January 2009 Archives

Chapter 5

 

Summary:

- Service learning "encourages active assistance through student projects that meet the needs of groups within the community"

- Civics aka Political Science aka Government (secondary school and up)

"study of our political and legal systems, about our rights and responsibilities as citizens, and about how our government works"

-         An effective social studies program should allow students to be "young political scientist" and to work on being effective citizens (social studies prepares them for the real world)

-         The USA is unlike any other nation because of its strong patriotism (Constitution of the United States, federal law)

-  Role of a responsible citizen?  Hold a body of knowledge and have a set of participatory skills

-         Civic Content Standards (page 213)

  Informal Civics Instruction-  "classroom management techniques teachers employ to create a spirit of democratic community"

-         Teachers should establish trusting, respectful, and caring relationships with students.  This will ensure a more positive learning experience for all.  Rules are necessary but there are a few recommendations when enacting classroom rules.   (clear, fair, consequential, and posted) 

-         Hold classroom meetings to ensure constructive solutions to problems/disagreements also a great outlet for frustrations/feelings

-         Symbols for classroom community (can be built into a unit about state and national symbols) and Classroom Holidays and Games

Formal Civics Instruction- "understanding of civic life, politics, and government...a basis for understanding the rights and responsibilities as citizens in America's democracy"

-         Constitution of the United States and how it impacts students' lives

-         National Symbols--patriotism and research and choosing resources wisely

-         Elections and Voting (discuss process and then engage in debate/conversation about what they will be voting for, then allow them to decide) - ideas are poll children, construct name graphs, and secret ballots

Civics responsibility is essential for effective civics education  (cooperating learning)

-         Values are "civic dispositions and virtues) list on page 237

-         How to develop character/civic responsibility/values?

-         Literature (specifically biographies) with heroes/positive qualities

-         Guiding students towards critical thinking

-         Helping students distinguish and understand fact versus opinion within resources

-         Graphic Organizers, Political Cartoons and Editorials

 

Connections:

                  I thought that this chapter was most informational and interesting to read.  As a former student in many social studies classrooms, I had never really considered the main goal or purpose of social studies education in my life.  If I had, I think that I would have said something about learning about the world and different types of people.  I cannot remember citizenship and civic responsibility being stressed to the students.  I was memorizing The Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address, but I remember thinking "why am I doing this?"  I didn't feel as though I was getting anything out of that.  I would say that many Americans today (adults) feel as though they are entitled to citizenship of the United States.  But, as stated by the NCSS, an effective citizen is "...one 'who has the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to assume the "office of citizen" in our democratic republic'."  I can name many citizens of the United States who, in my opinion, do not assume the role of the "office of citizen."  Instead, they belittle the United States of America in every way possible.  I don't understand it.  If they speak so poorly about the country they live in, why don't they go to another one?  The truth is, I believe, there is no country like the United States.  "Of the people, by the people, and for the people"--this is a nation that has been built upon trust, faith, and respect. 

                  As a teacher, I want my students to understand that because they are living in the United States they have opportunities that millions of other children can only dream about.  I want to stress to them that they have a responsibility to their nation, just as I have a responsibility to them.  For young children, I know that these concepts may be too confusing or unfathomable.  That is why I must align my goals and big ideas to match the mindset of an elementary student.  I can stress the importance of civics by utilizing classroom strategies, lessons, and activities that will make learning a stimulating, critical thinking process.  The vignettes throughout the book provided me with glimpses into other social studies classrooms and I was impressed by the enthusiasm and the creativity of the teachers.  I feel inspired after reading this chapter because it really makes you appreciate the freedoms and rights that you have as an individual of the United States.  Additionally, it really makes you think about what you have to do, what you have to "give back" to your nation, as a citizen.

Quotes:

"Dynamic social studies is based on a conviction that civic education is fundamental to the preservation of our constitutional democracy and, therefore, the primary component of all education in the United States " (211)

 

"As children experience the dynamics of a democratic classroom and learn about the US Constitution, they should become involved in activities that help them apply their understandings to the classroom community, in general" (225).

 

"'growing national sense of moral crisis and what people speak  of as a steady moral decline'" (237).

