Module 5

Problem Based Learning

Standard: S5E1b. Destructive Processes- Identify and find examples of surface features caused by destructive processes.

Problem: Your team is a group of engineers, and has been hired by the government to investigate beach erosion along American coastline. You will need to look at the causes and effects of erosion caused by man and by nature. You need to find a way to stop beach erosion, either natural or man-made. You will need to think about these questions:

• What is beach erosion, and what causes it?
• What are the consequences of beach erosion?
• What is one way that beach erosion can be prevented?

You will need to create a presentation, either on posterboard or using Power Point, Glogster, or Prezi, to present your findings to the class.

Authentic Assessment

The authentic assessment I would use for this lesson would be to have students demonstrate competence in the following areas:

• The ability to work with and contribute to a team
• The ability to use books and the internet to do research and gather information
• The ability to report information clearly and without plagiarizing
• The ability to think creatively and logically about a problem, based on available information

.

Rubric for Problem Based LessonS5E1b.

(In this rubric, students will be given an individual grade) 

Points Possible	3	2	1
Team Work	Showed leadership and guidance with research, planning, and decision making	Showed cooperation and involvement with all three processes	Rarely involved with research , planning, or decision making
Quality of Information	Information is accurate, current, and clearly stated	Information is either accurate, current, or clearly stated	Information is illogically presented or insufficient
Problem Solving	The group has presented a well thought out, logical solution to the problem.	The group has thought of a solution but it is not very logical or practical.	The solution presented shows little insight into the problem
Use of Resources	There is evidence that several sources were used to gather information, and they have been correctly listed as references.	Some resources used, or incorrectly or incompletely cited.	There is little to no evidence provided to show resources used.

Article # 3: America's Children: Providing Early Exposure to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Initiatives by Nancy K. DeJarnette

Synthesis:

The Stem initaitive came about largely because of low numbers of students pursuing science related programs, and also the need for scientists and engineers. Research has shown that when students are exposed to Stem activities at a young age, they are more likely to want to continue to pursue them in later years. While there has been an increase in STEM initaitives in United States schools in recent years, these have mostly focused on Middle and High schools. Research has also found that open ended science inquiry and technology design projects rarely take place in schools.

This has resulted in the establishment of two intiatives with the goal of promoting STEM teaching in all schools. The first is the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which was formed in 2004. Its main aim is to prepare students to develop the skills needed to compete in the global economy. The partnership includes educators, policy makers and community members all of who provide tools and resources for public schools, and promote policies that will advance their cause. The second initiative is President Obama's "Educate to Innovate", established in 2009, with the goal of improving the skills of American youth in STEM content. This involes a collaborative effort of the federal government, private companies, non-profit organizations, and education societies.

As a result of these initiatives it has become obvious that students need to be exposed to STEM programs at an earlier age than is currently taking place in schools. Also, research shows that by focusing on STEM processes, students are better prepared for the real world of science.

Problems which have become apparent are that teachers are often lacking in the pedagogical knowledge and expertise required to implement STEM programs, particularly at the elementary level. Standardized testing has cuased students to rely on the knowledge of others, rather than reaching their own conclusions through inquiry.

To overcome this, several universities are offering STEM initiatives for K-12 teachers. An example of this is the University of Virginia Children's Engineering Educators, which provides in-service training for elementary school teachers.

The implementation of STEM initaitives needs to become an integral part of school curricula at all levels, if the United States is to maintian its global standing in the world of science.

Reflection:

 As a co-teacher, I often see the lessons of other teachers and  there is much in the way of passive listening and not much in the way of problem solving and inquiry teaching. I also agree that often elementary school teachers don't have the expertise or resources to carry out inquiry based teaching, and standardized testing is a major constraint. There is a body of knowledge which children  must know before the test, and teachers often struggle to cover it in time.  However, with training and creativity, I do think that teachers can bring about fundamental changes to the way that children are exposed to science, and can be given as much opportunity as possible to make predictions, test them, reach conclusions, and collaborate. I feel strongly that this is the way we need to be teaching students, so that they not only have knowledge, they can apply their knowledge in meaningful ways.

I think the idea of the partnerships with universities would be of great benefit to teachers.  In my school there are many veteran teachers who would probably feel insecure about changing the way that they teach. Through mentoring and modeling, I see these institutions as playing a major role in bringing about change is science teaching, and enabling elementary teachers to offer STEM programs in their classrooms. In our school, our foundation established a science lab, which has given us the chance to conduct experiments and work through the scientific method . We also have a full time lab assistant who sets up the lab and provides background information on experiments. Without exception, students have been engaged in these lessons and they look forward to them.  I will be making a conscious effort to use the constructivist approach in my teaching, across all disciplines.

