ECE 7706: Module 8: Pre-K Science Education

Reflect on the value (or lack thereof) of science education at the Pre-Kindergarten level

      I have not actually experience a pre-k classroom while the students were in the classroom, so I do not know from observation. However, one of my best friends just got a job as a pre-k teacher and I was with her when she was going over the curriculum to determine what kind of supplies she would need, I never once heard mention of Science lessons. Therefore, from that one experience I believe there is a huge opportunity we are missing to work off of these young children's natural inquiry about Science. There are so many ways to get these students intersted and excited about Science because they are already curious about their surroundings as it is.

ECE 7706 Module 8: Article Seven

SMART Boards Rock!

Rebecca Giles and Edward Shaw

Synopsis:

            Due to the increase in technology in our everyday lives it only makes sense that teachers incorporate various forms of technology into the children’s education. One main form of technology that a lot of students are able to use on a daily basis are the SMART Boards which are the combination of a computer, projector and whiteboard. The students are able to manipulate the board using their hands just as they would a mouse with a computer. SMART Boards are a great tool to use with students due to the interest grabbing way it is used. They make lessons much more hands-on which in turn motivates the students to want to participate in the lessons. Through the use of SMART Boards and other technology, Science and the real world are much more connected when they students are able to access links to websites and videos at the touch of the screen. Yes, it is beneficial for students to be able to directly manipulate objects that are sitting in front of them, but it is just as effective for them to be able to complete the same activity using the whiteboard where they receive immediate feedback.

Giles, R., & Shaw, E. (2011). Smart boards rock!. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.kennesaw.edu/docview/916224652/fulltextPDF/13F49AC3C1F7990694E/45?accountid=11824

Reflection:

            We have talked so much this semester about the importance of STEM programs, and I believe the information in this article was right on track to fit in to that specific kind of program. It is vital that we catch out student’s interest with any lesson and now-a-days technology is the way to do that. When I am planning lessons, my first thoughts are “how can I incorporate the interactive whiteboard?” because I know this is one aspect of learning that truly engages me students. When there is an opportunity for whiteboard manipulation, I always allow a student or students to come up and take part in the activity. It is very apparent when you look into my classroom and see all the hands in their air to participate that they enjoy this form of technology. The students also love working on the computers and the laptops for various other projects. I fully believe that as the years go on teachers will become more and more comfortable with these forms of technology and begin to really enjoy teaching every subject due to the amount of resources available to them. The first time I ever saw an interactive whiteboard it was a SMART Board, but when I actually had my own classroom I was having to use a Promethean Board. They were completely different, so I spent the year getting use to the Promethean Board. However, even after one year I am already much more comfortable with this form of interactive whiteboard that I am so excite to see how much more I can push my elf technologically speaking next year with my students.

ECE 7706 Module 8: Article Six

The Role of Drawing in Young Children’s Construction of Science Concepts

Ni Chang

Synopsis:

            From a very young age children express themselves through drawing, so allowing the students to draw will grab their interests as well as build understandings of certain concepts. Younger children are able to give details about different animals’, insects’ or plants’ characteristics easier when they are able to create drawings. They are also able to compare and contrast their own drawings to determine differences among these living organisms. These drawings can also be used as an assessment tool in order to gauge student understanding and plan for future instruction. The pictures could also serve as pre and post assessments to determine the amount of information the child gained throughout the course of the unit/lesson/activity. Along with the student’s drawings, it is also important to involve the student in a discussion regarding their picture because this will aid in the speaking and listening skills as well as overall language development. Allowing the children to draw what they are thinking before having to speak about it allows the child to organize the information they have in their head.

Change, N. (2012). The rold of drawing in young children's construction of science concepts. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.kennesaw.edu/docview/1008895426/fulltextPDF/13F49AC3C1F7990694E/55?accountid=11824

Reflection:

              I think this is a great way to allow students to express themselves for not only the younger grades, but for the older elementary grades as well. The majority of Science concepts can be expressed with a drawing, so why not allow the students to show what they know or have learned in a manner that is enjoyable to them. I have never thought about using drawings as a way of pre and post assessing a student on specific information- that is an excellent idea! I know from a personal stand point sometimes I need to write things down in a graphic organizer format and even sometimes in picture form in order to organize my own thoughts in order to express my thoughts in a verbal format. So, I completely agree that allowing students to first draw a picture to convey their understanding will allow for a smoother relay of the verbal information. Student drawings also give the students a visual connection to all of the facts they have in their heads and it will stick with the students more than just learning the facts. Drawing within Science to express different content is something I am definitely going to try this upcoming year because I believe it will help my students to absorb the information.  

