HELLO

1
HELLO

• Welcome to the Designing Effective Science
  Lessons Workshop
• 2/20/09

Dr. Issam Abi-El-Mona Rowan University Department
of Teacher Education
NICE TO BE HERE
2
Things To Do

• Look at what an effective science lesson is
• Possible strategy(ies) to use
• Sample of an effective science lesson
• Work on developing your own lesson based on
  generated criteria

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LOGISTICS

• 830- 1145 SESSION 1
• NID
• Effective science lessons
• Considering state based assessments in your
  lessons- strategies
• Brainstorm your own lessons
• 1145- 1245 LUNCH BREAK
• 1245-230 SESSION 2
• Continue lesson designs
• Sample lesson

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What are characteristics of an effective science
lesson?

• Take some time individually to fill out the
  handout (pg. 2 in your packet)
• Discuss this with your table group
• Commonalities?
• Discrepancies?
• Write these down on the butcher paper provided
  and post

5
Consider the lesson vignettes

• Individually, read the two Sinking and Floating
  lesson vignettes (pgs.3-7) and respond to the
  following questions on the reflection sheet
  (p.8)
• Which lesson is better? Why?
• Which lesson is more likely to lead to student
  learning? Why?

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Components relevant to designing effective
science lessons

• Teacher
• Content knowledge
• Dispositions/ Attitudes
• Pedagogy
• Learner
• Type
• Dispositions/ Attitudes
• Prior content knowledge
• Background (culture, ethnicity, values )

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Some Characteristics of Effective Science Lessons

• Provide meaningful experiences
• Simplify conceptual connections by making
  connections to life experiences
• Use visuals to describe abstract ideas
• Engaging- provides students chances to discuss
  their views
• Hands on and minds on- promotes students to
  question the data and structure evidence based
  claims
• Target objectives
• Clear in what is to be learned
• Use varied forms of assessments centered on
  student outcomes (objectives accomplished as
  opposed to those not accomplished)

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Moriera study (n369) on high school students
perceptions of effective teachers

• What are characteristics of an effective
  teacher?
• Explains assignments
• Gives examples and materials
• Does not take personal problems out on students
• Grades fairly
• Honest and friendly
• Maintains control of the classroom
• Listens to students
• Does not disrespect students
• Helps students
• Makes class fun and interesting
• Being patient

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Effective Science Instruction What Does Research
Tell Us?

• There has been, and continues to be, much debate
  over what constitutes effective science
  instruction.
• Current learning theory focuses on students
  conceptual change, and does not imply that one
  pedagogy is necessarily better than another.
• National Research Council Elements of effective
  instruction How People Learn (2003) and How
  Students Learn Science in the Classroom (2005).
• Motivation (Instigating interest and curiosity)
• Eliciting Students Prior Knowledge (What do they
  already know?)
• Intellectual Engagement (Meaningful experiences/
  activities that engage students intellectually
  hands on and minds on where students think about
  what the data means)
• Use of Evidence to Make and Critique Claims
  (Nature of science- questioning )
• Sense Making (Making connections)
• (see Packet pgs.9-12)

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Elements of effective instruction

• There are multiple ways each critical element can
  be incorporated into instruction.
• Not all five need to occur in every lesson, but
  rather they may play out over a series of lessons.

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Elements of effective instruction

• Motivation We recognize that tests and other
  kinds of extrinsic motivation are a reality in
  schooling, but can and should try to encourage
  intrinsic motivation whenever possible, for
  example by connecting science ideas to students
  experiences.
• Elicitation Not only does eliciting students
  ideas help activate their prior knowledge, it can
  give the teacher clues about which misconceptions
  are particularly prevalent in the class.
• Intellectual engagement Here the emphasis is on
  intellectual, making sure the students are
  considering the ideas that are being targeted.
• Use of evidence In science, it is not what
  someone believes is the case, but what the
  evidence shows.
• Sense-making We cant assume that when students
  do an investigation, or participate in a
  discussion, that they came away with the ideas we
  intended them to learn we need to help make sure
  that happens.

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Factors affecting your effectiveness in teaching
science

• Think for a minute about some factors (see pg.
  13)
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v5tt2DXH2ZSkfeature
  related
• (from http//www.wavelengthinc.com/ )
• Any other factors?

