The undergraduates in this PFT
course thought, “guiding students through the process of proposing, testing,
and revising models was less certain than telling them the scientifically
accepted answer.” I wonder if this
thinking is merely a product of their own learning experiences, since a lot of
science is taught with ‘getting the right answer’ as the goal/end of a
lesson. I also wonder why the
instructors for this course did not address this misconception alongside all of
their modeling units. Allowing students
to make mistakes and revise those mistakes is completely essential to the
process of science. We have read about
this in every modeling paper and even in the frameworks. Perhaps, though, these undergraduates did not
make the connection of the discovery and revision processes of modeling to them
actually telling students the correct answer.
This brings to mind the struggle I had with my clinical interviews last
semester. In the moment of those
one-on-one interviews, I did not realize how often I told my interviewees the
answer to a question I posed rather than guiding them to a correct answer. I think that with practice and a more
determined thoughtfulness while teaching, I can overcome the urge to “spill the
beans.” In order to counteract the
possibility of students gaining misconceptions, I think educators need to be
aware of where students are having problems and further explaining a concept if
that is needed in order for students to form a more accurate model.
Another
aspect of Harlow et al’s paper I found intriguing was the undergraduates’ discussions on
evaluating the children’s models of magnets.
I think most of us realize that knowledge of scientific vocabulary does
not always mean knowledge of what those words actually mean. We watched many videos of classrooms and
students where a child would use a really great vocabulary word to describe
some phenomena, but after further probing and questioning from the teacher, the
student struggled to explain the phenomena/concept correctly. Although I would never want my future
students to come into my classroom as “blank slates,” it is kind of worrisome
thinking about all the misconceptions I might have to address. Just another teaching challenge! I think modeling with NetLogo can be a great
tool for teachers to use so that students have another “source” that is guiding
them to a correct answer. A student
working with models in NetLogo can see immediately if his/her model has a
problem, and then refine that model in that instant as well. Modeling with a computer program is also a
great way to actually use students’ ideas to inform instruction. Students are building their own modeling or
coming up with their own code to answer a question, and teachers can use how a
student has completed this task to inform them on what that student is missing
from the instruction.
Questions:
How can teachers keep scientific literacy an important
aspect of the classroom while making sure students will not use that vocabulary
as a crutch for their explanations?
Are you also deeply worried that these undergraduates
thought creativity could be a hindrance to instruction?
Kim, you bring up an important question regarding the challenge making sure students actually know what is happening and not just using scientific literacy. I oftentimes find that I have trouble explaining certain scientific terms when asked because I am so used to just using them and believing that that is enough explanation. Thus, I think emphasizing the importance of explanation over scientific literacy is important. I say this is the sense that students should be ready to explain concepts in their own terms and write the term used in parenthesis or something of the sort. This can also be done in discussion within the classroom and asking students to explain the terminology they use when they do use it. With this constant reference to the reasons behind science literacy terms, students will overall gain a greater understanding of those terms.
ReplyDeleteCreating scientific literacy in your class is an interesting question. You could ask your students to express themselves in different ways, such as drawing pictures or working with some sort of manipulative. Asking your students to explain and argue concepts, hypotheses and models is also another way to increase literacy. Observation journals could be used to get students to explain concepts in their own words. Misconceptions could then be checked for and corrected.
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