References:
DeJarnette, N.K. (2012) America's Children: Providing Early Exposure to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) intiatives. Education,133, 77-84

Article # 4

Engaging Elementary Students by Elise Morgan, Kristin Sargianis, Roger Skophammer, Christine M. Cunningham, Nancy Yocom de Romero, and Kathleen Murphy-Garcia

   This article begins by quoting the Committee on Conceptual Framework for the New K-12 Science Standards, and says, " Science, engineering, and technology permeate every facet of modern life, and tey also hold the key to meeting many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges.Yet too few US workers have strong backgrounds in these fields, and many people lack even fundamental knowledge of them. This national trend has created a widespread call for a new approach to K-12 science education in the United States." (p.1)
   The authors then go on to talk about the relationship between science and engineering. Engineers depend on their understanding of math and science concepts, while using engineering activities in the classroom can help students to understand science concepts and skills. The Next generation Science Standards, which will be implemented in the near future, recommend the practice of using engineering to teach science.
    Examples are given of how two teachers are using engineering in their lessons. One is a second grade teacher. She asked students to observe windmills to see how wind interacts with different objects. Then she posed a challenge to her students; to design blades for a windmill that spin, catch the wind when placed in front of a fan, and allow the windmill to lift weights. The fourth grade teacher asked her class to think about the properties of magnets they had learned. They then extended this to learn about magnetic levitation (maglev) transportation systems, and students were challenged to engineer their own maglev vehicles and tracks, using magnets and materials like foam trays, paper cups, and masking tape.
   Both teachers commented on how this type of teaching increases student motivation, brings science content to life, and relates it to the outside world.
   The authors conclude by emphasising the importance of the importance of integrating the teaching of science, engineering, and technology.

Reflection:

This is one of the most interesting and inspiring articles I've read about current trends in science education. It also addressed many of the reservations I have had about this type of teaching, and I see now that all teachers can use real-world situations, and inquiry based lessons to teach science. The two teachers mentioned in this article are not new to the profession; one has taught for eight years, and the other is a veteran teacher. Yet, they are able to incorporate the principles of problem based learning into their classrooms on a regular basis. The connection to the real world takes science out of textbooks and makes it highly relevant to students' lives. It also is more likely to encourage creative thinking and problem solving. This takes me back to the quote at the beggining of the article, which spoke about science, engineering and technology as holding the key to meeting many of our challenges in the future. I liked the way that actual examples of lessons were given, and especially liked the challenge that was presented to the second grade class. I would like to read more of this type of article, as it is very informative and inspiring.

References: Morgan, E. et al. (2012). Engaging Elementary Students. Children's Technology and Engineering, 8-12.

Bonus Blog #1

Homework

    This year, homework became a contentious issue for our fifth grade team. We began our first year of rotations, and teachers didn't do a good job of coordinating homework. Some teachers gave homework for a week, such as questions from a chapter in the textbook. Many students struggled to pace themselves with this. Other teachers would give some homework every night, but the result was often an overwhelming amount of homework. Hence, we had many irrate parents and stressed students. Despite this, I feel I had a good opportunity to think about homework, what its advantages are, and how best to assign it.
    I think that homework is important, but should not become a source of stress for students or parents. I think there are two main reasons to give homework- either to reinforce concepts students have learned, or to encourage inquiry based learning. One example of this is a homework assignment which was given in our science class. Students had to think of a way to build a model to explain to other students how an animal cell and a plant cell are different. We made materials available at school if needed, and students had to bring in their models and then present them to the class. Homework completion for this assignment was far greater than for most other homework assignments. Students seemed proud of their work.
      As a special education teacher, I sometimes use programs which are different from those used by the rest of the class. An example is the Rewards reading program. Because of time constraints, I often had to assign practice of decoding skills for homework. I made sure that this would not take more than about 10 minutes per day. This made sure that students could keep progressing. I also asked parents to listen to their students read aloud, also for about 10-15 minutes per day. We didn't often have time for this at school, and I felt it was too important not be done on a daily basis.
     In conclusion then, I do think there is value in students doing work at home. Teachers need to beware though that it doesn't become a source of tension and dislike of school, and has genuine value for the student.
       

