chapter 5

How Students Learn Science

Chapter 5



How to Read This Chapter• This chapter organizes ideas about learning into two

key topics, theories of learning, and learning styles. John Dewey wrote about science learning in the early part of the last century, and from then on, science education researchers have worked with practicing science teachers to try to explain how students learn. You will find the learning theories divided into three categories:

– constructivist– socio-cultural– behavioral

• You might want to look at any one of these three approaches to learning, and see how they relate to your own ideas about learning. You also might be interested in exploring ideas on student learning styles, and how these ideas influence science instruction. You will also find that Chapter 6, Models of Teaching, is correlated with the theories that are presented here. On the one hand this chapter is based more theory-oriented, whereas the next chapter is more practical. Together they form an important pair of chapters that link theory and practice.

Constructivist Theories

Inquiry 5.2: Conrete

Learning

Inquiry 5.3: Formal

Learning

Constructivism Cognitive Theories


Invitations to Inquiry

• How important is it to the secondary science teacher to know about learning theory?

• What is constructivism, and why has it emerged as one of the most significant explanations of student learning?

• How do cognitive psychologists explain student learning?• How do social psychologist explain student learning?• How do behavioral theories explain student learning in science?• What was the contribution of theorists like Skinner, Bruner, Piaget, Vygotsky,

and von Glasersfeld to secondary science teaching?• What is meant by multiple intelligences and how does it impact student

learning?• How do learning styles of students influence learning in the classroom?• What is metacognition, and how can metacognition help students learn

science?


Chapter 5 Map

Chapter 5How Students Learn Science

Theories

Theory to Practice?

Idea of Theory

Constructivist Theories

Sociocultural Theories

Behavioral Theories

Student Learning

Styles

The Gazette

Case Studies

Teacher Talk

Inquiry 5.1: Student

Learning

Inquiry 5.2: Conrete

Learning

Inquiry 5.3: Formal

Learning

Inquiry 5.4: Big Ideas

Inquiry 5.5: Meeting of the Minds

Learning Styles 4MAT Brain-

Based Learning

Inquiry 5.6: Learning

Styles

Feminist Perspective

Deweyan Theories

Constructivism Cognitive Theories

Operant Conditioning

Theory into Practice


Case Study: A New Approach to Learning

• The Case

• Ruth Wilson, a second year high school biology teacher in a community that has only one high school, took a graduate course in the summer at the local university. In the course, she became extremely interested in a theory of learning, called "constructivism” proposed by several theorists. Constructivism, as she understood it, provided a framework to understand how students acquired knowledge. One of the basic notions underlying the theory was that students “constructed and made meaning” of their experiences. The theory provides more freedom for the students in terms of their own thinking processes. Ms. Wilson feels strongly that this “constructivist” framework supported her teaching philosophy better than the more structured approach she was using during her first year of teaching. Prior to the opening of school, Ms. Wilson changed her curriculum plans to reflect the constructivist theory. She spent the first two weeks of school helping the students become skilled and familiar with hands-on learning. For many of her students, this was a new venture. She planned activities where students had to make choices among objectives, or activities, or content. Knowing that students like to work together, she decided to place students in small teams. At the end of the two weeks, she instructed the teams to decide and select the activities and content in the first part of the text that would interest them. They should formulate a plan, and carry it out for the remainder of the grading period. A few weeks later, a rather irate parent called Mr.. Brady, the principal of the school, complaining that her son is wasting his time in Ms. Wilson's class. The parent complained that her son was not learning anything, and

she demanded a conference with Ms. Wilson.

• The Problem

• How would you deal with this situation? What would you say to the parent? Is Ms. Wilson on sound footing regarding her theory of teaching? How do explain your teaching theory to your principal? What is your personal view on this approach to teaching and learning?


Inquiry 5.1: How Do Students Learn Science?

• In this inquiry you will create a set of questions that you will use to interview one or more science teachers about they conceive of how students learn.

• Refer to the Inquiry for a detailed procedure for the inquiry.

168-169


Theories of Learning

Learning Theory or Perspective Key Ideas

Constructivist Perspective

1. Constructivism--Von Glasersfeld

2. Cognitive Theories--Piaget, Bruner

Construction of knowledge with individual mechanisms or social influence; Changes in mental structures

Sociocultural

1. Sociocultural Theories--Vygotsky

2. Feminist Perspective

3. Deweyan Theory of Experience

Social organization is the agent for change for the individual.

Knowledge is “gendered.”

Learner engages in “an experience.”

Behavioral Perspectives

Operant Conditioning--Skinner

Changes in overt behavior of the learner as a result of experience


Alternative Frameworks; Naïve Ideas; Misconceptions

• Students come to class with ideas about most of the concepts presented in science class. What are some of these ideas, and how do they come about?

• Read the section in the text, “The Constructivist Perspective, ” pp. 173-174.

• Identify two or three examples of alternative ideas that students bring to class.

• How can these initial ideas be changed? What is your theory?

• You might check the website shown here, called, “Bad Science


Identify Student’s Initial Ideas

• The diagram from the text, p. 173, shows a typical incorrect and correct answer to the coin toss problem.

• Design a similar activity in biology, chemistry, physics or geology and use it to ascertain students initial ideas about a concept.


Conceptual Change Teaching

• Help the student become dissatisfied with their existing conception.

