4.+Pedagogy

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 * 4. PEDAGOGY PRINCIPLE **

// The teacher candidate understands the link between content and pedagogy. As such, the teacher candidate understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage all students' development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills that are appropriate for specific topics and subject areas, as identified by the relevant professional organization(s). The teacher candidate is able to use and problematize the various technologies available to facilitate learning. //

//**4.1. Candidates are familiar with a wide array of instructional strategies consistent with professional, NYS and WS program standards, and understand their potential uses, values and limitations for achieving specific learning goals. **//

 NYS and WS program standards stress the importance of teaching through inquiry, building a community of learners, and allowing students to access ideas and materials in a variety of ways that the teacher makes available to them. Many different instructional strategies give students the opportunity to do so much more than simply sit in a classroom being lectured at, or taking notes out of a book. NYS and WS program recognize the importance of engaging students through hands-on, minds-on experiences, group work, stations, demonstrations, review games, assessing prior knowledge, learning by doing, and teaching each other (Chiappetta & Koballa, 2000). Demonstrations allow students an opportunity to be volunteers and leaders in an activity. They also provide places for students to be introduced to topics and begin the process of conceptual change and social construction. An example of a demonstration I used is a van de Graaff generator with students making a human chain around the room. Students learned that the flow of electrons is made through contact by touching each other's hands, and that when someone tried to join the chain they would be shocked due to induction (4.1.a). Stations provide multiple contexts and issues of experience that students can relate and tie together in their understandings of the conceptual knowledge being presented. They can also provide multiple skills that will feed the development of all students strengths and needs. I provided stations during my placement at East. Students were able to travel to different tables and explore different aspects of acids and bases, which included pH investigations (4.1b). Group work is useful because it allows collaboration of ideas and provides students with opportunities to choose and participate in leadership roles that will interest their learning styles and develop their skills and understandings surrounding the content. An example of group work I did was having students look at pictures of modern day scientists, trying to make arguments for who they think is a scientist and who is not. Students jigsawed around to different tables and then returned back to their original groups to share their discoveries and impressions of the activity. Students found that anyone can be a scientist (4.1.c). Review games help reinforce concepts for students and provide a way for students to self-assess their areas of strength and weakness.

In using all these strategies students were able to experience science, see it first-hand rather than in a book, and physically participate in experiments and the gathering of data as well as working in groups to collaborate and build off of each other’s ideas. The value of using these instructional strategies to reach specific learning goals is to provide opportunities for students to engage in the science community, and develop critical thinking and problem solving skills as they work. In order for much of this to be successful, a teacher must have effective classroom management skills, something that can fall into place when the teacher is over-prepared, has structured lessons, is organized, and explicitly states the purpose and directions to students so that they know how to proceed (Baker, Lang, & Lawson, 2002; Sterling, 2009; Lawson, 2000; Wolfgang, 2009; Sampson, 2004). Some limitations in achieving specific learning goals are that it takes addition time to plan and be creative as a teacher. Additionally, students may not be familiar with this kind of instruction so their activities should be scaffolded at first (4.1.d).

//** 4.2. Candidates are able to use a variety of teaching and learning strategies and classroom structures to achieve the learning goals articulated in relevant professional, NYS and WS program standards. **//

 During my student teaching placement at East High School, students often worked in groups during lab activities (4.2.a). A few times students were faced with writing out their own procedures and determining their own materials, for example in the Flame Test activity (4.2.b). To keep students up and moving I created many stations activities that gave students the chance to move about the room as they worked in partners or groups. For example, in the introduction to acids and bases activity, there were five separate stations that had acids and bases (different household cleaning chemicals) set up at each one (4.2.c). Students rotated from each one measuring the pH of the household chemical solutions and assessing whether or not it was an acid or base.

I have also used a variety of demonstrations in my classroom instruction. I used a van de graaff generator along with a predict, observe, explain (POE) assessment to display the movement of electrons to the students (4.2.d). I also used different group strategies in my placements. At SWW I had students join research groups and study environmental sustainability issues. I also handed students index cards with elements, that were either atoms or ions, on them and they had to pair up with the person who matched their element and then solve the back of the card to see how many neutrons and electrons the atom and ion both had (4.2.e).

