Unit Of Practice #3

Learning From Children's Voices & Improving Science Education: Unit Of Practice Evaluating Available Educational Resources

Author/Title: Dr. Randy Yerrick/Associate Professor

Subject: Science Teacher Education

Grade Level: Higher Education

Evaluating Available Educational Resources

Introduction

Many novice teachers assume that if they need to teach a lesson on a specific subject, they can simply go to the web, search for lesson plans, and teach it the next day. However, this activity is meant to demonstrate that not all lesson plans and resources are created equal. Part of learning to teach well involves pre-assessment of children’s thinking and adapting instructional resources and strategies to help them achieve your objectives.

Project Overview

In order to best teach children science, teachers must first identify children’s thinking and match best practices and resources in developmentally appropriate ways. Preservice teachers can interview their students prior to their lessons in order to establish: 1) what kinds of prior knowledge children have on a given subject, 2) how children’s prior knowledge may come in the way of scientific thinking, and 3) what events or evidence might be helpful in belaying incorrect thinking. Teachers need to directly address beliefs as they establish their problem in the classroom, provide sufficient evidence for confronting incorrect thinking, and scaffolded tasks and questions for students so that children could use the concepts implicit in the scientific explanation. Once the evaluation of the lesson or resource is completed, preservice science teachers should revise their selected lesson plan, rehearse, and teach the lesson to a classroom of children. After facilitating their lesson, teachers will reflect on their teaching in the final unit of practice.

Project Steps

Step 1- Looking at student knowledge

Now that you have conducted your clinical interview and shared your findings with the group, it is important to consider next steps for planning. You should go to the web and download three lesson plans on your topic from different web sites. If you need assistance finding lesson plans, refer to the appendix document entitled “Science_Math_URLs.doc” which provides you with over a hundred different online sites for lesson plans. Once you have collected three examples, you will be rating them ranging from best to worst based upon criteria in the following forms and your own criteria based upon your current teaching assignment.

First, let’s get clear on what students know and what you want them to know. Complete the following table using short quotes and interpretations so that you can be clear on how the lessons you have found meet your needs. You should refer to more than one student as you complete this table from your iMovie.

What students said / What they meant / Science Concept / Need to address…
Example:
Esther: “It’s winter when it’s closer.”
Doug: “When the Earth goes to the other side, it’s farther and it will be winter.” / The seasons are caused by the Earth getting closer and farther away from the sun during its 12 month orbit. / Seasons are caused by the tilt not proximity. In fact, the Earth is slightly closer during the Northern hemisphere’s winter. / Be sure to find a lesson that uses temperature samples from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres at the same time of year.

After completing this chart, write a list of objectives you have for your students being sure to compare them to National and State Science Standards in your area.

Step 2 Looking at basic criteria

It is important to note that there is no single best way to write a lesson plan. Plans have different levels of detail and format based upon the knowledge, experience, students, needs, and beliefs of the teachers who develop them. Therefore, teachers should be cautious not to simply download and apply a lesson plan without carefully considering the students’ knowledge and special needs first. Similarly, one should not discount a lesson plan simply on the basis of the format, time limit, or limited application of the objectives. Many lesson plans have great ideas embedded within them but are discounted because the reader does not use an imaginative interpretation of what could be adapted for their own classroom. Many lesson plans have been built based upon a standard model of: 1) objectives, 2) introduction, 3) instruction, 4) guided practice, 5) independent practice, and 6) assessment. While this model has limited applications for such teaching styles as science inquiry, it does serve as a venue to answer basic questions about the lessons you have collected. Answer the following questions about the science lessons you have found on your topic, remembering that you will use this information to write a critique of the best and worst lesson you found. Rate the component as a 1, 2, or 3 for each question (1 = strong, 2 = adequate, 3 = weak/non-existent)

Lesson Component /
Rating
/ Prompt
Objectives / Does this lesson…·  Clearly state desired objectives?
·  Include a core concept/process of science?
·  Help to students to achieve one or more State objectives?
·  Address what students already know about the subject?
·  Assist teachers in understanding what a reasonable expectation their students regarding this concept/process?
Introduction / ·  Make use of real world events or data to engage children in the use of the concept/process?
·  Adequately engage children in thinking about the real-world event and scientific concept?
·  Encourage children in expressing their own ideas?
·  Assist the students in seeing the many different ways to view and interpret the same event?
·  Assist students who are thinking naïvely about the topic to want to change their minds?
Instruction / ·  Make clear what the scientific concept/process is students are supposed to be practiced?
·  Limit the teacher’s talk when appropriate?
·  Provide direct evidence from the world that confronts non-scientific ideas?
·  Encourage student-student talk as well as teacher-student talk?
·  Offer other ways of teaching besides telling children information?
Guided
Practice / ·  Help teachers understand how to provide feedback to students who are not practicing the new concept/process expertly?
·  Provide opportunities for examining how proficient students are using the concept
·  Assure success for ALL students in practicing the desired concept/process at least once expertly?
·  Are the applications of the concept taught reasonable and a sensible way to think about the world?
·  Give students specific data or events to make sense of when applying the concept/process?
·  Are students given adequate time to complete the activity?
·  Mention materials that are required for completing the activity?
·  Offer students opportunities to engage and produce evidence of their thinking in ways other than oral responses?
Independent
Practice / ·  Provide adequate instructions for how students are to use the newly acquired concept/process in a new context or event?
·  Provide opportunities to apply the concept/process to a new venue, experiment, or application?
·  Offer a close enough connection to the examples in the guided practice so that students see the extended application in their new problem?
·  Provide a connection to the students’ lives so that study will be continued at home?
Assessment
/ ·  Provide a specific indicator that the stated objectives have been met?
·  Provide for a variety of ways to see the students’ use of the concept/process?
·  Provide closure if appropriate or directions for continued study if the lesson is not completed?
·  Offer continuing assessment instead of a single high stakes event?
·  Assure that students can answer the assessment questions through a variety of means of communication (e.g.; written explanations, pictures, predictions, calculations)
·  Does the assessment serve as part of the continued learning process?

