Megan Ingalls
Science Midterm
EDUC 337
Dr. Jennifer Cady
Trends in Teaching Science
During Observations I saw how science was conducted and
what the hot trends were in teaching it. Students were
learning about new plants here were the strategies they
used:
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Large group activities
Small group
Hands on activities
Centers with technology
Assessment
Large Group Discussions
Teachers are using large group discussions to discuss the topic of what
students are learning, what they will be doing and also to ask
questions to the group and create a learning community. Students
are asked questions about the plants, they talk about their
vocabulary. They also do a class calendar where science
experiments are written down so students are aware when they will
be doing their experiments.
Besides discussion and letting students know what they will be doing in
science today, this time is also used for reading. The teacher reads
a story to the class to integrate reading into science, cross
curricular is huge!
Small Groups/ Hands on Activities
Small groups is a very big thing in teaching science. Small groups
provide students to work together on a project, which creates small
group discussions. Students are able to conduct experiments, and
create a science inquiry atmosphere by asking questions and
discussing how they will find the answers.
Hands on Activities
Students complete hands on activities such as growing different types
of plants to see what plants need to survive and to observe and
document what they have seen and learned. Hand on
experiments are key for students who learn best by
doing things first hand.
Centers
During my observation I noticed that science has taken on learning
centers. The great thing about centers is students work in small
groups and they get to accomplish a lot of activities on the same
subject which is great for students with many different learning
styles. The Multiple Intelligence theory suggest that as teachers we
need to teach the same concept in many different ways, centers is
a great way to do this and keep the classroom organized.
Type of Centers that can be used:
Teacher center- Students will work with the teacher to plant their plants
and conduct experiments (the teacher does not do it for them or get
to involved they are simply there to monitor their experiments.
Listening Center- Students will listen to a book on tape with their
group. Each student has a book and has to pay attention to the
story to know when to turn the page.
Centers Continued
Independent work- students fill out their journal on the topic the teacher
gives them. This is also they time they work on their own
worksheets. That may be a crossword puzzle they do for fun, a
plant book the students make and keep for their unit.
Computer Center- Students will access FossWeb and click on the
module they are working on and students are able to watch videos
and other activities that the website uses to reinforce what they
book is teaching them
.
Assessments
The new trend with students is to not only assess what students have
learned but to also find out what students already know about the
topic before teaching.
Teachers conduct pre-assessments such as students completing a
worksheet or simply asking questions and seeing what students
can tell you.
Assessments are conducted in many different ways now, not simply by
testing. The reason teachers use other methods of assessment
besides testing is because most students do not like testing and
have test anxiety. Teachers use observations, worksheet
assessments along with testing.
Science Inquiry
Science inquiry at first seems a little intimidating because your not sure
what all that in tales. Looking at Foss Science Systems it truly
breaks down what exactly a teacher needs to do to incorporate
cross curricular, science experiments, Multisensory learning
activities, assessments, instruction that promotes reflective thinking,
reading and research. (Nashua, NH: Delta Education.
2005)
The Foss System’s Teaching guide is amazing, it gives teachers the
back ground information they need and how to teach the science
material. With that said as a teacher you may have to do your own
supplementing materials to make sure all of your standards are
being meet.
Resources
New Plants: teacher guide. (2005). Nashua, NH: Delta
Education.
FOSSweb - Air and Weather . (n.d.). Welcome to FOSSweb!.
Retrieved February 9, 2012, from
http://www.fossweb.com/modulesK-2/NewPlants/index.html
Google Images. (n.d.). Google. Retrieved February 11, 2012,
from http://google.com/images