science teaching and the development of reasoning

teachers must come to grips with a basic concept of science teaching.

Why do we do it?

Is the goal to impart knowledge of science to the children, or ... should we use science as a vehicle to assist children in the development of their reasoning powers.

Obviously, both ideas are worth merit ... but ... what percentage of time will be devoted to each?

self-regulation or equilibrium

there are various ways to think of this important Piagetian concept, but the easiest can be equated with "that eureka moment' ... when something makes sense to you ... a gut understanding when you KNOW the idea.

Reflection, restructuring of tasks, and learning from others contributes to the formation of new reasoning patterns.

Ultimately, applying a new reasoning pattern to a variety of tasks stabilizes its use (Concept Application). Just as the old reasoning patterns had been stabilized (equilibrium) thru practice with simpler tasks on which they led to success. Each reasoning pattern used by a person represents a relatively consistent approach to a class of similar problems

("reasoning patterns" bear such labels as "pre-operational; concrete operational; formal operational).

feedback derived from the person's thoughts and actions on such problems will strengthen the effective reasoning pattern. These patterns form an interrelated system of understandings and procedures generally reflecting a developmental stage. Repeated self-regulation (or equilibrium) relative to many reasoning patterns will eventually lead the individual to function at a higher developmental stage.

self-regulation is an active process of forming new reasoning patterns that allows for a different interpretation of new concepts and / or to resolve apparent contradiction perceived in the framework of old reasoning patterns.

AHH ... you "change your mind."

Self-regulation involves the student in analyzing a problem situation, considering tentative solutions, evaluating their effectiveness, and using new approaches when the first trials are not successful. Awareness of one's own reasoning is very important for self-regulation that leads to formal reasoning patterns.

to attain self-regulation or equilibrium, we suggest a teaching strategy that is composed of three parts:

exploration

during exploration, the students learn thru their own actions and reactions in a new situation. In this phase they explore new materials and new ideas with minimal guidance or expectations of specific accomplishments. these experiences should raise questions that the student cannot answer with their accustomed patterns of reasoning:

+ why doesn't adding weight make the pendulum go faster?

+ where to I have to stand to see Bobbie Sue in the mirror?

+ why does the satellite dish point in that direction?

individual investigations and small group work are important. These two approaches encourage each student to become aware of his or her own ideas as well as providing a supportive social environment with a multiplicity of questions and viewpoints. The "messing about" (exploration) provides conflicts that must be self-regulated (equilibrium).

concept introduction

base on the Exploration experiences, the teacher introduces a new concept ...

"additional weight on the pendulum is harder to accelerate than ...

OR

"the angle of light into the mirror ..."

OR "geosynchronous satellites are set over specific regions ..."

that leads students to apply new patterns of reasoning to their experience. The students should be encouraged to explain their observations in a non-threatening environment before the concept is introduced. However, don't anticipate students to 're-invent the wheel' at this time. Textbooks, films, and other media may also be used to introduce the concept.

concept application

in this final phase of The Learning / Teaching Cycle, the students apply the new concepts and or reasoning pattern to additional examples. This phase is necessary to see the importance of a concept. It is an umbrella which covers many ideas. It leads to generalizations. It is the cornerstone of simplifying science into manageable pieces. Without numerous applications, the new concept's meaning will remain fused to the one example used during its definition. Many students may fail to generalize it to other situations. Seeing many examples will help the students who didn't quite 'catch on' to the example given.

this Learning Cycle is strengthened by its reliance on several learning theories.

In Exploration phase the students are learning by discovery.

In Concept Introduction they are learning from explanations.

In Concept Application they are learning by repetition and practice.

All of these methods contribute to self-regulation because it take advantage of a variety of learning styles. When one step is omitted, you force more students to learn in a style that is foreign to them.