Module 4

Reflection on the Theory of Constructivism

According to this theory, people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiences, and by reflecting on those experiences. At first this sounded to me as though the role of the teacher would become almost redundant, but on reading further, this is not the case. The teacher needs to understand the background knowledge which students bring with them to a particular discipline, and guide activites so that students can use and build upon their knowledge. The teacher needs to provide opportunities for inquiry based learning, collaboration, and authentic assessments.

When I think about the constructivist approach, I find it difficult to see its application in certain subject areas. Grammar, math concepts, and some scientific principles would be difficult for students to acquire in this way. I also think of students who have learning disabilities and need more direct instruction. I think that a constructivist approach would work well in most areas of science, but I do think there will be times when students need to have background information presented to them, before they can proceed with inquiry. Time is another factor to consider, as students work at different paces.

In our science lab last year, we gave students the materials necessary to connect a circuit, and explained how a basic circuit works. We then left them to try to connect their materials in a way that would make the light bulb work. This resulted in team work, and students were very motivated to be the first to get their bulbs to light up. I think this is an example of the constructivist approach.  Students then had to share with others what they had tried and what worked.  I think students like to be given time to test their predictions and work through the scientific method, and this is how I would like to allow students to construct knowledge in my science class. We would need a lot more time in the science lab though, presently we only go twice a month.

 I would like to incorporate more constructivist thinking into my teaching, particularly in the areas of science, math problem solving, and social studies. I see a blend of the two approaches as working well for me, at least in the immediate future.

Fifth Grade Science Standard:

S5P2: Physical and Chemical Change:
 a. Investigate physical changes by separating mixtures and manipulating paper to demonstrate examples of physical change.

Excite

• Melt ice and boil water
• Break and stir an egg
• Mix together different ingredients such as chocloate chips, nuts, raisins.

Explore

• Watch a Brain Pop video on physical change
• Find examples throughout the school of change of state, e.g. a carved pole from wood, frozen water in the fishpond.
• Think of ways to change the state of objects without changing the internal structure, e.g. tearing paper

Explain

• Write a paragraph about how breaking and stirring the egg represents a change of state.
• In groups, define and explain what a mixture is.
• Why a change of state is a physical change, what does "physical" mean?
• How is the change of state from water to ice, and from water to steam, explained as a physiacl change?

Expand

• Our mixture can be separated into chocolate chips, raisins, and nuts. What does this tell us about the properties of a mixture?
• How can this be linked to manipulating paper, and how does this help us explain what a physical change is?
• Are physical changes always reversible? Is this a good way to define a physical change?

Extend

• What are some of the factors causing physical changes?
• If we cook the egg, how is this change different from breaking and stirring the egg?

Exchange

• Students will create mini-books from construction paper to summarize what they have learned about physical changes. They will share these with other class members.
• Students will create a chart to display on the wall, which includes all their learning about the properties of a mixture, the nature of a physical change, and a good way to define physical change.

Examine

• Online searches about physical changes, and start to look at the differences between physical and chemical changes.
• Compare and contast the changes to the egg when it is broken and stirred, to when it is cooked. Use this as a springboard into chemical changes.

Module 3 Blog Post: Please follow this link to our group posting:

5th grade Module 3 Blog Post

Module 2

Article 2

Scientifc Literacy: Another Look at Its Historical and Contemporary Meanings and Its Relationship to Science Education Reform by George E. DeBoer

DeBoer begins by pointing out that the term scientific literacy has been used since the 1950s, when educators wanted the general public to be more familiar with science. He then gives a brief history of science education since the beginning of the 20th century.

In the early 1900s, science education was stressed as being an application of knowledge to life, rather than as a logically organized body of knowledge. As early as the 1930s, the National Society for the Study of Education, looked at goals for teaching science which would encourage science as important for effective living, but also involve an intellectual understanding of science. After the second world war, there were growing concerns about the development of science and technology, and their connection to national security. This culminated during the 1950s, when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik. Disciplinary knowledge was emphasised, with little application to situations in real life.

National security became one of the justifications for science education reform. It was in these years that the goals of science teaching became known as scientific literacy. The Rockerfeller Brothers Fund in 1958 stated that it should be considered as to how science could prepare people to live and work in a world with rapidly developing technology such as nuclear weapons, brain physiology, cell biology, and space exploration.

