Line of Learning

1/18/12

Children learn science through observation, reading, and experimenting.  A classroom that challenges students to think and solve is a great environment for students to learn science.  Teachers should design a science classroom with the steps of thinking and solving, and then have projects for students to practice those ideas.

1/30/12

Children learn science through experiences.  They formulate hypothesis, experiments, and solutions in their everyday life.  They also do these while in school and add or change their existing knowledge to make room for their new knowledge.  Classroom environments that facilitate children's learning is one in which misconception are tested, children form their own hypothesis, experiments, and solutions.  A classroom that uses science journals is a way to facilitate learning by letting children express their thoughts no matter what kind of learner they are.  Teacher's should know that children have many misconceptions about science that are not easy to break.  Lessons that test these misconceptions should be constructed in a way to let children express their ideas and test them.

2/7/12
To maximize my students learning I will use the Iowa Core standards in my lesson planning and instruction.  It helps me narrow down what to teach in each field, including science.  It breaks down the standards to grade level and what subject of science. This will help me plan my benchmark lessons.  I like the lesson plan that krajcik discusses.  I like how it how you consider time required and also cautions.  I have not made many lesson plans so I would not take time to think about these things when creating a lesson plan.  Time and caution should be considered to facilitate children learning.  I think children should be familiar with the Iowa Core standards, incorporate the standards, and teach benchmark lessons.

2/14/12
To maximize my students learning I will discover my what my students know about science.  Formative assessments will be used at the beginning of a topic or unit, for me to learn what the students know or do not know.  The Paige Keeley probes will be a lot of help for me in doing this, as she has formative assessment probes on almost all science topics.  I also plan on incorporating the use of forms on google docs to do this. It is a lot easier than using a copying machine to create 25 paper forms of the probe, having the students fill them out, have me look at the information, and then have to organize the information. I can make one form that every student can take and then I can get immediate feedback with answers in statistics and charts.   I can then know where to start my lesson.  I will know what to focus more on and what they have previous knowledge about.  The Iowa Core website will help guide me then by what to teach the students and make sure the students will have knowledge on after the lessons.

2/21/12
Science is nature, being hands on, building things, guessing, testing, and thinking.  The best way to learn science would be through inquiry.  It creates a student-centered classroom.  They have to do the thinking to create an hypothesis and experiment.  They can make mistakes and then get it right it.  They will learn the most out of this type of learning instead of the typical science classroom where the teacher gives them step by step instruction.
2/28/12