Scientific Thinking in Schools

7/28/2019 Scientific Thinking in Schools

1/30

Hershal Pand a.

Scientific Thinking in Schools(Educator, Riverside School, Ahmedabad, India, 2010-2011)

Feel free to contact for any queries: [email protected].

Photos in this presentation are a property of Riverside School. May notbe reproduced or used without prior consent.


2/30

Understanding Goal, Purpose, Whois it for, Skills & Attitudes


3/30

Understanding Goal

Students will try to understand that the only way to make sense

of the seemin l random universe is to be mindful of theScientific Process.


4/30

Scientific Temperament consists ofObserving, constructing aTheory, Testing a theory and Re-constructing till all possible testsValidate the theory.

The purpose of running the Scientific Thinking program in a

Purpose

children. To make them into independent observers andindividuals constantly learning through questioning.

Although it connects immediately with the three sciences,

Scientific Thinking is not for a student of science but for anythinker! i.e. for everyone.


5/30

Who is it for? All the children from Pre-K to Grade12 benefit from this program

when appropriately designed.

The program can be modifiedto suit the complexity ofunderstanding, availability of

resources and disci line ofinterest or specific needs ofthe particular group ofchildren.

Scientific Thinking programcan as well be for theTeachers & Admin/SupportStaff.


6/30

Skills & Attitudes Developed through

Scientific Thinking Skills

Observe Record Hypothesize Imagine Illustrate

Attitudes Rationality Teamwork Patience Open-mindedness Wonderment

Describe Analyze Questioning Reasoning Making Connections

Respect for others opinions


7/30

Framework, Implementation, TeacherPreparedness, Resources & FAQs


8/30

Framework

Demonstration Observation RecordingHypothesis

(Individual)

Group DiscussionClass Discussion

Validating throughReasoning orExperiments.

EstablishingTheory

(Teacher led)

Learn the

Complete Theory

Making

Connections

Reflection on

mindfulness of theprocess


9/30

Implementation - Demonstration Depending on the age group of the children, one needs to select an appropriate

demonstration. The demonstration should

Be as engaging, fascinating aspossible

Contain effects that provide asensorial experience.(visual,sound, smell, touch) for a group

rom an appropr a e s ance. Challenge the childsknowledge and understanding

Simple enough for the child tocomprehend at the end of theexercise

Have many facets and levelsof understanding so thatchildren falling across thespectrum of cognitive skills have atake-away by the end of exercise


10/30

Implementation - Worksheet At the beginning, the students should be handed the worksheet

with marked out spaces as follows:

Why do you think this phenomenon occurred? Give your reasoning. [HYPOTHESIS]

What did you see? Illustrate and Explain. [OBSERVATION]

Which step in the scientific process was I less mindful of? How did that affect my thinking? [REFLECTION]

Explain and Illustrate why it is the way it is [MY TAKEAWAY]

Are you aware of such a phenomenon occurring elsewhere? [MAKING CONNECTIONS]

What was your collective understanding after discussing in your group? [REFINING AND JUSTIFYING]


11/30

Implementation Student Prompts

The students will

Carefully observe the experiment while it is beingdemonstrated by the teacher.

Fill in the worksheet as given in the previous slide.

rst come up w t t e r co ect ve un erstan ng n sma ergroups made by the teacher. And then as a class.

Remind them to be mindful of the scientific process whileresponding to the phenomenon.

Each group of students should present their hypothesisalong with valid reasoning.


12/30

Implementation Teacher Tips The size of the group should be kept around 20-25 children.

During the demonstration the teacher should not give hints but atthe same time should draw the students attention to thechanges happening during the experiment.

During class discussion, the teacher should list down all thehypotheses on the board and lead the discussion to establishedtheory and guide students to reason out the incorrect ones.

The teacher should not give any inputs of his/hers but only

guide by asking relevant questions. See the list of the questions inthe Appendix B.


13/30

Teacher Preparedness The teacher should believe that this program does enrich the

scientific thinking skills of the students.

It is very important that the teacher runs through a newexperiment once for himself/herself and have a colleague gothrough the process.

chemical processes that are occurring during the experiment.

The teacher should also be well informed about the out-of-domain connections (may be in nature or technology) wherethe same principle of science is responsible for an action.

The experiment/demonstration is well designed and wellprepared for.


14/30

Time & Duration

Scientific Thinking session should be held twice a monthideally.

One complete session from Demonstration-to-Reflection

should not exceed

1 hour for children upto the age of 14 yrs

1.5 hours for children upto the age of 18 yrs

The deciding factor should be the time for whichchildren remain engaged.


15/30

Resources

Internet is a good resource to find interesting experimentsto demonstrate.

List of Experiments carried out at Riverside in the year2010-11 (see appendix).


16/30

FAQsQ. Should the experiment be from the syllabus?

A. It is preferable if the experiment be something from outside thesyllabus. But still comprehensible by the students.

Q. Can the experiment be inter-disciplinary?

A. Yes, it is even better .

Q. Does it need to be related to either of the sciences Bio/Phy/Chem ?

A. One as well could have a demonstration for any other disciplinelike Math or any event naturally occurring in the surrounding.


17/30

Case Study

The Soda Can Experiment


18/30

MethodMaterials:

Couple of Soda Cans, Insulating tape, Scissors, Gas Stove / Heating Plate, Water

Preparation:

Take a tin can of any Cola and bore a small hole with the help of a pointed object like a

geometric compass. Empty all the soda and fill around 2 tb spoon of water in the can.

Keep electrical insulation tape handy.

Experiment:

Heat the can (with the hole open) on a Gas Stove(preferable) or a hot plate for around 2-3

min. *

When little steam starts coming out of the hole, take the can off the heat and seal the hole

with the insulation tape.

Let the can cool down slowly. After five minutes, immerse the can in a small vessel with tap

water.

*Please ensure that the children are at an appropriate distance from the hot plate or bunsen

burner.


19/30

Method

Heating the Can

Letting it Cool

Final Outcome


20/30

Guided Inquiry

This particular experiment is quite sensorial hence no

specific guidance to the students is required.

As the can cools down, it contracts and the tin makes loud

crackling sounds.

,contraction is very loud and clear.

Grade 6 students looking at Can contract when

placed in water.


21/30

Performance of Understanding


22/30



23/30



24/30



25/30

Investments & Reflection


26/30

Investments

Physical

Observation skills, Illustration skills.

Social

Respecting others point of view

Cognitive

Knowledge/Reasoning

Emotional

Acceptance of ones failure upon verification


27/30

Reflection

Knowing the principles that drive the particular phenomenaBUT not allowing the background academic knowledge to

compromise the scientific temperament.

One could look at how to include the above idea into the

Scientific Thinkin Pro . Some ideas are: Ask the students to give a fresh / revolutionary /fictitious

theory

Use magic/sci-fi movie clips/circus as demonstrations.


28/30

Out of Clutter, Find Simplicity, From Discord, Find

Harmony, In The Middle Of Difficulty Lies Opportunity.-Albert Einstein


29/30

Appendix A: List of Experiments

Refractive Index Expt by David

Resonating Pendulums

Ice Block

Soda Can Expt

Shadows?

Egg in Water


30/30

Appendix B: List of Questions to Guide

Inquiry

What do you see here? Can you illustrate it in your worksheet?

Why do you think it is happening?

What all factors affect the outcome of the experiment?

. .room/dark or more bright place/ lot of vibrations on thetable? Would it change the events outcome?

What if the materials used were different? Like salt instead ofsugar or salt crystal instead of salt powder [incase the

demonstration is based on dissolving capacity] Where else do we see this happening?

Documents

Scientific Thinking in Schools