If We Teach Them, They Can Learn: Young Students Views of Nature of Science During an Informal Science Education Program     

Cassie Quigley  Khemmawadee Pongsanon  Valarie L. Akerson 《Journal of Science Teacher Education》2011,22(2):129-149

There have been substantial reform efforts in science education to improve students’ understandings of science and its processes and provide continual support for students becoming scientifically literate (AAAS, Benchmarks for science literacy, Oxford University Press, New York, 1993; NRC, National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1996; NSTA, NSTA position statement: The nature of science, , 2000). Despite previous research, it is still unclear whether young children are actually developmentally ready to conceptualize the ideas that are recommended in the reforms (Akerson and Volrich, J Res Sci Teach 43:377–394, 2006). The purpose of this study was to explore how explicit-reflective instruction could improve young students’ understanding of NOS. During an informal education setting, the authors taught NOS aspects using explicit-reflective instruction. Overall the students participating in the program improved their understanding of the target aspects of NOS through use of explicit reflective instruction. However, the levels of improvement varied across different aspects. Students improved the most in their understanding of the tentative nature of science and the roles of observation in scientific work, although there was still some confusion regarding the distinction between observation and inference. More work needs to be done exploring these specific topics and the role explicit reflective practice can play in identifying the particular problems students have in distinguishing these constructs.  相似文献   

The Importance of Teaching and Learning Nature of Science in the Early Childhood Years   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Valarie L. Akerson  Gayle A. Buck  Lisa A. Donnelly  Vanashri Nargund-Joshi  Ingrid S. Weiland 《Journal of Science Education and Technology》2011,20(5):537-549

Though research has shown that students do not have adequate understandings of nature of science (NOS) by the time they exit high school, there is also evidence that they have not received NOS instruction that would enable them to develop such understandings. How early is “too early” to teach and learn NOS? Are students, particularly young students, not capable of learning NOS due to developmental unreadiness? Or would young children be capable of learning about NOS through appropriate instruction? Young children (Kindergarten through third grade) were interviewed and taught about NOS in a variety of contexts (informal, suburban, and urban) using similar teaching strategies that have been found effective at teaching about NOS with older students. These teaching strategies included explicit decontextualized and contextualized NOS instruction, through the use of children’s literature, debriefings of science lessons, embedded written NOS assessments, and guided inquiries. In each context the researchers interviewed students prior to and after instruction, videotaped science instruction and maintained researcher logs and field notes, collected lesson plans, and copies of student work. The researchers found that in each setting young children did improve their understandings of NOS. Across contexts there were similar understandings of NOS aspects prior to instruction, as well as after instruction. There were also several differences evident across contexts, and across grade levels. However, it is clear that students as young as kindergarten are developmentally capable of conceptualizing NOS when it is taught to them. The authors make recommendations for teaching NOS to young children, and for future studies that explore learning progressions of NOS aspects as students proceed through school.  相似文献   

Early childhood teachers' views of nature of science: The influence of intellectual levels,cultural values,and explicit reflective teaching     

Valarie L. Akerson  Cary A. Buzzelli  Lisa A. Donnelly 《科学教学研究杂志》2008,45(6):748-770

This study tracked the influence of explicit reflective instructional methods on cultural values, ethical and intellectual development, and the relationship of these with preservice teachers' views of nature of science (NOS). The researchers used the Views of Nature of Science Form B (VNOS B) to describe NOS views, the Learning Context Questionnaire (LCQ) to classify preservice teachers' ethical and intellectual positions using Perry's scheme, and the Schwartz Values Inventory (SVI) to measure preservice teachers' cultural values. The interventions took place in two concurrent courses: a science methods course, and a foundations of early childhood course. The science methods course explicitly emphasized NOS throughout the semester, and the foundations of early childhood course reinforced these ideas through cultural activities that stressed empirical evidence. Analysis of data showed relationships between preservice teachers' Perry positions and responses on the VNOS B with those at higher positions exhibiting more informed NOS views. Relationships between preservice teachers' NOS views and their cultural values were identified, such as those at the dualism position holding achievement more highly for scientists than those at other Perry positions. The values preservice teachers held personally were different from those they held as important for scientists. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 748–770, 2008  相似文献   

Educational engineering with emotionally disturbed children   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