ECE 7706 Module 7: Backward Design

Do you think any of your science teachers used Backward Design to plan instruction?  Why or why not?

      Personally, I did not have any memories of my Science education in elementary or middle school, so I cannot say for sure whether those teachers used the backward design approach. However, I do not believe that most of my high school teachers incorporated the backward design approach in their teaching instruction or lesson planning. I never had a true understanding of the content in my physics and chemistry classes because the way the content was conveyed to me was not in a manner that met my cognitive needs.  In these classes, we were never aware of the end result of our learning; we always dove right into the content through the use of worksheets and textbook passages. We were never given opportunities to show what we knew through a way that makes sense to us. We were expected to regurgitate facts and formulas in a whole class format. On the other hand, from what I remember about my Biology class, I believe my teacher used the backward design approach. Before moving on to the next unit, she would give us a short of checklist that would describe the things we should know and understand by the end of the unit. We participated in hands-on experiments and various projects where we were able to express our learning in a way that made sense to us. The majority of our class assignments were in small groups where we were able to discuss the information and work together to complete the assignments. From what I can recall, the assessments went right along with all of our experiments, projects and demonstrations.  

ECE 7706 Module Six: Article Five

A Field Guide to Constructivism in the College Science Classroom: Four Essential Criteria and a Guide to their Usage 

R. Todd Hartle, Sandhya Baviskar, and Rosemary Smith

Synopsis: 

      Constructivism has been a hot learning theory/topic more recently in modern Science education due to its basis of inquiry based teaching methods. However, most educators do not truly understand how to teach using a constructivism approach. This article gives an overview of how constructivism should look within the classroom environment. 

      There are many misconceptions about the constructivism approach, so the first thing we need to realize is that social constructionism and cognitive constructivism may sound similar, but they are not the same and will not effect students' learning in the same manner. Cognitive constructivism uses students' past experiences and past knowledge to form new ideas or experiences, while the social constructionism theory takes place when "that describes how the facts that a society believes to be true are ‘constructed’ through social interactions". Cognitive constructivism is what students need in order to succeed with their education, not necessarily group work. It is the manner in which the content is presented. One false characteristic that usually pushes people away from constructivism is that it seems to be an unstructured environment, when it fact it is not that way at all. Student-centered lessons does not mean that the students can do whatever they want whenever they want. 

      "The four criteria essential to identifying and assessing constructivism are as follows: 1) eliciting prior knowledge, 2) creating cognitive dissonance, 3) applying new knowledge with feedback, and 4) reflecting on learning (metacognition)." Eliciting prior knowledge most simply means to activate student prior knowledge on the content such as through an activity, or a real-world problem. The initial activity, problem or experience must be something that is engaging. This introduction is basically a time for the students to let the teacher know what they think they already know on the topic. The information gathered through the experience will let the teacher know where to begin with the lesson and how quickly the students can move through the content. This process will also allow the students to understand where to "file" the content within their previous knowledge. Creating cognitive dissonance means that the students and teacher become aware of misconceptions in the students' knowledge. The teacher needs to help the student realize their misconceptions, so that the student can construct new links. With the Application of new knowledge with feedback the teacher should give the students various real-life problems that could be looked at from different angles in order to challenge the students thinking. Once the problems are completed, feedback needs to be given through solving a problem as a class to give the students something to compare their findings too, teacher comments on assignments/assessments, and/or peer feedback. Reflecting on learning  takes the lesson back to the beginning where the students are able to re-evaluate their initial thinking at the very beginning of the lesson or unit. The more they understand about their process of thinking/learning the more likely they will be to absorb the information. reflecting on their learning 

Hartle, R., Baviskar, S., & Smith, R. (2012). A field guide to constructivism in the college science    classroom: Four essential criteria and a guide to their usage. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ1002158.pdf

Reflection: 

      This article was very informative regarding the various characteristics needed in order for a classroom to have a true constructivist environment. I understand what a constructivist classroom is, but to see it broken down into steps makes it much easier to understand. These steps will help me to create lesson plans that really make my students think more critically about what they already know and about the current content. I really like that the last step brings the students back to their initial thinking, and allows them to correct themselves. I think that this is something that would really stick with a student and help assure their understanding. These steps still allow for the students to complete their own research and experiments in order to create their own understanding, but give the teacher a "template" to structure the lesson. 

