Teaching Science

Science is thinking about the world in terms of how and why. It is seeing the amazing relationships between common occurrences and looking for patterns in them.

Science should be made Current, Local, and Relevant (CLR)

Scientific Knowledge
Product of scientific inquiry is the body of scientific knowledge Scientific knowledge takes four forms: Hypotheses Facts Laws Theories

Purpose of education in science

Education in science serves three purposes: Prepares students to study science at higher levels of education Prepares students to enter the workforce, pursue occupations, and take up careers Prepares students to become more scientifically literate citizens Also emphasizes integrating scientific inquiry with scientific knowledge

EFFECTIVE LEARNING AND TEACHING

Principles of learning
Learning is not necessarily an outcome of teaching What students learn is influenced by their existing ideas Progression in learning is usually from the concrete to the abstract People learn to do well only what they practice doing Effective learning by students requires feedback Expectations affect performance

TEACHING SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND TECHNOLOGY

Teaching should be consistent with the nature of scientific inquiry

Start with questions about nature Engage students actively Concentrate on the collection and use of evidence Provide historical perspectives Insist on clear expression Use a team approach Do not separate knowing from finding out Deemphasize the memorization of technical vocabulary

Science teaching should reflect scientific values

Welcome curiosity Reward creativity Encourage a spirit of healthy questioning Avoid dogmatism Promote aesthetic responses

Science Teaching Should Aim to Counteract Learning Anxieties

Build on success Provide abundant experience in using tools Support the roles of girls and minorities in science Emphasize group learning

Science teaching should extend beyond the school

Teaching should take its time

General aims of teaching science

to learn about the immediate environment, man-made and natural to develop an understanding of scientific terminology, and to learn the classification of objects and ideas makes it easier to understand them to develop an open, questioning attitude towards the environment

 to develop skills: observation skills experimentation skills analytical skills discerning skills aimed at collection of data the skill for the presentation of data to develop inference of solving problems by using previously gained knowledge about a related subject to develop an understanding of basic concepts

Diversity in teaching in the classroom

Teaching Methods
Questioning Explaining Demonstrating Collaborating Learning by teaching (LdL)

THE TEACHING CYCLE

Stimulus or raising questions and problems

the situation must be meaningful to the student the situation must be concrete, interesting, and challenging enough to find a solution

Assimilation or achieving experience

Search for information needed to answer the question or solve the problem Students: perform experiments go on field trips use visual aids interview people refer to books Information gathered is specific because it has been derived from particular experiences; these are useful in identical situations To be useful in other situations, specific facts must be generalized

Reaction or using the generalization

Practice in the application of the new understanding must now be provided There should be many situations in which the students can use the generalization to: explain, predict, and plan

Thank you!