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4b. 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.

Teaching science is about teaching students to be curious and motivated to understand

the world around them by creating a community of learners that work together to ask and

investigate meaningful questions. Teaching practical and inspiring science has three

important components: inquiry-based learning and habits of mind, real-world application,

and student exploration. The attached science activity demonstrates these components.

Contant et al. (2018), distinguish certain habits of mind that scientists apply when

engaging in science. These habits of mind include curiosity, a desire for knowledge, an

emphasis on evidence, and problem solving. These habits of mind are taught both

explicitly and by example. That is, we can demonstrate these habits of mind by thinking

out loud when we are curious about something, or are working through a problem or

question. Ron Ritchart (2002, as cited in Miller, 2008) puts it perfectly:

“Our students are learning from us all the time…One of the things they are

learning (from us) is what thinking looks like. In thoughtful classrooms, a

disposition towards thinking is always on display. Teachers show their curiosity

and interest. They display open mindedness and willingness to consider alternate

perspectives. Teachers model their own process of seeking truth and

understanding…This demonstration of thinking sets the tone for thought and

fosters students’ inclination toward thinking” (p. 49).

Fostering scientific habits of mind is central in science education. Questions such as,

“What do you think would happen if…?”, “How could we figure that out?”, and “Why do

you think….?” are great ways to infuse inquiry and investigation into a classroom.
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Luckily for teachers, science is everywhere. This creates opportunities to integrate

science into everything that we do. As Peter Johnson (2012), points out that, “teaching is

planned opportunism” (p. 54). Sometimes a science lesson walks into your classroom in

the form of a beetle, or out at recess when leaves change colors. The natural world is full

of opportunities for wonder and investigation, and our job is to seize these moments as

often as possible so our students can interact with science in a real-world setting.

Children learn through constructivism, that is they must construct new knowledge for

themselves (Contant et al., 2018). As Debbie Miller (2008) puts it, “children learn by

doing. And learning by doing takes time” (p. 106). We must create ample space and time

for students to interact with inquiry, investigation, collaboration, and problem solving.

Sufficient time for exploration and inquiry helps “to ensure that students learn enough

about the core ideas in science so that they can continue to learn and use scientific

knowledge on their own throughout their lives” (Contant et al., 2018, p. 21). In short, we

want to supply students with enough knowledge and time for investigation that they can

act on their curiosity in real-world settings for the rest of their lives.

In the attached investigation, due to Covid-19 restrictions, my students and I carried

out the same experiment at our respective houses and had our “meetings” over Zoom.

The investigation was centered on a real-world situation: I was trying to find the best

place for my garden, that is, the sunniest area of my yard. Starting the investigation with

a relevant situation allowed for authentic inquiry and problem-solving. I did not tell the

students where I thought the sunniest part of my yard was, or how we were going to

complete our investigation. Rather, I opened it up for discussion and collaboration. We

discussed ways we could measure how much sun a spot received, and eventually the
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students and I came up with our investigation plan. We also hypothesized what we

thought we would find in our investigation.

In this lesson I was able to demonstrate my own scientific habits of mind by thinking

out loud why I was curious about my yard’s sun exposure, and then offered the students

an opportunity to use these habits of mind to design a method to answer our research

question. By allowing students to design their own investigative process, they were able

to construct their own understandings about the scientific process and investigations. This

also created space for collaboration, allowing students to share their thinking and ideas to

come up with a plan. “Vygotsky found that students can learn at higher levels when

working in cooperation with others than when working alone (1962). Thus, learning is

enhanced when teachers work to establish a shared understanding of a learning task

among a community of learners” (Contant et al., 2018, p. 72). Having students design

their own investigation method also aided in promoting student investment and

engagement. Harvey and Goudvis (2007) emphasize the importance of letting students

have freedom and choice over what they study and investigate. They argue that student

choice is critical for student engagement and enthusiasm.

“Real life isn’t scripted. Neither is real teaching” (Miller, 2008, p. 17). This was

certainly true for our investigation. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, I met with students over

Zoom. This created some obstacles in our investigation as far as seeing students as they

carried out their investigation, or discussing the investigation as we went. Rather, we

carried out the investigation independently and reflected together on Zoom. Our

reflection time was used to discuss our finding and variables to the investigation,

however the lack of face-to-face contact kept us from exploring the topic with quite as
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much depth. I put together this powerpoint-with help from the students-to summarize our

investigation.

Our role as science teachers is in “designing environments and facilitating

processes that foster inquiry” (Burnaford et al., 2001, p. 190). This includes, teaching

and demonstrating scientific habits of mind, applying science in real-world contexts, and

allowing for ample student exploration.

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References

Burnaford, G., Fischer, J., & Hobson, D. (2001). Teachers doing research: The power of

action through inquiry (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Conant, T. L., Bass, J., Tweed, A., Carin, A. T. (2018). Teaching science through

inquiry-based instruction (13th ed.). Pearson.

Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2007). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension for

understanding, engagement, and building knowledge (2nd ed.). Stenhouse

Publishers.

Johnston, P. H. (2012). Opening minds: Using language to change lives. Stenhouse

Publishers.

Miller, D. (2008). Teaching with intention: Defining beliefs, aligning practice, taking

action, K-5. Stenhouse Publishers.