In the video A Private Universe, we are introduced to a young student Heather, who is considered by her classroom teacher to be very bright, above other students, ranked 9 out of 10 on a scale, and expected to know the answer to the questions asked. Heather’s teacher was surprised and mentioned that she “assumed they (students) already have the basics”. Driver, Guesne & Tiberghien (1985), mention how students have stable ideas and “students have not modified their ideas in spite of attempts by a teacher to challenge them by offering counter-evidence” (p. 3). Similarly, Burgoon, Heddle & Duran (2011), mention that “students tend to cling to their own conceptions even after experiencing events that directly challenge those conceptions” (pg. 102). This was seen in the video. To help correct Heather’s misconceptions, the classroom teacher gives direct instruction to target the areas of need. Even after direct teaching, Heather still has difficulty understanding direct and indirect light and held on to her theories.
Looking at my experience with teaching concepts whether in numeracy or in science, I find it beneficial to begin with a diagnostic to determine where my students are at, what basics skills do they possess before teaching concepts and what ideas they have formulated. Driver, Guesne & Tiberghien (1985), state that “the child, even when very young, has ideas about things, and these ideas play a role in the learning experiences” (pg. 4). Some of the programs I use include Pre-Diagnostic Before Module Assessments, a Mid-Assessment Check-Up, and lastly an End of Module Assessment to determine what growth the student made. Burgoon, Heddle & Duran (2011), state that, “if teachers are unware of the misconceptions held by their students and/or have misconceptions themselves, teachers may unknowingly reinforce new misconceptions” (p. 103). Additionally, I enjoy using Know-Wonder-Learn charts where students can indicate what they already know about the topic, what questions they have and after completing the unit, they write down information they know. This is a great tool for teachers to assess which specific area(s) further instruction needs to be directed.
It’s essential that we teach and provide various strategies for our students to learn concepts. This may include incorporating technology, using manipulatives, bringing in guest speakers, going on field studies etc., so students can use these strategies and various experiences and apply it to the concepts they are learning. Further integrating technology in the classroom has become very useful, as students can access tutorial videos or do further practice on their own time to reinforce concepts taught.
Burgoon, J.N., Heddle, M.L., Duran, E. (2011). Re-examining the similarities between teacher and student conceptions about physical science. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 22(2), 101-114. DOI: 10.1007/s10972-010-9196-x
Confrey, J. (1990). A review of the research on student conceptions in mathematics, science, and programming. Review of research in education, 16, 3-56. http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/1167350
Driver, R., Guesne, E., & Tiberghien, A. (1985). Children’s ideas and the learning of science. Children’s ideas in science, 1-9.
Hey Amanda,
Well, not only did I enjoy your interpretation/breakdown of the Private Universe clips, but I learned a lot of interesting ways to ‘diagnose’ students! Specifically, I had never heard of specific programs for “Pre-Diagnostic Before Module Assessments” , a “Mid-Assessment Check-Up”, or an “End of Module Assessment”. I know what they are, of course, but when you say programs do you mean a digital program or just a instructional method?
I was also intrigued by “Know-Wonder-Learn charts”, something else I had never heard of before. I’m always amazed that I can learn something new every day from the other students in this program. Yay!
I enjoyed your suggestions in your concluding paragraph about strategies for helping students learn concepts. Do you have experience using specific digital tools in your class to this end? If so, what’s one that you felt worked really well?
Thanks for the post 🙂
Scott
Hi Scott,
Thanks for your comments! I’m glad you are learning new things!! 🙂
So for the pre, mid and end of module assessments, one of the programs I am taking about is available digitally as well as hardcopy version. It’s a math intervention program called Do The Math which was created by Marilyn Burns http://www.hmhco.com/products/do-the-math/. Our school does not have the latest program so I sure there have been many changes!
As for digital tools, I use Nearpod for teaching some lessons. It is very engaging and interactive. My students enjoy using it and are so excited to learn math! It is time consuming as I do create my own lessons to connect with other programs. Also, I find students using Khan Academy to be very helpful as it reinforces concepts taught. IXL math is also another tool we use to practice math concepts when additional practice is required.
