Science at Home

21st Century Skills in Science

21st century skills are survival skills that students are taught that are necessary for a productive and satisfying life in a global knowledge-based environment. These skills 21st Century Skills in Science are things such as: Critical Thinking Problem Solving Collaboration Leadership Citizenship Technology Classroom examples of incorporation of these skills would be: Students working in groups Different roles within the groups (writer, recorder, researcher, etc.) Using digital media in the classroom for presentations Research has shown that when parents play and active role, their children achieve greater success as learners, regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnic/racial background, or parents own level of educationFurthermore, the more intensely parents are involved, the more confident and engaged their children are as learners and the more beneficial the effects on their achievement. Parents do not have to be scientist themselves; they just have to know how to foster their own childs curiosity. 1. Use productive questions to guide their participation in science activities. Examples would be: a. Why do you suppose? b. I wonder why? c. What else might have caused? d. What do you notice? 2. Talking about and Investigating students misconceptions: a. Heavy things dont float b. All metals are attracted to magnets In the source below labeled Scientific American, you will find more resources to help you jump start and nurture your childrens interest in science. Bringing science home is a great way to reinforce the material I will be teaching in class.

Miss Hansens Philosophy on Science Education

Science Ed for Parents

Sources:

NSTA Position Statement

Next Generation Science Standards

Iowa Core Curriculums 21st Century Skills AEA 267 Characteristics of Effective Instruction 10 Science Teaching Tips for Elementary School Scientific American

The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery. -Anais Nin

How Do Students Best Learn Science?

Student-Centered Classroom o Student-centered classrooms are classrooms where the students needs are the main focus in the classroom rather than the teachers agendas o In student-center classrooms, students construct their own knowledge based on experiential, holistic, authentic, and challenging experiences o Student-centered science classroom examples: Hands-on activities Solving everyday problems with everyday objects Student Choice Real world experience Student led investigations based on their current understanding of a subject and learning is fostered by teacher prompts Inquiry-Based Learning o The best way to describe this idea of inquiry based learning would be the phrase Hands-On Mind-On. It means when students are actively engaged in hands-on activities their minds are on and they develop a better understanding of science and how to conduct investigations like scientists. Active Engagement o Active engagement brings the real world into the classroom, promotes teamwork, accommodates all learners, promotes learning in other areas of the curriculum o Active engagement also promotes the inner curiosity students have about the natural world. o Examples of Active Engagement: Students collecting their own data Students asking questions about a topic then turning those questions into an experiment

Effective Instructional Strategies

The best effective instructional strategies for teaching science are ones that foster the inner curiosity about the natural world that every student possesses. 1. Teaching through problem solving and allowing students to investigate possible solutions to problems at hand 2. Teaching through inquiry promotes active engagement and student interest in each topic presented 3. Teaching through inductive reasoning where students create probable solutions to given problems and form knowledge based on the experiments they conduct 4. Asking open-ended questions to prompt students to think critically about the task at hand or to foster learning when students get stuck 5. Teaching relevant subjects and relating them to students lives allowing them to grasp a better understanding of the topic

Why do kids need to learn science?

Teaching science to elementary students is critical for establishing a foundation for further success in science. Providing kids with an early experience in science allows students to develop problem-solving skills that empower them to participate in an increasingly scientific and technological world. Science provides opportunities for students to develop understandings and skills necessary to function productively as problem-solvers in a scientific and technological world.