• Possibly.
• State curriculum standards
• Textbook
• State accountability system (NJASK, HSPA)

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Facts You Face

• Standards The National Science Education
  Standards (NSES) and Benchmarks for Science
  Literacy from the American Association for the
  Advancement of Science (AAAS) define the content
  of instruction by outlining what a student should
  know and be able to do.
• Accountability System It is the district
  curriculum, usually guided by state science
  standards, that provides a road map of what
  content will be taught at which grade level, and
  how it will be aligned throughout the grade
  levels.
• How this content is organized, presented, and
  assessed is the backbone of classroom science
  instruction. In other words, classroom science
  instruction is driven, for the most part, by the
  curriculum map(if existent) the district lays out
  for teachers.

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Familiar Strategies?

• Inquiry
• Integration of subject matter (theme centered ex
  integrated thematic units)
• Backward design (big idea centered- ex
  understanding by design)
• Forward design
• Lecture based
• The best option is a balanced design

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Possible Strategy for Addressing Standardized
Exam Content in Your TeachingPhase One- Planning

• Ask What science topic/ theme will my students
  be covering?

• Based on this, view your grade level test
  specifications Check and double check
  throughout the year (http//www.nj.gov/education/a
  ssessment/ )

• View the relevant standards to your grade level
  and topic (http//www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/
  )

• From this, generate your content based
  objectives- emphasize the content that you note
  on test specifications and make those your
  outcomes . In making them your outcomes you WILL
  NEED to assess these

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Possible strategy for addressing the
standardized exams in your teachingPhase
Two-Design

• Ask How will I implement this objective/outcome
  in my teaching so it is effectively learned ?

• Design your lesson based on the components of
  effective instruction we just discussed

• Focus your design using three basic structures
  for your lesson (I-B-C)
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion

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Possible strategy for addressing the
standardized exams in your teachingPhase
Three-Design (I-B-C) (contd)

• Introduction need to motivate curiosity, need
  to elicit prior experiences- OFTEN ASSESS
• Body hands on/minds on based on meaningful
  experiences (these can be relevant to students
  lives, socio-scientific issues etc) include
  content, processes and skills need to address
  the outcome based content objectives (can
  intellectually engage students)- ALWAYS ASSESS
• Conclusion need to finalize and emphasize what
  was learned make connections to past lessons
  show how this will connect to what students will
  learn the next day. (can develop sense making)
  OFTEN ASSESS

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Possible strategy for addressing the
standardized exams in your teachingPhase
Four-Lesson Implementation

• Focus on mixed methods but then gradually
  develop those into more inquiry methods (early in
  the year need much structuring and lecturing so
  as you move on, gradually change your classroom
  so it is more student centered)
• Reduce emphasis on use of text- use text as a
  reference where you target standardized test
  specified content outcome based objectives

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Possible strategy for addressing the
standardized exams in your teachingPhase
Four-Lesson Implementation

• Use available resources- technology, lab ware
  etc
• Assess your self and your students- depending on
  your time -you can do this weekly or daily-
  create a check and balance system for yourself
• Make sure your assessments provide you with
  information about how well your students
  understand and know content as well as process.

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A Word On Lesson Assessments

• Make sure they follow your content standards-
  objectives/ outcomes etc
• Teach your students how to answer questions on a
  test- there are tactics and strategies they need
  to know- Dont assume they know them. Provide
  time in your lessons for this.
• Always check test specifications or resources
  that will help- http//www.nj.gov/education/njpep/
  assessment/TestSpecs/ScienceHSPA/index.html

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30 minute-Brainstorm

• Individually, work on a topic you teach (use your
  curricular materials).
• Brainstorm a lesson for this topic using the
  current strategy discussed (I-B-C). You may want
  to use the laptops for identifying possible test
  based outcomes.
• Share this plan with your group
• We will then share what you came up with
• Do not forget to designate where you include the
  Elements of Effective Instruction AND test based
  content knowledge

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Here are the sites

• http//www.nj.gov/education/njpep/assessment/TestS
  pecs/ScienceHSPA/index.html
• http//www.nj.gov/education/assessment/
• http//www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/
• Please note of the above do not work you can
  always use the search engine (search for
  Assessment and Evaluation) on the state
  department of education website to get to the
  sample test items and specifications. Remember,
  NJDOE only provides samples. I encourage you to
  push your school to get test book resources for
  helping you and your students

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EXTENSIONThe P3 Strategy for Addressing Your
Curriculum

• Prune- After having viewed State assessments view
  your curriculum (best to do this with a group of
  colleagues )- check out topics and reorder
  according to state based outcomes (these are
  what you generate from the state content
  standards and the state content assessments
• Pair- Align your topics/themes in the order you
  want to give them with priority given to lessons
  that emphasize the state based outcomes NOTE
  consider your student learning potentials.
• Provide-Implement your lessons and assess them so
  that you can restructure and reorder for future
  purposes. Your actions on your lesson must be
  DYNAMIC .

