Making use of textbook as a pedagogical tool at the elementary school level

Dr. Lalit kishore

Science teaching and textbook WorkshopScience teaching and textbook Workshop

Objectives

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NCF Stand on Primary ScienceNCF Stand on Primary Science

• Science and social science should be integrated as ‘Environmental Studies’ with health as an important component.

• Joyful exploring the world (natural environment, artifacts and people) around and harmonizing with it.

• Hands on activities to acquire the basic cognitive and psychomotor skills through observation, classification, inference, design, fabrication, estimation and non-standard measurement

NCF stand on upper primary scienceNCF stand on upper primary science

Focus:• Learning concepts and principles through familiar experiences• Working with hands to design simple technological units and

working models• Doing environment and health through activities and surveysRemarks:• Scientific concepts are to be arrived at mainly from activities and

experiments.• Group activity, discussions with peers and teachers, surveys,

organization of data and their display through exhibitions, etc. in schools and neighbourhood

• There should be continuous as well as periodic assessment (unit tests, term end tests). The system of ‘direct’ grades should be adopted. There should be no detention.

Focus:• Learning concepts and principles through familiar experiences• Working with hands to design simple technological units and

working models• Doing environment and health through activities and surveysRemarks:• Scientific concepts are to be arrived at mainly from activities and

experiments.• Group activity, discussions with peers and teachers, surveys,

organization of data and their display through exhibitions, etc. in schools and neighbourhood

• There should be continuous as well as periodic assessment (unit tests, term end tests). The system of ‘direct’ grades should be adopted. There should be no detention.

Quality science teachingQuality science teaching

Training activity: Defining things, terms

Training activity: Defining things, terms

• What is a chair or define chair?• Establish requirements of : attributes /

properties / qualities + functions / uses + composition / components / parts (what is it made of?)

• A definition is a statement that describes properties, functions and composition of an object or concept.

• What is a chair or define chair?• Establish requirements of : attributes /

properties / qualities + functions / uses + composition / components / parts (what is it made of?)

• A definition is a statement that describes properties, functions and composition of an object or concept.

Defining scienceDefining science

Training activity: Use of word-search Training activity: Use of word-search puzzlepuzzle

• A list of the hidden words is provided• Letters of words placed in a grid box of

rectangular or square shape hidden by other letters.

• The words may be placed horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

• Task is to find and mark all the words hidden inside the box.

• More challenging puzzles may let the player figure them out through a category label.

• A list of the hidden words is provided• Letters of words placed in a grid box of

rectangular or square shape hidden by other letters.

• The words may be placed horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

• Task is to find and mark all the words hidden inside the box.

• More challenging puzzles may let the player figure them out through a category label.

Advantages of word puzzlesAdvantages of word puzzles

Teaching componentsTeaching componentsTeaching componentsTeaching components

Textbook & Pedagogy Link

TransitionAdaptation

Daily learning episodes

Lesson plansInnovation

InterventionsAction research

~Lalit Kishore

Pedagogy as a concept

QUALITY TEACHINGQUALITY TEACHING

Science activities at primary gradesScience activities at primary grades

Training activity: Preparing an activity sheet

Training activity: Preparing an activity sheet

Systematizing activitiesSystematizing activitiesSystematizing activitiesSystematizing activities

Advantages of science activityAdvantages of science activity

Diagrams and visual symbolsDiagrams and visual symbols

A diagram is a two-dimensional geometric line-drawing in black that is symbolic representation of reality or information. Drawing a diagram a semi-concrete visualization technique to create a visual symbol of reality.

Sometimes, the technique uses a three-dimensional visualization which is then projected onto the two-dimensional surface.

A diagram is a two-dimensional geometric line-drawing in black that is symbolic representation of reality or information. Drawing a diagram a semi-concrete visualization technique to create a visual symbol of reality.

Sometimes, the technique uses a three-dimensional visualization which is then projected onto the two-dimensional surface.

Training activity for visual symbolsTraining activity for visual symbols

• Drawing animals: Step by step modelled drawing• Science diagrams• Completing visual practice sheet

Concept maps: Reading and restructuring text

Concept maps: Reading and restructuring text

• Concept mapping is a technique for visualizing the relationships among different concepts.

• A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among related concepts or sub-concepts.

• Concepts are connected with labeled arrows. • The relationship between concepts is articulated

in linking phrases, e.g., "gives rise to", "results in", "is required by," or "contributes to".

• Concept mapping is a technique for visualizing the relationships among different concepts.

• A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among related concepts or sub-concepts.

• Concepts are connected with labeled arrows. • The relationship between concepts is articulated

in linking phrases, e.g., "gives rise to", "results in", "is required by," or "contributes to".

Suggestions for use of concept mapping

Suggestions for use of concept mapping

• Individual Learning Tool - Ask students to construct their own concept maps covering a section of the course material covered as class-work or the textbook reading assignment.

• Collaborative Concept Mapping - Especially in large classes make groups to make concept maps from the textual material.

~The result is a genuine effort to negotiate the meaning of scientific concepts, attempting (as scientists do) to reach consensus, or to stake out different points of view.

• Fill-in Concept Mapping – Pre-construct a concept map and then remove all of the concept labels while keeping the links. Ask the class to replace the labels in a way that makes structural sense. Best done with small groups.