Science is regarded by many educators as a complex subject to teach, as it requires lengthy preparation and planning. Firstly, teachers need to know the abilities of their students well before embarking on drawing lessons plans for science subjects. Some of the main aspects that teachers need to find out include attention spans, interest and ability levels, prior learning knowledge and experiences, and special needs among others. Such information enables tutors to identify the most suitable content and materials to include in lesson plans (Hassard & Dias, 2013).
Secondly, teachers have to identify the goals and objectives that suit their science students and the expected outcomes of the lessons. The goals set when preparing science teaching plans may be broad in nature, but should at least relate directly to the skills and knowledge that instructors intend to impart to their students. The objectives, unlike goals, need to be specific and should reflect what the teachers want their students to achieve through the tasks they design for them in the learning process. Objectives set in science lessons are usually specific to performance and behavioral in nature (Martin, Sexton, & Franklin, 2009).
There are a number of instructional strategies that a teacher can use to support effective learning among students, especially when they are learning in groups. Inquiry-based learning is one of the instructional methods that a teacher can use to facilitate learning among student groups. Inquiry-based learning can be used to teach all science subjects, as it enables students to practice critical thinking and problem solving skills when looking for solutions. This method is extremely student-directed and student-centered and only requires teac...
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...proven that education is most effective when the teacher and learners are clear about the objectives and expected outcomes. This explains why it is important to incorporate performance and behavioral objectives into teaching plans, especially in science lessons. The aim of this paper is to discuss the importance of performance and behavioral objectives in planning and teaching science.
Works Cited
Curtis, D. (2013). Brain-based research prompts innovative teaching techniques in the classroom. Retrieved on 19 Nov. 2013, from http://www.edutopia.org/brain- based-research-powerful-learning
Hassard, J., & Dias, M. (2013). The art of teaching science: Inquiry and innovation in middle school and high school. New York, NY: Routledge.
Martin, R., Sexton, C., & Franklin, T. (2009). Teaching science for all children: An inquiry approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Goals are set for teachers. Teachers know what areas they have to teach and all students are learning the same material.
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.
Michael, S.et al. (2008). Prospects for improving K-12 science education from the federal level. Journal of Education 69(9): 677-683.
This project focused on one first grade classroom. It was selected because the science teacher also acts as the homeroom teacher. As the homeroom teacher, the teacher spends an additional thirty minutes with this first grade class. Students see the science teacher during breakfast and morning meeting. The class then was able to have more time to discuss and review homework expectations. This homeroom has three Latin American students, one of which is an English Language Learner, and twenty African American students.
The campus applies videos and discussions during classes in order to enable students apply various concepts as they are taught; derive the concepts from data and observations; as well as practicing scientific processes. Moll presents an assessment of the particular program which includes data on improvement of student’s critical thinking. The article concludes that education might help students to progress through the critical thinking
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
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.
Before the lesson is prepared, the teachers must have a clear understanding of the objectives of the lesson to be taught. By having an understanding of what they students will able to accomplish at the end of the lesson, the content remains focused and thorough. The teacher must then express these objectives to the students including the standards for performance. Students can then be held accountable for expectations that are known.
Marzano, R.J. (2007). The art and science of teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Public understanding of science is considered to be one of the most important issues facing educators in today’s technological world. It is see...
Addressing learning objectives at the beginning of the lesson, referencing learning targets that they have crafted/partially authored, putting into context what they want to learn, further elaborating how what they want to learn relates to the unit learning targets, and reusing the learning target language throughout the lessons helps students to understand how/why the learning targets apply to key concepts and learning activities throughout the lesson. While students will continue to master these learning targets throughout the lessons, they were able to apply their understanding to each learning target when they:
When we sit in a science class, most of the time we are bored as bored can get. We really do not get a chance to explore on our own to find out what’s really out there. Teachers sometimes are not able to get in depth outside the textbook because they are required to teach that all throughout the year. That is why a lot of kids do not really get into science because they are stuck in the book all the time. Some kids love science and do not really care about the work they have to do.
Then, there are the activities, which are the things that the students will do to make the learning more entertaining. The alternative assessments are the assessments that you give to the students that can not complete the task that was originally given to them for one reason or another. Finally, there is the author information. Basically, the author information is just information about the teacher that made the lesson plan, that includes where they teach, what they teach, etc. Goals determine purpose, aim, and reasoning for what teachers and their classes will engage during class time. Goals tell what students will be able to do at the end of units. Goals are general . Objectives determine what students will do to acquire further knowledge and skills. Objectives define the broader goals of lesson plans. Objectives are specific and
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...
The National Science Education Standards have set the standards for teaching science. Under Program standard B the standards discuss the best ways children learn science. Program standard B states ì the program of study in the science should be developmentally appropriate, interesting and relevant to students lives: emphasize student understanding through inquiry,, and be connected with other school subjects.î This sums up what teachers need to be doing un their classrooms to teach science. The traditional textbook only and work sheet teaching of science is clearly not recommended with inquiry and hands on experiences. Standard B shows representations of methods to use not only in the teaching of science but other subject areas.