences

Basic Goals:

1. To investigate some learner differences that affect children’s success in science
2. To investigate ways of fostering scientific literacy on the part of all children regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, cultural background, disabilities, native language, or giftedness
3. To acquire multicultural facility in teaching elementary science

Mini science activities:  Mon. Kathy & Shanna, Keri and Gaylene;

    Wed. Derek, Christina, Robyn, Trish

Learning Modalities:  give examples of each

1. Visual
2. Auditory
3. Tactile/kinesthetic

How to include all 3 modalities – should be combined to the extent possible

Locus of Control:  a trait concerned with “whether people attribute responsibility for their own failure or success to internal factors or to external factors (Slavin, 1997, p. 355)

-          Classroom strategies that foster the development of an internal locus of control

-          Share strategies below

Field Dependence/Field Independence

-          Field independence:  the ability to recognize camouflaged information easily

-          Strategies

Multiple Intelligences:  the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations (Merriam-Webster, 2003):  share the activities from the field trip to “dinosaur Tracks”

Science Education for Students with Disabilities

-          Strategies

Science Education for Students with Language-minority Children

-          Strategies

Science Education for Gifted and Talented Children

-          Strategies

Multicultural Curriculum

-          Strategies

Hands-on Activities:  Mon. Group 2; Wed. Group 4

Assignments for next week: 

1. Learning styles:  look it up by going to the Center for the Study of Learning and Teaching Styles at St. John’s University or access through the companion websites.
2. Take one of the activities you used from the previous chapters and develop accommodation for one of the following:
   1. Science Education for Students with Disabilities
   2. Science Education for Students with Language-minority Children
   3. Science Education for Gifted and Talented Children
   4. Multicultural Curriculum