![]() Teachers easily discover how student learning is progressing and any misconceptions that need attention along the way. Their thinking and evolving learning is visible. Why are models important in science education? Students use models to explain how phenomena work in the real world. While these objects can be models, a newer definition of modeling requires students to incorporate new knowledge into their models by revising them. When most people think of models, solar systems or the popular volcano come to mind. It’s modeling, but it’s a strategy that’s as different from the old volcano model as vertebrates are from invertebrates. All promise to make our students better problem-solvers, but I’ve found one method really does help students learn and retain science concepts. ![]() Since NGSS came to town upending how we teach science, a whirlwind of new strategies has been coming our way. She currently works as a STEM observer for CREATE 4 STEM and writes for The Practical Science Teachers blog: As long as students are growing and improving, progress is being made.Ĭheryl Matas has been an elementary teacher for over 30 years, specializing in science education. Show them how they can bounce back from failure. No one gets everything right on the first try. In an era of high-stakes testing, students need to know that it’s OK to fail. Learning to fail isn’t just a lesson for the science classroom. They shouldn’t be willing to harm themselves if they fail. They shouldn’t live in fear and anxiety over failure. As teachers, we must demystify failure for them. Some of our highest-achieving students are having mental-health issues because of their fear of failure. Learning how to fail is important for students at every academic-achievement level. In science, progress is made by learning from failure. Gravity will make a defective bridge fall, and even NASA loses rockets. In the real world, the forces of nature will tell you when you have failed. Students complain that this is unfair, but I tell them that nature is grading them, not me. The students get unlimited attempts, but to get an A, they must launch their projectile past the farthest mark. I put pieces of tape on the floor indicating how far the projectiles must fly to get a particular letter grade. What is less popular is my grading scale. My students do a lab that uses hydrogen and oxygen gas to launch projectiles across the room. Data and evidence from research will reveal what is valid no matter how unlikely. A reasonable hypothesis may be totally wrong. Students are more trusting and willing to share their failures and misunderstandings when they know it is possible to improve.įailure is important in science. Being vulnerable to students in this way builds rapport. eLearning has provided ample material for these demonstrations. I show students where I have failed and how I take steps to improve my performance. I try to provide my students with an environment where it is safe to fail because I am trying to teach them how to be resilient. My students swear that my favorite word is the F-word. ![]() One of his favorite projects is a student-generated science magazine on Flipboard called “Raven about Science”: ‘My Favorite Word Is the F-word’įrank Dill has been teaching science in Tampa, Fla., since 2011. Today, Frank Dill, Cheryl Matas, and Fred Chapel share their science favorites. Two weeks ago, it was about teaching English-language learners. ![]() Three weeks ago, educators shared their recommendations when it came to teaching writing. This post is part of a longer series of questions and answers inviting educators from various disciplines to share their “single most effective instructional strategy.” What is the single most effective instructional strategy you have used to teach science? (This is the first post in a two-part series.)
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