My Science Education Philosophy

How do we define science? According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, the definition of science is "knowledge attained through study or practice," or "knowledge covering general truths of the operation of general laws, esp. as obtained and tested through scientific method and concerned with the physical world."
What does that really mean? Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge. In children, this system uses observation and experimentation to describe and explain natural basic phenomena.

What is the purpose of science? Perhaps the most general description is that the purpose of science is to produce useful models of reality to show the children easily.

Fields of science are commonly classified along two major lines: - Natural sciences, the study of the natural world

- Social sciences, the systematic study of human behavior and society.

I think children should learn the issues about the science since the childhood.

In our "Teaching science" lesson we learn really important and wonderful think. Especially, Kinder Garten experience was wonderful and useful for us when we think that our next academic years. All in all, everythink in lesson and lab session was didactive and useful.

Experiment with entertaining interactive facilities, play, explore, tinker... This is my science Education philosophy:)

Science...

Today, we went to Metu Science and Technology Museum to Be a Friend of the Children! Invest in Our Future!

In my opinion, children and we

learn team work and

evaluate the our past and present knowledge,

search for ways of making experiments,

learn to determine while listening and making experiments,

develop our planning skills while observing and making experiments.

All in all, I need to explain definition of science. The study of science is in the broadest sense, its nature aims, methods, tools, parts, and relation to other subjects. When studying the nature of scientific reasoning we naturally ask how it can be justified, and what are its purposes. In what circumstances can a scientific statement properly be accepted? The main purpose of science is explanation, and important concept of science causation. It is also an approach to the problem of human knowledge based on the attempt to develop general principles. Science is based on the assumption that it is possible to derive objective knowledge is confirmed by the similar observations of many persons. It is also based on the assumption that the biases and values of the observer can be relatively controlled so that a reasonable degree of objectivity is possible. Science also organized by principles. Scientific principles and theories are constantly open to criticism, further, testing, and revision within an accumulating tradition of non-dogmatic knowledge. Science can eliminate two main branches. Those are social science and natural science. Social Science wants to answer social interactions in social orders. Natural Science includes physics, chemistry, and biology. Science is abstract descriptions, and sentences in universal form.

In the laboratory hours, first group explained the sound. Experiments are good and simple so children can easily do them and learn the concepts. Second group focused on what is the role of skeleton and flow speed of liquids is different. All groups were effective and successful.

Constructivist Teacher

Twelve Traits of a Constructivist Teacher:)
Constructivist teachers encourage and accept student autonomy and initiative.
Constructivist teachers use raw data and primary sources, along with manipulative, interactive, and physical material.
When framing tasks, constructivist teachers use cognitive terminologies such as classify, analyze, predict, and create.
Constructivist teachers allow student responses to drive lessons, shift instructional strategies, and alter content.
Constructivist teachers inquire about students' understandings of concepts before sharing their own understanding concepts.
Constructivist teachers encourage students to engage in dialogue, both with the teacher and with one another.
Constructivist teachers encourage student inquiry by asking thoughtful, open-ended questions and encouraging student questions of one another.
Constructivist teachers seek elaboration of student initial responses.
Constructivist teachers engage students in experiences that might engender contradictions to their initial hypotheses encourage discussion.
Constructivist teachers allow wait time after posing questions.
Constructivist teachers provide time for students to construct relationships and create metaphors.
Constructivist teachers nurture students' natural curiosity through frequent use of the learning cycle model.

In conclusion, the teacher serves as a coach or guide for student learning. As a facilitator, the teacher challenges, questions, and stimulates the students in their thinking, problem solving and self-directed study. After a while, the students will similarly challenge each other and themselves as they work, think, and learn. In this process, students assume responsibility for their learning and move from teacher-centered to student-centered education. The student becomes an active as opposed to passive learner.

In lab session of this week, machines and their functioning are explained by the first group. They are effective and succesful. The second group focused on earthquake experiments. Their activities were also effective.

I learned these words;

stone: piece of rock shaped or cut for some purpose
reciprocity: mutual action or reaction

Constructivism & Learning

Young children-how they experience the world, interact with each other, pose questions, and construct knowledge-form the basis for this insightful examination of early childhood science education.
CONSTRUCTISIM & lEARNING

Learning consists of individuals' constructed meanings and then indicate how they influence children's education.