• Help the student achieve a minimal initial understanding of the scientific conception.

• Make the scientific conception plausible to the student.

• Show the scientific conception as fruitful or useful in understanding a variety of situations.


Cognitive Theories

• Bruner and Discovery Learning

• Piaget and Developmental Learning

• The Learning Cycle

Teachers involved in a constructivist and discovery summer workshop at GeorgiaState University.

176-188


Discovery Learning

• Find out what the following ideas mean, and how it helps explain Bruner’s notion of “discovery learning” (pp.176-178). – Curiosity & Uncertainty

– Structure of Knowledge

– Sequencing

– Motivation

176-178


Inquiry 5.2: Concrete Reasoning

• In this inquiry you will administer several “tasks” to elementary and middle school students. If you can not do this, work with a peer.

• You will need clay, 2 vials, and 2 candy bars as well as the Piagetian tasks described in Figure 5.5 (p. 184).

• How can you use tasks like these to describe the nature of student thinking and how they learn?

183-184


Inquiry 5.3: Mealworm & Mr.. ShortFormal Reasoning

• In this inquiry you will work with two “formal” tasks to find out about thinking at the abstract level. Do the tasks yourself, and then try and work with a middle or high school student, or a peer.

• You will need paperclips and copies of the puzzles in Figure 5.7 (p. 186).

• Read the explanations given by 6 students (Table 5.12). Compare these to the ones you gathered in the previous steps.

• What did you learn about student thinking from these exercises? What are the differences between concrete and formal thinking?

186-188


Sociocultural Theories

• The Sociocultural perspective

• The Feminist Perspective

• Deweyan Theory of Experience

188-193


Role of Cooperative Learning in the Sociocultural Perspective

• “One of the key implications of the sociocultural perspective on student learning is collaboration within groups in the classroom. Collaborative learning (cooperative learning) is viewed as a promising application of sociocultural theory”

• Find support for this notion by referring to pp. 188-190.

• What is the meaning of sociocultural theory?


The Feminist Perspective

• Find out what is the meaning of:– Situated cognition

– Communities of practice

• Design an activity for that takes these concepts into consideration.

190


The Deweyan Theory of Experience

• Dewey said that teachers cannot “give ideas directly to students as if they were bricks.”

• How does nonschool learning, informal learning, incidental learning, and transformative experiences relate to Dewey’s theory of experience?

• Design an activity that takes Dewey’s ideas into consideration.

190-193


Big Ideas

Big Ideas


Inquiry 5.4: Concepts versus Big Ideas

• In this inquiry you will learn to distinguish between scientific concepts (example: concepts in the Standards), and Dewey’s notion of a “big idea.”

• Study Table 5.13 to get a feel for how concepts differ from big ideas.

• Consult the Standards, and select one or more concepts and use them to identify big ideas that would correspond to them.

• What are some big ideas in your field of expertise?

193


Inquiry 5.5: Meeting of the Minds

• What would they talk about if you brought together a theorist from the following perspectives:

• Constructivism

• Behaviorism

• Socioculturalism

• Feminism

• Role play, and use the procedures on p. 197 to facilitate the activity.

• Upon reflection, which theorists provided the most powerful argument explaining how students learn?

197


Student Learning Styles

• What is learning style?• The psychology of

learning styles• Brain hemisphericity

and learning style• Appling learning style

to teaching

198-204


Inquiry 5.6: Student Learning Styles

• Draw a concept map on the topic: “Factors affecting student learning styles”

• Draw a second map on “What are some ways to accommodate students with different learning styles?”

• Compare and contrast maps; how does you work compare to the work of Rita Dunn and Bernice McCarthy?

Consult theLearning Styles Network

http://www.learningstyles.net/

198

http://www.learningstyles.net/


Psychology of Learning Styles

• Consult Figure 5.11, Learning Style Model developed by Rita and Ken Dunn. Use the model to discovery elements of student learning styles including:

– Environmental elements

– Emotional elements

– Physical elements

– Sociological elements

– Psychological elements

• How can these elements be of practical value in setting up a classroom? In planning lessons?

199-201


Brain Hemisphericity

• Look at the lists to the right. Check off those items that you prefer over the others. Do you prefer left or right brain things, or was there no difference?

• Find out who was Joseph Bogan and Roger Sperry.

• How do researchers think the brain hemisphericity might impact:

– Motivation

– Creativity

– Rationality

– Emotions and feelings

The Left Hemisphere The Right HemisphereDoes verbal thingsLike sequenceSees the treesLikes structureAnalyzesIs rationalIs theoretical

Sees RelationshipsGrabs for the wholeLikes random patternsSees the forestIs fluid and spontaneousIs Intuitive

200-201


4MAT

• 4MAT is a learning style system that identifies 4 types of learners:

– Imaginative learners– Analytic learners– Common sense learners– Dynamic Learners

• Refer to Figure 5.12 and describe the variables that define each type of learner.

• Design a lesson in which you take into account the four types of learners.

• Visit the 4MAT site at: About Learning, Inc.

200-202

http://www.aboutlearning.com/


Metacognitive Strategies

• Mind Mapping

• Illustrating & Drawing

• Brainstorming

• Planning

• Generating questions

• Evaluating action

• Teaching capability

• Communication skills

• Journal keeping

203-205

chapter 5

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science learning

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theory of learning

theories of learning

learning theories

handson learning

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styles of students