preparation for standardized testing and inquiry
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TEAMS SEMINAR, JANUARY 24, 2009 UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
XENIA MEYER, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Critical Thinking in Science Education and Standardized
Testing:
Two Birds with One Stone through Inquiry-based
Instruction
What did we just do?
Engaged in student-centered instructionInteracted with our peersAcknowledged multiple possibilities (more
closely models actual science)Made observationsMade inferences based on observationsUsed evidence to state claimsInquiry!
Inquiry?
“The diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on evidence derived from their work. Inquiry also refers to the activities of students in which they develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural world”
(National Research Council [NRC], 1996, p. 23).
What is it?
Learning science, rather than learning about it…
Abilities to do inquiry• formulating questions• designing investigations• dealing with data• constructing and testing explanations• communicating results
(NRC, 1996)
Knowledge about inquiry• Scientists use varied methods• Scientific inquiry involves testing ideas• Scientists use logic, higher-order thinking, and current
knowledge• Scientific investigations lead to more questions
What does inquiry look like?
From http://www.materialsworldmodules.org/pedagogy/inquiry_continuum.shtml
Bybee’s Instructional Model
If that’s inquiry, why don’t we see more of it?
From http://www.brynmawr.edu/biology/franklin/InquiryBasedScience.html
INQUIRY BASED TRADITIONAL
Principle Learning Theory
Constructivism Behaviorism
Student Participation Active Passive
Student Involvement in Outcomes
Increased Responsibility Decreased Responsibility
Student Role Problem solver Direction follower
Curriculum Goals Process oriented Product oriented
Teachers Role Guide/facilitator Director/ transmitter
Comparing Inquiry and Traditional Science Instruction
But, what’s wrong with traditional instruction?
Traditional school science tends to be disconnected from both actual science and students’ everyday lives
Traditional instruction oftentimes takes the shape of didactic teaching, lectures, verification labs, and worksheets. Students are not encouraged to engage in scientific questions
and to think deeply and critically about what they are learning
Students are not participating in the activities of science and thereby not appropriating scientific knowledge and culture
How does this connect to NCLB?
“State test[s] led teachers to abandon more constructivist, open-ended activities for more structured, worksheet-based activities that more closely mirrored the test”
(Sloan, 2007, p.
28).
When “a child-centered culture is supplanted
by a test-centered culture, it is likely that academic achievement, as well as meaningful school experiences and personal bonds among teachers and students, will diminish”
(Valli & Chambliss, 2007, p. 73).
Conclusions from Ethnographic Research
“Cross-state studies link high-stakes testing with increases in dropout rates for ELLs and minority students, as the achievement gap widens” (Fine et al. 2007, p. 78)
An increased focus on testing diminished the student-centered approaches that provided educators with a better understanding of how to meet their students’ needs.
While educators may have the best intentions of assisting struggling students with test preparation, these approaches must be reconsidered.
Equity in Science Education: Challenged by NCLB
Educational researchers point out that many students in urban schools learn science through traditional instructional approaches (Settlage & Meadows, 2002) Many urban students are from backgrounds
underrepresented in the sciences (Latino, black, Native American, Pacific Islander)
Instruction is focused on standardized test preparation rather than engaging in the activities of science
Students indicate lack of interest in science and pursuing science careers
Meeting success through alternatives
Educational researchers conducted case study investigations of schools serving underrepresented and ELL students that are meeting educational success (Fine, Walter, Pedraza, Futch, & Stoudt, 2007) Graduation Rate: 88.7%; >90% graduates go on to college
Findings: Student-centered instruction used Alternative instructional approaches Evaluation methods include portfolio-based assessments Collaborative planning and curriculum development
amongst teachers Student sense of ownership and agency at the school
Discussion: Think , Pair, Share
In what ways, if any, may engaging students in inquiry prepare them for standardized tests?
How would it be possible to bring more inquiry into your own classroom?
Review: Is this inquiry?
1. Having students follow a procedure to complete a lab2. Having students classify substances based upon their
observable properties. 3. Having students make presentations of data collected
during lab.4. Hands-on labs5. Giving students a white powder and asking them to
determine what the powder is6. A class discussion about the arrangement of the
periodic table. (Crawford, 2008, Fossil Finders Presentation on Inquiry)
References
Bybee, R. (1997). Achieving scientific literacy: From Purposes to practice. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Fine, M., Jaffe-Walter, R., Pedraza, P., Futch, V., & Stoudt, B. (2007). Swimming: On oxygen, resistance, and possibility for immigrant youth under siege. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 38, 76-96.
National Academy of Sciences. (1998). Teaching about evolution and the nature of science. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
National Research Council. (1996). National science education standards. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
National Research Council. (2000). Inquiry and the national science education standards. Washington, D.C., National Academy Press.
Settlage, J., & Meadows, L. (2002). Standards-based reform and its unintended consequences: Implications for science education within America’s urban schools. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39 (2), 114-127.
Sloan, K. (2007). High-stakes accountability, minority youth, and ethnography: Assessing the multiple effects. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 38, 24-41.
Valli, L., & Chambliss, M. (2007). Creating classroom cultures: One teacher, two lessons, and a high-stakes test. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 38, 57-75.
Xenia [email protected]