      However, the step that confuses me the most is "creating cognitive dissonance", because it was a very short, vague description. I understand that it is important to correct misconceptions, but is this something that needs to be done on a more individual basis in order not to "call out" the children who do not understand? The paragraphs specifically stated not to have the students undergo too much cognitive dissonance because it will be detrimental to the students' confidence and overall interest in the topic. Therefore, I do not understand the best way to go about fixing the misconceptions without unmotivating the students. 

ECE 7706 Module Six: Student Profiles

Student Profiles

Tier 1 Girl:

• Visual learner- show presentations/watch videos
• Logical/Mathematical- collect and analyze data

EIP Math/Reading Student Girl:

• Tactile learner- use manipulatives to solve problems; complete experiments
• Interpersonal- participate in group collaboration, help others with specific content 

Gifted Student 1:

• Abstract conceptualization- create concept maps
• Visual leaner- show presentations; create presentations

Tier 1 Boy:

• Commonsense learner- participate in experiments; discovery through the use of technology
• Bodily-Kinesthetic learner- play interactive games

ADD Student:

• Concrete experiences- relate information/content to personal life
• Concrete Sequential learner- provide student with step-by-step learning examples/experiences

ESOL Student:

• Bodily-Kinesthetic leaner- participate in creative play experiences/process dramas
• Abstract Random learner- participate in group discussions/graffiti walls

EIP Reading Student:

• Dynamic learner- experimental science centers
• Naturalistic- make models/experience environmental surroundings

Speech Student:

• Interpersonal- particiapte in cooperative learning centers
• Imaginative learner- reflect on science experiences

Gifted Student/World Traveler:

• Spatial- use technology to create content simulations; create visual to express learned content
• Analytic learner- complete a research project

Gifted Student 2:

• Musical- create songs/raps to teach content; learn songs/raps to help remember content
• Linguistic- write newspaper articles to express learned content

Reflection

      I have been learning about the importance of diversity throughout my educational career. Within education, diversity refers to the differences found in our students' learning, as well as incorporating cultural differences of our students and within the content itself into our daily teachings. We have to remember that our students come to us with different cultures, background knowledge, personal backgrounds and learning styles. It is vital that we get to know our students on a personal level, as well as academically. At the beginning of the year, I always send home activities that will allow me to get to know my students and where they come from, and I give the students a multiple intelligence assignment that will allow me to see how my students believe they learn best. We must keep these things in mind when we are planning our lessons to ensure that we reach each and every one of our students. 

      There are so many different ways in which a student learns various types of content. For example, I am a very visual and kinesthetic learner, but my brother, even though we come from the same DNA, is very auditory. I always did very poorly in lecture-based classrooms, because it was very hard for my to focus on the content while also trying to figure out what exactly they meant. However, my brother could sit in a lecture-based classroom, barely take notes, and completely understand the content within the lecture. When I am creating a lesson or unit, I made sure that at some point or another I have reached each one of the visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic learning styles. I also try to make it a point to allow the students to collaborate with one another, but also have time to work and think on their own. Differentiated Instruction Strategies for Science, Grades K-8 had a great idea that I wish to try to incorporate more in my classroom this upcoming year: the use of Choice Boards. Choice Boards are a great way to allow your students to take responsibility for their education by choosing an activity that appeals most to their learning style. I started to experiment with Choice Boards as a way to express ones learning more towards the end of the year. My students loved being able to choose or come up with their own way of showing their peers what they learned. This not only appealed to the students learning style, but also began to appeal to their personal interests because they were able to bring their personalities into their projects. Students need to be excited about their learning, and this was a great, easy way to accomplish this through simply giving students a choice.  

            

ECE 7706 Bonus Blog: Math/Technology/Science

      It is evident in articles posted for this class, and articles I have found on my own that in traditional education all the subjects were taught completely separate of one another. However, since the initiation of integrated STEM education, it is especially evident that these subjects are so closely related that it is vital they be taught together to ensure a deeper understanding. 