Learning is an active process in which the learner uses sensory input and constructs meaning out of it. The more traditional formulation of this idea involves the terminology of the active learner stressing that the learner needs to do something; that learning is not the passive acceptance of knowledge which exists "out there" but that learning involves the learner s engaging with the world.

Learning consists both of constructing meaning and constructing systems of meaning. For example, if we learn the chronology of dates of a series of historical events, we are simultaneously learning the meaning of a chronology. Each meaning we construct makes us better able to give meaning to other sensations which can fit a similar pattern.

The crucial action of constructing meaning is mental: it happens in the mind. Physical actions, hands-on experience may be necessary for learning, especially for children, but it is not sufficient; we need to provide activities which engage the mind as well as the hands.

Learning involves language: the language we use influences learning. On the empirical level. researchers have noted that people talk to themselves as they learn.

Learning is a social activity: our learning is intimately associated with our connection with other human beings, our teachers, our peers, our family as well as casual acquaintances, including the people before us or next to us at the exhibit. We are more likely to be successful in our efforts to educate if we recognize this principle rather than try to avoid it.

Motivation is a key component in learning. Not only is it the case that motivation helps learning, it is essential for learning. This ideas of motivation as described here is broadly conceived to include an understanding of ways in which the knowledge can be used.

Constructivist Setting

This week in our lesson, my friends (because I was apsent) had focused on the view of constructivism about the environment and children. When I read their writings on the blogs and the unit related with this subject, I got ideas about the learning environment is to be from the view of constructivism. Now I want to add something new about this issue to my friends' writings.

The ages of children, the individual differences of children, the shape classroom are very important while prepering an environment for children in the perspective of constructivisim. when I read the books to learn constructivisim and its environment design, I learned that the "Constructive Learning Design" teachers should use a variety of revisions in the past seven years and now emphasizes these six important elements: Situation, Groupings, Bridge, Questions, Exhibit, and Reflections. These elements are designed to provoke teacher planning and reflection about the process of student learning. Teachers develop the situation for children to explain, select a process for groupings of materials and children, build a bridge between what children already know and what they want them to learn, anticipate questions to ask and answer without giving away an explanation, encourage children to exhibit a record of their thinking by sharing it with others, and solicit children's reflections about their learning. Teachers shoul have that determined by the district curriculum or the textbook they are using in their classroom and need to think more about accomplishing it than about writing it again.

In constructivisim, learning should be more: independent, individualized, interactiveinterdisciplinary, and intuitive. Construtivist Setting includes that:

an easy flow of traffic and movement throughout the classroom

providing much flexibility in the use of physical space,

providing flexibility in the use of furniture,

materials which are accessible to children to foster their self-direction and autonomy,

learning areas which provide reciprocity between each of them to foster children's ability to problem solve,

multiple usages of materials and objects encourage children to think different possibilities,

practical considerations.

Teachers should also consider the social context of the classroom to foster effective learning environment.

Lastly, I want to write about technology using and its benefits on children in constructivisim. Teacher should also use technology at their classrooms formed by the constructivist approach. Because we know that in technology rich classrooms there are many observable positive changes. For example, there is a shift from whole class to small group instruction, coaching occurs rather than lecture and recitation. Teachers can work with weaker students more often rather than focusing attention on brighter students as in traditional settings. Students are more actively engaged. Students become more cooperative and less competitive. Students learn different things instead of all students learning the same thing. Moreover, there is an integration of both visual and verbal thinking instead of the primacy of verbal thinking. These positive changes mentioned above are ver significant for children and also teachers. Therefore, Constructivist Setting is very useful and brings success to both children and teachers.

Constructivism & Its curriculum

This week's subject was also the constructivist perspective and its curriculum. We focused on constructivism in terms of the constructivist curriculum model for science. We tried to find the answers of these questions;

If students and teachers together construct or enact their own curricula, what are the consequences in terms of curriculum theory and practice?

What is the state of practice with respect to teaching and learning from a constructivist point of view?

