How People Learn – Brain, Mind, Experience, and School (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999)

Three core principles 1: If their (students) initial understanding is not

engaged, they may fail to grasp new concepts and information presented in the classroom, or they may learn them for purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions (Bransford et al., 1999, p. 14).

How People Learn

Three core principles 2: To develop competence in an area of

inquiry, students must (a) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge; (b) understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework, and (c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application (Bransford et al., 1999, p. 16).

How People Learn

Three core principles 3: A “metacognitive”* approach to instruction

can help students learn to take control of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them (Bransford et al., 1999, p. 18).

WEATHER - Culminating Curriculum Project

CONCEPT:

(1) Select a focused science concept.  

What do you want students to know and be able to do?

will implement in YOUR class(es). learner master in a single learning cycle

lasting 3-5 days Specify the learning targets associated

with the concept.  

WEATHER - Culminating Curriculum Project

ASSESSMENT: (2a) Describe your summative assessment tool(s).

How will you know that your students have mastered the concept?

(2b) Describe your formative assessment tool(s). How will you know what your students already know about the

concept? How will you know that your students are ‘getting it’ along the

way? How will you change your instruction if they don’t understand? How will you enhance their instruction if they do understand? How will they play a role in monitoring their learning?

 

WEATHER - Culminating Curriculum Project

LEARNING :(3) Design a series of learning activities that will ensure

your students will learn the chosen concept and achieve their learning targets? What will you do to help students learn the concept?

Consider these questions: What instructional model will you use to provide meaningful (and

multiple?) experiences with your chosen concept? [Make this explicit in your documentation.]

How will you incorporate inquiry? How can you utilize science notebooks? How might you incorporate formative assessment? How will you utilize other research-based methods, as appropriate?

Instructional Models

Handout – including Learning Cycle 5E’s IDEA2

Learning Cycle

The learning cycle is a model of instruction based on scientific inquiry. This model encourages students to develop their own understanding of a scientific concept, explore and deepen that understanding, and then apply the concept to new situations.

Learning Cycle cont.

Exploration explore scientific phenomena, manipulate

materials, attempt to solve problems Concept development

introduction and development of the scientific concepts central to the lesson.

Concept application new problem or situation for the students to

solve based

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/learningcycle

5 E’s

Engage Explore Explain Elaborate Evaluate

IDEA2

Invite Discover Elaborate Action Assessment

Common Components Shared by

Instructional Models  Phase 1: Students engage with a scientific

question, event, or phenomenon. This connects with what they already know, creates dissonance with their own ideas, and/or motivates them to learn more.

Phase 2: Students explore ideas though hands-on experiences, formulate and test hypotheses, solve problems, and create explanations for what they observe.

Phase 3: Students analyze and interpret data, synthesize their ideas, build models, and clarify concepts and explanations with teachers and other sources of scientific knowledge.

Phase 4: Students extend their new understanding and abilities and apply what they have learned to new situations.

Phase 5: Students, with their teachers, review and assess what they have learned and how they have learned it.

Utilizing Inquiry

Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards - A Guide for Teaching and Learning

Steve Olson and Susan Loucks-Horsley, Editors

© 2000      

FeatureLess………………..…….Learner Self-Directions…………………………..More

More…………..………Direction from Teacher or Material……..…………Less

1. Learner engages in scientifically oriented questions.

A. Learner engages in question provided by teacher, materials, or other source.

B. Learner sharpens or clarifies question provided by teacher, materials, or other source.

C. Learner selects among questions, or poses new questions based on provided examples.

D. Learner poses a question

2. Learner gives priority to evidence in responding to questions

A. Learner is given data and told how to analyze it.

B. Learner is given data and asked to analyze it.

C. Learner is directed collect certain data.

D. Learner determines what constitutes evidence and collects it.

3. Learner formulates explanations from evidence.

A. Learner is provided with evidence.

B. Learner chooses among possible ways to use evidence to formulate explanation.

C. Learner is guided in process of formulating explanations from evidence.

D. Learner formulates explanation after summarizing evidence.

4. Learner connects explanations to scientific knowledge.

A. Learner is given all connections.

B. Learned is given possible connections and chooses among them.

C. Learner is directed toward areas and sources of scientific knowledge.

D. Learner independently examines other resources and forms the links to explanations.

5. Learner communicates and justifies explanations.

A. Learner is given steps and procedures for communication.

B. Learner is provided broad guidelines to use to sharpen communication.

C. Learner is coached in development of communication.

Learner forms reasonable and logical argument to communicate explanations.

Adapted from: National Research Council. (2000). Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards, A Guide for Teaching and Learning. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. P 29

Essential Features of Classroom Inquiry and Their Variations

Formative AssessmentScience Formative Assessment

75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and LearningPage Keeley NSTA Press/Corwin Press, 2008

Science Notebooks

Research shows… Structural Features are important

Table of Contents Student autonomy is important

Formative Assessment

Read pp. ix-xi and pp. 1-8.

As you read, think about these questions What is formative assessment? What does formative assessment look like in the classroom? Why is formative assessment important? Is there any research to support the use of fa?

As time permits, read about one or more

of the 75 FACTs (formative assessment classroom techniques)

Formative AssessmentFormative Assessment for Secondary Science Teachers Erin Marie Furtak Corwin Press, 2009 [a local – Denver area]

Additional Resources

Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 2: 25 More Formative Assessment Probes

By: Page Keeley, Francis Eberle, and Joyce Tugel

4 volumes in this series, each with life, physical, and earth science concepts

2 new volumes, 1 each of physical and life science

Three Sample Probes For You

22: Rainfall… 21: Where did water come from… 20: What are clouds made of…

Other Instructional Strategies - McREL Identifying similarities & differences Summarizing & note taking Reinforcing effort & providing recognition Homework & practice Nonlinguistic representations Cooperative learning Setting goals & providing feedback Generating & testing hypotheses Activating prior knowledge