      At the base of technology you will find scientific and mathematical influences. All technology works off of patterns and algorithms (math), but science determines how the machine will work. New Science and Math concepts both come first from hypothesis and then work through trial and error until the desired results are discovered. When conducting Science experiments, there is always some sort of math involved such as measurement, or problem solving capabilities. Also during Science experiments, scientists and students a like will use technology to further their understanding of the results of the tests by helping to analyze and process them. Technology also gives us various tools to complete mathematical computations. 

ECE 7706 Module 5: Article Four

Elementary and Middle School Engineering Outreach: Building a STEM Pipeline 

Gary J. Rivoli, Patricia A. S. Ralston

Synopsis: 

      The J. B. Speed School of Engineering is partnering with schools to create a STEM education pipeline that encourages students' interests in fields such as engineering, Science and technology. The "Speed School specifically implements four of the six published ASEE guidelines: 1) working with hands-on projects at the elementary level, 2) engaging young science teachers by providing them with good curriculum, materials, training and mentoring, 3) targeting minorities and females, and 4) strengthening the existing partnership between higher education (Speed) , K-12 (JCPS), and to an important community partner, the Louisville Science Center (LSC) who would provide important guidance on teacher training". The "Engineering in Elementary" (EIE) is a program supported by the Speed School that focuses on getting K-5 students headed towards STEM related studies in college. Throughout the "Engineering in Elementary" program, students would learn through modules that  allow students to take part in finding the solution to hands-on, real-world problems. At the beginning of each unit before specific content is address, the students are posed a problem and expected to use their recourse and experiments to determine an appropriate solution. EIE does not expect the students to get every problem 100% correct. Actually, the purpose of the program is to encourage group collaborations, understanding failure and be willing to try again. The curriculum within the program is not any different than anything we are learning in our schools today, EIE simply extends the curriculum with an emphasis on the STEM subjects. Soon after completing a few of the modules, students soon figure out that and begin to learn more about the important connections between Science, Math and engineering. "Their research has shown it not only improves elementary students’ understanding of science concepts, but their understanding of technology and of engineers and why their job is important.". 

Rivoli, G., & Ralston, P. (2009). Elementary and middle school engineering outreach: Building a stem pipeline. Retrieved from http://icee.usm.edu/icee/conferences/ASEE-SE-2010/Conference Files/ASEE2009/papers/P2009035RAL.PDF

Reflection:

      This was an extremely interesting article that went more in-depth and gave more specifics regarding the STEM education. It really seems like such a wonderful program that excites students for a potential career in Science, Math or engineering. After reading this article and thinking back to my third graders, it is vital that we spend time teaching the STEM education or Engineering in Elemetary programs because our students do not understand the importance of careers in these specific subjects. I love the fact that the students are given some sort of real-world problem at the beginning of every unit to spark their curiosity. Understanding that the students are learning the same things that are expected in the curriculum, but they are just being pushed further leads me to believe that this is definitely something that is do-able within the classroom. I do believe that this is a great concept, but since beginning to understand STEM education, I always find myself going back to the same questions I have had all along with inquiry-based instruction and constructivism techniques- do we have time for this find of teaching in the classroom? It all comes back to time management. Is it possible for true in-depth inquiry-based STEM learning  to take place in such a short amount of time? For instance, we are "allotted" 30 minutes for Science and Social Studies, so my thinking is if we do not get down to business with learning specific aspects of the curriculum we will not be able to get everything in before it is time to move on to something else.

      

      

ECE 7706 Module 5: Article Three

STEM, STEM Education, STEMmania

Mark Sanders

Synopsis: 

      In the 1990's, the program started out as Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology, or SMET; however, there were some complaints that this acronym sounded too much like "smut", it changed to STEM. This concept was first introduced in college graduate programs, but the acronym led people to believe the program was about Stem Cell Research, but in actuality it was an Integrated STEM Education graduate program. STEM is not something that needs to be said on its own; it needs to be said with something attached to it such as STEM education or STEM teachers/teaching.  It was also stated that STEM education is different than integrated STEM education because the subjects need to be combined and integrated in order to create a deeper understanding of the content areas. Even in a STEM education environment, students can become uninterested in subjects such as Math and Science, so it is important to keep the students interests with the integration of the technology aspect of the STEM pedagogy. However, teachers need to keep up with the change in content and times, so teachers need to be taught and prepared with the proper pedagogical teaching skills to effectively teach in a STEM integrative classroom. Also, within the original graduate programs the teacher-students are required to reflect upon integrative practices throughout their semesters and are able to collaborate across disciplines with other teachers. It is vital that if STEM education is started in younger grades that it is continued throughout the students education in order to ensure their overall interests in these specific fields.

