The scientific method is a series of steps that helps children understand their world. It involves asking questions, making observations and predictions, experimentation, and discussion of results. Teachers can incorporate the scientific method throughout the classroom by engaging children in activities involving these steps. The document provides examples of how teachers prompt children's natural curiosity by using the scientific method during discussions, centers, and other classroom experiences. It also suggests teachers can improve by videotaping lessons to evaluate how frequently they employ this method of learning.
2. FRAMEWORK FOR EFFECTIVE PRACTICE
SUPPORTING SCHOOL READINESS FOR ALL CHILDREN
Social and
Emotional
Support
WellOrganized
Classrooms
Instructional
Instructional
Interactions
Interactions
Using the Scientific Method
3. OBJECTIVES
• Provide a definition for Scientific Method.
• Give examples and strategies on how teachers can
use the scientific method in their classrooms.
• Connect Using the Scientific Method to the Head
Start Child Development and Early Learning
Framework.
• Provide suggestions for teachers on how to improve
their ability to incorporate the scientific method.
4. SCIENTIFIC METHOD
What does it look like?
•
The scientific method is a series of steps
that helps children understand their world.
Teachers use the scientific method when
they:
–
Ask children to observe the world
around them.
–
Encourage children to predict during
activities.
Observe
Help children question.
–
Question
–
Create opportunities for children to
experiment.
–
Allow children to discuss the results of
their experiment.
Predict
Experiment
Discuss
5. QUESTION
• Help children form their own questions related to their world.
Teacher: “Friends, today we will be
planting some seeds. As we walk to
our garden, let’s think of some
questions we may have about plants.”
Child: “How about, what do plants
need to make them them grow?”
6. OBSERVE
• Ask children to use their senses and closely observe the
world around them.
“Let’s look at some of the plants that
are growing around our school. What
do you notice about places where
they are growing.” (encourage children
to think about water and light).
7. PREDICT
• Encourage children to predict, or guess what will happen
next, during activities.
“What do you think would happen if we
planted some in the shade and some in
the sunny area? What do you think
would happen if we gave water to some
plants but not others?”
8. EXPERIMENT
• Provide opportunities for children to experiment and test
their predictions.
“Let’s set up an experiment
in our classroom to find out
what plants need to grow.
We are going to have 4
different plants. The first
plant will get water and sun.
The second plant will get
water and shade. The third
plant will get no water and
sun, and the fourth plant
will get no water and shade.
(again ask children for their
predictions)
9. DISCUSS
• Allow children to discuss the results of their experiment.
“Let’s look at our 4 plants. Remember
we treated each plant differently? The
first plant got water and sun. The
second plant got water and shade. The
third plant got no water and sun. The
fourth plant got no water and shade.
What happened to the plants in our
experiment? Which plant grew the
most?… What do plants need to grow?”
10. THE HEAD START CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND
EARLY LEARNING FRAMEWORK
• The scientific method can
be incorporated within
many areas of the
outcome framework.
Some examples are:
– Science Knowledge and
Skills
– Logic and Reasoning
Skills
– Language Development
Skills
– Approaches to Learning
11. IN THIS CLIP, THE TEACHER USES
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Question
Children question if eco-bottles with worms
are different from ones without.
Observe
The children observe worms with magnifying
glasses.
Predict
The children predict what the worms will do
in the bottle.
Experiment
The children experiment by placing worms in
only one of the eco bottles.
Discuss
Later in the week, the children discuss the
differences between bottles.
12. WHEN CAN I USE THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD?
• Teachers may use the
scientific method
throughout the school
day in many classroom
activities including:
– Centers
– Small and whole
group instruction
– Meal and snack time
– Transitions
13. IMPROVING PRACTICE
• Teachers can videotape and watch a clip of
their interactions with children during a
lesson, focusing on whether and how often
they use the scientific method.
• Watch “master teachers” in action.
14. SUMMARY
• Teachers use the scientific method when they:
– Help children form questions about their world.
– Ask children to observe the world around them.
– Encourage children to predict during activities.
– Create experiments for children to further explore and test predictions.
– Allow children to discuss the result of their experiments.
• Teachers may incorporate the scientific method throughout the
school day.