F M Hewett 《Exceptional children》1967,33(7):459-467

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Autism,Intensive Interaction and the development of non-verbal communication in a teenager diagnosed with PDD-NOS: a case study     

Amandine Mourière  Dave Hewett 《Support for Learning》2021,36(3):400-420

In this paper, the authors report on the importance of using Intensive Interaction for the development of non-verbal communication for people with autism. The complexity of learning non-verbal communication means that it cannot be taught in any sense in a traditional, didactic manner. While a person may have the cognitive abilities to follow instructions and be taught the need to behave a certain way in social situations, which will not allow them to properly assimilate and understand social expectations and how to operate in social contexts. This paper suggests that the use of Intensive Interaction creates frequent opportunities for a person to take part in face-to-face interactions and consequently allow for the gradual development of non-verbal communication.  相似文献   

Scientific Modeling for Inquiring Teachers Network (SMIT’N): The Influence on Elementary Teachers’ Views of Nature of Science, Inquiry, and Modeling     

Valarie L. Akerson  J. Scott Townsend  Lisa A. Donnelly  Deborah L. Hanson  Praweena Tira  Orvil White 《Journal of Science Teacher Education》2009,20(1):21-40

This paper summarizes the findings from a K-6 professional development program that emphasized scientific inquiry and nature of science within the theme of scientific modeling. During the 2-week summer workshop and follow up school year workshops, the instruction modeled a 5-E learning cycle approach. Pre and posttesting measured teachers’ views of nature of science, inquiry, and scientific modeling. Teachers improved their views of nature of science (NOS) and inquiry by including scientific modeling in their definitions of how scientists work, the empirical nature of science, and the role of observations and inferences in science. Their definitions of science expanded from a knowledge-based orientation to a process-based orientation. Teachers added the use of mathematical formulas to their views of scientific modeling. Using scientific modeling as the central theme was effective in providing positive influence on teachers’ views of inquiry and NOS.  相似文献   

Teaching nature of science through inquiry: Results of a 3‐year professional development program     

Valarie L. Akerson  Deborah L. Hanuscin 《科学教学研究杂志》2007,44(5):653-680

This study assessed the influence of a 3‐year professional development program on elementary teachers' views of nature of science (NOS), instructional practice to promote students' appropriate NOS views, and the influence of participants' instruction on elementary student NOS views. Using the VNOS‐B and associated interviews the researchers tracked the changes in NOS views of teacher participants throughout the professional development program. The teachers participated in explicit–reflective activities, embedded in a program that emphasized scientific inquiry and inquiry‐based instruction, to help them improve their own elementary students' views of NOS. Elementary students were interviewed using the VNOS‐D to track changes in their NOS views, using classroom observations to note teacher influences on student ideas. Analysis of the VNOS‐B and VNOS‐D showed that teachers and most grades of elementary students showed positive changes in their views of NOS. The teachers also improved in their science pedagogy, as evidenced by analysis of their teaching. Implications for teacher professional development programs are made. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 653–680, 2007  相似文献   

Online Teaching and Learning in Technical Communication: Continuing the Conversation     

Beth L. Hewett 《Technical Communication Quarterly》2017,26(3):217-222

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The Relationship Between Preservice Early Childhood Teachers’ Cultural Values and their Perceptions of Scientists’ Cultural Values     

Valarie L. Akerson  Cary A. Buzzelli  Jennifer Eastwood 《Journal of Science Teacher Education》2010,21(2):205-214

This paper describes research that compares preservice early childhood teachers’ cultural values and the values they believe are held by scientists. Using the Schwartz Values Inventory (SVI) (Schwartz (1992) Adv Exp Soc Psychol 25:331–351) preservice early childhood teachers cultural values were assessed, followed by an assessment of the values they believed were held by scientists. Schwartz postulated that cultural values could be aggregated into 11 domains (universalism, benevolence, tradition, self-direction, stimulation, hedonism, achievement, power, conformity, spirituality, and security). Paired T-tests indicated significant differences between preservice early childhood teachers’ cultural values from those they believed scientists held on the domains of power, achievement, stimulation, benevolence, conformity, and security. The discussion explores the meaning of these results and provides implications for early childhood science teacher education.  相似文献   

A hierarchy of competencies for teachers of emotionally handicapped children     

F M Hewett 《Exceptional children》1966,33(1):7-11

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