Sanders, M. (2009). Stem, stem education, stemmania. The Technology Teacher, Retrieved from http://esdstem.pbworks.com/f/TTT+STEM+Article_1.pdf

Reflection: 

      Initially coming into this course, I did not know what a STEM program was, so I truly enjoyed reading the background information on this type of educational program. I have not heard anything about this program in terms of implementation in my school, but I do think that it would be a great way to get our students ready for their future. This article mentioned that students, even in elementary school, loose interest in subjects like Math and Science, but from what I experienced this year in my third grade classroom, my students loved both of these subjects. Therefore, if we were able to further their interests by incorporating technology in to the curriculum, then students will be more motivated to continue their education in these content areas. However, I don't think that an integrated STEM program is the only thing that is going to motivate our students. If we build of any our lessons off of the students interests, then the students are bound to become interested in the content they are learning. This also goes back to a constructivist or inquiry based classroom- as long as students are fully engaged in their learning then they will become more and more interested in the content. Just as in the STEM education program, we need to be giving students real-world problems so that they can experience real-world content application. 

ECE 7706 Module 5: Assignments

Project Based Learning

S3L2. Students will recognize the effects of pollution and humans on the environment.
       a. Explain the effects of pollution (such as littering) to the habitats of plants and animals.
       b. Identify ways to protect the environment.
           • Conservation of resources
           • Recycling of materials

Problem: 
      I have been informed by a few different types of animals that their watery-environment is getting extremely hard to live in due to the overwhelming amount of water pollution. These animals live in rivers/streams, oceans and lakes. This is where you come in! I need your help to determine the source of the pollution in one of the aquatic environments. You are going to choose an animal that would live in one of these environments and research from that animal's point of view how the water is being polluted and what can be done to stop it.

Authentic Assessment
     
      Students will use the internet and any other forms of research they find viable in order to gather information regarding the source of water pollution and determine real-world solutions to the pollution. Once the students have chosen a specific animal with a specific aquatic environment being polluted, they will create a visually appealing, well organized project using whatever means they find appropriate such as (but not limited to) a PowerPoint, Prezi, Glogster,  or even create a video presentation.

	4	3	2	1
Resource Use	Research resources were used responsibly with ease.	Research resources were used responsibly, but with some assistance.	Research resources were used semi-responsibly with frequent assistance.	Research resources were not used responsibly, and needed continuous supervision.
Project Creativity/ Visual Appeal	Unique, organized, and  contains enticing colors/graphics	Organized and contains a few enticing colors/graphics	Somewhat organized, and contains colors/graphics	Lack of an organizational structure and colors/graphics
Quality of Information	Information has a clear focus with plenty of supporting details.	Information has a clear focus with few supporting details.	Information has a clear focus with little or no supporting details.	Information has no clear focus and little or no supporting details.
Mechanics	No misspellings, punctuation or grammatical errors.	Three or fewer misspellings, punctuation and/or mechanical errors.	Four misspellings, punctuation and/or grammatical errors.	More than 4 errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar.

ECE 7706 Module 4: Constructivism

      Constructivism is something we talked about a lot in my undergraduate degree, even in our prerequisite classes before entering the early childhood cohort. When first learning about this concept, I knew it made sense, but did not know that there was much research behind it. However, after beginning to learn more about the brain and how people learn, it all started to come together for me. I believe, especially after exploring my own learning, that using constructivism techniques within the classroom is vital to student long-term learning and true understanding. In class whenever we learn new vocabulary or new concepts, I  always ask the students to think of something it reminds them of or a way that is going to help them remember the term or phrase. This was something I quickly learned really helped my students with remembering information. We would always discuss the various tricks the students mentioned to ensure that their was something that would stick with each of the students. However, something I want to get better at within the classroom, is allow the students to reflect more on their learning. I know that reflecting is very important to turning learned information into knowledge, but it was not something at the forefront of my mind when planning lessons. Therefore, in my upcoming year I plan to require my students to have a "Science Journal". This is not a journal where I give writing prompts, it is a journal strictly for the students to write down their thoughts on the day's lessons, pros/cons to the lesson as far as reaching their learning style, relating the current content to previous material, etc. Constructivism techniques go hand-in-hand with inquiry-based learning because they both want the student to figure out the information for themselves rather than the teacher provide the students will all the answers. I would incorporate constructivism into Science by allowing the students to participate in more Science experiments. This is something I became more comfortable with at the end of the year, and realized that this was something my students gathered the most information/understanding. Along with Science experiments, I could also allow my students to participate in various forms of research and project-based learning. I feel as though by differentiating the product in which students show what they have learned allows the students to make their own connections by trying to determine the best form or presentation. The students would also need to take the facts they gathered through research and put it in their own words.

