Middle School CIA

Middle School CIA

Dec 13, 2010

Announcements

STEM District Committee

Programs, Curriculum

Need help to know aboutprograms and events, newsletter articles

PD Opportunities

CRISP (Nov 13, Jan 29) MakingStuff Work

https://www.southernct.edu/crisp/index.php/Professional_Development

Possible new grant, focusing onphysics?

Other Announcements

Equipment/Books?

TVAL/Work with principals

Science Fair: Sign Up and decide now!

SCIENCE.. Part of SIP? Tiering!

Teaching/Instruction

 some notes from observations

How do the students know what to DO?

How do the students know what to LEARN?

Needs to be WRITTEN and CLEAR

Teaching/Instruction

Student to Student TALK: guided and planned (seeprevious PD)

Higher Order Questioning: guided and planned

Worksheet vs. totally open labs, there is amiddle ground

Expectation: students TOUCH stuff at least 2-4times a week, lab experiment at least once a week.

Writing by students.. doesn’t have to belong, but should be frequent

And number one : THINKING is the goal. (notcompliance work).

Assessment

8th grade CMT practice will be coming

7th grade Q1. Feedback on what happened?, whatinstructional changes are you making?

DATA TEAMS: how do your teams use scienceresults? How do you bring them up? (Math/Physicsconnection for 8th? Measurement connection for7th? )

What does item analysis of quarter one show us?

Have you looked at quarter two questions to givefeedback

HOW do middle schoolstudents learn inquiry?

Inquiry and the National Science EducationStandards (2000)http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=9596

Learning Cycle: Engage, Explore, Explain,Extend, Apply, Evaluate

Inquiry, keys to learning

Understanding science is more thanknowing facts

Students build new knowledge andunderstanding on what they already knowand believe (constructivism/misconceptions)

Students formulate new knowledge bymodifying and refining their current conceptsand by adding new concepts to what theyalready know

Inquiry Learning

Learning is mediated by the social environment inwhich learners react with others.

Effective learning requires that students take controlof their own learning.

The ability to apply knowledge to novelsituations, that is, transfer of learning, is affected bythe degree to which students learn withunderstanding.

Research base

Taking Science to School: Learning and TeachingScience in Grades K-8http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11625.html pgs130-140

Asking Questions

Designing Experiments (variables)

Engineering (desired effect) vs Scientific (whichfactors made a difference)

Observing and Recording

Evaluating Evidence

Essential featuresClassroom Inquiry

1. Learner engages in scientifically orientedquestions

2. Learner gives priority to evidence inresponding to questions

3. Learner formulate explanations fromevidence

4. Learner connects explanations toscientific knowledge

5. Learner communicates and justifiesexplanations

Freq asked ?About inquiry

Is it ever Ok to tell students answers? Y

Should teacher say no to student inves? Y

More impt inquiry or concepts? Both

How can invst come before vocab? Observe

Inquiry in every lesson? N

How can we cover everything? Deep

Structure vs Freedom in inquiry? Balance

Inquiry vs classroom management? PLAN

Materials? Teacher plan is lesson, not materials

How improve? Collaborate!

In PLC groups:

Review ideas from teaching inquiry

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Review q1 10-11 data share ideas

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Review q2 09-10 data

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