 

"...stuck in a state of 'me-ism'" (243) - demise of citizenship linked to individualism

 

"For students to develop citizenship skills appropriate to a democracy, they must be capable of thinking critically about complex societal problems and global problems...Continually accelerating technology has created and will continue to create rapid changes in society.  Children need to be equipped with the skills to cope with change"  (244) - NCC Task Force on Early Childhood/Elementary Social Studies 

Campbell, Chapter 3

            A student's science notebook will most likely look much different on the last day of school than how it looked on the first day of school.  As students understand the functions of a science notebook, the ways to organize and record data, and the ways in which their notebooks archive their academic progress, they are more likely to self-assess and understand their abilities.  Students must understand that their predictions do not need to be the "correct" or "right" answer.  Instead, their predictions should be made based upon the experiences and evidence of the experiment.  As the students become more confident and competent using their notebooks, they will most likely address their questions in an organized manner.  Lastly, the science notebooks should be used as a reference tool.  The students should feel comfortable in maneuvering through their notebooks, sharing it with their peers, and reflecting upon their own learning--perhaps even expanding on ideas/thoughts presented in the notebooks, such as a paper or a book?

"In order for students to fully realize the notebook's potential, they must reflect on the work they are doing to determine understandings and new goals" (p. 56)

 

Questions, Claims, and Evidence, Chapter 3

            In the world of science, I am sure many teachers are tempted to follow basal guides and "teacher-proofed" textbooks.  This chapter addresses how teachers should engage their students and plan their units so that the students walk away from the classroom with an understanding.  That understanding is dependent upon what the big idea is for the topic.  With any unit, there is an overarching big idea that the teacher wants the students to understand.  When a big idea is set forth, the topic and activities that compliment the topic are created.  It is important to remember that the learner is the only one who can control his/her learning.  Therefore, all activities should focus on student-centered learning and understanding.  As with any unit or lesson, assessment follows--in order to find out what the students have learned and now know.  As a teacher I must be aware of my classroom environment.  This includes how I will attempt to prevent classroom misbehavior before it begins.  Additionally, I must be aware of my own language in the classroom and of how much time I spend talking.  If I want my students to engage in constructive learning, I must give them the time to think and answer.  Lastly, group work and collaborate learning environments prove to be beneficial when implemented within certain activities. 

"It is up to teachers to orchestrate opportunities where students can share and expand their developing understandings" (p. 42)

 

Inquiry Chapter 3

            This chapter focuses on real-life examples in the classroom and how the classrooms are driven by inquiry-based science.  In every example, the teacher allows the students to choose and pick what they want to learn.  Then, the teachers provide the students with the learning opportunities to explore what they want to know.  A teacher should never feel "locked" into an instructional model.  Instead, the various activities should intertwine with one another and help strengthen the understanding of the students.  The science standards for students are based upon grade levels.  Older students are more likely to engage in an inquiry classroom.  That is not to say that younger students will not, but it will take a little more "coaching" from the teacher in order to establish an inquiry-based classroom.  As the teacher, you may tell them what you would like to see in their notebooks, but it is up to the students to decide how they want to record or set-up their answers.  For science, open-ended activities promote an inquiry-based classroom.  The classroom examples proved to be helpful to the reader because of their amount of detail.  There was a K-4 example (Ms. Flores and the earthworms), a 5-8 example (Mr. Gilbert and the phases of the moon), and two 9-12 examples (Mr. Hull and forces/Ms. Idoni's biology class).  It was useful to see the National Science Standards and how each vignette was aligned to meet and even surpass those set standards.

