Investigating Rocks And Sand : Addressing Multiple Learning Styles Through An Inquiry Based Approach Essay

Do you ever find yourself wondering how you can form a better connection with your students? You are not alone. In her book, Bad Guys Don’t Have Birthdays, Vivian Paley looks for ways to improve her teaching methods and connect with the children in her class. After coming in contact with a school director that was a fan of promoting abstract thinking, Paley noticed that she was neglecting to take her students’ ideas into consideration and in many instances, focusing more on what she knew to be the answer rather than how her class solved the problem. To change her teaching style, Paley thought it would be better to immerse herself in the many different perspectives of her preschool class rather than presuming that she understands

The process skills approach to teaching is defined as the educator helping children develop science skills and processes to confidently undertake their own investigations (Campbell, 2012). These skills are developed through: communicating, science language, asking questions, making sense of phenomena, predicting, modelling, conducting investigations, planning, testing, observing, reasoning, and drawing conclusions of science concepts (Campbell, 2012). When the educator assist children’s learning, it is important to put the emphasis on the nature of science and scientific concepts. Guided discovery approach to teaching requires the educator to ask effective questions that encourage children to explore and extend their investigations throughout science learning (Campbell, 2012). This can be developed through play experiences as children explore their world around them. An interactive approach to teaching children is based on questions that lead explorations and the educators to provide essential resources to guide these explorations (Campbell, 2012). It is the educators’ responsibility to support children’s development, ideas, questions, ways of thinking, and develop scientific thinking. Furthermore, an inquiry approach to teaching relates to children investigating the answers to their own

Rocks: Students learn about rocks through the use of a film. The student uses a white board to take notes, and organizes notes with the use of a graphic organizer.

The philosophy of the primary school where I work is that every child's unique needs and abilities should and must be honored. Children's different learning needs and styles are incorporated into the curriculum. On an informal level, teachers are encouraged to make use of lesson plans that utilize different types of media and methods of evaluation. Lesson plans often make use of visual and kinesthetic aspects of the learning experience as well as more traditional methods that emphasize mathematical, spatial, and verbal intelligences.

Theorists such as Dewey, Gardner, Piaget, Bruner, Vygotsky and many others based their work around the constructivist theory that knowledge is constructed from the child being an active participant in the development of their learning. Over time many types of inquiry learning models have been developed, all placing the child as centre of the learning, giving children the opportunities to explore, question and management of their learning. The author’s own personal philosophy of teaching and learning collaborates this when affirming that ‘by creating a collaborative learning environment, children are able to grow and learn through exploring, experimenting and expressing and control their own

As children are still learning they do not have distinct experiences thus far to be able to determine what is wrong, right, impossible and possible. The teachers job is to help them learn this information, even if the child does not know the right questions to ask. Inquiry based learning is how the teacher is expected to teach the new information so they will truly understand the knowledge.In an inquiry, each activity must build the necessary understanding to accomplish the task. Mrs Danchuk was able to develop inquiry based learning with there students by having them to think on a deeper level within a tie frame she is enabling critical thinking in students. In addition, a common goals that educators bring to the classroom, and interdisciplinary instruction and exploration promotes realization of these objectives. My mentor teacher accomplished this by engaging students and helping them to develop knowledge, insights, problem-solving skills, self-confidence, self-efficacy, and a passion for learning. Mrs. Danchuck also included discipline based learning in the lesson by discussing each stick note and making it relatable to the students, she was able to help students develop a better understanding. In the reading one of the main concepts discussed in discipline based learning describes how students learn and gain more knowledge when they understand the ways

This assignment is a case study of a child’s engagement, inquiry skills and understanding of physical or chemical understandings. There are two parts to the assignment that build to the final case study report. Part A is to design a science inquiry activity suitable for engaging a child at junior primary with physical or chemical science understandings that uses materials like water, sand, ball or tubes. At the next, it is needed to figure out how the planned inquiry activity links to the Australian Curriculum and the early Years Learning Framework. This report also needs to explain and justify the learning theory that underpins the activity and the proposed teaching and learning approach. At the last

rocks, sticks, and flowers probe their imagination. The sounds of nature are a unique learning experience

Science is, by its nature, inquiry based and science knowledge is built through processes in which discoveries of the natural world are made (Abruscato, 2000). It utilizes discovery and scientific thinking process to explore and learn knowledge and skills. Learning by doing is the new efficient method in teaching science. For kindergarten, this method leads to better understanding of science concepts and builds skills that children will use in future life .What a child can do with assistance now, they can later do on their own (Vygotsky, 1978). John Dewey (1916) stated that children must be engaged in an active quest for learning and new ideas. Inquiry is important in educating kindergarteners because it not only keeps them interested in lessons but also helps them retain more information when performing exploration and investigation. Children are naturally motivated to learn and actively seek out information to help their understanding (Piaget, 1950).The success of students who participate in hands- on inquiry activities suggests that if students have first hands experience with science, concepts are easier to understand and apply and students are generally more favorable to science and have better understanding of the nature of science .Within a conceptual framework, inquiry learning and active learner involvement can lead to important outcomes in the classroom. In kindergarten, students who are actively making observations, collecting results and drawing

Three to five-year olds have been exploring water all their lives, whether in the bath, as a sink, in the rain, or on a beach. Ideally they have had regular opportunities to explore at the water table area in the classroom too. The open exploration of water builds on children’s prior experiences by giving them plenty of time to explore water with materials selected to highlight water’s movement and its ability to take the shape of its container. In addition, open exploration introduces children to science talks with the whole class, which continue throughout open and focused explorations. Science talks give children opportunities to reflect on their observations, experiences, questions and theories, and they create a group sense

What were the objectives of this lesson? How well do you think your students understood the overall purpose and relevance of the lesson? (APS 4.A–C)

Adjusting learning and studying strategies can be a fast easy way to improve a college grade from a B to an A. Through studies of learning styles I have been able to decipher my learning types. I am a visual learner, have an integrated brain, meaning I use both hemispheres, and ranked highest in bodily-kinesthetic and logic-mathematical intelligence.

What I learned and understand now is that it is very important to be a supporting teacher and be an advocate for the family and children. When there are many different backgrounds it is important to find ways in making the families come together with the classroom setting for example they talked in the video about the nature walk, which I think is a great way to have parent interaction. Being aware that at times children may demonstrate issues by other forms because their might be a language difference is very important because many young children try to communicate with one other, but it might be hard so they start to gesture in a nonverbal way. When you have labels and images I think it creates a better environment for the child and the parent

With thirty-eight students are being taught by just one teacher there is only so much one-on-one time available during class times. “"Kids are unpredictable, and kids need attention. In smaller classes, you can give them the attention they need. You can allow them to express themselves and you don't have to make them be quiet so that others get a chance to speak. It is not our job to simply make kids memorize information and regurgitate it on multiple choice tests, but rather to encourage their participation in classes and

This paper will identify which of the Kolb learning styles best suits me and why I think so. It will also give some examples from my past and present to support these findings. After determining, the learning styles that best fit me and completing an inventory exercise, I have concluded that I learn best using audio and visual techniques in the learning process. I agree with everything this exercise has brought to light. I never knew that these styles were the meaning by which I learned. I have also included examples as to how I see the use and benefits of these learning styles in my career.