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Too Hot To Handle- Topic

• Phases of matter
• Effect of energy on matter
• Possible questions
• What causes the blue liquid to move?
• Why do penguins turn their back to the sun when
  they are cold?
• Why do firemen spray fine mist of water OVER the
  fire when trying to stop a fire?
• Why do riders sponge horses before a ride and
  sometimes during one on a low humid day?

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Too Hot To Handle- - Standard

• Standard 5.6 (chemistry) all students will gain
  an understanding of the structure and behavior of
  matter.
• NJCCCS Indicators-By the end of grade 8 students
  will be able to
• Know that all matter is composed of atoms that
  may join together to form molecules.
• Recognize that the phase of matter is determined
  by the arrangement and motion of atoms and
  molecules and that the motion of these particles
  is related to the energy of the system.

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Too Hot To Handle- -Possible Content Outcomes

• To describe the effect of heat energy on the
  movement of particles
• To identify a physical change
• To identify independent and dependent variables

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Too Hot To Handle- Implementation
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Too Hot To Handle-Assessment
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Suggestions

• Keep it meaningful so that concept connections
  can be made easily
• Concrete always visual
• Try your best to enhance their curiosity
• Listen to your students find out their
  misunderstandings/ alternate perceptions
• Evaluate your teaching as well as their learning
• Make CLEAR the connections (conceptual and real
  life)
• One of the nature of science is its investigative
  process- use this and build on it- ex inquiry
  methods, integration

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Suggestions from Anderson (1991)

• Teachers should
• Place a criterion for achievement
• Helps students develop learning strategies
• Provide meaningful experiences (related to
  students real life experiences/observations)
• Grasp students attention and curiosity via
  various approaches and techniques (ex discrepant
  events)
• Allow student participation and discussion
• Friendly and approachable for students

31
Good Online Reads

• http//www.umanitoba.ca/publications/cjeap/article
  s/volante.html
• http//teachertipstraining.suite101.com/article.cf
  m/how_to_design_an_effective_science_lesson
• http//www.chem4kids.com/files/matter_changes.html
  

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Some Nice Ideas

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vNrwziH1nFi8feature
  related
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?veBeWEgvGm2Y
• Sample http//www.youtube.com/watch?vFhvaDFwmfBY
  featurerelated

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Cited References

• Bransford, J. , Brown, A. Cocking, R.
  (Eds)(1999). How People Learn Brain, Mind,
  Experience,and School. Washington,DCNational
  Academy Press.
• Moje, E. B., Collazo, T., Carrillo, R., Marx,
  R. W. (2001). Maestro, what is quality?
  Language, literacy, and discourse in
  project-based science. Journal of Research in
  Science Teaching, 38, 469-498.
• National Research Council. (2003). How people
  learn Brain, mind, experience, and school. J. D.
  Bransford, A. L. Brown, R. R. Cocking (Eds.).
  Washington, DC National Academy Press.
• National Research Council. (2005). How students
  learn Science in the classroom. M. S. Donovan
  J. D. Bransford, (Eds.) Washington, DC National
  Academy Press.

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Noteworthy References

• Davidovits, D. (2008). Physics In Biology and
  Medicine , 3rd edition. Academic Press ISBN
  978-0-12-369411-9
• Nuthall, G. (1999). The way students learn
  Acquiring knowledge from an integrated science
  and social studies unit. The Elementary School
  Journal, 99(4), 303-341.
• Nuthall, G. (2001). Understanding how classroom
  experience shapes students minds. Unterrichts
  Wissenschaft, 29(3), 224-267.
• Robertson,W. (2006). Stop Faking It! Finally
  Understanding Science So You Can Teach It.
  Arlington,VA National Science Teachers
  Association Press.
• Weiss, I.R., Pasley, J. D., Smith, P. S.,
  Banilower, E. R., Heck, D. J. (2003). Looking
  inside the classroom A study of K-12 mathematics
  and science education in the United States.
  Chapel Hill, NC Horizon Research, Inc.