What is meant by “doing” science? What system of measurement would an elementary science teacher use? Why? Compare and contrast predicting and inferring. What is qualitative and quantitative data? Give examples of each. What is an independent variable? Why is it important to use process oriented objectives in planning lessons?
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Annie Buhowski
ReplyDeleteResponses to Chapter 3
“DOING” SCIENCE
“Doing” science is applying the process skills that form the core of inquiry-based, hands-on science learning. The suggestion is that it is better for children to learn to do science, rather than learn the facts, concepts and theories. By “doing” science the students will ask their own questions, find their own ways to investigate their questions, and develop their own answers.
QUALITATIVE & QUANTITATIVE OBSERVATION
Qualitative is a description of attributes or characteristics of objects or events. A qualitative observation does not use measurement. An elementary science teacher would use the qualitative method of measurement. This method of observation is most appropriate at the elementary education level because it does not require measurement. Students in elementary school are not mathematically ready for a method that involves measurement. Using qualitative observation gives the younger students the ability to use their senses to learn observation.
Quantitative is the measurement of the quantity of attributes or characteristics of objects or events. Unlike qualitative, quantitative uses measurement. Quantitative observation requires measurements related to specific facts during an experiment. This type of observation is introduced to students when they are ready to involve mathematic equations into their scientific experiments.
PREDICTING &. INFERRING
Predicting and inferring are two methods of inquiry in the scientific process. Prediction is one’s best guess as to what will happen next in a situation. Inferring is an individual’s best guess as to why something happens.
When “doing” science, prediction should be encouraged at the beginning of an experiment. Our text gave the example of “The Case of the Mysterious Crayons”. This case is a “sink or float” prediction activity. Students would predict whether given objects, including crayons, would sink or float. This activity gives the students the opportunity to predict what will happen to the object before the experiment occurs.
Inference would be used in the classroom when students need to guess what caused something to happen. Inference is used when we cannot see what happens. There are six different inferring activities given in chapter three. All on varying grade levels, but all are hands on allowing the students the opportunity to evaluate the evidence and come up with an inference.
QUALITATIVE & QUANTITATIVE DATA
ReplyDeleteQuantitative data, similar to quantitative observation, is the data associated with numbers or measurements. An example activity in which students would use qualitative data is found in an activity within a lesson on moon craters. Students were given several rocks of varying weights and sizes. The students dropped the rocks from different heights into a pan filled with flour. The students had to record their observation of what they noticed. The students collecting the following data:
1. Weight of each rock
2. Size of each rock
3. Height of the drop
4. Depth of the crater that was created
5. Diameter of the crater that was created
These five measurements are considered the quantitative data from the experiment.
Qualitative data is the information collected or observed that does not require measurement. In the same activity mentioned above, flour would be displaced from the rock landing in the flour and creating a crater. If the students observe that the size of the rocks or the height of the drop effected the dispersing of the flour then this observation would be qualitative data.
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
When doing an experiment an investigator explores the effect that a change in one variable has on the change in a different, interacting variable. In the experiment, the investigator (the student) will make a plan to explore the effects if a variable is changed during the experiment. The variable that the investigator is changing is the independent variable. This variable is only dependent on what the investigator does during the experiment.
PROCESS-ORIENTED OBJECTIVES
A Process-oriented objective is an “ordinary objective in which the verb is a process skill” (page 193). The example in the text is, “The student will develop a hypothesis to explain the formation of craters in mud during a rainstorm.” The focus of the objective is on the development of the hypothesis. Using a process-oriented objective allows you, the teacher, and the students to focus on development of skills rather than on the content. It is important to use process-oriented objectives in science to enable students to focus on “what and how” they are investigating. Process-oriented objectives reinforce the method of “doing” science. Students will learn and understand science better by hands on learning rather than just learning facts, concepts and theories of science.
1.What is meant by “doing” science?
ReplyDeleteScience process skills are what scientists’ employ when they do science. Students use process skills to find out what makes a scientist tick. Children in elementary schools need to learn how to do science and perform experiments and interpret the results before they learn about the concepts of science.
“Doing” Science means using the processes listed below.
There are twelve processes that have been identified as the basic to science investigation.
Basic Processes
Observing
Classifying
Communication
Measuring
Predicting
Inferring
Integrated Processes
Identifying and controlling variables
Formulating and testing hypotheses
Interpreting data
Defining operationally
Experimenting
Constructing models
2.What system of measurement would an elementary science teachers use?
