KENNICKER MASTER PORTFOLIO: SCIENCE

Master’s Portfolio Project: Science

5/29/2020
Brenna Kennicker
University of Alaska Southeast
Beth Hartley
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Science Abstract
Candidates demonstrate and apply understandings and integration of the three dimensions

of science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts (differentiation and technology), and

major disciplinary core ideas, within the major content areas of science.

Science Statement

Attached is one of several lessons I did as part of ED 617, science methods in the K-8

classroom back in 2013. (Lesson) In this lesson, the goal was to have students identify and sort

rocks based on commonalities. I had written in the initial reflection that I had allowed students to

use the resources included in the science kit to come up with their own games, and noted this

was positive. However, at the time I did not understand why the students had more success

creating their own sorting games than using what was developed by the kit. The students likely

were more successful creating their own sorting games due to a combination of where they were

developmentally, and that they were unintentionally using what we would call now “inquiry

based” learning.

This lesson was taught to a class of 2nd graders, who Piaget would state are moving from

the preoperational to the concrete operational stage of mental development (Piaget, 1936). In this

specific case students were able to practice seriation, where they arrange items or concepts by a

descriptor (McLeod, 2009).

As well as being a “developmentally appropriate” activity for the 2nd grade students to do,

it also included play. Piaget wrote that learning required an active participant, and problem-

solving skills cannot be taught, but rather discovered (Piaget, 1957). This idea helped to bring

forward the shift to discovery learning and inquiry-based learning.

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Inquiry based learning, specifically in the subject of science, takes a more investigative

approach, allowing students to ask their own questions, try out possible solutions, and use

available evidence to justify their thinking (Bulba, 2015). In giving the students freedom to

create their own ways to practice seriation they had greater engagement and were able to express

their own curiosity with others. This photo shows students working together to arrange the rocks

from the kit by how much sparkly material was in each rock. Both students were active

participants in the activity and would often consult each other to confirm a rock was put in the

correct spot on the line.

Knowing now how essential discovery-based learning is for the developing elementary

school brain, and how inquiry-based learning can help facilitate discovery, it makes sense to

include more of these types of activities into my classroom curriculum. An example of this is an

open-ended STEM activity we did toward the end of quarter 1. Students were presented with a

challenge: they had to build a pyramid using plastic cups, but could not touch them with their

hands. Students were placed into groups and given a variety of materials to use. We had done a

more formal lesson on problem solving earlier, so students were familiar with the process and

had been practicing respectful debate. The following clip shows what one group developed in

order to complete the challenge (Video).

Activities such as the one shown above, and the play-based style activities developed by

my students are the type of developmentally appropriate activities that delve into the heart of

science, which is exploration and inquiry. It is my goal for future classes to incorporate more of

this learning style into my science curriculum.

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References

Bulba, D. (2015, November 10). What is inquiry-based science? Retrieved May 29, 2020, from
https://ssec.si.edu/stemvisions-blog/what-inquiry-based-science

McLeod, S. A. (2009). Piaget | Cognitive stages of development. Retrieved from

http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html

Piaget, J. (1936). Origins of intelligence in the child. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Piaget, J. (1957). Construction of reality in the child. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.