Elementary Science Classrooms Research Articles

A teacher's implementation of authentic assessment in an elementary science classroom

This study describes an elementary school teacher's implementation of authentic assessment strategies in her science classes. After completing a graduate elementary science methods course, this teacher decided to make changes that would align her assessment strategies with her hands-on approach to teaching science. She experimented with a variety of assessment strategies and was successful in the use of science logs, performance assessment, creative drama, scrapbooks, and interviews, while rejecting the use of portfolios. Factors that contributed to the successful implementation included administrative support, close contact with parents, collaboration with university faculty, teacher's ownership, and the teacher's flexibility to try a variety of strategies. The teacher's perception of assessment shifted toward an integrated model wherein instruction and assessment occur simultaneously. Her typical reaction after assessing her students changed from disappointment in how they performed on a test to surprise at how much they knew. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Knowledge-based cognition and performance assessment in the science classroom

Changes in knowledge underlie the cognitive capabilities that are displayed in competent performance and the acquisition of improved performance. It is important to bring these knowledge-generated processes to attention because they represent possibilities for instructional design that might improve learning. In this article, the role of performance assessments in making relevant cognitive activity apparent to teachers and students is discussed. Descriptions of the cognitive activity of fifth-grade students carrying out a science performance assessment reveal critical differences between those who think and reason well with their knowledge of circuits and those who do not. Differences in quality of explanations, adequacy of problem representation, appropriateness of solution strategies, and frequency and flexibility of self-monitoring indicate more or less effective learning of the subject matter. Awareness of and attention to these cognitive characteristics of competent performance in an assessment situation provides teachers the necessary feedback to construct classroom environments that encourage reasoning and knowledge integration. In this way, performance assessments not only evaluate student performance but suggest changes in instructional practice to support effective learning in the elementary science classroom.

The transformation of individual and collective knowledge in elementary science classrooms that are organised as knowledge-building communities

This study was designed to address two purposes. First, we wanted to test working hypotheses derived from previous studies about the transformation of individual and collective knowledge in elementary classrooms. Second, we attempted to understand the degree to which “ownership” was an appropriate concept to understand the process of learning in science classrooms. Over a four-month period, we collected extensive data in a Grade 6/7 classroom studying simple machines. As in our previous studies we found that (a) conceptual and material resources were readily shared among students, and (b) tool-related practices were appropriated as newcomers participated with more competent others (peers and teachers) in the pursuit of student-framed goals. We also found that for discursive change (“learning”) at the classroom level to occur, it appeared more important whether a new language game was closely related to students' previous language games than who actually proposed the new language game (teacher or student). Implications are drawn for the design of science curricula and classroom activities.

An analysis of scientific understandings of preservice elementary teacher education students

AbstractThis article reports an investigation of the intuitive scientific ideas and understandings of 321 preservice elementary teacher education students enrolled in the 2nd year of a 3‐year program. The sample completed a physical science concept challenge instrument by responding, in writing, to open‐ended questions about the concepts of floating/sinking, the nature of matter, air pressure and its effects, and the balance beam. Subjects' responses and explanations were analyzed, and response categories established. The results reveal that the majority of subjects, with the exception of a high proportion of those who had a successful senior high school background in physics and chemistry, have misunderstandings in these basic concept areas. It is argued that teachers should have a sound conceptual knowledge base in order to implement effective problem‐solving strategies in the elementary science classroom. The importance of teaching science in elementary schools is widely acknowledged, therefore, teacher educators must identify and implement more effective strategies for science instruction in preservice teacher education courses that will enable all students to construct scientifically accurate concept knowledge.

