South African Extraordinary Schools Coalition

Preparing Science Teachers for Diverse Classrooms

John Gilmour & Zonke Mpotulo17 March 2015

A Science teacher at your school asks you for advice.

How important is teaching the vocabulary of Science to my students.

How and when should I do this?

PDN

SAESC 17 March 2015

Bryan A. Brown, Ph.D. Stanford University

Preparing Science Teachers For Diverse Communities

Borrowing principles and ideas from:

SAESC 27/3/15

The basis of the BIG IDEA

Teaching is a People Business ; Students do the work of learning; Teachers create learning situations

Wrong answers are necessary, learning is process, Mistakes create sparks in the synapses

Content is best learned when situated in students lives – context must be real

Learning Science can be as difficult as learning a new language; Science is a language on its own

Two types of resources – resources that help to:

Understand Content Create Context

Developing effective instruction relies on teachers rethinking content in relevant

contexts.

Science Lesson Planning(1) Establish a Problem – We should never teach in the abstract. All of our teaching should occur in the pursuit of a real problem in a real context. Therefore, teachers should begin their planning by identifying a problem that will serve as an umbrella under which the concept will exist.

(2) Modelling – This section is the teacher centred portion of a lesson or series of lessons. During this time, the teacher MODELS the idea to be learned. This can be through analogy, demonstration, lecture, explanation, or activity. The idea is that the teacher is central in introducing the student to the primary idea.

Science Lesson Planning(3) Coaching – This stage is student-centred, as the teacher selects activities where the students are central in explanation, model building, and describing phenomenon.

(4) Fading - This phase assumes that students need several opportunities to apply, extend, and explain. As a result, students will need several opportunities to explain the big ideas of the lesson. This section involves a series of activities where the students explain their ideas and are assessed on how well they understand the ideas.

Photosynthesis Task:What would be a good context in which to

ground the teaching and learning?

What are the challenges that need to be addressed in teaching this concept

Key Ideas: 1. Photons, 2. Chloroplasts, 3. Leaves, 4. Oxygen, 5. Carbon Dioxide, 6. Energy, 7. Glucose

When plants make their own food they release good air which all animals and humans need in order to breathe.

Teaching Academic LanguageTeaching does not always reflect

language learning approaches. The Language- Identity Dilemma

a) Language is a symbol of cultural affiliation and conflict. “Language can make me feel uncomfortable”

b) Language make the concept difficult to understand. “ I don’t understand what is being communicated.”

Theoretical Framework to use in diagnosing blocks to learning

Cognitive Affective

I do not understand I don’t feel comfortable

Failure to understand

Failure to be understood

The core of the BIG IDEA

Does the use of complex science language in instruction have an affective impact on students?

Students taught Science Language and Everyday Language simultaneously

Students taught Science Everyday Language and Science Language added later

RESEARCH

Unequivocal Research Conclusion

When Science concepts are taught in Everyday Language in contexts in which children can relate, children’s learning is more effective and concepts are more likely to be understood.

Science Language should be added to the process after the concept has been taught and understood in Everyday Language.

So what is the Science methodology in your school?

Can apply to:Science; Life Science; Geography;Maths in many areas; Accounting in some areas;Business Economics in many areas;IT in many areas.