Instead, constructivism promotes using curricula customized to the students' prior knowledge. Also, it emphasizes hands-on problem solving. In a Constructivist curriculum the role of the teacher becomes one of a facilitator, a 'guide on the side'. The student becomes the active 'meaning-maker'. I mean that, constructive teaching is based on the belief that students learn best when they gain knowledge through exploration and active learning. Hands-on materials are used instead of textbooks, and students are encouraged to think and explain their reasoning instead of memorizing and reciting facts. Education is centered on themes and concepts and the connections between them, rather than isolated information.

We also focused on three general question:
1) How can I make it move?
2) How can I make it change?
3) How does it fit or how do I fit
these questions are for an early childhood science education curriculum from a constructivist perspective.

I also learned from this lesson that children are asking two sorts of questions:
wonder,
puzzlement.

In the laboratory hours, first group did experiments which were used to explain weather. Experiments were very good-prepared and enjoyable.
Second group tried to inform us about the reason of landslide, how a salty water holds an egg up and make it float on water. They were also very successful and enjoyable.

I learned these words:
congruent: identical, corresponding or in agreement,
inquiry: exploration, investigation or questioning,
incline: slope, grade or slant.

AS AN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR, WE SHOULD BE..

I have been asking myself this question ‘Why do I want to be an early childhood educator?’. My answer is easy. Because I love children. However, there should be more personal attributes to be an early childhood educator besides loving children. I think, I do not only love children but I also want to share my life and knowledge with them. I will have a vital role in shaping my children’ lives.
I believe that, as a teacher; we sould have motivating personality and we should be enthusiastic, warm, humor, creative, adaptable, flexible, and fair.
I want to give an answer to dreams of each children one by one. I am sure that they have enormous dreams in their little mind. I believe that all of them are individual and unique. They are more and more enthusiastic than me and they need love, care, respect, confidence, and support. I will establish and maintain an environment that ensures children’s safety and healthy development.
And of course, we should trust children and respect them. Moreover, positive relationship with families is so important.
Finally, we must be knowledgable. I believe that knowledge of subject is so important but just knowledge is not enough. We should combine knowledge of teaching with my subject knowledge. Furthermore, as a teacher; we should take consideration knowledge of children so that we reflect correct and efficent knowledge to children.

In this lesson, we talked about three types of knowledge which are described by a constructivist philosopher, Piaget. These are;

Physical knowledge

Logico-mathematical knowledge

Social knowledge

Lastly, we compared behavioristic and constructivist approaches. In the behavioristic approache; teacher and learner's prior knowledge have so significant role to teach new knowledge. However; constructivism emphasizes the importance of the knowledge, beliefs, and skills an individual brings to the experience of learning. It recognizes the construction of new understanding as a combination of prior learning, new information, and readiness to learn. Individuals make choices about what new ideas to accept and how to fit then into their established views of the world. In my opinion, constrructivist approache is more suitable and succesful than behavioristic.

To conclude, I mean; to reach an understanding of basic phenomena, children have to go through stages in which they accept ideas they may later see as not truthful. Understanding is built up step by step through active involvement.

In the lab; The first group made experiments to focus on different concepts about water. They were effective and successful. Their concepts about water as follows;

water has weight,
water's weight and upthrust help things float,
water goes into the air,
water can change forms reversibly,
water is a solvent for many materials,
water clings to itself,
water clings to other materials,
water moves into other materials.

The second group made experiment about how we take a breath. Their experiments are also so effective and enjoyable.

Discovery Processes

In the third lesson, we leraned and talked about what we should do while making an exploration. We laetned that "National Association for the Education of Young Children" has processes while exploring. These are:

1) The exploration starts with raising a question.
2) The exploration of materials and objects begins.
3) Next, careful observations take place.
4) One describes, compares, sorts and classifies the things and situations.
5) After, to extend the observation one uses variety of tools.
6) And now there becomes an engagement with investigation.
7) Then, observation is recorded.
8) Finally, communication with others.

I think, science is all about classification, organization, and thinking that involves critical and logical skills. Not only is teaching the Scientific Method a required process in education, but also it is also a very useful process that when developed, can enhance a child's thinking and reasoning skills. By empowering children to use the scientific method, they can begin to explore their world and their surroundings while asking appropriate questions that will develop their critical thinking.

The Scientific Method may be described in the following steps: Observation, Question, Hypothesis, Prediction, Experiment, Analysis, and Decision or Conclusion.