• Teachers can improve the quality and frequency with which
they use the scientific method.
15. For more Information, contact us at: NCQTL@UW.EDU or 877-731-0764
This document was prepared under Grant #90HC0002 for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, by the National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning.
Hinweis der Redaktion
Today we will be talking about instructional interactions that support children’s learning and development. Specifically, we will talk about feedback that supports children’s engagement and learning.
This is a quick over view.
Teachers can provide effective feedback in the classroom by engaging in back and forth exchanges and scaffolding children’s learning. It is not just about the right answer- it’s about deepening their understanding.
Another thing that teachers can do is scaffold children’s learning. It is important that teacher not simply give children the answer but help them reach it themselves. Teachers can provide hints or ask questions to assist children to successfully complete a task or answer a question. This feedback allows the child to perform better than he would have been able to on his own. WOULD INCLUDE THIS BELOW IN PRESENTER NOTESFor example, during an activity in which children have to identify the rhyming words the teacher helps a child who seems to be having difficulty. She scaffolds by asking questions such as “What is this a picture of”. When the child responds fox, the teacher assists him further by emphasizing the “ox” sound. The teacher then breaks down the task further and picks out 2 pictures (one correct and one incorrect), scaffolding continues…….
Another thing that teachers can do is scaffold children’s learning. It is important that teacher not simply give children the answer but help them reach it themselves. Teachers can provide hints or ask questions to assist children to successfully complete a task or answer a question. This feedback allows the child to perform better than he would have been able to on his own. WOULD INCLUDE THIS BELOW IN PRESENTER NOTESFor example, during an activity in which children have to identify the rhyming words the teacher helps a child who seems to be having difficulty. She scaffolds by asking questions such as “What is this a picture of”. When the child responds fox, the teacher assists him further by emphasizing the “ox” sound. The teacher then breaks down the task further and picks out 2 pictures (one correct and one incorrect), scaffolding continues…….
Another thing that teachers can do is scaffold children’s learning. It is important that teacher not simply give children the answer but help them reach it themselves. Teachers can provide hints or ask questions to assist children to successfully complete a task or answer a question. This feedback allows the child to perform better than he would have been able to on his own. WOULD INCLUDE THIS BELOW IN PRESENTER NOTESFor example, during an activity in which children have to identify the rhyming words the teacher helps a child who seems to be having difficulty. She scaffolds by asking questions such as “What is this a picture of”. When the child responds fox, the teacher assists him further by emphasizing the “ox” sound. The teacher then breaks down the task further and picks out 2 pictures (one correct and one incorrect), scaffolding continues…….
Another thing that teachers can do is scaffold children’s learning. It is important that teacher not simply give children the answer but help them reach it themselves. Teachers can provide hints or ask questions to assist children to successfully complete a task or answer a question. This feedback allows the child to perform better than he would have been able to on his own. WOULD INCLUDE THIS BELOW IN PRESENTER NOTESFor example, during an activity in which children have to identify the rhyming words the teacher helps a child who seems to be having difficulty. She scaffolds by asking questions such as “What is this a picture of”. When the child responds fox, the teacher assists him further by emphasizing the “ox” sound. The teacher then breaks down the task further and picks out 2 pictures (one correct and one incorrect), scaffolding continues…….
Another thing that teachers can do is scaffold children’s learning. It is important that teacher not simply give children the answer but help them reach it themselves. Teachers can provide hints or ask questions to assist children to successfully complete a task or answer a question. This feedback allows the child to perform better than he would have been able to on his own. WOULD INCLUDE THIS BELOW IN PRESENTER NOTESFor example, during an activity in which children have to identify the rhyming words the teacher helps a child who seems to be having difficulty. She scaffolds by asking questions such as “What is this a picture of”. When the child responds fox, the teacher assists him further by emphasizing the “ox” sound. The teacher then breaks down the task further and picks out 2 pictures (one correct and one incorrect), scaffolding continues…….
Teacher feedback can be provided throughout the school day in many classroom activities including centers, whole group instruction, meal and snack time, as well as transition. What is important is that teachers think intentionally about finding opportunities to do this at different times during the day, and not just during a structured instructional activity.