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SECTION 1: FACILITATING LEARNING IN THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM This chapter focuses on the role of the teacher in facilitating learning in the science classroom Four aspects of facilitation and management are presented in the chapter, and they can be presenteed in any order. These aspects include the facilitative role of the teacher, getting off to a good start at the beginning of the year, managing science materials and facilities, and safety in the science classroom. One of the key ideas of this chapter is the concept of leadership in the social process of the classroom. Several inquiry acdtivities have been designed to aid in the development of leadership abilities including: The Effective Leader Project---observing and interviewing teachers and colleagues; establishing a classroom management plan; The Three-Week Planning Project---developing classroom activities for an extended period of time; preparing an equipment order; and The Science Tool Kit Project. Initial Case Study: Ecosystem Study We've encouraged and supported hands-on and experiential science teaching as the driving force in establishing an innovative and inquiry-oriented approach to teaching. In this case study, your students are confronted with an exhuberent teacher's choice of collecting tadpoles from a local stream, and then using them in classroom aquarium project. Your students will have to deal with the proposal's permissiblility, and the ethical issues related to the project. An interesting way to begin the study of this chapter. Leadership in the Science Classroom I have found that Harry and Rosemary Wong's work in their book The First Days of School is a powerful resource for prospective science teachers. I recommend using it a course leading up to an internship or student teaching, as well as a resource while the students are at school. I've used some of their work in this section, and designed an inquiry project that I've found to be very successful during a student internship. Table 10.1 summarizes the Wongs' approach to classroom leadership, and I have used this framework to design Inquiry Activity 10.1. In the inquiry, your students will conduct an inquiry into one attribute of leadership, and report findings to peers. Inquiry Activity 10.1: The Effective Leader Project This inquiry is best accomplished when your students are participating in an internship or at least are involved with a a teacher or team of teachers in a practicum-type experience. This would also be a powerful activity in a graduate level course. The project can be one of several activities that student's might accomplish in an internhip/pedagogical course. Take a look at a syllabus of a science pedagogy course where the Effective Leader Project was used as a "Middle School Classroom Management Project. This is a powerful project. Here is how the assignment was written up for the students: This is a team project done with your Intern Partner. During your internship, you will be paired with another TEEMS student in a middle school classroom working with a mentor teacher. Using Harry Wong's book The First Days of School as a guide try and answer any one of the following questions that are related to the characteristics of effective teaching: (1) How are positive expectations communicated and demonstrated in your mentor's classroom?--see pp. 33 - 78 of Wong's book (2) What is the evidence that effective techniques are utilized to create a well managed classroom?---see the chart on page 87 and pp. 79 -194 of Wong's book. (3) What strategies does the teacher use to to design lessons that help student achieve success in science?--see pp. 195 - 268 of Wong's book. You should plan your project together, and then over the course of the Intern period "collect data" such as an interview with the teacher, digital pictures, sketches, samples of work to help answer your project question. Prepare a report in the form of a PowerPoint slide show, a web page, or a 3-panel poster report. Your presentations will be on November 21 on campus. The Facilitative Science Teacher There are three topics discussed in this section that focuses on the teacher's role as facilitative, and leadership-oriented. The topics included:
Inquiry Activity 10.2: Windows into Science Classrooms This inquiry is a powerful experience, one that you can simulate (by means of video episodes of teaching) in the college or seminar classroom, or engage students in actual classroom observations. In either case, students observe science teaching by keeping a narrative record of teacher and student verbal behavior. Or you could have students use the form shown in Figure 10.1 (p. 379), and have them focus on key management behaviors that are discussed in the chapter, pp. 372-375, e.g. with-it-ness, overlapping, smoothness, momentum, and group focus. Effective Teaching for the Beginning of the Year This section is important not only for the beginning of teacher's year, but for any internship or student teaching experience. Four aspects, especially important, in getting teachers off to a good start at the beginning of each new semester or course include:
Inquiry 10.3, that follows, can be used to help focus your students on these important "beginning of the year" ideas. |
Inquiry Activity 10.3: Developing a Classroom Management Plan I recommend that you have students work in small teams to design a classroom management plan that they would use given particular situations, eg. middle vs high school; physical science vs. life science. The First Day (Lessons) I've provided two first day lesson plans that you might use as "templates" for students in your course to evaluate in terms of their potential effectiveness. How would your students modify these plans, given different environements and situations? First Lessons You can use these two lessons to contrast different approaches, and also ask, okey, now what do we do, and look at the section "beyond day one."
Inquiry Activity 10.4: Planning for Three Weeks I've found this to be a powerful activity in the context of student teaching, or an internship program. Your students should work with their mentor, and develop a three-week plan (see the Three Week Planning Template). The plan should include the main topic for each lesson, and how the students will be involved with the topic. When the plan is completed, students should then code how they are involving students using the categories suggested in Inquiry 10.4, procedure #3. Managing Classroom Materials and Facilities Managing the classroom involves issues such as what materials are available for teaching, safety in the classroom, and the use of live organisms in teaching. You will find discussion of these key topics, as well as two important inquiry activities.
Inquiry 10.5: Preparing a Science Equipment Order In this simulation, students prepare an equipment order (given a budget of $1,000) for the entire school year. You can have them find out about some of the major science equipment suppliers (see p. 389 for a short list). Inquiry 10.6: Designing a Science Tool Kit In this activity, your students will design a hands-on activity and package it as a "science tool kit." Two examples are given in Table 10.7 (p. 390). This is a powerful inquiry and is even more effective if your students have an opportunity to "field test" the tool kit with elementary, middle or high school students. I also take a class session to have students "present" their tool kits to their peers, and to provide a one-page summary sheet so that others can make use of this research. SECTION 2: SCIENCE TEACHER GAZETTE Think Pieces There are several think pieces that engage your students in issues regarding dissection, management, and safety in the classroom. Case Study: Misbehavior in the Lab How should teachers handle misbehavior in the science laboratory? A situation is described, and then students are asked to recommend courses of action to prevent this kind of behavior. Case Study: The Smiths Come to School How do you deal with students who constantly "break-the-rules," as well parents who think your are picking on the student? Science Teacher Talk: How do you manage your classroom and what is the most important piece of advice you would give a prospective teacher concerning classroom management. Five teachers discuss their views on this question. How do their views compare with your students' views? Problems and Extensions You will find a collection of questions that you can use for classroom discussion, as well as web-based bulletin board activities. Readings Some of the key literature on classroom management, safety, and perhaps one of the most important resources (The First Days of School by Harry and Rosemary Wong). On the Web I've included some key sites on science safety that should be helpful to your students. |
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