Use of New Science/Chemistry
Content Knowledge in Designing Instruction
I demonstrated the
application of new scientific knowledge in the design of teaching
materials, lesson plans, and/or assessments used in my own classroom.
1. Physics
What this piece of evidence
is...
This is a comparison of density lessons. I developed
the baseline
evidence using the Madeline
Hunter format prior to my first physics course in the MISE
program, and it incorporated skills that students were learning
in math (dividing and ordering decimals). The
post evidence is
a part of my final project that I did with a physics partner. Our
lessons were presented to the class in a PowerPoint, and we developed a
lab for the miniunit on density and uncertainty. Prior to my
first physic course in the MISE program, I did not know the concept of
"uncertainty" and how it is calculated.
Why I chose this and how this demonstrate the
application of new scientific knowledge in the design of teaching
materials...
When I developed the baseline lesson, I was trying to peak my students'
interest of math using science. In the volume and density
experiment, my students were able to practice dividing and ordering
decimals while enjoying the hands-on activity. The lesson did not
focus on students' understanding of human error. Instead, I
corrected students who were measuring or reading measurements
incorrectly in order for their calculations to be accurate (see
hightlighted portions). In addition, I provided the mass of the
objects for students to ensure uniformity in data collection! At
the time, I had no concept of calculating linear uncertainty as I did
by the end of the first physics
course where I
developed a lesson based on what I learned about uncertainty
from the course. We were to work in pairs, and my partner and I
decided to design a lesson on uncertainty because we both found that
topic interesting and important to the course. We decided to use
it in conjunction with density, a topic that we both knew well.
It was a challenge to develop a new lesson on a topic that we just
recently learned, but we knew it would benefit both our understanding
of the concept as well as our students. When we instruct our
students to conduct labs dealing with measurements, we expect the
results to vary due to uncertainty. It is, however, a difficult
concept for my fifth graders to grasp when we talk about various ways
in which results are tampered due to error. When I tried teaching
uncertainty to my fifth graders the calculations portion of uncertainty
was difficult for many of them to conceive, but the concept was
understood: there is always error when using any measuring
device, and that uncertainty of a measurement has a numerical
value. Before I learned how to calculate uncertainty myself, I
would not have tried to explain to my students that there is always a
chance of flaw when measuring, but because I can expand on that concept
now, I am confident to extend their thinking when conducting
experiments or using a new measuring tool such as a protractor.
Because the concept was continually reinforced
during my first physics course, I understood how important it is and
how valuable the lesson could be for my students. Throughout the
first physics course, we calculated the uncertainty of our measurements
in exercises and labs. I know that it is because of that
reinforcement that I have a firm grasp of the concept and the ability
to relay my new knowledge to my students. In
comparison to my final project in physics, my baseline
lesson plan showed a lack of my understanding of the science that I could have taught
or was supposed
to
teach. It is important for me to continue to grow in scientific
knowledge to be a more effective teacher.
Baseline evidence taken from the
unit in my Baseline Portfolio:
Post evidence taken
from my final project in Physics I:
2. Environmental
What this piece of evidence
is...
This
is
a
comparison
of
an
original
and a revised
lesson plan that I submitted to my instructor in the leadership
course. It is a
fifth grade lesson plan on ecology where I used newly acquired
environmental science concepts to revise the plan. The
baseline
evidence
is
my
original
ecosystems fifth grade lesson plan I submitted, which
includes content that is from the textbook that my district uses, Discovery Works. As a course
requirement, I was to submit a revised
lesson
plan, and I incorporated new knowledge in it to make it
more effective in teaching content and processing skills. The
revised lesson plan is much more complete and useful, and using it as a part of my
classroom-based research and again this spring showed me that there is
so much to learn from an area that my students and I take for
granted. Prior to the environmental science course, I did not
think that my students would be able to determine the health of an
ecosystem simply by observing its environment and seeing how it has
been disturbed. Both times that the lesson was implemented, my
students wanted to revisit and reobserve the woods. This spring,
some of my students developed a sense of responsibiltity for the
negative human interferece of the woods and felt the need to clean
it!
I highlighted portions of both evidences
to depict where knowledge was absent and where new knowledge is
incorporated.
Why I
chose this and how this
demonstrate
the
application
of
new
scientific
knowledge in the design of teaching
materials...
Unlike the revised lesson plan, the original lesson
plan lacks depth and the use of science processing skills. The
revised lesson plan makes use of my new
environmental science content knowledge of soil. During the
environmental science course, I learned that soil is the only material
that is made of all states of matter and is both organic and
inorganic. I thought that this piece of information was very
interesting because although I knew what soil was, I never thought of
it in a scientific level. Soil is comprised of inorganic minerals
and decomposed organic matter, and it has space for air, moist with
liquid, and tangible with solids. It is comprised of all four
"spheres", the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and
biosphere. I thought that my students
would think this is as amazing as I thought it is when I
first realized it. Unfortunately, when it was brought up
last year during an ecosystems lesson, they were not fazed. Next
spring, when I use my revised lesson to teach a part of the ecosystems
unit I may receive more enthusiasm than last year. I will have to
stress to my students that soil is the only thing in the woods behind our
school that is both biotic
and abiotic.
In addition to the fun fact, I also learned that the
health of an ecosystem can be easily determined by a few
observations. Throughout the environmental science course, we
visited different sites and determined the health of streams. The
amount of vegetation at the bank, the amount of aquatic life in the
water, and the things near the stream all tell about the health of the
stream. I incorporate this in the student reflection part of my
revised lesson plan (see highlighted portion on page 5) where I ask
student to think how healthy the woods behind our school is.
The environmental course taught me both content and
processing skills; with the power of observation, both students and I
are able to learn much about an ecosystem's health. I believe
with the awareness of the skill, student are more likely to exercise
their observational skills on a daily basis and decide whether certain
human actions benefit or hurt a given ecosystem. In addition, I
learned that ecosystems can be right in the backyard of my school where
my students can explore the woods and the stream in the woods much like
I did. The content and process skills I learned in the
environmental course helped me to develop a much more effective lesson
on ecosystems.
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Last updated 3/31/10
