Change how we teach…Change how we teach…Practical Approach to Practical Approach to

Teaching Science (inquiry-Teaching Science (inquiry-learning) learning)

Change how we teach…Change how we teach…Practical Approach to Practical Approach to

Teaching Science (inquiry-Teaching Science (inquiry-learning) learning)

Mouwafac Sidaoui Mouwafac Sidaoui 706-798706-798Principles of Organizational Change Principles of Organizational Change Summer 2004Summer 2004

Part IPart IDescription of the change. Description of the change.

• We live in a fast-moving technological society. Therefore, the way we teach young people has to change.

• If kids can't learn the way we teach, we must teach the way they learn. --Martine Wayman and Karol Pulliam (6th grade teachers)

• Most scientists don't read reports on education, but they do read Science. -- Jo Handelsman

• Less students are interested in science courses. -- Jo Handelsman

Part IIPart IIExpected reactions to the change. Expected reactions to the change.

• Some post-secondary educators:– feel intimidated by the challenge of

learning new teaching methods.– fear that focusing on teaching will hurt their

credibility as researchers. – why change???

Part 3Part 3Actions to support and reduce resistance to the change.Actions to support and reduce resistance to the change.

• Administrators must create opportunities to enable a shift from teacher-directed to student-centered instruction.

• The school administration plays a large role in giving the time and resources to the faculty members to focus on teaching, not only research. -- Sunal, Hodges, Whitaker, Freeman, Edwards, Johnston, Odell,

2001

• Educators must become facilitators of learning.

• Students must take on an active role in the acquisition of knowledge.

• Change the reward Systems.

• Teach students how science is done– engage them in science

– ask them to become scientistsStudentsStudents

EducatorsEducators

AdministratorsAdministrators

Part 3Part 3Actions to support and reduce resistance to the change. Actions to support and reduce resistance to the change.

Changing the Teacher’s RolePast/Present Future

A deliverer of information. A facilitator of learning.

A teacher of the textbook. A teacher whose lessons are driven by reality and up-to-date information resources.

A coordinator of group work.

An information manager and building collaborative teams.

An educational island. A member of a learning community composed of technology assistants, media specialists, teachers, administrators, parents, on-line experts, and students.

Changing the Student’s RolePast/Present Future

A passive listener. An active learner.

A doer of teacher-prepared tasks.

A teacher of others.

A follower to the curriculum.

A researcher, who develops a product of knowledge.

A consumer of the textbook.

A knowledge navigator.

Part 3Part 3Actions to support and reduce resistance to the change.Actions to support and reduce resistance to the change.

• Administrators, educators and students must change every day and continuously.

– teach science and technology to students in a way that makes the experience unforgettable.

– recognize the pitfalls that are easily overlooked.

– create enthusiasm for the world around us and keep it alive.

• Administrators and educators need to renew their commitment to their students.

• As technology changes, we must prepare our students to face the changes and be prepared for the world they will face and in which they will live and work. – William C. Kirby,

Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University

Part 3Part 3Actions to support and reduce resistance to the change.Actions to support and reduce resistance to the change.

• If you study to remember, you will forget, but, If you study to understand, you will remember. – unknown

• Science is facts; just as houses are made of stone, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house, and a collection of facts is not necessarily science. - Jules Henri Poincaré (1854-1912) French mathematician.

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