Ready, Set, SCIENCE! Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms (2008) / Chapter Skim
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4 Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts
4 Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts
Pages 59-86
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From page 59... ...
Other ways have been proposed to organize science curriculum and instruction over extended periods of time, and it is important to distinguish between these other proposals and the teaching and building of core concepts. For example, the American Association for the Advancement of Science has pro posed a set of themes -- constancy and change, models, systems, and scale -- that would extend across science curricula.
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From page 60... ...
• Cell theory The proposed use of core concepts and • Newtonian laws of force and motion learning progressions still requires significant additional research and development on the part of science educators, scientists, and education researchers. The science education community will need to identify core ideas, and specific learning progressions will need to be developed and tested exten sively in classrooms.
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From page 61... ...
Gradually, as this approach is implemented in schools and districts, science curricula can be organized around a limited number of key scientific concepts that are linked over successive grades. Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts 61
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From page 62... ...
These standards succeeded in building common frameworks. While standards were mar ginally rooted in research on children's learning and analyses of scientific practice, we now have a richer research base to inform science education and a better sense of the critical role this research should play.
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From page 63... ...
Because learning progressions extend over multiple years, they prompt educators to think about how topics are presented at each grade level so that they build on and support each other. Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts 63
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From page 64... ...
They can incorporate all four strands of scientific proficiency. Since they are organized around core concepts, they engage students with meaningful questions and investi Some Benefits of Learning Progressions gations of the natural world.
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From page 65... ...
, and that these different materials have properties that can be discussed, examined, and described. Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts 65
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From page 66... ...
"So," she summed up, "we have a plastic spoon, a wooden spoon, and a metal spoon, as well as a plastic fork, a wooden fork, a metal fork." game. "If you ask me a question about what's inside "Now I'm going to take my whole set away," the Mystery Box, I will tell you the truth." she said, scooping up one row of the spoons and "I know," said Maya.
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From page 67... ...
"Carlos asked about all 22 kindergartners broke into applause. of the forks, and Maya just asked about the plastic one, just the plastic spoon." Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts 67
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From page 68... ...
These rich tasks involve the students in actual scientific investigations but require support and guidance from the teacher. For example, the Mystery Box activity is a focused, teacher-guided activ ity, but the children are playing active roles, reasoning and theorizing.
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From page 69... ...
We also know it's not the plastic fork, the metal fork, or the wooden fork. Therefore, we have figured out that what's in the Mystery Box must be a metal spoon or a wooden spoon, because they're the only choices left.
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From page 70... ...
This is an example of just one of many ways the Mystery Box activity could be extended to allow students more time to work with complex ideas across dif ferent contexts -- an integral and essential part of learning progressions. Students themselves might generate questions about the materials that would be worthy of investigation.
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From page 71... ...
We return to the subject of teacher knowledge and support for teacher learning in subsequent chapters. Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts 71
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From page 72... ...
Reggie Figueroa's third graders were carrying out nothing." Others disagreed and thought that air a scientific investigation that involved weighing was definitely something. air.7 In the previous weeks, they had weighed and One student, Jeremiah, reminded the others measured different kinds of objects and materials, about the time each one of them had measured had predicted which objects would be heavier, and their own lung capacity by blowing through a tube had graphed their results.
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From page 73... ...
I'm going minute." Then Air being pumped into light-colored to pump air into the light-colored volleyball -- 15 he said, "Okay volleyball. Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts 73
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From page 74... ...
"Are you saying you think the volleyball will be heavier, that left, and some standing with their arms stretched it will go down on our pan balance, because it has straight out on either side. more air, more matter, in it?
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From page 75... ...
Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts 75
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From page 76... ...
The learning progression proposes that, during these grades, students can be introduced to the following core tenets of atomic-molecular theory: • Matter exists in three general phases -- solid, liquid, and gas -- that vary in their properties. • Materials have characteristic properties, such as density, boiling point, and melt ing point.
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From page 77... ...
. Class discussions allowed students to establish more explicit rules for evaluating Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts 77
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From page 78... ...
Instruction that is focused on building core ideas is especially effective when students are regularly involved in classroom debates and discussion about essential ideas and alternative theories. Classroom debate and discussion make scientific experiments more meaningful and informative.
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From page 79... ...
So if I were standing on the left side of Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts 79
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From page 80... ...
Think about how newborn puppies bumble around constantly, mindlessly, with no intentions at all. They move around constantly, in every direction, like air molecules, without thinking, wanting, plan ning, or choosing to do anything." "Do Air Puppies breathe air like real puppies?
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From page 81... ...
answered. Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts 81
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From page 82... ...
" Time FIGURE 4-9 As Air Puppies in the right room bumble randomly out the open door, there are fewer and fewer Air Puppy impacts on the wall from the right. Increasingly unopposed Air Puppy impacts from the left push the wall to the right.
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From page 83... ...
The I-Club well in the science fair." Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts 83
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From page 84... ...
Without an understanding of those epistemological standards, students will not know the grounds on which they should test and believe scientific arguments. Learning progressions are a promising way to design and organize science learning.
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From page 85... ...
The effectiveness of learning progressions is dependent on committed and capable implementation, and they will benefit from the experience and feedback of early adopters who can also play an active role in refining the practice. In order for productive science learning to take place, students and teachers need to have a clear idea of major conceptual goals.
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From page 86... ...
. Learning progressions.
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