Misconceptions and Discourse....

Although today was a sit-in-the-classroom kind of day, it was full of information that has begun to pull everything together for me. Science has never been my strong point. I was the kid who could memorize all of the words and processes, but could never explain the concept behind it. Today, I learned that as a student, I was in the majority.

We watched a video where Harvard graduates were asked to explain where the mass of an oak tree comes from. Some said it comes from the water it absorbs, the minerals it takes in, and various other answers. All of the grads were wrong! The mass comes from the carbon that the tree takes in and uses during photosynthesis.

Clearly this didn't affect their ability to get through Harvard and I'm sure they are all successful people. This wasn't the point. The point is that, if students get to this level and aren't retaining concepts taught in elementary and middle school, what else are they falling short on?

Furthermore, how are we to assess what they are falling short on? Written assessments only go so far. Classroom discourse can pull out misconceptions from students and allow them to enter into the conceptual thinking arena.

The teacher's role in facilitating discourse is crucial. The teacher should strive to create an environment where students are comfortable sharing their thoughts. It is also important for teachers provide parameters for discourse exchange and a clear goal or question. Under these conditions students should be able to carry on a respectful conversation (complete with agreements and disagreements) about what they believe about a given scientific topic.

In addition to the over-arching concept of discourse, I learned about the different types of discourse. It is important to tailor the line of questioning for a specific purpose- generating ideas, planning, or making meaning of a concept. This allows teachers to assess understanding and allows students to process the big ideas with each other.

Everything we've done so far just started coming together today! It was great!

Tomorrow- Gizmos, math integration, and prepping for Monday! :)