Society was seen as needing educated citizens, who could make educated decisions about their societies. However, science courses in the 1960s were designed to be very academically rigorous, and to appeal only to the very brightest students. There was little focus on the interests and developmental needs of the students. From the 1970s through the 1980s, scientific literacy became more and more strongly connected to science in its social context.

Many were concerned that this would lead to aloss of integrity in the discipline of science. In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education issued the report, A Nation at Risk, The Imperative for Education Reform. This argued that our nation was at risk economically because of slipping academic standards and low test scores. The solution was seen as a more rigorous curriculum built around core subjects such as English, math, science, social studies, computer science and foreign language.

In 1989, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), published their findings in Project 2061 Science for all Americans. Their main goal was to set goals for science education, so that all students could attain scientific literacy. America was perceived to be lagging behind other countries in terms of science and technology education and integration.

Soon after this, the National Academy of Sciences established the National Science Education Standards in 1996.The result of this was that students would be required to master a set of standards to demonstrate scientific literacy.

One of the questions which still remains is how much content to teach? Since the very beginning of science education, science content has been the basis of curriculum. This is likely to continue to be the case, as in order to become scientifically literate, students must have an understanding of the basic principles of the natural world.

The author goes on to suggest that even though standards have been established with the best intentions, it may be argued that in the end they take away the teacher's autonomy and creativity. If a set of broad concepts was given to teachers, which they could interpret on the basis of their students' needs, they could teach their strengths and to those of their students. The constarints of benchmarks and standardized testing are seen as further inhibiting the autonomy of teachers.

Reflection:

Today, I see new and different science standards will be introduced in the follwoing school year. They are national standards, but I can't help wondering if they will steer science education in a significantly different direction from the course it has been on in previous years.  I agree with DeBoer's statements about the lack of autonomy and creatvity that teachers are allowed, and that most teachers simply see curriculum as something that needs to be "covered" before the testing. Having looked through the new standards, they do incorporate other disciplines, and the expectations from students and teachers will be different. However, I hear the same ideas which were stated in the 1950s and then later in the 1980s about how far behind the United States is when compared to other countries. I will be watching with great interest to see whether these new standards can help us to achieve greater scientific literacy for all students.

Reference:

DeBoer, G.E.(2000). Scientific Literacy: Another Look at Its Historical and Contemporary Meanings and Its Relationship to Science Education Reform. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37 (6) 582-601. Retrieved from:

http://web.nmsu.edu/~susanbro/eced440/docs/scientific_literacy_another_look.pdf

Module 2

Article 1

Science Curriculum Reform in the United States by Rodger w. Bybee

In this article, Bybee begins by listing some of the major differences between the reforms of the 1950s and 1960s, and those of the late 1980s and 1990s. Firstly,during the 1960s, reforms began at the secondary level of education, and were gradually implemented in middle and elementary schools. By contrast, in the 1990s, reforms began at the elementary school level, and then progressed to middle and high school. Secondly, in the 1980s and 90s, there were fewer curriculum projects at the national level, but rather, reform was initiated through state level frameworks and local development. The author feels this may have been a disadvantage, as without national funding, much of the needed staff development and adoption of new textbooks was not available, and so ultimately resulted in a lower level of reform. The final difference is the establishment of several frameworks which influenced curriculum reform at state and local levels. These include the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which developed the report Science for all Americans in 1989, and also the Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy in 1993.

In the report Science for all Americans, many topics were included, some of which were not usually found in a school curriculum. An example of this is how science, mathematics, and technology are connected to one another, and to our society.

The scope, sequence and coordination of science education was studied by Bill Aldridge in 1989. This takes into account the sequence in which students learn. The scope and sequence of science education was compared with that of other countries. The result was an understanding that students need to learn first from concrete experiences, and then understand associated names and symbols. This would result in a deeper understanding of concepts, which would no longer require students to memorize facts in order to retain them.

Another issue related to reform was that of equity in science education. For several decades, science educators had discussed the need to enhance opportunities in science for minority groups who had been underrepresented in the field of science. The reforms of the 1990s called for all Americans to be included in the drive for scientific literacy.

The author discusses some of the issues in the reform of science education. For changes to occur, school personel had to change, and this involved changing the programs and practices which were currently in place. Some of the fundamental changes which were seen as necessary were the amount of information which students would be required to know. This would be replaced by a few key concepts, which needed to be understood in depth. Also, the rigid boundaries which had been set in place in the 1950s and 60s, between such disciplines as earth science, biology, chemistry and physics, needed to be blurred, so that an interdisciplinary approach could be adopted. The role of science in school curricula needed to be reviewed; all citizens needed to be able to understand science as an integral part of society, and to be able to use science as a means to dealing with social problems, such as pollution, resources and population growth.