7 E's:
S3E1. Students will investigate the physical attributes of rocks and soils

Excite:

• bring the students to the Science Lab to observe the different types of soil and rocks 
• discuss similarities and differences 

Explore:

• allow students to explore their yards at home to determine the different types of rocks found in the different areas of our school district
• watch a video showing how each type of rock is formed

Explain:

• create visuals describing their observations
• participate in group discussions
• think-pair-share
• reflect on lessons

Expand:

• research information on the rock cycle
• research plant life specific to certain types of soils

Extend:

• experiment with plant growth in sand, clay and potting soil

Exchange:

• create a class rock museum for other classes to come and explore
• create group blogs to share with peers 
• create a class magazine
• participate in graffiti walls/concept maps

Examine:

• classmates' projects
• webquests, turboquests, etc. 

Bonus Blog: Homework

Homework has always been something I struggled with with my students because I agree that the purpose of homework is invalid if the student does not understand what they are doing to begin with. However, as far as my parents are concerned, they had a huge problem when I would not assign homework. Therefore, I decided that when I gave homework it would be something that I review with my students before I sent it home. There would always be an example of how to complete the assignment at the top of the page and I would also take questions from students. I also informed the parents that if your student is really struggling with the content I did not want them to complete the homework until I was able to talk to them about the content. I did not want the students to learn something wrong or make up their own way of doing it that may not always work. I never graded homework, because it was strictly to give students extra practice or determine specifically what aspects of the content the students were struggling with.

ECE 7706 Module 2: President Obama Video

If I were to leave a comment...

      I am extremely impressed with the speech I just heard from President Obama regarding educational reform. He hit the nail on the head- reform is not something a school can do on its own, it is something that is everyone's responsibility. Obama stated that more and more jobs require more than a high school degree, so in order to truly create jobs we need to change the educational statistics. In order to do that schools need reform and more money. The things that he was suggesting that would aid in this reform were beyond truthful. He understands that we are living in an age where technology is key in just about every aspect of life, so it is vital that we meet these children on their stomping ground. We have to teach them through their interests and at this moment in time their interest is embedded in technology. So for Obama to say that he is going to give schools more flexibility to accommodate students through digital tutors and educational software definitely takes steps in a direction we need to go. I know from experience that my students love playing competitive computers games, so when I introduced a review software called Study Island my students were playing it constantly. They were asking to play it in their free time, and at home. Education always seems to be on the back burner and receives monetary cuts constantly, so knowing that he is willing to make cuts in other areas to get education more money is going to make huge changes in the way we are able to teach our children. I loved his comparison of national budget cuts to budget cuts within a family. When a family is struggling with money, do the parents ever take educational items/opportunities away from their children? No. That is the last thing they would ever think to touch, so why would we be cutting funding to schools and education on a national level?

ECE 7706 Module 2: Article Two

The Use of History of Science as a Cultural Tool to 

Promote Students’ Empathy with the Culture of Science

Synopsis

      This article was about a study where they specifically watched the effects of empathy on twenty one  9th grade students on their science learning experience. Empathy comes in to play when the teacher introduces the "culture of science", which allows the students to see an in-depth look of "how science works and what scientists do". The author makes a comparison to when students are learning about traditions or the way of life in another culture it is extremely hard for them to understand because it is nothing like their own. The students will understand more of the culture if they take a deeper look in to the lives of the people and are able to make personal connections to their own lives. The study was put in place to prove that when one introduces the culture of science it allows the students to feel a more personal connection to the content as well as creating a deeper understanding. Students do not truly understand what scientists do or the time period in which they reside, so they do not have any respect for the work they have done and why it is important to be learning. 

