The science classroom is student driven where the teacher acts as a facilitator. Students are involved in various inquiry activities (hands-on labs, modeling, computer models, discussion, etc.). Students complete the activities and have a constant dialogue about the observations and results. The teacher is moving throughout the classroom listening to the dialogue and providing guidance as needed.
I agree with the idea of organized chaos. People often think my classroom is too loud, but how else should a classroom sound if kids are engaged with each other?
The computer and the computational model should be viewed as a tool for inquiry, discussion and engagement with other students and the teacher. It should not be a cool activity that looks good but doesnât produce deep learning or a better understanding of the concept being explored.
A successful science classroom for me would be at completion of course student are now prepared to launch their own investigations of questioning and discoveries and to master the skill of scientific inquiry. I can visualize small steps in questioning of casualties and to theorize hypothesis. Students then creating or participating in guided lab experiments and the continuation of experiments limited to only their imagination via simulations/models. Also the use of simulations to share their ideas to their peers.
I envision the science classroom have a phenomenon upon which students will individually make observations and make claims. Next students will bring their thoughts to a group with discussion at which time students may revise if so desired their previously held beliefs. The student at this juncture will use simulations to prove or disprove their claims and provide evidence. The teacher can subsequently present a desired outcome and have the student manipulate the agents to get desired results.
A successful Science classroom is one that incorporates the use of models and simulations based on real world phenomenon geared to understand a disciplinary core idea. There is always inquiry based learning that is in progress. The teacher moves from being in the front of the room to more of a role such as facilitator. The students attempt to answer investigative questions that have multiple answers. The role of technology is not to be the only platform that the students use to gauge a concept, but should be used more in the lens of support and further engagement of the concept being taught.
In an ideal classroom, students are free, yet structured. They are allowed to discuss and share thought processes. They are allowed to bring their personal experiences and interest to the experiment and be encouraged to apply their thinking.
The role of a teacher should be that as a guide, especially in an inquiry-based science classroom. The goals of the activity should be posted and activities should be completed by students with those goals in mind. Students should be actively conversing with each other over their content. Students should ask each other questions, refer those questions to the teacher when need be. At the end of the activity the students will share their findings with each other and students will identify similarities and differences in the data.
Your response was very well said!
A successful Science classroom should be set up to encourage hands-on and cooperative activities and tasks. When integrating modeling and simulations, it should be used as a tool and resource to further explore the topic at hand. The teacher should act as a support to learning and should learn alongside their students.
Role of the teacher as a facilitator. goals should be posted and taught explicitly. Students working cooperatively by asking questions of each other.
A successful science classroom that integrates modeling and simulation will be filled with students that are able to innovate and create âoriginalâ code that drive some solution to a problem.There will be students working independently, and with others in pairs. Students will use teacher as a resource and not as the sole source for information. Students will use prior knowledge to gather new information and create new questions.
Active engagement and excitement where students learn by exploration, and build upon one anotherâs findings.
Ideally, CS will work in my classroom in conjunction with the labs I already do. We will use the CS components to run extra trials or change parameters that we arenât able to do in class. I also foresee my accelerated students extending their learning while I help those who are still developing understanding.
A successful science classroom has excited and engaged students working on important problems or questions using scientific methods. If these students know how to use computational science to model complex adaptive systems and other phenomenon, they have another rich 21st century tool in their toolset. This is not a substitute for hands-on experiments, but an additional tool to extend the questions students can study and problems they can address.
Teacher role is to provide interesting problem or phenomena and teach, encourage and model asking questions and observing so that students will begin to look at the world around them and find the interesting problem or phenomena to explore. Teacher and students work together to find resources to explain or solve these problems. Computers would be used to help identify the problems as well as help to explain or solve the problems.
My vision of a successful Science classroom is having student driven questions that they research and look for the answers themselves. THere would be a lot of discussions and productive noise. The students would be working in collaborative groups to come up with solutions. THe teacher would be circulating the room and giving helpful tips but never the answer itself.
In Earth science, we study plate tectonics and earthquakes. Students could build a computer model by loading Earthquake data of previous earthquakes in order to predict areas where future seismic activity will occur. The clustering of earthquake activity is a visible pattern that will lead to the creation of new hypotheses and questions for further exploration. Students would discuss and compare models, and discuss patterns in order to search for explanations of earthquake activity (what causes it, why certain areas have more earthquakes)
Students in a Science classroom should have the opportunity to see real life applications and relevance to whatever they are learning that day. Activities that are conducive of active engagement, discussion, and inquiry would be ideal to see. Computers help to document ideas and conduct further research.
I do think that the general plan of the day can be student centered with the teacher serving as the facilitator.
I have always advocated constructivism in my classroom by using as many hands on tools as I can find. computer Modeling is going to add a whole new element in my classes and will enhance their learning process.