Author Archives: mrwbrewer

Kahn Academy?

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Interesting video about “watching” lectures.  http://fnoschese.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/khan-academy-and-the-effectiveness-of-science-videos/

Are students really learning or only hearing what they want to hear to justify what they already “know”.  I have the same problem with gravity that the video used as an example.

It is important that teachers in lower grade levels get the concepts right.  Students are much more receptive at the younger ages.  So, when we get them in high school, once they hear a topic they already know, they had better know it correctly, or they will more than likely not be corrected.

I like that the term “confused” was used as a sign of corrected misconceptions.

Inquiry and NGSS

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Looking over the new science standards, I’ve come to the realization that the Engineering strand of the standards is all about Inquiry:

– Next Generation Science Standards; Appendix F states that the eight practices of science and engineering, the Framework identifies as essential for all students to learn, and describes in detail, are listed below:

    • 1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
    • 2. Developing and using models
    • 3. Planning and carrying out investigations
    • 4. Analyzing and interpreting data
    • 5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
    • 6. Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
    • 7. Engaging in argument from evidence
    • 8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information:

While the  NSTA Official Position (Oct 2004) has this to say about Scientific Inquiry:  Regarding students’ abilities to do scientific inquiry, NSTA recommends that teachers help students:

      • Learn how to identify and ask appropriate questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.
      • Design and conduct investigations to collect the evidence needed to answer a variety of questions.
      • Use appropriate equipment and tools to interpret and analyze data.
      • Learn how to draw conclusions and think critically and logically to create explanations based on their evidence.
      • Communicate and defend their results to their peers and others.

Regarding students’ understanding about scientific inquiry, NSTA recommends that teachers help students understand:

      • That science involves asking questions about the world and then developing scientific investigations to answer their questions.
      • That there is no fixed sequence of steps that all scientific investigations follow. Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations.
      • That scientific inquiry is central to the learning of science and reflects how science is done.
      • The importance of gathering empirical data using appropriate tools and instruments.
      • That the evidence they collect can change their perceptions about the world and increase their scientific knowledge.
      • The importance of being skeptical when they assess their own work and the work of others.
      • That the scientific community, in the end, seeks explanations that are empirically based and logically consistent.