"In an elementary classroom such as Ms. Flores', science activities can also help students develop language and mathematics skills -- an important concern for young children. In her class, students were developing abilities to communicate their observations in writing and orally, to craft and share their explanations using logical reasoning, and to measure, display, and interpret data. This demonstrates the integrative potential of science activities for elementary school classrooms" (p. 46)

 

Ready, Set, Science! Chapter 3

            This chapter addresses the first strand of the four, understanding scientific explanations.  All students enter the classroom with a plethora of knowledge, understanding, and explanation of how and why life works the way it does. However, a lot of students' beliefs are based upon misconceptions.  A teacher must acknowledge the beliefs of his/her students while helping them "...to develop new understanding" (38).  Presumably classified by psychologists and sociologists, knowledge can be categorized by four domains:  simple mechanics of solid bounded objects, behaviors of psychological agents, actions and organization of living things, and makeup and substance of materials.  Children tend to think about their experiences and knowledge in the respective domain in similar ways.  Children often know the differences between psychological events and physical events.  They are able to understand others' points of views and ideas and they know that the distribution of knowledge is unequal.  Young children are the best "candidates" to undergo a process of conceptual change. There are three types of conceptual change:  first, elaborating on a preexisting concept, second, restructuring a network of concepts, and third, achieving new levels of explanation.  A student's misconception may actually be based upon factual, accurate information.  However, the teacher needs to guide the inquiry of the students towards "a more accurate understanding of the concept."  Based upon the work in Ms. Faulkner's classroom regarding "molecules in motion," the complexities of science can be seen.  It is up to the teacher to break down these complexities into "big ideas" or "core" concepts so that the students and teachers alike may embrace an understanding of science.

"This pattern of thinking or applying reasoning in a consistent way within a domain of knowledge but in different ways across domains of knowledge seems to hold true regardless of a child's culture or language" (p. 43)

 

Connections/Reflections:

            As I read the examples in Inquiry, Chapter 3, I was impressed by the amount of detail that each vignette held.  As a student, I had never considered all the preparations of the teacher in order for a lesson or a unit to be carried out.  The teacher must be thinking five-steps ahead of the students.  Additionally, as a student, I had never considered that my science classrooms were being sustained by inquiry.  But, I think that they were.  The teachers were constantly leaving questions open-ended, asking for our input and suggestions, and allowing us to create our own investigations and experiments.  They were always available for support and they rarely said that they were looking for the "one, right, only correct answer."  The ironic thing is, I was the student who was looking for a right answer (I feel almost every student was that way).  I wish that I had understood the organization of the classroom (inquiry-based), and that I would not have been so focused on the right answer.  I think I would have gained more insight and knowledge had I not been so obsessed over what was right and what was wrong. 

Question:  How easy is it for a teacher to spot a student who is just "going through the motions" of keeping a science notebook?  Is sincerity easily spotted?  - I can remember many students who copied others, wrote the bare minimum, etc. and I was frustrated that I was giving 110% to the subject while others were merely slipping under the radar.  When is it appropriate for the teacher to step in and evaluate the notebooks, if ever?

Science Notebooks: Writing About Inquiry, Chapter 2

by Campbell & Lori Fulton

          Chapter 2 highlights the elements of science notebooks in terms of how they are organized and what strategies students use to record data in them.  While teachers may set guidelines on what students' notebooks should look like, it is important to allow the students to work with their notebooks in a manner most comfortable to them.  Teachers should introduce various methods of recording data and observations; such as:  charts, graphs, technical drawings, tables, notes--and other ideas that the students introduce to one another.  Questions and inquiry are crucial elements within the science processes.  As teachers, it is sometimes necessary to rephrase students' questions so that they will be open-ended.  While the organization of the notebook is an important aspect of notebook keeping, the most important information is the recording and thinking that the students put onto the paper.

"It is important to remember that children are individuals and need to record their thinking in a way that makes sense to them."  P. 40

 

Ready, Set, SCIENCE, Chapter 2

by Sarah Michaels, etc.

          Emerging from the ideas behind leading science standards experts, the strands of proficiency provide teachers with a new and insightful view of science education.  Understanding scientific explanations, generating scientific evidence, reflecting on scientific knowledge, and participating productively in science, are the four strands of proficiency, written sequentially.  It is important to note the fluidity of the four strands.  They are intertwined, like a rope, and when used together in a classroom, they increase the likelihood of student engagement and understanding of the concepts.  While I could talk for minutes about each of these strands, I would rather re-visit and examine the thorough example of Mr. Walker and Ms. Rivera's study of biodiversity within a city schoolyard.  Their story highlights the entwinement of the four strands and how that fact alone maximizes the understanding of the students.  Children come to school full of knowledge.  Science allows them to question that knowledge, examine the hows and whys, create connections, change their ways of thinking, and apply it to their real worlds.  Additionally, the act of science becomes a social process that has a direct influence on the learning for all.

