Blog Entry Two

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?