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On 10/15/07, Reagan Cole <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
>
> *****************************************************************************
>
> In education, classroom discipline is the most important thing next to a
> thorough understanding of child psychology.
> The books contain more science, math and history than anyone would ever
> need in the real world.  If you can stay a page or two ahead you'll know
> exactly as much as you need and no more.  It is very important not to know
> too much or give the appearance knowing too much.  Scientists are not very
> good classroom teachers most of the time.
>


While a chaotic classroom certainly impedes learning, a well-disciplined one
does not guarantee it.  I have seen repeated instances of highly-disciplined
orderly schools where there was very little learning going on.  Effective
classroom management (which is different from discipline) often comes
hand-in-hand with effective teaching strategies - students who are engaged
and excited are less likely to act out.

Teachers of any subject need three critical pieces: they need a thorough
knowledge of the cognitive and intellectual structure of their discipline -
the big ideas, the overarching concepts, and the connections to other
disciplines - and of interventions that will effectively advance student
understanding of those structures, they need effective formative assessment
strategies to be able to diagnose the knowledge of each student in their
class, and they need time to work together as professionals to share
effective strategies and collaborate to solve instructional dilemmas.  None
of that comes from a textbook.  What I find in textbooks are errors,
oversimplifications, and stultifying problem sets.  It doesn't matter if you
are two pages ahead or a hundred pages ahead if the pages are devoid of
meaning or connection.

"Teachers of science plan an inquiry-based science program for their
students"  That's Teaching Standard A from the National Science Education
Standards.  It was best practice 10 years ago and there is only more
evidence of its effectiveness as time goes by.  Begin with a question and
draw learning out of evidence.  In order to do that, you'll need to stop
speaking what's in the book and start listening to what's in your students.
This is true whether you are in a formal or informal setting (I don't think
there's any real distinction - good teaching is good teaching, including
displaying sensitivity to context).

Dave Smith


-- 
David L. Smith
Da Vinci Science Center
Allentown, PA
http://www.davinci-center.org

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