This sentence in the article caught my eye: "Whenever we take a standard... and change it into an objective, we run the very real risk of reducing the content to trivia." I could summarize the science I've learned in that one word: trivia. What was your science experience like? Did you have teachers who focused on the big idea? When you think about teaching the concept of "light" what are ways to point to the standards and not reduce them to objectives? What are some constraints we might face as teachers that would limit us to teach objectives?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
What's the big idea?
After I read "Concept-Focused Teaching" I kept thinking back to my daughter's second grade science curriculum. She learned about "habitats," and although she had a song to describe them and could talk about several animals and their habitats, I just couldn't figure out why she needed to learn that bears live in caves. It's good information if you're hiking, but other than that, what's the point?
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Febe, I had the same reaction. The article turned the light bulb on for me. In my own experience, I have retained a smattering of facts, but not many concepts. In fact, I fear teaching science a bit because my knowledge is so shallow.
ReplyDeleteI also have been guilty of what the teacher Jamie did. I have gotten excited about a topic or activity and lost sight of what I was ultimately trying to teach or achieve through the lesson.
I certainly got a "take home message" from this article.
Michael
Agreed. In the classes I've been a part of, the kids have been highly entertained by engaging lessons very similar to the one that Jaime presented.
ReplyDeleteThey seem, and ARE educational and stimulating in a tangible way. Kids get to watch the plants grow. They get to report on the progress and draw pictures, but its true that in the long run, what they're taking away isn't a grasp of the overarching theme. It's a fun project that they love coming to class for.
Sometimes it's far too easy, as Michael said, to find seemingly relevant fun activities that will really light a fire under the students and assume that your are being a good teacher. But that's not enough. I guess the real trick is constantly being vigilant of the "big idea" and being creative in the process.
Julia