In terms of teaching science, the theme that I found reiterated throughout the chapter was that good scientists possess skills in collecting, organizing and interpreting data to draw informed conclusions about the world. This is important to teach children in science class, as these skills are applicable throughout their lives.
I was quite surprised to discover that I forgot that the y axis is the dependent variable and the x axis is the independent variable. I was just explaining this concept to my 13 year old and realized I told him the reverse, so I needed to correct myself!
Several ideas made more sense to me after reading this chapter. For example, I finally understood the terminology for independent variable, dependent variable and controlled variables and then could apply them to various graphs. Prior to reading this, I understood each concept as isolated facts, however I now comprehend the relationships between the definitions and how they are represented on a graph. I did not find anything confusing in Chapter two.
I do question how I was taught science as a child and teenager. I know I have previously learned many of the concepts outlined in the text and yet, somehow, they never made sense until college. I see now the importance of teaching science as inquiry and ensuring students connect the materials they learn to other ideas in science and to other subjects. That being said, I also question how I would teach the scientific process to my students with special needs and am investigating lesson plans to accomplish that.
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The focus on the process skills in science is a good one to come away with. This part of the chapter serves as a good reference. I encourage you to go back to it as you design your own lessons.
ReplyDeleteThinking about data is such an important skills for kids to develop. Again, our job is to teach clear scientific thinking. Clear thinking is not foreign to humans. We do it naturally. It's just that so many other things get in the way. Your job will be to clear the clutter (the misconceptions and misunderstandings) and to help kids see the connections.
Keeping the diverse needs of kids in mind is something that we always need to do. And you raise a good point. Teaching observational skills to a child who struggles with visual processing is a challenge. These children will often compensate by relying on an area of strength for themselves (perhaps the same child is a strong auditory learner). I don't think that the answer lies in creating new lesson plans for each child with a special need. Developing strategies that assist these children is how I would like to think about this.