A Problem-Based Approach to Teaching about Pollution
Science is a very important subject for students to study in middle school. It is “More than a body of knowledge or a set of answers, science is a way of thinking about the world” (Beamon 20). Science forces students to think critically about ethical issues, such as pollution. This is often difficult for students because they must make the jump from the narrow parameters of their own lives to the issues that affect many people living on this planet. In studying pollution, students must come to realize that even throwing garbage on the ground and not recycling will in some way affect many of the living things in the ecosystem.
The feeling commonly described by students by the words “I hate science” is often the result of science frustrating them. One reason why students might feel this way is that there are two types of sciences. One is “school science”, which has in many cases become a listing of facts and definitions, and the other is “real science”, which is what scientists practice. Maybe the students spend too much time on “school science” and do not make the connection between what is learned in science class and the world around them. The teacher’s job is not only to make the science material manageable for the students to learn, but it is also to show the students how science applies to everyone and everything. Using the problem-based learning approach is a great way for a teacher to combine these two sciences (Uyeda et al. 24). It is the key that a teacher uses to open the door to the minds of students who need to know how what they are learning applies to the real world.
Problem-based learning as an instructional model is associated with the new...
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Works Cited
Beamon, Glenda W. “Guiding the Inquiry of Young Adolescent Minds.” Middle School Journal. 33.3 (Jan. 2002): 19-27.
Goodnough, Karen Ph.D. “Preparing pre-service science teachers: Can problem-based learning help?” 22 April 2003. EBSCOHOST. The College of New Jersey Lib. 05 Feb. 2005.
Kim, Younghoon, et al. “Science teachers’ perspectives of web-enhanced problem-based learning environment: A qualitative inquiry.” 23 April 2003. EBSCOHOST. The College of New Jersey Lib. 05 Feb. 2005.
Problem-Based Learning. 04 March 2003. Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit University. 05 Feb. 2005. <http://www.cotf.edu/ete/teacher/teacherout/html>.
Uyeda, Steve, et al. “Solving Authentic Science Problems: Problem based learning connects science to the world beyond school.” Science Teacher. 69.1 (Jan. 2002): 24-29.
General Science is a study involving biology, chemistry, physics and environmental sciences. Students from Year 7 to Year 10 are introduced to these various disciplines to gain general knowledge about science and can later be develop into deeper concepts. Science is not just fat laboratory coats, Einstein’s equations, mixing chemicals, massive space shuttles, or peeking through microscopes but involves critical thinking, analysing data and apply understandings in the natural world to solve real problems. Science is an approach of learning what make this world and how things work decades ago, how they work today, and how they are expected to work in forthcoming years. Some of the social justice issues hidden behind science can cause major consequences. For example, in low income communities of colour there has been excessive supply of toxic and waste discharging from industries disrupting the nature and causing heavy pollution.
Mayer, R.E. (2010). Applying the science of learning to instruction in school subjects. In R. J. Marzano (Ed.), On excellence in teaching, (pp. 92-111). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
This article “young people” by David Suzuki is a persuasive/argumentative article instilling the future of the environment to the young people of the world. David Suzuki also shows us the issues regarding unnecessary and unsustainable waste pollution. David uses young people like a 14-year-old David grassby as an example of how young people can make an impact on society. The article takes a look at the present and focuses on the future. I agree with the statement “Youth speak with power and clarity that only innocence confers and because we love them, adults have to make changes to the way we live” because young youth think they know everything and that they’re always right but they really aren’t. For example, when I was younger I used to think I was old enough to watch rated r horror movies but i really wasn’t, I remember getting really scared and my parents would say “I told you so”, I also used to believe that I didn’t need to go to school, that it was a waste of time but as I got older I realized that school is very important and
Baker, D. (1996). A female friendly science classroom. Research Matters to the Science Teacher. 9602.
Although more people are aware of the impacts we have on our environment, there are still people that choose to ignore scientific evidence, or do not fully understand the consequences. Further education and research are critical components in an effort to become more sustainable. Fortunately, younger generations are learning about the need to address environmental issues so that changes can be made to ensure our way of life is sustainable.
During elementary school, children are not only developing their physical bodies, but there minds as well. They a...
By incorporating NOS in science textbooks, not only we will be addressing the problem suggested by Sutton (1998), but, also, as teachers, we will be reinforcing scientific expertise needed in to develop active citizens while attaining two roles in scientific understandings that are “knowing how” science was established and “knowing that” which is constituted of facts and scientific knowledge (Bellous &Siegel, 1991). Finally, Sutton’s chapter provides a concise framework for teachers and research scholars to view science teaching and scientific knowledge from a different perspective. Such that the science content and teaching should be viewed from the scientists’ perspective to the extent that collaboration between scientific community is needed to reach such
Description: Students will learn the importance to take care of the environment. They will gain knowledge on recycle, reuse, and reduce. They will also learn to be creative and to persuade other people around school and outside school for protecting the environment. Moreover, students will increase their vocabulary and critical thinking.
...o listen carefully to ensure that kids are discussing scientific ideas, not socializing. The teacher's role is to ensure that students achieve their primary goal: meaningful understanding of scientific concepts. The practices described in this article help bring this about in several ways. When instruction centers on students and focuses on hands-on experience with scientific phenomena, science class becomes an exciting place. When instruction concentrates on the investigation of current problems and issues through scientific inquiry, science class becomes a relevant and meaningful place. When instruction emphasizes the development of communication skills, science class becomes an invaluable place for preparing children to tackle the challenges of adulthood. And the education community owes it to its students to assess their academic progress fairly and accurately.
Thesis: Learning about the Climate Change will help us better understand pollution in the world.
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
Earle, Rodney S. 2002, “The Integration of Instructional Technology into Public Education: Promises and Challenges”, Educational Technology, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 5-13, viewed on 12 January
In closing, science education is like an invisible force that pushes everything forward. It is not always noticed, but the results of teaching science in schools could be world-changing. Science has helped in so many different industries such as the medicine field where it has been helping throughout the ages to save lives. In addition, if earth science is taught, everyone will live in a world with cleaner air, because more people will be educated to make the right decisions and help this planet. With that it is clear that teaching science education in classes is extremely important for everyone’s 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...
Environmental pollution has always remained a serious problem in society today. Our planet is often being polluted by many toxins that are not only deadly to us, but our wildlife too. Environmental pollution leads to air pollution, environmental crisis, and global warming. Now there are many different ways that can help these topics be preventable. People need to understand what environmental sustainability truly is. Learning environmental sustainability will give people the tools and knowledge to help sustain our planet before it is too late. Planet earth is our home and people need to understand the damage being done to it. Understanding these important key factors will lead our planet to become healthier and a better place for life to live.