Guney, B., & Seker, H. (n.d.). The use of history of science as a cultural tool to promote students’ empathy with the culture of science. Educational Science Theory & Practice, Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy.kennesaw.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a64c5e1d-d6ea-45d7-a981-353d770ae334@sessionmgr13&vid=6&hid=17

Reflection

      This was a great study, and one, actually, I wish I had been a part of when I was learning physics. It is brilliant to teach students about the history of the content they are learning, rather than simply teaching them algorithms or facts. We have been taught to teach our students in a way where they can make personal connections, but I never would have thought to teach them the history of science and of the scientist. However, it makes perfect since because the more the students can connect to their own lives, the more likely they are going to remember the content they are learning.  

ECE 7706 Module 2: Article One

Scientific Literacy: Another Look at Its Historical and Contemporary Meanings and Its Relationship to Science Education Reform

Synopsis 

      DeBoer introduces his article by discussing the ever-changing meaning of the term Scientific Literacy, a term that first came into light in the late 1950s. He believes that due to the "nine separate but distinct goals of education" that the term "scientific literacy" has become too specific, but that educators do not truly understand its meaning. Therefore, with a historical look at scientific literacy, the term needs to have a broader meaning. 

      In the early to mid 20th century, scientist such as Thomas Huxley, Herbert Spencer, Charles

Lyell, Michael Faraday, John Tyndall, and Charles Eliot  began to publicly speak of the importance of science within early education. Their views centered around their early knowledge of the quickly growing dominance of science and technology. These scientists also wanted to push the education system to a more independent method of teaching, which you would find through the teachings of inquiry-based science lessons. In the early years of teaching science developers spent much of their time making the science education "relevant", when it should have been focused more on the natural world's affect on our daily lives. 

      After World War II, people started to realize the significance of science and the risks that they may come from the products of science. Therefore, education changed in order to make sure that people felt more comfortable with the basic understandings of science and what it is that scientists study. This is really when people began to realized the importance of science and technology in national security. This risk was ever-more clear when Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union, yet at the same time science education also showed a lot of promise. These events also sparked the understanding that jobs in the science and technology fields were critical. Science committees began to express the importance of literacy in science, because they wanted to make sure that those studying science as a profession were not the only ones who understood what was going  on in the world. 

      The term Scientific Literacy continued to change to less emphasis on technology and more emphasis on environmental surroundings. From there, it changed slightly to the interconnectedness of science processes and society.  In the 1990's, science literacy became strongly focused on the scientific method where students were posed a problem and had to ask and answer questions regarding the topic.

DeBoer, G. (2000). Scientific literacy: Another look at its historical and contemporary meanings and its relationship to science education reform. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Retrieved from http://web.nmsu.edu/~susanbro/eced440/docs/scientific_literacy_another_look.pdf

Reflection

      This article was exceptionally interesting to me, because I had never actually thought about the origin of the term scientific literacy or that what was being taught in science classes every changed. Obviously, I understood that new discoveries would be made throughout the years, and that those would be later embedded into the science standards. It was interesting to see the ways in which terminology change for the definition of scientific literacy changed and the concepts being taught in science changed with what was going on in the world. For example, when Sputnik was launched science began to become more technology based, but when people were afraid of the "risks" science began to help people feel more comfortable by allowing them to understand the technology. Yet, the core of science has stayed the same from the beginning- it is inquiry based. Science should be a subject that allows people to ask questions and find answers using evidence. It is more than memorizing facts, it is experiencing the content and allowing the students to be independent.

ECE 7706 Module 1: Blog

Typical Science Lesson In My Classroom
      One of the Science lessons I taught this year was on the topic of animal adaptations. The students got extremely bored simply reading their textbook, so for this lesson I made a PowerPoint presentation using the information in the students' Science book along with a few other media resources. We would go through the PowerPoint as a class, but I would allow the students to read and manipulate the slides on the Interactive Whiteboard. After someone read the slide, we would have a class discussion/Q&A regarding the information that was just presented. For example, if the slide discussed a particular animal's adaptation such as "Animals may use camouflage to help protect themselves", and I may ask the students "What animals can you think of use camouflage as their adaptation?" or "Why would an animal use camouflage to survive?". Due to the amount of time we have for Science (30 minutes), usually going through the PowerPoint would take the entire time. As an assessment, I gave my students a note card where they had to write down two facts that they found most interesting, as well as describe the vocabulary word "adaptation" in their own words. This was something I collected as the students began to pack up to head to the buses.