//** 4.3. Candidates understand the potential values as well as problems and limitations of using technology in instruction. **//

 Technology in instruction should be used to enhance students access to information, understanding of the content, and communication between peers. If technology is being used simply because it is available and easy then the learning environment is in jeopardy. Flick and Bell (2000) claim that teachers can use technology to show how science is advanced, as well as how science advances technology. Students can then be critical of the technology they are using to communicate and access information. In EDU 486 the cohort worked on making mini professional development lessons that instructed everyone on the benefits and limitations of certain technological tools for the classroom. I gave a mini lesson on VoiceThread (4.3.a). The benefit of VoiceThread is that it is an interactive tool that could be used for presentations or communication in general, and it allows for students to think about images, video, or audio in front of them with the ability to comment anything. I also wrote a blog post for EDU 486, about using technology in the science classroom and its benefits and difficulties (4.3.b).

//**4.4. Candidates are able to use technology in a variety of ways to support student learning within specific content areas. **//

 During Get Real! Science camp we let the students use iFlips to explore the beach (4.4.a). Students were sent out to look for anything they thought might be a reason that the beach closed. The iFlips served as a substitute to their journal observations and allowed for a more interactive piece of evidence to support student learning and recall later. I used the smartboard everyday in my placement at East high. The smartboard was a place where I could write the agenda and refer back to it during the lesson, and it also allowed us to visit websites, video, and visual representations of models and images that extended student understanding of content being addressed (4.4.b). During all my placements I had students use Vernier LabQuests and probes, such as pH and temperature, to collect data for their scientific investigations (4.4.c).


 * NSTA STANDARDS: **

//**5.a Candidates vary their teaching actions, strategies, and methods to promote the development of multiple student skills and levels of understanding. **//

My teaching actions, strategies, and methods promote multiple student skills and levels of understanding. During STARS we used different activities each week to cater to the different parts of the scientific investigation we were at, and to ensure that we were meeting the strengths and needs of each student in those lessons. For instance, we had one lesson on the drainage system, where students drew the different parts of the drainage system and then ordered the sheets from the house to the environment (5.a.a). Students then poured a highlighter solution liquid around the drainage system into cups filled with water to get at the idea of dilution (5.a.b). The next lesson then worked at having students make their diluted solutions that they would be watering the plants with. The lesson after that students measured the pH of these solutions and watered their plants (5.a.c). The next lesson we focused on understanding pH more by presenting demonstrations such as elephant toothpaste and the acidic candy with baking soda (5.a.d). Finally, after this students made their graphs that reflected their data of plant growth versus pH of their chemical solutions (5.a.e). I varied my teaching actions by using certain times to lecture, but also having much time for the students to work in groups, and use technology as in the examples given above.

//**5.c Candidates successfully organize and engage students in collaborative learning using different student group learning strategies.**// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> In my SWW placement I engaged students in a variety of different group learning strategies. Students participated in a nature of science activity that asked students to look at a picture of everyday scientists and determine what made them scientists.This was set up as a jigsaw so that students broke up from their original groups to view the pictures and then returned back to share out their discussions and observations. Another jigsaw I did was at East high where students made covalent bonding books. I also used the group strategy of research groups at School Without Walls. These research groups conducted scientific investigations where each group designed their own testable question and procedure, collected their data and analyzed it, and then presented their findings out to the classroom as well as an evaluative argument that answers their testable question (5.c.a.).

//**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">5.d Candidates successfully use technological tools, including but not limited to computer technology, to access resources, collect and process data, and facilitate the learning of science. **//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I have used several technological tools over the course of my teaching. During Get Real! Science camp students used iFlips to conduct a scavenger hunt of the beach for things that could cause the beach to close (same as 4.4.a). Students also used these iFlips for video interviews in place of reflecting in their journals (5.d.a). Across all my teaching placements students used Vernier LabQuests and probes to measure such things as pH, temperature, and ultraviolet light. I also used smartboards to record notes and display videos that enhanced visual understanding of the content and facilitated discussions surrounding the material.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> //**6.a Candidates understand the curricular recommendations of the National Science Education Standards, and can identify, access, and/or create resources and activities for science education that are consistent with the standards.**//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> There are eight categories that the National Science Education Standards say students should develop achievement in: unifying concepts and processes in science, science as inquiry, life sciences, earth and space sciences, physical science, science and technology, science in personal and social perspective, and history and nature of science. I have had experience creating resources and designing lessons surrounding these standards before in my EDU 429 class. For this class I had to develop a scientific innovative unit for middle childhood aged students. My unit focuses on astronomy, so I chose several earth and space science standards as my foundation for developing this unit. There are several other NSES met in this unit including science as inquiry, unifying concepts and processes in science, science and technology, history and nature of science, and science in personal and social perspective (6.a.a).