🙂
Thanks for your post Amanda!
I agree, one of the tools that I still use from my Bachelor of Education is a KWL chart. The students fill in what they KNOW (or think they know) and what they WONDER before we start a new unit of study. What I love about this is that it guides my teaching. I can see what students already understand, what they have misconceptions about, as well as some of the questions they have or topics they are interested in exploring more. At the end of the unit, I get to see what they have LEARNED. The best part is that if a bunch of students have similar questions, we are able to use technology to let them explore these topics in a small group. Sometimes they will look up videos or do a little research to get them started. To help guide them, I always have them create “Essential Questions” about their topic before they begin. I want them to find ways that the concept is useful in daily life. My goal this year is to try and connect all of our learning to life. How do you use technology in your daily lessons to extend the students learning? I love trying ideas that work for other teachers. I have a large group of students who are working below grade level (at least 2 grade levels or more. In my class we have students working at a grade 2 level all the way up to grade 8. It’s challenging to find ways to make connections for all the different abilities. I’m always trying to think of new ways of getting them interested and passionate about what they are learning. Would love any suggestions you have!
Nicole
Hi Nicole,
I really like the idea of having them create “essential questions”! Thanks for sharing that. My goal is also trying to have our students make real world connections! I agree with you that having students who are above or below grade level need to be able to work on topics they are interested and engaged in and go from there. I think that is so important!
Hi Amanda,
I too use the KWL chart to see what my students know and then go from there. In the video we see Heather’s teacher state that she assumed that her students knew the basic ideas when they didn’t. The KWL is a easy and simple tool that teachers can use to find how to plan their next lesson with their students’ needs in mind.
As an LST teacher, when we conduct our year end tests for students, we use different assessments to figure out student abilities and then we are able to group students accordingly. This is an important part of the process because if we were to put students in a reading group that was too hard for them, it would cause much anxiety for the student. Finding what your students’ academic needs are are crucial to student success.
It is great to see teachers using various assessments to determine student abilities. I remember one of my math classes in high school was torture because the teacher assumed all the students knew some concepts and jumped ahead. Even as we explained that we had not learned those topics, he said that ” then learn on your own.” It was a disaster. It is great to see so many educators being cognizant of their students abilities.
Hi Sabrina,
Yes the KWL is simple and easy to use and gathers great information. It’s great to see that your LST team does end of the year assessments and uses the data effectively to make homogenous groupings! Wow, I can’t believe your high school teacher actually said “then learn on your own”. It definitely sounds like a disaster!
Dear Amanda,
Thank you for sharing your analysis about the video. I think you alluded to the idea of flipped learning and how it can possibly serve as a solution to consolidate new learning and confront persistent misconceptions. I want to unpack your ideas further.
In particular, flipped learning is a key tool to support mastery-based learning. The underpinning concept of mastery-based education is that educators should ensure that students fully understand taught content. Khan, an educator who popularized the idea of self-paced educational videos, supports that current educational and adaptive tools allow students to revisit concepts to consolidate learning. In Khan’s (2005) TED talk (https://www.ted.com/talks/sal_khan_let_s_teach_for_mastery_not_test_scores/) he claims that students fail to firmly grasp advance theories because of the accumulation of misconceptions. These gaps of knowledge were not fully addressed before the student learns new concepts. For example, in math, when one student receives a score of 90%, the 10% gap may not be corrected before they move onto new ideas. Hence, further math understanding is being built on this 90% understanding. As this trend continues, students fail in advance math due to the colossal amount of misconceptions.
However, adaptive exercises and personalize learning tools with quality feedback and scaffolding instructions can easy fill learning gaps. Students are now given a myriad of self-paced learning options. Beyond annotated educational videos, educators can design E-learning tools such as edX to build courses for students. Here, students can enjoy interactive and social components to develop content awareness.
Sincerely,
Alice