In my discipline of Biology, there are many forms of text that are used such as text books, websites, manuals (such as Bergey's manual used for bacterial identification), and journals. In my middle school and high school education, we never were able to use text books because of lack of resources. Teachers provided us with lab books and worksheets that consisted of notes and homework problems. These lab books were our major resource, with websites being used only a couple times through out the year. Unfortunately, I don't believe these forms of text led to higher engagement or deep understanding. These materials were in place to mostly just provide us with the information needed to pass the tests, nothing beyond that. Although I felt like they were a very useful resource for the course, I do not feel like they provided us with opportunities to expand and practice our knowledge. With science, I believe that it is so important for students to have these opportunities to discover and obtain knowledge. For this to happen, it is necessary for students to be able to utilize these texts and acquire the skills necessary to apply these to their future experiences.
I really like the quote on page 19 of Buehl that says, "Textbooks tend to be written to expose students to information rather than help them truly understand it. I feel like education all too often falls under this phrase. Teachers just teach students the necessary information without giving them the opportunity to understand it. Without this understanding, students are not able to build a strong knowledge base.
I would like to provide students with an educational experience that utilizes Buehl's idea of essential questions. I think that essential questions can help students take the step from knowing what Buehl describes as the "text-based evidence" or what is on the test, and diving deeper into the information and thinking critically about it. I felt like my middle and high school education did not expose me to such learning opportunities, which did not prepare me for the expectations of college.
One challenge of my undergraduate education in biology was reading and comprehending journal articles. I had never been expected to read such scientifically heavy text and analyze and think about what the point was. Some professors would provide us with a worksheet with questions guiding us through the journal, helping us to identify was the author was trying to tell us. When I am a teacher, I would love to provide assignments that allow students to analyze journals in such a way. By providing them with essential questions, it is my hope to prepare them for higher education as well as, as Buehl says on page 25, "encourage student inquiry, discussion, and research."
In Chapter 3 (I think), Buehl talks about "text frames," or ways to focus students' reading WHILE they are reading. It sounds like your professors did that for you while you read those scientific journals to help you focus on the big ideas. You obviously won't have middle school students read very difficult scientific articles, but I could imagine you asking them to read simple case studies. For instance, I watched a sixth grade science teacher who taught about the scientific methods using Bart and Lisa Simpson. For example, Bart wanted to win a skateboard race at his school, so he wanted to test which skateboard in his garage could help him go the fastest. Students had to listen to the experiment he designed and then decide whether he controlled for all variables. It was written in really kid-friendly language, but still made students think critically about how experiments are conducted.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for another great posting!