Three-Dimensional Instruction: Using a New Type of Teaching in the Science Classroom

Abstract

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Science teaching and learning in the United States are at a pivotal point. A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC 2012b) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS; NGSS Lead States 2013) shift science educators' focus from simply teaching science ideas to helping students figure out phenomena and design solutions to problems. This emphasis on figuring out is new, provocative, and exciting, and it represents a revolution in how we teach science at all grade levels. In their learning, students must use all three dimensions of the new standards--crosscutting concepts (CCs), disciplinary core ideas (DCIs), and science and engineering practices (SEPs)--in an integrated fashion in order to make sense of phenomena or design solutions to problems (see Duncan and Cavera 2015). Classrooms incorporating three-dimensional learning will have students build models, design investigations, share ideas, develop explanations, and argue using evidence, all of which allow students to develop important 21st century skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and self management (NRC 2012a). Three-dimensional learning also helps students learn to apply new knowledge to other situations. Every student will benefit from this new instructional approach. What is different with three-dimensional learning? When I started my teaching career, I frequently engaged students in labs or had them observe a demonstration so they could experience science first- or secondhand. My focus, however, was on students learning the content rather than on having them make sense of phenomena. Learning content is important and necessary; it gives students usable knowledge of the big ideas of science, which serve as tools for thinking about and figuring out phenomena. However, research clearly shows that learning content cannot be separated from the doing of science (NRC 2007). If we want students to learn content and apply their knowledge, then they must use the SEPs and CCs with the DCIs together. None of the dimensions can be used in isolation; they work together so that students can build deeper understanding as they grapple with making sense of phenomena or finding solutions to problems. As a result, learners can figure out more complex phenomena or design solutions to more perplexing problems. How often should each dimension be used? Teachers and administrators often ask how often each of the three dimensions should be used, but this is the wrong question to ask. Rather, you should ask yourself: Are my students engaged in making sense of phenomena or designing solutions to problems? Engaging students in three-dimensional learning isn't an item on a checklist; it is an orientation one takes to science teaching, and it should be used every day. Three-dimensional learning involves establishing a culture of figuring out phenomena or designs to problems. My friend and colleague Michael Novak expressed these ideas well while we participated in a workshop on designing curriculum aligned to the NGSS. To know whether three-dimensional learning is occurring in a classroom, Michael said that teachers should ask students to explain what they are doing. Ideally, students would say that they are trying to figure out how a phenomenon works or how to solve a problem, rather than saying that they are learning about balancing equations, adaptation, or the water cycle. Figuring out permeates classrooms that focus on three-dimensional learning. Scientists and engineers work in three dimensions Scientists and engineers use the skills involved in three-dimensional learning throughout their careers. They talk about and engage in making sense of phenomena, and to do so, they simultaneously use SEPs, DCIs, and CCs to discover and make connections among the science ideas related to their current understanding. For example, some scientists study the question, Do decaying maple leaves add to the ecology of lakes? …