Chapter 11
Strategies Fostering Thinking in the
Science Classroom
How to Read This Chapter
•
In this chapter we will explore teaching
strategies that facilitate student thinking.
Some teachers refer to these as “active
learning strategies” because of their influence
on high levels of student engagement. The
first set of strategies will be explored in terms
of their impact on students’ ability to think
critically and creatively. We’ll develop some
teaching strategies in the context “microteaching” experiences that will enable you to
focus on specific abilities such as using
advanced organizers, questioning, and
promoting student engagement. We’ll explore
powerful ideas to help student talk, read and
write as they learn science. We will also
explore strategies that foster independent and
collaborative thinking among secondary
students.
Culture of
Learning:
Language
&
Vygotsky
Talking
Science
Writing
Science
Reading
Science
Invitations to Inquiry
• What teaching strategies can be used to foster critical and
creative thinking among students?
• How can interactive teaching strategies foster thoughtful
dialogue with and between my students?
• What feedback might a colleague in a “peer-coach” role
offer to enhance my teaching abilities?
• How does research on reading, writing, and discourse in
science education contribute to the development of a
constructivist classroom?
• How can projects be used to enhance thinking in science?
Chapter 11 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
Critical & Creative Thinking
• What is the difference between “critical” and “creative”
thinking?
• What are some examples of each?
Holistic
Thinking
Critical
Thinking
Designing
Experiments
Predicting
Classifying
Observing
Creative
Thinking
Testing
Hypotheses
Intuiting
Seeking
Alternatives
Inferring
Generating
Alternatives
Dreaming
Measuring
Visualizing
Imagining
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.
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 the Companion site)
What does this picture tell you about the moon?
Who made the Footprint?--How would classify
these questions?
Inquiry 11.1: Microteaching
•
•
•
•
Microteaching is scaled down
teaching. You will use it to
implement one or more the
interactive teaching strategies.
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?
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
• Who is Lev Vygotsky?
Important keys to learning are
described in this chapter.
Lev Vygotsky
•
•
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•
•
•
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).
Language & Its role in Science Teaching
Talking Science
Reading Science
Writing Science
Talking Science
• Students need to talk
about their ideas in
science class. Here
are some strategies:
– Structured
Controversies
– Open-Ended Questions
– Science Talks
– Telling the Stories of
Science
Global Warming: Is the Earth really heating
up?
A hungry 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.”
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
Learning
Positions
leads to
leads to
Discussion
among the two
teams at each
debate table
assign students to
leads to
Each Team
Presenting Its
Position
• The Cycle shown here is a
cooperative learning debate
model. 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.
Reading Science
• Enhancing students’
reading abilities in
science can be assisted
via:
– Listening
– Coming to Terms-The
Vocabulary Problem
– Reading for Meaning
(K-W-L strategy)
– Semantic Mapping
Sample Lesson 11.1: 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
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:
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Web writing
Science logs
Letter writing
Science newspapers
Story writing
Sample Lesson 11.3: Learning Log
• Read the section on
the use of learning
logs.
• Describe how you will
set up the use of the
learning log in your
course.
• How will you assess
learning logs?
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.
Life Science Projects
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Biodrama
Dirty Water
Insect Project
Organism Project
Birdwatch
Physical Science Projects
• Paper Tower
• Clay Boats
• Spaghetti Cars
Earth Science Projects
• Mars Egg Drop
• Eratosthenes
• Shadows
Research Matters
• Using Questioning by
Pat Blosser
• Science Projects by
Marcia C. Linn and
Helen C. Clark