turn on turned-off students
may 1990 SuperScience red teacher (weekly reader)
It's a balmy May day. The morning activities are well under way in a 2nd grade classroom. Julia, at the reading table, seems "out of it" this morning. She's completed almost no work. Thought her testing profiles are avenge or above, she has difficulty reading, writing, and communicating verbally. She's what some call a "low-achiever."
Suddenly, there is a flash of light and a loud rumble outside - the lst thunderstorm of the season. "Look at that," she says - running to the window. "Hear how fast the thunder came after the flash ? It's gonna storm any minute" Her classmates join her.
discrepant events
Discrepant events that startle are contrary to current beliefs provide one means to achieve this goal. DE have an effect on those who watch them. Consider Piaget's notion of disequilbirium in their understanding. For example --let's return to the class.
As he prepares to teach about vibrations and sound, he wants to challenge the students' knowledge about this topic. He looks for a DE - a hands on investigation that will have startling results for his students. If he can set up an investigation with results that don't fit into what his students already know, then even his low achievers will wonder why and want to investigate further.
In addition, the teacher plans to divide his class into collaborative learning groups of mixed abilities. That way, low achievers like Julia can participate to the best of their abilities.
Preparations complete, he gives each group metal hangers, scissors, string, wire and yarn. He deliberately asks Julia and other low achievers to be group recorders or leaders. These special jobs help build confidence.
To begin, he raps a hanger against a desk and asks: What did you hear? Then he asks: How did the hanger sound get to your ears ? through the air, of course. He says: look at the string, wire and yarn on the desk. Do you think the hanger sound can travel through these to get to your ears ? If so, which material do you
think will be the best sound carrier? How can you find out ?
He tells students that they have 20 minutes to conduct their investigations, after which they will get together for a "Scientists' Seminar" where group recorders can report group findings. The teacher reminds the students that
there is no right or wrong way to do the investigation. They will be testing their hypotheses -- their best guesses -- just as real scientists do.
Without prompting, the students begin. In Julia's group, a student cuts two pieces of string and ties them to the hanger. He hold the stirrings up to his ear and raps the hanger against a hard surface. His eyes become round. "Wow." It's like bells These strings work like earphone. You gotta try this." He hands the hanger to Julia who tries it and is equally impressed..
The teacher walks around the room and observes what the students are doing and if they are recording accurately their observations. As a group recorder, Julia has to write about the investigation - but wait. It doesn't look as if the task is a chore to her. Why? She is both surprised and captivated by the sound she heard through the strings. She had guessed that the stirrings would muffle
the hanger sound. She never expected the sound to be so dramatic. She writes: It sounded like bells. Then she rejoins her group to try the wire and yarn. Eagerly, the group compares how well the hanger sound travels through these solid materials.
Later, at the Scientists' Seminar, Julia shares what her group accomplished during the 20 minutes. She looks pleased as she reads from what she wrote, and talks about how her group conducted their investigations. Her efforts are clumsy, but no one notices. Secure in the that there is no right answer, all are excited to share what they found and listen intently to what others discovered.
They also ask new questions which came out of their investigations such as, "How will sound travel through water ?"
DEs cannot be the only component of a balanced hands-on science program. They can, however, be important motivators - springboards to additional science experiences and cross-curricula opportunities. After the hanger activity, for example, the teacher might have students write poems comparing sounds they heard, or read about sound traveling through water. Julia wants to read a story about how dolphins communicate. Her interest has been sparked by
direct experience.
Scientific phenomena, whether they are natural or DEs, can be used to captivate student interests. And, by harnessing the potential for excitement in these events, we can set up meaningful learning experiences in which even low achievers can become involved.
when you get startling results in science,
your students - even the so-called low
achievers - will be motivated to find out
more
The teacher at times like these seizes the moment. "What did you say, Julia ?" Using an oversized pad and marker, he writes as Julia repeats her observation. "Good, now read it back to us," he says. Julia does so haltingly, but with pride.
Though this scenario is made up, we've all experienced something like it: a natural event interrupts classroom activities and the so-called low achiever become hard to distinguish from the rest of the class. If weĠre like this teacher, we try to take advantage of the unexpected even and facilitate a successful learning experience. But startling natural events don't happen very
often. Is there a way to set up startling events to motivate and engage low (and high) achievers ?