"When students engage in scientific practice they are embedded in a social framework, they use the discourse of science, and they work with scientific representations and tools. In this way, conceptual understanding of natural systems is linked to the ability to develop or evaluate knowledge claims, carry out empirical investigations, and develop explanations." P. 34

 

Inquiry, Chapter 2

by Steve Olson, etc.

          This particular chapter recognizes the scientific knowledge and understanding that is acquired through the process of inquiry.  Inquiry is something that can and should be introduced to students.  From there, the students should be active participants in the inquiry process.  The National Science Education Standards focuses on inquiry and this chapter breaks down that process for teachers, making it a realistic component of a science classroom.  The inquiry approach is a rather new view of science education.  The space race brought about the new visions of science as something students need to partake in and not just listen to.  The chapter then details the Content Standard for Science as Inquiry based upon grade levels.  Inquiry has allowed science to change and evolve as new evidence has been discovered, questioned, refined, and published.  The teaching standards, A-F, allow teachers to plan and assess their science communities in alignment with the process of inquiry.  Ultimately, the students' evidence, experiences, and self-directness dictate the understanding gained in an inquiry-based science classroom--created by a teacher who values the involvement of scientific questions.

NOTE:  myths at the end = very informational (refer to later if need be)

"Developing the ability to understand and engage in this kind of activity requires direct experience and continued practice with the processes of inquiry." P. 14

 

Questions, Claims, Evidence, Chapter 2

By Lori Norton-Meier, etc.

          This particular chapter talks about the ways in which learning and understanding are related--and unrelated to one another.  A learner first needs to gain the necessary knowledge before he or she is able to construct and manipulate that knowledge into an understanding.  An understanding is built upon the connections made among prior knowledge and new knowledge, as well as the conceptual change(s) that the student undergoes (p.12).  Although teachers may have given a clear and logical explanation about a science process, students may not understand what is really happening.  Their inability to understand the concept or process is based upon the student's inability to undergo a conceptual change.  Additionally, the student is the only one accountable for his or her own learning.  It is important for teachers to teach the concepts of the lessons and not just the content (p.16).  Therefore, teachers must be adept at knowing the beginning level of their students' understanding in order to teach the necessary concepts to increase the likelihood of student understanding.

 "As teachers we can control the environment but no the cognitive activities of an individual."  P. 12

Reflections/Connections:

          As I reflect upon my own science classes in elementary and middle school, I vividly remember them being aligned with the processes and concepts related to inquiry.  Little information was handed to us if it could be found on our own through exploration of some sort.  In 6th grade science class we were given a lined-page composition notebook that became our science notebook.  I would always put a heading with a date, and experiment name.  Next I would write down the materials in a neat list, then the experiment procedure, hypothesis, a data/chart/or some other type of recording data, and then our conclusions.  The teacher never gave away answers and she would encourage us to talk with other groups and investigate one another's findings.  I was very anal about the organization and layout of my science notebook.  I had to have everything recorded perfectly--I think this caused me a lot of frustration.  I cannot remember if my teacher told us we had to write it in a certain way or not but had she told us exactly how to write would explain my persistence.  I do not recall a textbook for that 6th grade science classroom.  In my opinion not having a textbook was a good thing.  That way we were forced to use outside resources to find our answers.  The science class was very active and a social community of thinkers.  In elementary school I remember using various "science magazines."  While I cannot remember the names of the magazines, I looked forward to reading these because they were generally read in correlation with a unit or a lesson.  It is more interesting for students to read alternate forms of literature in place of clunky textbooks.  My only concern about teaching science is how I will prepare myself for the set-up and introduction of the lessons and experiments.  I have trouble remembering the units/lessons I was exposed to.  Luckily, that is why I will be engaged in SCIED 458.  I will take this knowledge away, create my own understanding, and apply it within my own classroom someday.