Part 3 Examining the role of children

Now that you have looked carefully at the basics of the lesson, consider your teaching context. Who are your children? What ways do they learn best? How do you assure success for ALL your students and provide multiple access points to the content you want to teach? These are difficult questions that each teacher will answer differently. However, the next step of reflecting on the lesson can be revealing about just how good your lesson plan is at engaging children in learning science.

Write a chronology of all the events and approximate times it will take to complete each component (See example table below). Once you feel you have addressed all the lesson has suggested, look to the right side of the table below and try to generate a description of what is expected of the children. Develop a corresponding mental picture of what the children will look like in your mind as they speak, listen, draw, and participate in ways the lesson suggests. Often you will find that the right side of the sheet simply describes children sitting and listening to the teacher speak and offering answers once in a while to tightly scripted questions of teachers. Research shows that, while this is a prevalent model for science teaching, it is not the most effective in helping children develop expertise using scientific concepts or processes.

Once you have completed both sides of this table, consider important questions about your teaching context that help you to revise and rethink the lessons. Revise the best lesson of the three you have found with consideration to the interpretations you have made in the above steps.

Chronology of Events /
Students Activity or Role
Introduction: (3 minutes)
Teacher asks, “What causes the seasons?”
Teacher writes responses on the board. / Students generate explanations being allowed to come to the board and draw where the earth is in its orbit during winter.
Instruction (5 minutes)
Teacher browses the internet with students using a projected weather page at the front of the room as an assigned student writes down temperatures for different world cities.
Teacher asks, “Where is it the warmest right now?” / Students generate explanations being allowed to come to the board and draw where the earth is in its orbit during winter.
Students work at the desks copying data from the internet as teacher reads off the current temperature for each world city.
.
Guided Practice (10 minutes)
Teacher directs students’ attention to discrepant data that clearly demonstrates the error of the “closeness” model for seasons.
Teacher provides alternative explanation of the earth’s tilt with demo of globe and flashlight. / Students practice making predictions for other cities based upon the new model of tilt.
Student compare their predictions with other students. Students also provide explanation of why equator is the warmest

Part 4 Writing a critique.

Write a critique of both the best and the worst lesson you found on your topic. Be sure to mention how the lesson addressed the children’s thinking you uncovered in your previous unit (UOP #2). Provide justifications for your interpretations. For example, stating that you “liked the idea” does not provide adequate detail to know that you have carefully considered what they author intended. Did it help you to directly address non-scientific thinking about the world? Did it offer and engaging way for children to use real data and events? Does it represent the best science teaching you can imagine? Would you use it for your students? If yes, what would need to be done in order to make it fit into your context? Finally, write a reflection of what you learned from engaging in this process of learning about children’s thinking. Be sure to emphasize the major topics of this course.

Outcomes

After completing this project, students will be able to:

·  Identify children’s prior knowledge

·  Find at least three lesson plans pertaining to a specific science topic.

·  Evaluate the lesson plan for its appropriateness to the children’s prior knowledge.

·  Evaluate the lesson plan for its appropriateness to the educational context.

·  Write a critique of the best and worst lesson plan.

·  Reflect on what they have learned about lesson planning and preparation to teach their selected scientific concept.

Technology Skills

·  Browse the internet for lesson plans.

·  Use a word processor to write a lesson plan critique.

·  Use a word processor to create a reflection

Assessment Suggestions

·  Preservice teachers should each write their own critiques and be held responsible for defending their interpretations with the data from student thinking (UOP #2) and class discussions or readings about teaching.

·  Methods instructor should give specific feedback on the thoroughness of the critiques as well as the rating of the lessons according to a rubric.

·  Revised lessons should be shared with peers and given feedback on suggestions before the lesson is taught.

Preparation and Duration

This project can be done in class or likely outside of class time as homework and will take approximately:

·  30 minutes to browse the internet,

·  60 minutes to review the three lesson plans,

·  30 minutes to develop the chronology of the lessons,

·  30 minutes to revise the lesson plan, and

·  30 minutes to write the critiques on the best and worst lesson plan.

Tools and Resources

·  Tools: Computers (Internet browser and word processor)

·  Resource Page: “Science_Math_URLs.doc” included in this exhibit.

Prerequisite Skills

• Use internet browser to find lesson plans online.

• Use AppleWorks to create a basic word processing document.

Facilitation Tips

While preservice teachers should be responsible for finding and downloading their own samples of lesson plans, they should be encouraged to share their critiques with other teachers—especially their revised lessons. This is due to the fact that novice teachers learn much about their assumptions by subjecting their opinions and best thinking about specific lessons to peers who are less familiar with their topic and will ask questions that the owners of the lesson might otherwise take for granted.

Preservice teachers should self-identify partners that are willing to work on a similar topics so that there is a shared ownership over the lesson that is about to be facilitated and filmed. These three member teams should remain intact for the interview, clinical interview iMovie, critique of lesson plans, and reflection on practice iMovie. Roles should be divided up equally and rotated in different tasks (e.g.; camera operator, interviewer, writer/editor of interview protocol).