Science strategies

Strategies for Science Teaching

By Ajaya Bajpai

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Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate (Five Es)/Oral Presentations

 Active learning-Hands on activities/Think-Pair-Share/Group work

Knowledge of subject matter, planning & attitude

Excursions for developing science understanding

Case studies/Mini-conferences/Plays

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6 CONCEPT MAPS

Knowledge of subject matter,

The importance of subject knowledge is that it helps teachers to empower students and ensure that the pupils make all the progress that they are capable of. Knowledge of subject matter helps teachers to understand how pupils learn and assimilate science and what pupils need to know by the time they complete Grade 3 to 5.

Planning

Planning shows itselfin the clarity of learning objectives, good lesson structures and the effectivequestioning of pupils.

When considering teaching strategies, we have to understand the powerful influence of the teacher's affective domain. This domain includes the teacher’s emotions, motivations, attitudes, and values. A teacher who displays enthusiasm for teaching science demonstrates positive emotions about science, which can influence students’ attitudes and consequently their learning!

Students answer questions generated by the teacher from open-ended laboratoryActivities.Students answer questions of their own from open-ended laboratory activities.

Most students learn bestthrough personal experience and by connectingnew information to what theyalready believe or know.

Attitude

Here students engaged in full inquiry are learning in an environment which induces them to • Think of a question, and shape it into something they can investigate - Hypothesizing

• Planning an investigation• Collecting data• Analyzing that data• Forming a conclusion• Communicating their findings – verbally or in writing.

Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate (Five Es)

When students’ are taught about plants, roots, leaves and flowers; they are provided with live samples and taken to a garden. As a result they are able to exit the classroom, find familiar plants and point out the name and parts of them. Here, as a consequence of Active Learning, students connect experiments to real-life scientific knowledge which has long-lasting learning effects.

Whether the hands-on activities are “naming plants, planting seeds and watching them grow over a period of time” or “making the digestive system, -science can be fun” and these activities are remembered as positive experiences. Hands-on science education experiences can have lasting and personal effects on students.

Active learning-Hands on activities/Think-Pair-Share/ Group work

• Real-life interactivity with fauna and/or flora provides stronger focus for learning, as students are genuinely interested in living things. Facilitating learning opportunities where students discover for themselves unique characteristics of living things is a high-impact teaching strategy.

• This can also facilitate life-changing experiences that lead to understandings for sustainable living.

Think-Pair-Share

As science knowledge is socially constructed , group involvement has an impact on the participants‟ long-term memories. The discovery or investigation of science with peers provides opportunities for social interaction and an element of fun. Moreover, group experiments in primary science act as a foundational experience for secondary work.

Group work

Thoughtfully-organised excursions can provide students with memorable science investigations.

Excursions for developing science understanding

• Any topic can be used to create a play. The script for the play can be written by the students themselves. The play can be performed by as few as three actors, or with as many as seven or more actors using costumes.

• The educational goals of the play, some helpful references, and a few frequently asked questions are also included. 

• These scientific plays are a dramatic narrative, often spoken out to the audience. It is also often a rhythmic collage of voices.

A Science Theater Play

• A symposium is a meeting where participants give oral presentations on subjects revolving around a common theme.

• Each student selects one subtopic from a list, research information on it, prepare and deliver a comprehensive, concise, and complete oral presentation to the class.

Each presentation must be at least three minutes and not more than five minutes in length. A time for questioning will follow each presentation. 

MINI-CONFERENCES

• Write down the most important word or short phraseor symbol for the center.Think about it; circle it.

• Post other important concepts and their words outside the circle

• Edit this first phaseThink about the relation of outside items to the center itemErase, edit, and/or shorten words to key ideasRelocate important items closer to each other for better organizationIf possible, use color to organize informationLink concepts with words to clarify their relationships

CONCEPT MAPS

This map is your personal learning documentIt combines what you knew with what you are learningand what you may need to complete your "picture"

Concept map – contd.

Bloom’s Educational guidelines form a framework for developing lower- and higher-order questioning. These questions extend Students’ thinking past explanations of observations. Effective teachers question students constantly to make students’ think and determine their level of understanding.

The following lesson plan only focuses on the lesson structure; a complete plan would require other aspects such as standards, key concepts and prior knowledge, resources, teaching strategies, classroom management, assessment, and evaluation

Introduction Investigate students‟ prior knowledge: What do you know about the heart? (Knowledge) Where is your heart located in your body? (Comprehension) What is the main function of the heart? (Analysis) What can you do to maintain a healthy heart? (Analysis) Why do you think it is important to exercise? (Synthesis) What would you like to learn about the heart and the importance of exercise? (Evaluation)

Body Students form groups and run a series of one-minute physical activities (sitting, walking, skipping, and running). They record pulse rates for one minute before and after each activity. What were the pulse rate differences? What was different between each activity? Why do you think your pulse rate changed? How did your body feel after each activity? What do you think would happen to your pulse rate if you exercised regularly? How might regular exercise help your heart? Why?

Students create a table of their results and complete their scientific reports with explanations.

Conclusion A class discussion is held to determine students‟ learning around the science topic. What did you learn from today‟s lesson? What can increase your heart rate? What do you think happens when your heart rate increases? Is it important to exercise? Why? Which activity exercises your heart better? Why? How do you think exercising will help you to have a healthier life? How might walking or riding your bike instead of being driven to places help you?

THANK YOU!

by Ajaya Bajpai