A study of culturally syntonic variables in the bilingual/bicultural science classroom

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to conduct a needs assessment of bilingual/bicultural elementary science classrooms in order to determine if the current instructional environment addresses the educational needs of Hispanic/Latino children. This study examined 57 randomly selected elementary bilingual/bicultural science classrooms in a large metropolitan area of the southwestern United States in terms of culturally syntonic variables (i.e., culture‐of‐origin beliefs and/or practices that impact the teaching/learning process). Findings from this study indicate that Hispanic/Latino children are receiving science instruction: (a) with culturally asyntonic printed materials, teaching strategies, and supplementary materials, (b) in classrooms that do not use the child's native language, familia learning groups, peer tutoring, or manipulative materials, and (c) with oral and verbal instruction that lack culturally syntonic role models, examples, analogies, and elaborations. Findings from this study imply that changes are needed in pre‐service and in‐service teacher training, in science textbook formats, and in the scope and focus of elementary school bilingual/bicultural science curriculum and instructional strategies.

Science related social issues in the elementary school: The Extended Case Study approach

Many elementary science teachers approach science as a body of knowledge. Thus, instruction is didactic, emphasizing the teacher-led presentation and memorization of information. This approach often fails to facilitate intrinsic motivation, utilize critical thinking, foster perceptions of relevance or utility, or capture the authentic flavor of inquiry-based science. The Extended Case Study (ECS) strategy offers elementary science teachers the potential to achieve many of those outcomes. This approach uses a community-based, science-related social issue (SRSI) as an instructional context to identify and develop science concepts as well as skills such as information processing, research methods, and decision making. This report describes how a class of Wisconsin fifth graders used the ECS approach to understand, analyze, investigate, and act on a science-related social issue in their community. The ECS approach provides a vehicle for teachers to coordinate an interdisciplinary Science-Technology Society or environmental education perspective with science knowledge and critical thinking in the elementary science classroom.

Elementary science education: Looking toward the future

The ideal elementary science curriculum — and its instructional counterpart — are seldom straightforward. Over the past few years the goal of improving science education in the elementary schools has resulted in fundamental changes in both the content and pedagogy of elementary science teaching. Current thought suggests curricular and instructional frameworks that have important implications for improving the quality of teaching in elementary science classrooms. These frameworks offer a reconceptualization of science in the elementary grades and may ultimately determine what will be taught and how. They may serve to guide elementary science into the next century.

Scientific Validity of Proposed Public Education Materials for Balanced Treatment of Creationism and Evolution in Elementary Science Classrooms of Alabama

The political fight for the inclusion of “scientific creationism” in public school curricula has generated reactions of scientists from many disciplines, who nearly unanimously dismiss this material as unfit for science teaching. Because some “creationist” materials were written specifically for science classes, such as general science, biology, and geological modules, they should be evaluated prior to use for scientific content and accuracy. Should these materials fail to conform with the body of generally accepted, modern scientific knowledge, then they do not belong in the science classrooms of our public schools.I have examined several of the books written by “creationists” for public school science classes, and evaluated them for bias and distortion in their treatment of scientific facts, hypotheses and conclusions. All of the materials I examined exhibit statements of distortion and bias.In addition to unsatisfactory scientific content, I have also noted a degree of dogmatism. This is curious because one of the objections of the “scientific creationists” to current content in public school science classrooms is the teaching of modern science in dogmatic fashion: for example, Darwinian evolution is taught as dogma, in conjunction with no other alternatives (i.e. “scientific creationism”).These materials proposed for the public school science classroom do not belong there, because they do not teach modern science. The lack of scientific validity of “science creationist” literature should be emphasized in debate and discussion at especially the local level.

Effects of cooperation and teacher support on student attitudes toward decision making in the elementary science classroom

Effects of cooperation and teacher support on student attitudes toward decision making in the elementary science classroom

SOME EFFECTIVE SCIENCE ACTIVITIES IN THE UPPER ELEMENTARY GRADES

(This article is the third of a series of four articles of practical interest to elementary science teachers. Miss Fahy is the Principal of the Peirce N. E. A. and has had several years of experience in promoting the teaching of elementary science. The activities she describes have been used and have proved successful.The first article of the series entitled “Adding Interest to the Elementary Science Classroom” by Dorothy Phipps appeared in the March issue. The second article gave suggestions for the care and handling of pets in the classroom and appeared in the April issue. The fourth and last article of the series will deal with science activities in the primary grades and will be in the June issue. D. W. R.)