Teaching Students With Science Teachers

They were interviewed at the beginning and end of the school year. The interviews were coded for quanitative analysis. The participants were practicing science teachers from a large urban school district in the western United States. The district’s student population was ethnically diverse Participants were recruited by an email to all high school Earth science teachers. Benchmark exams that measure student progress on important Earth science concepts at the beginning and end of each school year to provide a standard of focus.

It is the measurement of what students are learning. Achievement is defined by how well they can master certain skills. Assessments provide objective and subjective data in order to see student progress and mastery of skills (Ronan, 2015). Most educators select a valid, research-based assessment tool that ensures all areas are being assessed and that objective and reliable results are being produced that are shareable with parents, staff members, administrators and state. Assessments can include criterion-based testing, norm-referenced testing, or a combination of those. Observational assessment is an informal technique of watching your students to identify strengths and weaknesses, behaviors and cognitive strategies (Scholastic, 2000). Observations help determine which students need additional support and how to adjust instruction to encourage better learning. They help to guide and record teacher observations as certain tasks are performed. Student checklists can be used by students for self-assessments. They develop their own list of qualities to judge for their own work. Students who learn to monitor their own progress and judge their own efforts will strive to improve (Witt, Elliot, Kramer,

Assessment is a valuable tool to measure students learning and achievement. It is an essential element for teacher to reflect on what and how they teach. To assess students is to collect evidence of their learning. Teachers use the information to modify their lesson plans and adjust their instructional methods; students need feedback on their performance to concentrate on their vulnerable areas. Assessment is necessary for parents to reinforce their children strength and assist them where extra attention is required. The data collected will inform school

Coffey, J. E., Hammer, D., Levin, D. E & Grant, T. (2011). The Missing Disciplinary Substance of Formative Assessment. Journal of research in science teaching. 48 (10) PP. 1109–1136 (2011) College of Education, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 2 Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 3 St. Paul School, Baltimore, Maryland Received 17 April 2011; Accepted 5 August 2011. Retrieved from file:///Users/EleanorNewbold/Downloads/Coffey_et_al-2011-Journal_of_Research_in_Science_Teaching.pdf

Performance assessments are different from standardized testing because instead of students sitting for hours and answering application questions with the choices of A,B,C, or D students will physically demonstrate what they have learned.(Performance Based Assessment) Under performance assessments, students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge through such tasks as group projects, writing essays, performing experiments and giving them and showing the teachers they comprehend the subject. (Performance Based Assessment) The key factors in this process, is that performance assessments require kids to be active participants and have them comprehend how to get to the answer by demonstrating their knowledge. (Performance Based Assessment) In this way teachers will be provided “with more information about the learning needs of their students and [will be able to] modify their methods to meet these needs.”(Performance Based Assessment) This process “also allows students to assess their own progress and, therefore, be more responsible for their education.” (Performance Based Assessment) Schools and teachers can benefit from the process of performance assessments because of the academic knowledge they are able to show and perform during these types of assessments. (Pollard) The performance assessments can be a recognizable way of demonstrating how much the students

During the course of the year, we learned about the Investigation-Colloquium Method (I-CM) of the teaching science which emphasizes that children learn more by interacting with their peers, sharing their thoughts and collaborate information among themselves. As the word colloquium suggests, it is an informal gathering of peers during a discussion, it is during this discussion children expand on their learning experiences. This method is similar to what Vygotsky would have considered as the “Zone of Proximal Development.” His theory suggested that during a colloquium children tend to sharpen their perception which will, in turn, promote mental growth. As a future teacher of science, my goal is to base my lesson plans on the I-CM method by using it as a benchmark for my instructional practices. Some of these approaches would include concepts, materials, investigations, use of data charts, creative dramatics, and closure to name a few. Each of these subcategories of I-CM further enhances the concept of this method which will be discussed later in further detail. However, in my opinion, the role of a teacher is the pinnacle entity for a successful colloquium among children and an even more successful pedagogy of science.

Performance Activity 46: How a teacher assesses student learning impacts student learning by assessing the level of performance and comprehension of newly learned material. For example, Ms. Boerema will quiz her students every two weeks on STEM vocabulary words. By using a formative assessment, such as vocabulary quizzes, it assess the measure of how many STEM vocabulary words were answered correctly. Ms. Boerema assess students on the STEM vocabulary words on capitalization, punctuation, and grammar/mechanics. Student learning is impacted by using the correct conventions and punctuation to be used in all aspects of daily life.

Through this standard, teachers will engage all students in science by setting goals for students that correlate to state and national standards. Through various strategies (i.e. learning activities, instructional settings, technology) students will achieve the goals set by the teacher and fair assessment strategies will be used to determine if the goals were met. Through the use of laboratory/field settings and various technology, students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of science. Teachers will also design lesson plans that provide opportunities for active inquiry in which students can collect and interpret data in order to develop and understand various scientific processes. Fair assessment strategies will also be used to evaluate students and their preconceptions and understandings that have been

Facing the pressure of standardized tests, students try to cram too much information in a short period of time. The memory capacity decreases from the stress of the one high-pressure test that can decide whether they well get held back and redo the entire year over. When a student receive poor test results, this may also make them feel insecure about their intelligence and encourage them to give up and possibly drop out of school later on. It is evident that many students have weakened their ability to think creatively, in the United States. Christopher Longo states that Inquiry-based science instruction has led the way in assisting students in the process of discovering knowledge for themselves instead of simply being asked to recall information. Inquiry learning promotes creativity by increasing motivation, wonderment, and curiosity. The author proposes that inquiry is the key to enhancing creativity, while still meeting the demands of standardize testing. (Longo) Inquiry based learning is a form of teaching which involves the teacher as a guide on the side. In

Numerous states have linked student performance to teacher assessment. This is another implementation of teachers just resorting to teaching the test to their students. Because there is so much riding on the results, teachers often feel compelled to do this. In most schools across the country, the sciences, social studies and the arts are being neglected to have more time for the students to prepare to take the tests in math, reading and writing.

When surveyed, 100% of faculty responded favorably when asked if they emphasize higher order thinking skills, not just learning the facts. When students were asked the same question, over 92% of students responded favorably.  Evidence of this is seen in:

Scientific-based instruction is something that teachers use all the time in their classroom. Teachers are consistently assessing and evaluating students’ performance, creating and amending individual education plans, lesson plans, and reflecting on their practices. As teachers, we should be doing rigorous research and building hypothesis to base further teaching practices on.

The National Curriculum for Science (2013), anticipates to advance all pupils’ scientific knowledge and conceptualise understanding through the segmented scientific approaches; biology, chemistry and physics. In addition, pupils should have an awareness of the nature, processes and approaches used within science, through the various scientific enquires that enable pupils to answer questions related to the world and life. Finally, the aims of the science curriculum also consider that children must have the resources to fund the knowledge that is necessary to use science in the, present and future tense states the Department of Education (2013).

In Science, teachers serve as the facilitator of learning, guiding them through the inquiry process. Teachers must ask open-ended questions, allow time for the students to answer, avoid telling students what

Assessments are integral parts of instruction, they determine whether classroom goals have been achieved, and help teachers know what areas they should focus on and maybe reteach. They are great tools for developing lesson plans and answer questions such as; “do my students possess full understanding of the material?” There are many ways of assessing students’ learning, one of which I have personal experience with are on-the-spot assessments.