“The essence of all science is observation.” There are two types of observations that a teacher could use qualitative and quantitative.
Qualitative- Observations that do not require measurement.
Quantitative- Observations where measurements are required.
Observations are the most important scientific process that elementary children need to master. Children need to learn the concepts first before they are held responsible for understanding the mathematical portion of science. As a teacher by using qualitative observation you are giving your students the opportunity to truly observe what is happening without worrying about measurements.
3. Compare and contrast predicting and inferring
Prediction- an individual’s best guess as to what will happen next in a given situation. It is an idea that we think will come true.
Inference-a person’s best guess as to why something happened.
Prediction: look at a book, the title and pictures to make a prediction about what the book is about.
Inference-As the students begin to read the book after a few chapters they can infer as to what will happen in the story.
Prediction: A student can predict what will happen to rocks in a river.
Inference: Students can observe weathered rocks to infer how the water and the weather affect the rocks.
4. What is qualitative and quantitative data? Give examples of each.
Qualitative- observations that do not require measurement, it is what children observe.
Quantitative- observation where measurements are required to attach specific facts to the observations
Qualitative: I have many fingers of different sizes.
Quantitative: I have ten fingers
Qualitative: The water is 350 degrees Celsius
Quantitative: the water is hot
5. What is an independent variable:
Independent variable is the variable being manipulated or changed and the dependent variable is the observed result of the independent variable being manipulated.
6.Why is it important to use process-oriented objectives in planning lessons?
The use of process-oriented objectives in planning a lesson is very important. The process-oriented objective is an “ordinary learning objective in which the verb is a process skill” Page 174
The process oriented objective “a description of a performance you want learners to be able to exhibit before you consider them competent” Mager (1984)
Teachers need to have children to do their own thinking and not to depend on what others have discovered. The process oriented objective, enables teachers and children to focus on the development of one or more process skills rather than on content as the main out come of the lesson. As a teacher I feel it is imperative that we teach children to attempt to figure problems on their own. During a science lesson, it is the perfect opportunity to let children think out of the box and discover new things and ideas on their own. As a teacher you must prepare your lessons to allow the children to discover what science is truly about.
“Doing science” is a hands on approach to learning and mastering the skills necessary for performing scientific processes. By using hands-on activities teachers allow their students to focus on process and inquiry two major aspects of science. “Doing science” lends well to the constructivist approach to teaching, rather than filling the students with meaningless facts about science teachers provide activities that help guide students to conclusions on their own. Students learn and retain more scientific information by doing/using scientific knowledge/processes than if they were just presented with the ideas in lecture. “Doing science” also allows teachers’ to differentiate their activities for different learning styles within their classrooms, making the lessons more versatile.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter links well with the chapter I was assigned about assessment of science. I mentioned that the text states that paper-and-pencil tests are not appropriate ways to assess learning in science. Teachers have to come up with other assessment tools to assess what the children REALLY know (authentic assessment). Teachers can use indicators to see how the students are progressing. For example a teacher could watch her students sort leaves, by separating them into groups and subgroups they are demonstrating their mastery of the skill of classification. Assessments for science may include informal or structured observations, practical tests, structured or informal interviews, portfolios, or journals. Paper-and-pencil tests may of course be used if content achievement is desirable, but are more successful when used in conjunction with other assessment techniques. By using a combination a teacher is more able to assess the students’ learning and progress as a whole, including many facets of the learning process.
Chapter 3 comments:
ReplyDeleteNice response Annie. Inquiry fosters students asking questions and developing the process to address and generate their own answers. I am not sure if elementary students are not ready for measurements. I think with the right guidance they can make quantitative measurements however, qualitative measurements can stretch their curiosity and creative nature. I agree in process orientated objectives because the most important aspect of all learning is the skills developed - not the facts. If students can learn to recognize a problem, form a hypothesis, test and evaluate the data, they will learn the most valuable life skills for all aspects of life.
Diane provides details of the twelve processes identified for science investigations while Cori points out an important relationship to constructivist learning. Likewise, Cori makes a great connection between assessments discussed in chapter one and the idea of doing science. If we believe that it is most important to “do science” shouldn’t our assessments evaluate that learning?
Nice discussion!
~ Rosalie