As a teacher, you can encourage your children to "observe" and then lead them into the next step, "Question".
After Observation, Question comes into play. When teaching the Scientific Method, encourage children to ask as many questions as possible after they have made careful observations. Don't ever discourage children from asking questions, this is a wonderful way for children to learn.
After children have formulated questions from careful observations, then they will form a Hypothesis. A Hypothesis is an educated guess that will answer questions.
Predication is simply encouraging children to think about what the outcome will be when they conduct their final experiments.
Along with experiment is a careful analysis of the results of the experiment. This analysis will result in a decision or final conclusion.
Lastly, we talked about and I understood that helping children learn and understand the Scientific Method offers many benefits that will extend far beyond science books.

Open-ended questions are wonderful tools that promote children's creative thought, problem-solving skills, and cognitive growth. Some open-ended questions follows;

· What do you think about ...?
· How could we fix it?
· I wonder if there's another way?
· What's your opinion?
· Just suppose that...then what?
· What would happen if ...?
· What else can we use this for?
· What is this like?
· Is there another way to do this?
· What if we added this?
· Tell me about it.

In laboratory session,

The first group focused on the air and the existence of air. Their experiments were too clear and understandable. Second group also focused on the presence of the air, the concept of the center of the gravity. They make “hacıyatmaz”. I think, this is the good way to explain the concept of “gravity” to children. Their experiments reached good results and they were enjoyable.
I learned these words:
Elicit: extract from, bring out
Prob: examine, invest, explore

More Exploration :)

In Teaching Science lesson of this week, we focused on the importance of the exploration. In this lesson we learned that e
exploration, creativity and imagination are important for learning because they allow your child to express their thinking and feelings and develop a sense of self-worth. Very young children build up a sense of themselves using their imagination through play.
Creative play helps toddlers and young children learn more about problem solving, and to see the world from other points of view. Support your child’s learning by being excited and positive when they use their creativity or imagination and ask them questions about what they are thinking and feeling.
In my opinion, our role is to encourage the process of making or imagining something – not to focus on the final product. There are no right answers or best things to make. Children need choices about what to make, and being creative takes time. We will be helping our children to learn to persevere with tasks and also encouraging them to use their imagination.
We also learned and talked about, in this lesson, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences (MIs). These are;
Logical & Mathematical
Naturalist
Musical
Intrapersonal
Spatial
Verbal & Linguistic
Interpersonal
Bodily-Kinesthetic

Lastly, I learned after this lesson and lab hours, we are-as teachers- really important in the creative process of children. Our role is to support our child’s creativity and imagination by providing time, space, and encouragement, or by taking part in the pretend play. For example, we could set up a sheet over some chairs and then make some suggestions about what the space could be used for. Young children get really excited when we take part in their imaginary play and they can lead us. Sometimes we might want to take over and make sure that our children get the words right for the song or play the game ‘properly’. But just like any other creative activity, it’s the process that is important. We will learn a lot more about what our children are thinking and feeling if we watch and listen, and help them out or join in when they ask.

I learned "Catalyst" :
Catalyst: someone or something that results in important changes.

Exploration, Curiosity and Children ...

Children are such curious creatures. They explore, question, and wonder, and by doing so, learn. From the moment of birth, likely even before, humans are drawn to new things. When we are curious about something new, we want to explore it. And while exploring we discover.

At the first class, I learned information mentioned above. Some children want to explore with only their minds, others in more physical ways such as touching, smelling, tasting... Some children can be more timid; others can be more comfortable with novelty and physical exploration. As a teacher, we should be aware of individual differences of children.

Moreover, time for exploration, environment and materials for discovering and cognitive, physical and language abilities of children are issues that were talked in the class in this week.

We also highlighted that parents have also big role to improve curiosity by allowing their child to explore, by allowing her to explore at her own pace, and even by reinforcing that she has learned something from her exploration.

In the laboratory lecture, we tried to understand the process of investigation by practice. As a group, we make some experiments. Firstly, we find a question, secondly we determined a hypothesis about this question and thirdly we determined a method to prove our hypothesis whether it is true or not. Lastly, we did experiments.

In conclusion,I think, all children are unique and each of them have different lives, dreams, and stories. They learn everything with exploration so we should allow them to continue to explore and offer their even more and new opportunities. We also let them struggle to figure out how to do something and let them experiment with how things work:)