Teacher Tools

Professional development

• Essay Thinking about Science Education - Clyde Freeman Herreid
• Process of profesional development for science educators.
  • What is science
  • What is science literacy
• Teaching for Conceptual Change - Kappan article
• Standards, benchmarks, frameworks - science plus
• My relationship to science - Personal science exploration story
• Real life example of science and technology - MacCready article
• Frequently asked science interview questions FAC's .
• General Educator Professionalism .

Children's development of scientific ideas and reasoning

• Constructivist learning theory references | model | Variables for intellectual develpment model - Piaget |
• General characteristics of| childrens' thinking and development
• Children's development of scientific ideas and discrepent activities to assess them
• Science misconception - sources
• Fish is Fish - picture book and how people learn
• Physical Skills Necessary for Exploration
• Words to describe observations through all senses
• Science for All Children - ebook on line at the National Academies Press
• Visualization
  
• Recognizing student talent in science

Inquiry Science

When teachers talk about inquiry they are usually refering to one of three kinds of inquiry. Review the three kinds in the overview.

• Overview of inquiry and its relationship to science
• Inquiry lessons grid - describes range of teacher - student centered
• Sample inquiry lessons that range from teacher - student centered

Nature of science

• Questions about the nature of science (NOS).
• Discussion of questions.

Facilitating science learning

Inductive teaching model -

• Learning cycle - Rrelative to a constructivist learning theory
• Learning cycle - As an Instructional Theory
• Learning cycle - Video of traditonal electrical circuit Learning Cycle lesson
• Learning cycles - Five different with instructional and learning theory notes
• Learning cycle - who does what? students or teacher?
• Learning cycle lessons snippets - good to bad samples
• Common Knowledge Construction Model electronic presentation
• Support for | facts concepts and generalizations | Generalizations | Disequlibration | standards concepts outcomes |

Cooperative learning model -Directory

Direct instruction model

• Directory
• mini lecture on comparison of direct instruction and the learning cycle

Reflections -

Curriculum development and planning

Research and applications for planning Environmental education ideas - lessons, units, or curriculum elements

Planning - Discussion on how to plan see Pedagogy section Planning.

Concept mapping

• Considerations for Planning to Facilitate Students' Construction of Concepts and Generalizations
• Concept map explanation
• Concept map blank
• Concept map sound
• Concept map classification
• Creation of concept map across grade levels (K-8) for magnetism, unpacking standards, connecting concepts to child's understanding and outcomes

Science big ideas unpacked - See also Science Concepts

• Concept measurement unpacked
• Concept science inquiry unpacked
• Concept matter unpacked
• Mapping the unified processes into content areas - electricity, seeds, matter and solutions blank,

Sample plans

• Early childhood planning information .
• Plastic bag piercing
• Planning template

Assorted planning ideas

• Challenges
• Discrepant Events
• Graphing Notes Line graphs .
• Rubrics and scoring guides.
• Safety Agreement Form.
• Science Fair - Judging Rubric.
• Science career related information - List of Science Careers -
• Interview Questions for Scientists
• Scientists - List of Scientists - Scientist MacCready photos to go with his story .
• Science theories and discoveries
• Standards documents

Year curriculums

• Parts and pieces

Activities

Use the Investigations Navigation Button (top left) to see actvities or tasks for students to participate in to facilitate their science literacy.

Assessment

Assessment and evaluation tool

• Instructional Indicators
• General assesment tool box
• Evaluation simulation
• Suggestions for Reflecting on instructional practice

Rubrics or assessment ideas to evaluate instruction or facilitation of student learning

• Assorted scoring guides and rubrics
• Inquiry student observation based
• Inquiry environmental observation based
• Inquiry teacher observation based

Other Instructional Information

• Professional Development: Technology - Using the computer for: photos, audio, and video --->>> directions and tutorials...

Advocacy for Freedom of Information

• The Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) is recognized as one of the leading consumer protection and privacy organizations in the United States.