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Note that an engaging phenomenon does not have to be flashy or unexpected. For example, exploring what we see in the sky will lead to different investigations depending on whether students live in an urban area or far from city lights. Use one broad anchor phenomenon for the focus of a unit, and investigate related phenomena that relate to students’ interests and experiences.When discussing how sunlight warms the earth, a teacher might use examples of the sun heating sand, or asphalt depending on where students live. Connect iterations of a given phenomenon to students’ lives.Why do leaves change color? What is lightning? Why do ice cubes stick to my finger? Ask students what they’re curious about.The following are a few steps you can take to integrate this approach into your classroom: That’s why it’s helpful to make sure students can connect to the phenomenon at hand. Also, phenomena don’t generate learning all by themselves-student questions about phenomena guide teaching and learning. The power of phenomena-based learning lies in real-world relevance.
#Ngss phenomena how to
How to bring phenomena into the science classroom When you shift to a phenomena-based approach, you help students shift from learning about to figuring out. It also trains students to be inquisitive, expansive, critical thinkers. A phenomena-based science curriculum engages students by starting with the real and relatable rather than the abstract. The power of phenomena science lies in its capacity to bring real life into the classroom. And it has the added benefit of being how real scientists proceed with their work! The challenge of predicting or explaining the phenomenon becomes the motivation for learning. Explaining phenomena and designing solutions helps students learn in context, leading to deeper and more transferable knowledge. You ask questions: Why is brown water coming out of the pipes built for drinking water? Where did all the monarch butterflies go? You help students see why science is relevant, right from the outset of the inquiry.Įven everyday phenomena-like sunburns, or vision loss-can generate real learning opportunities.
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Many of us learned science a different way, by starting with a general or abstract principle then applying it in the real world.īut when you start with phenomena in science, you start with the observable real-world event.
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This provided an opportunity to offer differentiated support.The power of phenomena-based learning in science Their reflections provided the teacher with important data to improve instruction and concentrate on areas students needed extra assistance. Students demonstrated growth in many areas throughout all four units. The use of phenomena as a formative assessment to measure student growth in content understanding provided positive feedback for the instructor. Units included concepts involving Newton’s Second Law of Motion, Momentum, Energy, and Energy Applications. The study took place throughout the course of four different units. Rubric scores were compared on pre and post reflections to measure student growth for each class. Students in four ninth grade physical science classrooms wrote and reflected on specific phenomena at the beginning of the unit to test for prior knowledge and again at the end of the unit. The purpose of this curriculum study was to utilize phenomena as a formative assessment to measure student growth in the classroom. One major goal of the Next Generation Science Standards involves the use of phenomena in the classroom. Dubuque Senior High School, a high school in Iowa, is currently in the process of reshaping their science curriculum around the Next Generation Science Standards.
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