The Theory Of An Interactive Classroom Essay

In order to fully develop critical thinking skills necessary to function in the world of science, and the world in general, science teachers must incorporate more robust authentic inquiry activities, as part of their overall science curriculum. However, in my experience as a science teacher (18 years) and a science program director (3 years) in inner-city high schools in Boston, students do not have the opportunity to engage in robust authentic inquiry activities. Using my years’ experience in the public education system, it is clear to me that factors, such as teachers’ inadequate content knowledge, lack of motivation to implement inquiry, pressure to teach to high stake standardized tests, lack of experience

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

Children are very interested in the world around them, and when they explore science, it allows them to gain an understanding and make sense of the world around them. Early years children are curious and eager to find the answers to many different topics. Children will play, observe, participate in conversations, and ask many different questions. This is known as ‘everyday science’ (Campbell, Jobling & Howitt, 2015, p.8). Early childhood children learn best when playing. When an educator provides structured play, children can develop and build on their science knowledge (Walker, 2007, p.19). Early childhood children will also complete a series of trial and error exercises. The Science subjects within the Australian Curriculum [ACARA] provide a broad understanding of how things work together in the world in which we live. Giving children hands-on experiences allows them to observe different patterns of growth and change in living things, which allows them to start making predictions. A child’s science inquiry skills will begin to develop when exposed to different experiences such as how do plants grow, how is water used and how electricity work (Worth, 2010, para. 6). The experience in this report was aimed at an early childhood student by allowing him to conduct a hands-on science experiment. He was able to explore what happens when different products were added to refrigerated water. By predicting, observing and then explaining his results, the student was

When teaching natural sciences and technology, teachers need to promote an understanding of seeing these subjects as activities to promote curiosity and enjoyment about the world and that what we encounter around us. The history of science and technology should also be integrated with other subjects. Science and technology should be seen as a contribution to social justice and societal development (Motshekga, 2011). A growing need of discovery in science and technology needs to be promoted in order to form interest in ourselves, society and

Integrating other learning areas in our unit of work and exercising more resources that teachers can use in the classroom base upon our science unit is also a crucial element that our group was missing that needed to be included in our presentation. The classroom environment should include lots of books, visual materials, ICT devices and activities to facilitate learning and keep the student’s interests by promoting questioning and discussion to stimulate their science thinking processes and skills in a creative and encouraging environment. (Pitcher, 2014)

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.

In 9th grade, I began tutoring every Tuesday after school and this continued through 10th grade. During that time, I discovered that my students had a negative disposition towards science. Many saw science as "boring." I wanted to change that idea, to help them realize the wonders of science, to prove that science is fascinating and entertaining. The following summer, I prepared my proposal and pitched my ideas to Mr. Terrence Davis, Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Hopkinsville.

Wheelers said that when kids are little they love science and find all aspects of it extremely fascinating, however, when many students get to middle school and high school, then the science information gets drilled out in lectures and tests all while students are competing against one another to get the best grade.

Learning is by far the most valuable tool today. Knowledge is the stepping stone that allows people to excel beyond their previous circumstances and aim for greatness. As President of my school’s Science National Honor Society, I helped start a local outreach to an elementary school called Innovation Charter two years ago; this year, we received a grant from the American Chemical Society to fund our project, allowing us to impact the school even more than last year. Innovation Charter is full of students with low socioeconomic statuses, so our goal is to bring quality education to children who aren’t afforded those benefits. While at the school, we perform a myriad of fun and interactive science experiments and explain the scientific principle

Despite valuable research in the field of engaging diverse students in science education, there is still a “gap” where these groups continue to be underrepresented and marginalized in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields (Brotman &Moore, 2008). Research indicates that the problem arises early in the classroom where curriculum and classroom environment does not account for the increase of diverse students’ groups in the classroom. Furthermore, teacher might not be receiving professional development training that prepares them for teaching to multicultural schools, particularly schools that serve underrepresented communities (Sleeter, 2001). In the last decade, research studies have suggested that inquiry-based learning can prepare students to become critical thinkers and subsequently increase their achievement in the classroom. In addition, these studies have supported the argument that including science inquiry in the classroom promotes achievement and equity in science and language acquisition for culturally and linguistically diverse students (Cuevas et al., 2005; Sleeter, 2001; Stoddart et al., 2002).

Students are considered to be scientists in the inquiry process. Children will view themselves as scientists as they learn. They look forward to science, demonstrate a desire to learn more, seek collaboration with their classmates, they are confident in doing science, and willing to take risks. Students are readily engaged in exploring science. They have curiosity, ponder observations, move around to get the materials they need, and have the opportunity to try out their ideas. Students are able to communicate using various amounts of methods. They express their ideas in journals, reporting, or drawing. They listen, speak, and write about science. They communicate their level of understanding of concepts and ideas. The students propose explanations and solutions based off their data. They use investigations to satisfy their own questions. They sort out information that is needed and important. They become willing to revise explanations and gain new knowledge. They raise questions, use questions to lead them to investigations, and students begin to enjoy using questions to ponder ideas. Students begin to observe rather than look. They see details, detect sequences, and notice change, similarities, and differences. The students begin to make

There is a growing trend in the use of technology in the classroom. As a teacher, I am always looking for ways to use manipulatives in my lessons to increase meaning and authenticity for students. I would love to keep my students engaged, motivated and interactive in the classroom and still be able to get through the content each day. In order to achieve this, I need to have an arsenal of tools to draw from. That is why I agree with (Tataroglu & Erduran, 2010) as stated in the International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education (IEJEE) that “The use of technologies like IWBs in the classroom can provide teachers and students convenience and variety. “

Inquiry based learning is not a new concept in education. Inquiry based learning can be traced back to educational theorists such as Dewey, Bruner, Postman, and Weingarten (Justice, Rice, Roy, Hudspith, & Jenkins, 2009). Dewey believed that students need to develop critical thinking skills rather than the memorization of facts to be successful individuals (Justice et. al. 2009). Critical thinking is an important component in many fields. Dewey also felt that thinking was a reflective process and that students made observations to clarify what may be happening to gain an understanding (Runnel, Pedaste, & Leijen, 2013). Thought-provoking science demonstrations can be conducted in classrooms to allow students to make observations and try to make sense of what may be happening. Inquiry based learning

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

Responsive teaching is defined as a way of thinking about teaching and learning that connects the learner and the content in meaningful, respectful and effective ways. The way a responsive teaching connects the learner and content varies. One responsive teacher might make connections through continuous assessments and intentional planning, whereas another responsive teachers might make connections through strategic implementation and evidence-based reflection. Both responsive teachers method’s lead to maximum individual growth. When it comes to managing their learning environment, responsive teachers share the same common goal, which is to build personal relationships with students. In doing so, students will be encouraged to work in teams, take risks, practice independence and share responsibility. With that being said, flexibility in responsive teaching simply means the the ability to easily modify your responsive teaching to respond to certain circumstances. In science, living things are constantly responding to rapid changes called stimuli and in responsive teaching, teachers need to respond to the stimuli that are students. As a living thing and a teacher, we should naturally respond to stimuli in order to create the most success for ourselves and the ones around us, in this case, our students. However, is a flexible response to stimuli necessary for the success of others and yourself? Does flexibility in responsive teaching cause success and effective teaching or