331-368
Chapter 9
Strategies Fostering Thinking in the
Science Classroom
332
How to Read This Chapter
•
You will find three major ideas
developed in this chapter, interactive
teaching strategies, establishing a
culture of learning, and strategies
fostering independent and collaborative
thinking. You find many strategies that
you will be able to implement in the
classroom and consequently you will
want to return to the chapter from timeto-time. If you are interested in
improving interactivity among you and
your students, then you’ll find the first
part of the chapter very appealing. You
will also find a section on language and
learning science with specific strategies
on talking about, reading science, and
writing about science. The last section
explores the importance of problem
solving in the context of independent
and collaborative thinking.
Culture of
Learning:
Language
&
Vygotsky
Talking
Science
Writing
Science
Reading
Science
332
Invitations to Inquiry
• What teaching strategies can be used to foster critical and
creative thinking among students?
• How does the idea of multiple intelligences expand the
way we think of human potential?
• How research on language, in particular the work on
talking, reading and writing science contribute to the
development of a constructivist classroom?
• What strategies aid student independent and collaborative
thinking?
• How can computer technologies be used to enhance
thinking in science?
Chapter 9 Map
Strategies
Fostering
Thinking in the
Science
Classroom
Critical &
Creative
Thinking
Interactive
Teaching
Strategies
Independent
&
Collaborative
Thinking
Culture of
Learning:
Language
&
Vygotsky
Inquiry 9.1:
Microteaching
Talking
Science
Writing
Science
Reading
Science
Problem
Solving
Science
Fairs
Gazette
ProjectBased
Teaching
Science
Teachers
Talk
Research
Matters:
Project
Learning
Research
Matters:
Using
Questions
332
Thinking in the Science Class
• Look at the list of
teaching tasks on page
332, and decide which
are example of critical
thinking and which are
examples of creative
thinking.
• What is the difference
between “critical” and
“creative” thinking?
Holistic
Thinking
Critical
Thinking
Designing
Experiments
Predicting
Classifying
Observing
Creative
Thinking
Testing
Hypotheses
Intuiting
Seeking
Alternatives
Inferring
Generating
Alternatives
Dreaming
Measuring
Visualizing
Imagining
339-340
Inquiry 9.1: Microteaching
•
•
•
•
Microteaching is scaled down
teaching. You will use it to explore
the interactive teaching strategies
that are presented, pp. 333-339.
Prepare a 5 minute lesson and use it
to focus on one or more of the
teaching strategies (advance
organizers, questioning, using
examples, etc.).
Teach the lesson to a small group
of peers; use the video tape to
reflect and make changes in the
lesson for a re-teach episode.
How successful were you?
333-339
Interactive Teaching Strategies
•
Critical and creative thinking
require that students be actively
involved. The following
“interactive” teaching skills will
foster this:
– Advance Organizers
– Creating Stimulating
Environment
– Art of Questioning
– Using Examples
– Positive Learning Environment
– Closure & Making Transitions
•
Select one of the above, and write
a lesson plan that incorporates the
skill into a lesson in biology or
physics.
334-336
The Art of Questioning
•
Do an inquiry into the Art of
Questioning:
– Why is it an art?
– How would you categorize the
questions listed on page 334?
– What is the difference between a
low-inquiry question and a highinquiry question?
– What are some examples of lowand high-inquiry questions? Write
a few out.
– How does using “wait time”
influence critical and creative
thinking in the science class?
– What suggestions does Blosser
make in the article on Questions?
(see p.361)
What does this picture tell you about the moon?
Who made the Footprint?--How would classify
these questions?
341-354
Culture of Learning: Language and
Vygotsky
• Language is tool for the
expression of information
and ideas. In the science
classroom, we’ll explore:
– Talking science
– Reading science
– Writing science
• And find you who is Lev
Vygotsky
Important keys to learning are
described in this chapter.
Lev Vygotsky
•
•
•
•
•
•
Link to the Vygotsky Page
Russian psychologist
Higher-level learning take place on
the “social plane.”
The social context and language are
the essence of learning.
Distinguished between “scientific”
and “spontaneous” concepts.
School is the environment for the
dialog between these two types of
concepts.
Coined the term “zo-ped” or zone
of proximal development--the place
where student’s rich experiential
knowledge (spontaneous) meets the
systematic world (scientific).
341-354
Language & Its role in Science Teaching
Talking Science
Reading Science
Writing Science
341-344
Talking Science
• Students need to talk
about their ideas in
science class. Here are
some strategies:
– Structured Controversies
– Open-Ended Questions
– Think-Aloud-Pair Problem
Solving
– Science Talk
– Science Stories
Global Warming: Is the Earth really heating
up?