<span style="cursor: pointer; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">[|DSC00412_2.JPG] || Van de Graaff pictures || || Scaffolding through assessment Comment about successfully scaffolding || [|DSC00412_2.JPG] || Group work at East High || [|DSC00412_2.JPG] || Van de Graaff generator and POE || || Atom and ion activity || || East high smartboard use || [|DSC00419.JPG] || Use of Vernier labquest and probes || [|DSC07638.JPG] [|DSC07639.JPG] [|DSC07640.JPG] [|DSC07641.JPG] [|DSC07642.JPG] || STARS drainage system drawings || [|DSC00283.JPG] [|DSC00316.JPG] || SWW Research investigations ||
 * Evidence # || Embedded or Linked Object || Description ||
 * 4.1.a || [[file:20100319-EastHighObs2.ActivityPacket-MSaunders (3).doc]]
 * 4.1.b || [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/msword.png height="32" link="http://comprehensiveportfolio-msaunders.wikispaces.com/file/view/20100324-EastHighIU%231%262-MSaunders.doc"]] [|20100324-EastHighIU#1&2-MSaunders.doc] || Acids and bases stations ||
 * 4.1.c || [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/msword.png height="32" link="http://comprehensiveportfolio-msaunders.wikispaces.com/file/view/20091105-SWWSeriesof3-Lesson1-MSaunders.doc"]] [|20091105-SWWSeriesof3-Lesson1-MSaunders.doc] || Who is a scientist lesson plan ||
 * 4.1.d || [[file:20100222-EDU448LiteratureCircles4-MSaunders.doc]]
 * 4.2.a || [|DSC00419.JPG]
 * 4.2.b || [[file:20100310-EastHighFlameTest-MSaunders.doc]] || Creating procedure for flame test ||
 * 4.2.c || [[file:20100324-EastHighIU#1&2-MSaunders.doc]] || Acid/base lab stations ||
 * 4.2.d || [[file:20100319-EastHighObs2.ActivityPacket-MSaunders (3).doc]]
 * 4.2.e || [[file:20100319-EastHighLPObs2.IonIsotope-MSaunders.doc]]
 * 4.3.a || [] || Mini-PD on VoiceThread ||
 * 4.3.b || [] || EDU 486 Technology Blog ||
 * 4.4.a || @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fUAWuWD2Ls || iFlips for beach exploration at camp ||
 * 4.4.b || [[file:20100319-EastHighObs2-MSaunders (4).doc]]
 * 4.4.c || [|DSC00418.JPG]
 * 5.a.a || [|DSC07637.JPG]
 * 5.a.b || [[file:blue highlighter stars.doc]] || STARS blue highlighter drainage system activity ||
 * 5.a.c || [[file:stars pictures.doc]] || STARS pH probes ||
 * 5.a.d || [[file:elephant toothpast and acidic candy.doc]] || STARS elephant toothpaste and acidic candy ||
 * 5.a.e || [[file:stars graphs.doc]] || STARS graphs ||
 * 5.c.a || [[file:20091214-SWWLesson2-InvestigationTopics-MSaunders.doc]]
 * 5.d.a || <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fUAWuWD2Ls || Get Real! Science camp iFlips ||
 * 6.a.a || [[file:20100503-EDU429IU-Astronomy-MSaunders.doc]] || EDU 429 Innovative Unit ||

References <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11px;">Baker, W., Lang, M., & Lawson, A. (2002). Classroom management for successful student inquiry. The Clearing House, 75(5), 248-252.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11px;"> Chiappetta, E.L., & Koballa, T.R. (2010). Science instruction in the middle and secondary schools: Developing fundamental knowledge and skills. New York: Allyn & Bacon.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11px;"> Flick, L., & Bell, R. (2000). Preparing tomorrow’s science teachers to use technology: Guidelines for science educators. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 1(1), 39-60.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11px;"> Lawson, A. (2000). Managing the inquiry classroom: Problems & solutions. The American Biology Teacher, 62(9), 641-648.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11px;"> Sampson, V. (2004). The science management observation protocol. The Science Teacher, 71(10), 30-33.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11px;"> Sterling, D. (2009). Classroom management: Setting up the classroom for learning. Science Scope, 32(9), 29-33.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11px;"> Wolfgang, C. (2009). Managing inquiry-based classrooms. Science Scope, 32(9), 14-17 <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">