Mini-unit Lessons and Reflection Papers
(due Nov 3/6 and Nov 17/20)
The purpose of these activities is to give you the opportunity to observe children closely as they engage in hands-on science activities. Please, focus on the children -- on their conceptions, their reasoning, and their interests. Look for insights into what interests them, what conceptions they have that shape their interpretations of events, and the extent to which they are able to articulate their reasons for phenomena.
So that you can focus on the children, we would like you to work with a partner: One of you will teach the activity while the other can concentrate on what the children say and do. The non-teaching partner wil take notes that can be attached to the report. The notes and observations can then be discussed and shared with the teaching partner, who will use them in reflecting on and writing about the experience.
Submit a brief report (1-3 pages) focusing on the children's activities and thinking. Be specific in your reporting. You should attach a lesson plan and the notes taken by the non-teaching partner.
Below are some specifics to consider:
Planning and Doing the Activities
For each activity, plan to have a small group of children (4-6) work with materials so that each child has a chance to interact with actual phenomena, not just a lecture, demonstration, or reading.
Choose activities based on your interests, class constraints, and the children's interests. Feel free to try activities we have done in class, but don't feel limited to these. Be sure to try each activity yourself first. Even if you have done an activity before, run through it to make sure you have all the materials and to refresh your memory about the phenomena and the questions surrounding it.
You may try different ways to structure the activities, but allow some time for open-ended exploration. If you do some explaining, find out how the children interpret your explanation ("Does this make sense?" "Why does it make/not make sense?" "Can you say it in your on words?"). Be sure to ask more than one child.
If possible, tape record the interactions and use verbatim quotes (but not with student's actual names). Allow some time immediately after the activity to discuss with your partner and to fill in the gaps on what happened.
Reflecting On and Writing About the Experience
A temptation here is to focus on what you as the instructor did ("First, I passed out magnets..., then I told them this..."). Instead, focus on the children and their thinking. Describe what you did only to the extent that it helps clarify your report of their activities and thinking. Include a lesson plan, but our focus will not be on the lesson plan or your teaching.
Identify at least one incident that gave you some insight into what one or more students were thinking, feeling, or able to do. Describe this incident using exact dialogue, and descriptions of facial expressions, their voice intonations, or what they were actually doing at the time, as well as you can remember it. A reader should be able to create a mental image from your description. Include any insights that help you understand why students said or did what you report.
September 17, 1997
Chip Bruce
Email: chip@uiuc.edu