A hung ry Earth: Can the Earth feed its
human population?
Crisis in the Ocean: How polluted is the
Ocean?
The garbage problem: What is the best way
to manage waste?
Chemicals on the highways: How can
hazardous waste be managed?
Extinction: How endangered is life on the
planet?
Design a Structured Controversy on any one
of the above topics, and prepare a handout
Outlining how you would involve middle
school students in the “debate.”
342-343
Structured Controversy
Reaching a
Decision-teams present a
unified
position on the
controversy
leads to
Structured
Controversy
Reverse
Position-teams swap
sides & debate
new position
assign students to
Learning
Positions
leads to
leads to
Discussion
among the two
teams at each
debate table
leads to
Each Team
Presenting Its
Position
• The Cycle shown here is a
cooperative learning debate
model (see p. 343). Students are
divided into teams of four. With
in each team, students are
divided into pairs. Each pair is
assigned a learning position
(one side of the issue).
• Topics should have two clear
positions. Once a topic is
identified, resources should be
gathered and identified for
teams to do their research. The
previous slide lists a few
suggested topics.
344-350
Reading Science
• Enhancing students’
reading abilities in
science can be assisted
via:
– Listening activities
– Coming to Terms--The
Vocabulary Problem
– Reading for Meaning
(K-W-L strategy)
– Semantic Mapping
348
Sample Lesson 8.1: Earthquakes
Using the K-W-L Strategy
• This is an example of a
content lesson that utilized
a reading strategy, K-W-L.
• The emphasis is on having
students read for meaning.
To do this, the K-W-L
strategy creates an active
reading environment.
– K-What do they Know?
– W-What do student Want to
know?
– L-What did students Learn?
Earthquake map, California
350-354
Writing Science
Sample Lesson 9.2: Crusty (Rock) Writing
In this geology lesson, student observe the physical
properties of rocks and then use the “data” they have
collected to write a poem.
Procedures
Have students gather rocks as part of field trip, or bring in
enough rocks from the local scene so that each student will
have one to observe.
Stimulus
All students have a rock on their desk. Discuss what the
students can observe about a rock based on each of the
senses. Have a student recorder write key words on the
board or on chart paper, such as:
Sight---size, shape, and color
Hearing---rattle, scraping
Taste---mineral content, dirt
Touch---shape, roughness, smoothness, unevenness, bumps
Smell---sweet fragrance, earthiness
Have students fold a sheet of composition paper in thirds,
labeling one section for each sense, and the sixth one
entitled Other Ideas. Ask students to observe their rocks
and to jot down notes about what they observe.
Activity:
After have had time to observe and write notes, tell them
that they can use their observation to write an ode to their
rocks. Tell them that an ode is a song that begins, "Oh
" and that is usually praises a person. The can begin their
poem with "Oh rock...." and speak to their rock as a person,
using personification.
• There are many ways to help
students express their ideas
through writing, thereby
bringing thought to
consciousness. These include:
–
–
–
–
–
Web writing
Science logs
Letter writing
Science newspapers
Story writing
353
Sample Lesson 8.3: Learning Log
• Read the section on
the use of learning
logs (352-353).
• Describe how you will
set up the use of the
learning log in your
course.
• How will you assess
learning logs?
357-359
Project-Based Teaching
• Project-Based teaching
supports high-level
thinking and problem
solving. Here you will
find a collection of
project-based ideas to
implement in the
classroom. They are
organized into:
– Life Science Projects
– Physical Science Projects
– Earth Science Projects
The Mars Egg Drop project challenges students to
construct a cargo system to safely protect an egg
dropped from a high place. Students design their
vehicle and then are taken to a place where they
can drop it at least 10 meters. Click on the icon above
to go to other project ideas.
360
Think Pieces
• Make a list of strategies you think will enhance critical thinking in
science classrooms. Then make a separate list of strategies you think
will enhance creative thinking. What criteria did you use to generate
each list? How do the criteria compare?
• Construct an essay (no more than two pages) on the efficacy of using
structured controversies in the science classroom to enhance critical
and creative thinking.
• Find an article in the literature on the K-L-M reading strategy and
write a brief report for the class.
• Prepare a think piece, which defends the integration of reading and
writing skills in the science curriculum, or argue against the integration
of these skills in science teaching.
• What habits of mind do you think are enhanced by encouraging
students to participate in either science projects or science fairs?