Class 1, Reading 2

I liked this article as well and intend on using it and reading it more closely when I am planning my unit. I think many teachers focus so much on content and therefore perhaps overlook the science process. I think it would be very interesting to incorporate the 4 strands in the classroom and see how the students pick up on them. Perhaps after doing this over the course of a few units, it will become second nature to the students and they can do the process on their own and do their own investigational learning.

Class 1, Reading 1

I agree with the article 100%. Students learn so much more through their own hands on experiences, especially when it comes to science. It is so important to allow students to completely take over and use their imagination, background knowledge and the materials they are given to investigate on their own time. In my experience, given students examples and allowing them to ask questions and explore on their own has proven much more effective than giving them a textbook and an assessment. We need to make lessons and the material we teach more memorable and students remember lessons that are engaging and meaningful. Therefore, we need to bring more lessons like the examples given in this article to the classroom.

class 1- reading 1 and 2

Gunckel EPE
This is not my first experience with Gunckel's EPE model, yet I am glad it has been reintroduced to me at this time before my lead teaching with Science begins. The big idea here is that by providing students with ample opportunity to engage with the subject matter as it exists in real life, you are supporting a more authentic learning experience. Although it may seem like it requires more preparation, in the long run, by allowing students the experience of genuine inquiry, you are setting both yourself and your students up for success as a science learner.

Ready Set Science Ch. 2
I think Science is a unique subject in that the difference between "content" and "process" learning objectives is quite evident. I think this makes it easy for teachers to provide some "experiment time" where students are literally experiencing the content but I also think, atleast in my own experience, that an opportunity to teach students about the Scientific Process is is often missed at the point. Thus,I really appreciate the way this chapter lays out the four learning strands so concisely and think the case study is useful as well.

Class 1, Reading 2

Strand 4 is "participating productivity in science", the article states that this strand is often overlooked in the classroom, although research says that it is a critical part of learning science. This includes being able to do science in groups, discuss science... I often observe science out of a textbook or information coming from the instructor to the student. In order for students to become actively involved in learning science through strand 4, it needs to be practiced. Students aren't going to be wonderful scientists, unless we allow them to be. Conversations around science need to supported so that the conversations are effective. It is important that we teach our students to learn and teach one another, but we need to give the the tools and forum to do so.

Class 1, Reading 1

I absolutely agree with this article. When science is made tangible and hands-on, I as a student, learn so much more through my own discovery. I have been in a number of science classes and grow so much more when the class supports inquiry rather than reading about examples and another person's explanation. I have seen students grow excited when they engage in conversations about what they are exploring. In these same classes, during a test I refer back to my experiences rather than what I memorized out of a textbook.
As teachers, it is an easy route to read out of a textbook, and uncomfortable feeling to allow students to have so much control over their learning. But, it is necessary in order for students to truly learn from their experiences.

Class 1, Reading 2

Science education is being closely observed, as a new framework is constructed to distinguish between scientific content and scientific process. Ready, Set, Science outlines the framework which “rests on a view of science as both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge (Shouse & Schweingruber, 17). This framework is important when considering the experiences students bring into the classroom. Although school based science instruction tends to separate content and process, it is “inconsistent with what is known about the way scientists actually do science” (Shouse & Schweingruber, 17). Therefore, as an educator it is vital that I consider the two elements of process and content to be “inextricably linked” when involving my students in science. With the addition of the four strands, aid instructors in highlighting the ideas and knowledge students bring into the classroom.

Class 1, Reading 1

Inquiry based science is obsolete in the majority of public schools. Throughout my current experience as an intern, science instruction, altogether, is missing from my students daily schedule. However, when considering science as an instructional subject, Gunckel compares scientists science and school science as two very different forms. “School science simplifies scientists’ science because students do not have the background experiences necessary to engage in the complex conversations about data in which scientists engage” (Gunckel, 4. It is important for students to incorporate their prior experiences and interactions to find relatable connections between material presented within the classroom and the major scientific patterns displayed within nature. Nevertheless, students engaging in school science lessons are typically provided with “facts, diagrams, definitions, and isolated skills” (Gunckel, 4). Therefore, she believes our students are not set up for successful development of science knowledge. Students neglect to actively take note of everyday experiences related to science, and have no foundation to begin. Students are also unaware of overarching ideas and beliefs and they work on one independent skill at a time. In order for students to gain knowledgeable information while actively participating in science instruction, they may need to take on those skills and strategies associated with scientist’s science.