This is really my chapter 2. I posted chapter 3 last week by mistake.
This chapter surprised me at the amount of processing and investigating that goes on and the amount of strategies that students do without actually knowing they did it. I love all of the experiments. I did the "How to construct a seed germination bag" on September 5 and finished it on the 19th. My son thought it was very cool to see how the seeds were growing. We still have the bag, and the roots are getting very long. This activity encouraged my son to wonder what would happen after the cut off date and if he could grow the germinated seeds into flowers now. Pretty good, the experiment got him to start thinking and wondering. I also liked the "I noticed" and "I wonder" chart.
I was quite worried about knowing when and how to guide students in learning and to encourage exploration, scaffolding, hints and so on, but the other day, at my school, I was helping in a 7th and 8th grade class and it just came naturally. I realized afterward, just like the students when they are gathering, organizing, using, and interpreting information and not knowing it, so was I. I also think it is important to have students writing down their predictions or recording data, it allows them to see and understand the "after" of the experiments. I will definitely use this chapter again.
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Thanks for the clarification concerning your last two chapter reflections.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, there are many process skills involved in the teaching of science. I think it is simply important to identify which skills the students will be using in any given activity, and then to scaffold the use of those skills in a way that increases their expertise.
I like the I noticed-I wonder chart as well. It encourages students to think. Certainly, our job is to teach students how to think. It is also our job to inspire.
I am glad that your son was involved with you in constructing a seed germination bag. Exposing our own children to these learning opportunities helps us as teachers and benefits them as well.
Finally, concerning your last point, I agree that once we start working with kids, many of these things come naturally to us. The key, I think, is to be reflective about our practice so that--just like the kids--we are also making connections between our experiences and our conceptual understandings.