praying mantis from our front yard

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Week 4 Readings


I enjoyed reading both chapters outs of the book this week.  Initially when I started reading Chapter 3, I was surprised by the study by Geban, Asker, and Ozman (1992) in which they found that student performance was better with online simulations than real labs.  I have always been under the impression that first-hand is better.  Then I started thinking about the problems that my students and I run in to with labs, lack of materials, failure to read directions, results just aren’t correct…and it became clear.  Removing all the extraneous issues from a lab allows the student to focus better.

In Chapter 6, I was truly introduced to a new concept.  I have only used data in my classroom one time, and the assignment had been borrowed from another teacher.  This type of lesson just never really entered my mind.  I really liked the arsenic well example, and plan on trying to do something like this for my assignment this week.

3 comments:

  1. I was also surprised by their findings (that students have a higher achievement with simulations). But I don't think they used simulations alone (the text said to use it to supplement instruction not replace it). It also suggested using a simulation before the hands on. I can see this being useful- as with dissections. In a simulated lab they become familiar with the types of cuts and what they're going to see. Then, when I throw them into a real dissection they'll have a better idea what to expect and be more familiar with the process.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I also thought it was interesting that simulations can produce higher achievement than actual labs. I guess there really weren't simulations around when we were in school, so everyone, including the teachers, is in the learning process here. The introduction of data is something that I am looking forward to using more too. Hopefully the tools we are learning about can help increase the students interest in the areas of science.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have also run into the problem of incorrect results confusing students in class. Every year when I teach students how to calculate the density of objects there are a handful of kids who never seem to "get" it. I think it is because they have to collect volume data, then mass data, and then calculate the density, which makes a lot of room for error! I usually take the opportunity to discuss what could have gone wrong, and how we could prevent it from happening the next time. However, when we do the online simulation for calculating density, everyone seems to understand right away. I agree with Andrea though, that we have to use both labs and simulations to get the best student outcome.

    ReplyDelete