The premise underpinning this study is that a learner’s ability to describe and engage conceptually with scientific phenomena is dependent upon his or her ability to understand and use scientific language. The authors thus argue that teaching and learning of science should be divided into conceptual and discursive components, an approach they call ‘disaggregate instruction.’ The authors found that students taught in this manner outperformed those taught traditionally. The authors highlight the impact of this finding for all educators, and note that it may be particularly significant for
This article provides a review of the research literature concerning scientific argumentation in the K-12 classroom. The researcher argues that not all forms of argumentation promote an understanding of scientific practice, and therefore not all support scientific literacy. This paper identifies three main approaches to lessons that aim to introduce students to scientific argumentation: (1) immersion, (2) structure, and (3) socioscientific. The research draws on the work of Ford (2008) and others to find that immersion strategies – lessons in which argumentation is integrated into the
A place-based approach to an inquiry unit on watersheds created opportunities for the development of student conceptions of the human and natural components of urban watersheds. Through direct inquiry experience in the natural environment, student learning and attachment to place was observed.
ISE educators may operate with the assumption that visitors come to the museum for learning, but this research shows that, two years after the visit, what these adult visitors remember is linked to their identity-related motivations for their visit. Based on five broad categories (explorers, facilitators, professional/hobbyists, experience seekers, and rechargers; see Falk 2006), this research shows that what museum visitors learn, remember about their experience, and its subsequent impact are influenced by how the museum meets the needs of these learners.
Using Gee’s (2004) notion of ‘affinity spaces’ – places where people collaboratively interact in response to a common interest or affinity – this paper examines how a week-long astronomy camp can shape student self-identities. The paper also examines the design of the camp and notes that it successfully blends the ‘student-led research’ approach with the ‘cognitive-apprenticeship model’.
The value of science literacy is often taken for granted on the grounds that some understanding of science is useful for all students, not just those who will become scientists. In this paper, the author considers whether science literacy, as traditionally imagined, is actually useful. The paper includes a summary of current perspectives on science literacy, all of which, he argues, aim to produce marginal insiders: people who have had a glimpse of science content and process but no sense of how to connect science with their everyday lives. The author argues for a new perspective on science
This paper reports on a study examining the reflections of 37 scientists and engineers regarding significant experiences in childhood that may have influenced their career choices. Commonalities across the responses include motivational teachers, informal advising and mentoring from family members and teachers, opportunities to tinker and build models and independent explorations of science both in and out of school.
In a review of the professional development literature, the author of this paper highlights consensus findings about professional development approaches and raises important questions about assumptions underlying the different models. The paper is of special interest to ISE educators designing and leading professional development programs for other educators (formal and informal). It describes how particular PD approaches may provide or impede opportunities for critical reflection and ongoing learning.
In informal learning environments, science experts, explainers, and guides need support in their work to educate the general public in STEM topics. This study surveyed participants and trainers in communications training programs to determine the best methods for achieving such a purpose. The researchers suggest that training programs be practical, authentic and interactive, and provide participants opportunities for feedback.
This paper presents the findings from a longitudinal study (over 7 years) of primary pupils' learning and understanding of evaporation. The authors focus on the role of context, narratives, and the students' representations to explain the developments in understanding, offering an alternative to traditional conceptual change perspectives.
Teachers who participated in professional development aimed at increasing awareness of the cognitive and social functions of questioning social understanding and questioning practices led to teachers creating more student-centered classrooms. This research shows that, through discourse analysis, teachers were able to reflect on and adopt questioning strategies that led to students’ higher-level thinking, longer and more sophisticated responses, and self-evaluation.
This study explores an important question for all educators: how can we help students find meaning and application in what they are learning? The authors argue that students have to foresee how each activity is going to contribute to a specific context-based purpose that they themselves are motivated to reach.