KLEIN's
GUIDE TO
SCIENCE EDUCATION
PHOTO CREDIT: Nadene Klein at Tuolumne Meadows Yosemite National Park
Science can be looked at through two different lenses. First is the "wide angle" lens. This includes big concepts and general connections. A lot of students can see the big picture and that's super important. Second is the "microscopic" lens. This includes all of the nit picky details and subtle nuances of observations. In my experience, fewer students focus on the details which are equally important.
So, how do we get them from the big picture to the fine tuning? Here are some helpful options, but know that you'll need a lot of patience and positive reinforcement too. •Give students a check list for what to look for. •Model for students how to depict and describe the details. •Use exemplars, particularly student created ones. •Give specific feedback and allow students to try again using the feedback as a guide. •Empathize with students. Acknowledge that finding and describing details is difficult and then encourage them to persevere. •Remind students to slow down and pay attention to the details. The biggest culprit of the oversight of details is the rush job. Students are in a hurry to complete a task. In that rush, details get overlooked. Other issues that a teacher may need to overcome include students with ADD/ADHD, personality/style, cognitive development, self-confidence, and lack of experience. In my classes, I see the the struggle to record details in lab reports. I developed a checklist that includes 32 details that need to be included in every lab report. I encourage students to use the checklist to guide their writing. The class acts a teachers grading a former student's lab report using the checklist and discuss what is right and what is amiss. We use the same list the whole school year. I give feedback on the checklist and allow students the opportunity to make corrections. Then I regrade the lab report. I praise growth and improvement. You will see growth and improvement. Just be patient; it'll show in the details. Scientifically yours, Nadene
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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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