Children develop enquiry skills almost autonomously from birth as they begin to make sense of the world surrounding them (Roden et al 2007). At school, during the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1, this natural inquisitiveness can be harnessed through scientific enquiry. Giving pupils explicit exposure to real experiences and phenomena can help conceptualise children’s scientific understanding of the world (Harlen & Qualter 2009). These important considerations were contemplated when planning a scientific investigation suitable for a Key Stage 1 setting. In this assignment I will analyse a lesson I planned, integrating science teaching with cross curricular links to English and Maths too. I will consider teaching approaches of this investigation, possible advantages or tensions with cross curricular planning and teaching and how they may impact on learning and teaching.
Working in a small group, we planned a science investigation into floating and sinking materials, focused towards a mixed year 1 and year 2 class setting. The planning objectives were taken from the current national curriculum (DfEE 1999) and were based around Key Stage 1 Science Unit 1C – Choosing materials for a purpose and Unit 2D – Grouping materials. This is defined by the new curriculum as “Everyday materials; year 1 - describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials”, and “year 2 - identify and compare the uses of a variety of everyday materials” (DfE 2013 p.141 & p.146). The lesson plan (see appendix 1) was intended to build on work pupils will have begun in reception or year 1 on floating and sinking. The progression would now be considering this in relation to specific materials to solve a problem. I suggested...
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...wden1967-1.html#15. [Accessed 28 December 2013].
Raiker, A.. (2010). Spoken Language and Mathematicss. Cambridge Journal of Education. [Online] 32 (1), 45-60. Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com.atlas.worc.ac.uk/doi/pdf/10.1080/03057640220116427 [Accessed 5 January 2014].
Roden, J., Ward, H. & Ritchie, H. (2007) Extending Knowledge in Practice - Primary Science. Exeter, Learning Matters Ltd.
Rose, J. (2009) Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum: Final Report. [Online] Available from: http://www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/pdfs/2009-IRPC-final-report.pdf. [Accessed 29 December 2013].
Waks, L. (2013). John Dewey and the Challenge of Progressive Education. International Journal of Progressive Education. [Online] 9 (1), 73-83. Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com.atlas.worc.ac.uk/doi/pdf/10.1080/03004279.2013.819618 [Accessed 27 December 2013].
Dewey’s philosophy of pragmatism and his creation of progression education, simply emphasize the need to learn by doing (Rivera-Castro). His idea that children learn best by doing and exploring the environment around them plays well into Greene’s idea of being wide-awake and allowing teachers and students to create
In this essay I will outline the curricular systems for the 0-5 age group in England and Scotland. I will examine in detail the planning and assessment provisions of these systems which allow early years practitioners to gain insight into children's learning and to aid them in that regard. I will draw comparison between the practices of these two countries where possible, and provide criticism of each.
At the end of the nineteenth century, progressive movements emerged and affected many aspects of the United States such as education, culture and politics. Since the rapidly increase of enrollment in high school in this period, educators and reformers desired a apt method to teach these students and debated what should be involved in curriculum. The ideals of progressive education led by John Dewey, who is an American philosopher and progressivism reformer. He insisted the curriculum should be more flexible and base on students’ interest. Dewey encouraged children to go outside of classroom to learn the real life experience (Ravitch, 2000). Furthermore, in the twentieth century, the schools in this country were affected by a great number of immigrants, especially in the large cities. Ravitch (2000) wrote that in urban area, such as New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Boston, the second generation of immigrant was more than 50 percent in the public schools in 1910s. Were these newcomer students influenced by the progressive education?
John Dewey dedicated his life to improving the education system through his philosophical beliefs. Some of these beliefs include freedom of the mind and strong bonds between students and teachers. He believed that high schools did not prepare students for the real world by simply teaching the fundamentals of learning: reading, writing, and arithmetic; instead, teachers must prepare students for real-life situations. Dewey suggested that in order for students to perform to the best of their ability they should be exposed to an environment that resembles the real world. These goals should be taught in a democratic environment in which the teachers and students should have equal voices. Also, the needs of the child should be placed above anything else. Through an interdisciplinary curriculum, students could explore their environments through a curriculum that focuses on connecting multiple subjects and choosing their own paths. Unfortunately, high schools do not acknowledge Dewey’s ideals, which often results in students becoming useless members in society, receiving jobs that only have pecuniary benefit.
Waks, L. (2013). John Dewey and the Challenge of Progressive Education. International Journal of Progressive Education. [Online] 9 (1), 73-83. Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com.atlas.worc.ac.uk/doi/pdf/10.1080/03004279.2013.819618 [Accessed 6 December 2013].
