Now this approach is the best one that lends itself to my content of seventh grade science. From the yearly science fair projects to the summarizing tools we use, Constructivism is an approach that is easily adjusted to the technology we have available in our classrooms.
I often do organizational maps to help with summarizing topics for the tests. Students will do much more when technology than if we have a paper copy. Thursday of this week we will be doing a technology edition of the organizer they did for meiosis, the process of producing sex cells. If you can imagine, I get lots of giggles in class every time I say sex, but they do like to giggle. The concept map they build is a summarizing tool for meiosis, which they have already done a draft copy in their notebooks. The end product is one that they can elect to display in the hall as a technology example.
I also did an inquiry-based project right before the winter break. My students cut out paper dolls(we called them human body systems) and used the connecting body between the number 1,3,5 doll to do a comparison of how the systems work together. It was two sided, so all the systems were used and compared, relating how the systems share organs and work together.
As far as hypotheses, science classes work on them yearly. We start the year every year making sure all students know how to write a correct hypothesis, using only one topic and a testable question. We do many activities on this, then we put it into practice with the science fair project. But each of the lab activities or demonstrations lend themselves for reviewing this skill, which science students begin in elementary school science classes and continue to improve in middle and high school classes.
I do have resources approved for student use, with research help from the media specialist and our school system's intranet research tools. But the website from the project-based websites Internet Tools that Support On-line Project-Based Learning is one that I will add to my school toolbox. I would highly recommend it to middle and elementary teachers as the subjects are well-developed with a variety of topics and tools for teachers.
http://www.teach-nology.com/subjects/science/
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JoAnne,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to the website. I will definitely take a look at it for my science lab. Don't you just love middle school students and the age of giggling!
JoAnne,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if there was ever a time that you are not using the strategy of testing hypotheses in class? That was a joke, if anyone has the most experience with this strategy, it would be all of the science teachers. And for giggling middle school kids, they are one funny group!
Wow, Joanne. You have some great ideas, and it's obvious that you epitomize the constructionist theory! I think you're right that kids will do more when technology is involved, as opposed to paper copies. Can I ask how your kids are doing grade-wise, espeically on standardized tests? It sounds as though your students receive amazing opportunities for learning, so I just wondered if you could see this reflected in their scores.
ReplyDeleteJoAnne
ReplyDeleteI made this brilliant comment and I wasn't signed in and I hit post and it disappeared. I will try to recreate what I said, here it goes...I think that it is awesome that you can use the items youare learning here at Walden in this course to immediately affect the lessons you teach in the classroom. I know how 7th graders are and boy it can be tough but all of those assignments you mentioned seem right on tract with the constructionist theory. It is important that the students can create an artifact that is tangible to their information porcessing center in their brains. I would like to offer a suggestion to go along with your paper dolls it is a site called www.brainpop.com it is great. I rant and rave about it, our school has purchased the license agreement because the classroom teachers have found multiple uses for it. Check it out it is very kid friendly and colorful and has videosand quizes for all subject areas and topics. Just a suggestion and awesome work incorporation what you have learned here at Walden into your curriculum.
Great ideas! Concept maps are tremendous resources that really allow the student to completely illustrate their understanding of a piece of content. I think that the more opportunities that you allow students to work with these the more comfortable a student will become in using this method to connect their ideas in other areas.
ReplyDeleteJoAnne,
ReplyDeleteLike Rakeebah, I've used Brain Pop as well. Kids love it, it's user friendly and it's a great source. Check and see if your school can purchase a license for it.
JoAnne,
ReplyDeleteI can see where concept maps and constructionism fit easily into science. If you think about it it is comon in every subject area if the students are producing something that they can share. I thought that was a key concept of sharing with peers, and then going back and improving the project, paper, or lab. I think in education we get squeezed for time and we leave out that step of the process. I don't or haven't used concept map much mainly because that's not how I learn and they are confusing to me. Since I found the Webspiration website I am using them more. It's one more thing I can add to my classes, and I can use technology as the hook.
Charles Schmidt