Technology in Science Classrooms & How I might be Able to Incorporate Tech into My Lesson Above
     I believe, especially with out students now, that is is vital that we incorporate technology into our classrooms in order to keep our students engaged, motivated and interested in each lesson. However, as Efaw stated in his research, teachers need to feel completely comfortable with technology in order to be used effectively within a lesson. Guzey and Roehrig also discussed that teachers need to have a full and complete understanding of the science content, as well as the concepts of inquiry and how to properly transform a lesson to make it inquiry-based. 
     In my past experiences even though I am comfortable with technology, it is hard for me to successfully integrate it into my lessons because I feel as though I am not properly prepared. In my school, we have monthly technology meetings where we are taught a new form of technology that we could utilize in our classrooms, but due to the fact that I have never seen them in use, I never use them. 
      Looking back on my animal adaptations lesson, it would have been beneficial for my students if they had been able to all have a say at one time, such as through the use of the app called Socrative. This technology application allows each student to send in an answer to a discussion question or even start a discussion for that matter. With this app, students use their personal form of technology to type answers to a specific code which will then post their answer on the ActivBoard. 
      I believe that even though my PowerPoint was a form of technology, it needed to be pushed further in order to truly engage my students. It may have been more beneficial if my students could have gone through the PowerPoint at their own pace either through partner, small group or individual work time. If The students were able to go through the PowerPoint in something other than whole group then I could have made it more interactive by incorporating various other links to more information. 

ECE 7706 Module 1: Concept Map

Reflection Concept Map

      Concept mapping is something that I knew about but had never really taken part in until one of my classes in my undergrad. I think it is a good idea and assists with reflecting on the content, but getting started I would say is the hardest part. Obviously, there needs to be some sort of organization, and this is where the depth of your understanding begins to come into play. If you can organize the information then, to me, it means you have enough understanding to be able to categorize the information in an understandable and educational manner. I will say that I do sometimes have a hard time with concept maps because I tend to try to bite off more than I can chew and try to encompass a lot more information than necessary. However, after reading through the information, I realized that there is okay to make concept maps straight to the point without an over abundance of information. 

EDRD 7717 Module 5: PowerPoint Analysis

Teaching Phonics, High-Frequency Words and Fluency 

      

EDRD 7718 Module 6

PowerPoint Presentations

                I learned a lot of the stuff that was mentioned about PowerPoint presentations either through undergraduate classes or by trial and error. However, it is always helpful to hear the information again. One of the first slides needs to be an outline of the entire presentation so that the audience knows what will be covered throughout the presentation. The slides that contain any information need simply bullet point the main and most important parts of that section of the presentation. If your slides are too wordy then the audience will be too focused on reading the slide rather than listening to the details that you are trying to present. It should take from one to two minutes to discuss each slide.

                No- you don’t want the audience to be focusing a lot on the words in your PowerPoint, but you do want the audience to be able to read it. Therefore, it is important that the background is not overbearing; it needs to be simple and consistent throughout the presentation. The words also need to be big enough (but not too big) for the audience to read.

                One of the points made was that graphs do a great job of relaying data. This makes perfect sense but something I may not have thought of because I would have wanted to add information along with the graph. However, in actuality the graph can do the talking for the data. 

EDRD 7718 Module 5

      There were a lot of things from this module that really interested me. As a first year teacher, I have never actually seen or experienced effective literacy centers, therefore any little bit I learn about them is so helpful. With literacy centers it is important that the students are working on curriculum based activities and not busy work. Whether the students are working individually or with a partner, it is also important that after they are finished with their activity they have something to show for it such as a little assessment such as a ticket out the door to show where they may be in their level of understanding. However, it is not only to show their understanding, but also to keep the students accountable for their learning. The things I learned from these few videos show that I am on the right track, but there are still some things I need to work on with a balanced literacy program. I am actually in the process of getting help from my school's EIP teacher. She is going to start coming into my room and assisting me with the proper process when planning for literacy centers.
    The other topic that was discussed briefly was the classroom environment. I love seeing other people's classroom and getting new ideas on how to appropriately organize my room in order to meet my students needs. The book entitled Spaces and Places seems like a great book and actually one I may go out and purchase. She gave a brief overview of her book, but the chapter titles drew me in enough. She discussed how to plan the space in your classroom, arranging the furniture, using wall space and organizing the clutter in your classroom. The students need structure and the way the classroom is set up and organized as an effect on them.