John Dewey was one of the most influential American philosopher born in Vermont in 1859. He graduated from the University of Vermont and eventually got his Ph.D. and went on to teaching at other universities. In his book Experience and Education he talks about traditional education, the theory of experience, criteria of experience, social control, the nature of freedom, the meaning of purpose, progressive organization, and at the end he raps it up with the means and goals of education. Dewey was a well-known philosopher and his ideas travel all around during the early 20th century. He had two main principles; the principle of continuity and the principle of interaction that led to what he believed was the proper way to educated students.
Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980), a Swiss psychologist, portrayed the child as a ‘lone scientist’, creating their own sense of the world. Their knowledge of relationships among ideas, objects and events is constructed by the active processes of internal assimilation, accommodation and equilibration. (Hughes, 2001). He also believed that we must understand the child’s understandings of the world, and this should guide the teaching practises and evaluation. The fundamental basis of learning was discovery. To understand is reconstruct by discovery, and such conditions must be compiled...
Dewey’s pedagogy was one with three distinctive traits: it was democratic in that it called for pluralism. It was a follower of the scientific method in that it was a systemic approach at solving problems and forming judgments, both practical and moral. It prized directed experience as an ongoing process of means as ends and ends as means. These three traits of Dewey’s philosophy are tied to all that he wrote and thought.
...S., … Killen, R. (2009). Professional Practice in Primary Education. South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited.
Research provided in the literature was done mostly with primary school aged children and completed using different areas of the curriculum. The research placed interactive whiteboards in a classroom with a projector and computer with the location being that of a typical whiteboard in the front of the classroom. The interactive whiteboards provide the opportunity to provide the curriculum to the student while interacting with the material and the teacher. Additional research from the literature was completed with pre-service teachers in Australia. They were pre-service primary education teachers studying the area of science education.
...ett, S. (2008) . Young children’s access to powerful mathematical ideas, in English, Lyn D (ed), Handbook of international research in mathematics education, 2nd edn, New York, NY: Routledge, pp. 75-108.
Dewey, John, and Reginald D. Archambault. John Dewey on education; selected writings.. New York: Modern Library, 1964. Print.
When integrating Nature of Science into curriculum, assumptions are made about students and instructors. These assumptions include that students are all at the same level in terms of science understanding and concepts as the rest of their classmates, and also assumes that the students learn at the same rates (NGSS: Appendix A). These assumptions are detrimental to science education when focus needs to be on the content being taught rather than teaching background of science as a standalone. Teaching NOS explicitly becomes increasingly difficult when students aren’t given access to proper science learning environments. As mentioned in the High Hopes – Few Opportunities reading, it is stated that, “California students do no typically experience high-quality science learning opportunities[.]” (Dorph et al., 2011). When students don’t have a basis for scientific concepts, it becomes increasingly difficult to teach NOS. America’s Lab Report further expands on the idea that this style of learning is not likely achievable, as “[N]o single […] experience is likely to achieve all of these learning goals.” (Schweingruber et al., 2005) where learning goals is referencing the goals of laboratory experiences that include understanding Nature of Science. Again, when a lack of understanding for general science exists, its arguably much more difficult to teach
... of democracy (Sadker & Zittleman, 2010, p.283). Progressive schools make a connection between school and community and give students a deeper understanding of how working together forms a successful social environment. Progressivism also focuses on analyzing experiences thoughtfully and drawing conclusions objectively, which is a vital skill to have throughout life and makes the students more productive citizens in society. In the words of John Dewey, “it is the business of every one interested in education to insist upon the school as the primary and most effective instrument of social progress and reform in order that society may be awakened to realize what the school stands for” (1897). We must consider the society of our future and how we will educate them, and I believe progressivism is the most effective way to improve the future.
In Science, teachers serve as the facilitator of learning, guiding them through the inquiry process. Teachers must ask open-ended questions, allow time for the students to answer, avoid telling students what to do, avoid discouraging students’ ideas or behaviors, encourage to find solutions on their own, encourage collaboration, maintain high standards and order, develop inquiry-based assessments to monitor students’ progress, and know that inquiry may be challenging for some students so be prepared to provide more guidance. There are three types of Science inquiry: structured, guided, and open. Structured is the most teacher-centered form of inquiry. This type of inquiry is mainly seen in laboratory exercises where the teacher needs to provide structure, however the students are the ones who conduct the experiment and find conclusions. Guided inquiry is where the students are given tools to develop a process and find the results. As an example, the teacher would instruct the students to build a rocket, but not tell them how to design it. This leaves creativity and uniqueness for the students to be able to apply their knowledge and skills. Open inquiry is when students determine the problem, i...