KLEIN's
GUIDE TO
SCIENCE EDUCATION
PHOTO CREDIT: Nadene Klein at Tuolumne Meadows Yosemite National Park
All teachers have heard of if not used station rotation in their classrooms. This is effective even at the secondary level. Students travel from one station to another every few minutes around the room engaging in various learning activities. Perhaps each station offers a different modality or a different subtopic. Students benefit from physical movement, time limits to accomplish tasks, and the opportunity to collaborate in their group. Teachers benefit from efficient use of time, having students productively multi-task, and only needing one set of supplies/equipment for the whole class rather than per group. When station rotation like this is being implemented you see a seemingly harmonious flow around the room.
I've utilized this method many times in my science classes. Recently I decided to try a twist to it. My physics students were struggling to complete their most recent lab reports. For some it was an issue of time management and for others it was uncertainty in what or how they should be writing. On day one, students worked in their chosen (rather than assigned) seats. I circulated through the room checking in on all students and offering support as needed. Oddly, little progress was made. On day two, I put a simple tent sign on each of the three table groups in the room. Once students settled in, I explained the new signage to the. The could select to move to the table marked Teacher Time where I would be seated the whole class time if they wanted my direct help. If they felt that they needed to collaborate with the members of their lab group, they could move to the table labeled Grouping. Their third option was to put in their earbuds and work silently and independently at the table with the sign, Ssh...Solo. Before I let students relocate, I gave them this last bit of instruction...Once you fulfill your needs at the station you chose, you can fluidly move to one of the other stations without asking. For example, if a student started in Grouping and no longer needed the group's help, they could move to Ssh...Solo. If a student started working with me at Teacher time but now need to confirm data to make their graph, they could shift over to the Grouping table...and so on. Some students sat in the same place all class period while others hopped around from table to table. Almost everyone finished their lab reports. Those that didn't finish made significant progress and indicated more confidence in finishing on their own. On day three, I asked for feedback. I wanted to know if students found this set up helpful. I wanted to know what they liked and what they didn't like. I was genuinely shocked when there was not one piece of constructive criticism. This group of students doesn't hold back. They stated that they like having choice; they liked knowing where I was and not having to wait for me to get to them; they liked being able to move as their needs changed rather then based on a time limit; and they unanimously want me to use this strategy again in the future.
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Student scientists need to develop skills. However, they get bored with lecture, rote practice, worksheets and the like. To engage my students, I use a skill progression that is part gradual release, a dash of the 5 Es, and a bunch of hands-on/authentic/inquiry based learning experiences. I begin with a discussion or demonstration as an introduction and to elicit background knowledge. Teacher led practice comes next. This is followed by small group guided practice. The last step is for students to engage in the application of their new skill independently. Here are a couple of examples straight from my classroom this month. ZOOLOGY EXAMPLE: (1) We had a discussion on the difference between observation and inference and why knowing the difference is important when doing an animal behavior study. (2) I read a variety of statements and students identified if they were observations or inferences by moving to two different sides of the room. (3) The next day, students worked in small groups through a station rotation whey they practiced taking observations of animal behavior using various techniques. They completed this Animal Behavior Stations record sheet (see preview image below). They recorded tally marks to document swim patterns of a fish in our aquarium, made a bullet pointed list of monkeys interacting with enrichment from this video, drew a sketch or diagram of the movement of a giant grasshopper that a student caught on our campus, and wrote a journal type description of the behavior of our class gecko. (4) After the previous practice, students were ready to do their own animal behavior study by selecting an animal to observe in person and then choosing the technique from the four they had practiced OR selecting an online citizen scientist project. Either way, this culminated with the writing of a summary/conclusion in which they used their observations as evidence to draw inferences about the behaviors they witnessed. PHYSICS EXAMPLE: This example has two layers. Students had to learn the 6 different simple machines and the be able to calculate mechanical advantage. (1) We began by discussing what students already know about simple machines, why humans make and use them, and what the definition of mechanical advantage is. (2) Teacher led practice consisted of looking at pictures and identifying the simple machine being used and doing sample mechanical advantage calculations using real life examples. (3) Next, students enjoyed running around the school doing a simple machine scavenger hunt. They used this handout (see preview image below) to record their findings and also took photos on their phones and emailed them to me for extra credit. In their table groups they took measurements with a force scale while using a simple machine of their choice to calculate the mechanical advantage. (4) Students designed and executed their own experiment of the mechanical advantage of simple machine(s) and wrote a full lab report. Students were able to make real world connections in both cases. They were fully engaged and could easily see the purpose in what they were learning. The big secret...this was way more fun for me too!!!
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AuthorNadene Klein, M.Ed. has been an educator for over 25 years. She brings a passion and love for science to the classroom and through this blog to you. Archives
March 2024
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