The way in which science knowledge should be acquired by students was also under review. The focus in the science classroom should be on the active involvement in the process of inquiry, and by opportunities to apply knowledge to new and novel situations.

Assessment is an important part of curriculum and instruction, and so this needed to be addressed at all levels. Changes in assessment needed to reflect changes taking place in curriculum, from the elementary level to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Reflection:

While the ultimate goal of the reforms of the 1980s and 90s was to make all citizens scientifically and technologically literate, this seems to have been largely unsuccessful. Today there is yet more call for reform in education, and new standards being put in place with the implememtation of the Common Core Standards. The president is calling for Americans to increase their educational standing in the international arena, which sounds very much like the argument put forth in 1983 by the National Commission on Excellence in Education; that our economic standing in the world is slipping because of low test scores and poor academic performance. On the positive side, I do afgree that science should be taught in an interdisciplinary way, and that teachers should be given greater autonomy within their districts and classrooms. I also agree that science should not be seen as an elitist subject, but as something that all people have the ability to understand. Lastly, I agree that students interests and developmental levels should be considered when designing science curricula.
Reference:
Bybee, Rodger, W. (1995). Science Curriculum Reform in the United States. Redesigning the Science Curriculum. Retrieved from:
E:\SCIENCE Curriculum Reform in the United States  KSU SUMMER 2013.mht

Response to President's Speech:

The speech was very motivational and I agreed with many points that the president made. I applaud his committment to provide more money and reform to education. I agree with the argument that teachers should be given greater flexibilty in exchange for greater accountability. This ties in with teachers having greater autonomy to teach within broader key concepts, but they should be able to demonstrate that their students are able to be successful.

Another point that I also agree with is that work ethic- in and out of the classroom is so important. How do teachers instil this though, when it isn't reinforced at home? The school at Boston tech sounded ideal, where students are highly motivated to succeed. How could this model be carried over to less motivated students?

Module 1 ECE 7706

A Typical Science Lesson in my Classroom:

Science lessons vary depending on whether students are being introduced to a new concept or topic, are doing centers to continue learning about a topic, or are preparing for a science lab.

The lesson I will describe is in preparation for a science lab.

The motivation for the lesson is to give students background information on helpful microorganisms, in particular, those that help with digestion. Students will be asked to read, in pairs, a few paragraphs explaining how some microorganisms are beneficial to us. Students already know about bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists.

During the body of the lesson, students will be given the question and learning goal for the lab: How are the microorganisms in cultured dairy food beneficial to us?
How is cream containing microorganisms  different from pasteurized cream?
Their goal is to compare cream before and after the addition of microorganisms in terms of taste, texture, and color. They will also need to explain why this happened, using the notes they have read beforehand.

Students work in groups of 4, and will be given heavy cream (pasteurized), which they will taste, and describe.

They will add 1/2 teaspoon of buttermilk, which contains microorganisms, to the cream.

This will be placed in a warm place (about 70F) overnight. The following day, students will taste the cream, and note changes in color and texture. They will then attempt to explain to their group how the buttermilk changed the cream. The background reading which they did on the first day will help with this.

Each group will write a paragraph about the changes, and explain them. This will be a formative assessment. This is how the science labs are usually conducted.



Technology in Science:

    The readings for this week stress the importance of using technology in science teaching. We have used basic tools for observation in science throughout the year, such as hand lenses and balancing scales. We have also used websites for research, and students have used online presentation tools such as Go Animate and Power Point to give class presentations. In addition to this, we have watched videos that explain concepts (e.g BrainPop), make frequent use of the Promethean Board, and so I do think that our science class has been enriched through the use of technology. However, the point made in the readings about insufficient resources, and lack of knowledge about effective use of technology, is relevant. In my case, the laptops available to us were very slow and sometimes students would wait as long as 15 minutes for their computers to boot up. As a teacher, I feel I need more mentoring to be really effective with technology.

Concept Mapping:

    I like the idea of concept mapping, as it's a great way for all students (and teachers) to organize information. I think it would be very useful for students to use as study guides. If they learn to create their own concept maps, they will have  way to organize and remember information, which is a skill they will find useful throughout their lives.

My concept map for this week is below: