Process Skills

Day 1 Review

Taking Science to School Engagement with Phenomenon Hands On and Minds On Evidence Based Explanations Social Construction of Knowledge Interpretation of Evidence Arguments Presented Conceptual Understanding Linking facts, ideas and concepts Connecting these to the real world through experience Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8. (2007) Available at: http://books.nap.edu/

Process Skills Objectives Participants will experience and identify the tools needed to carry out inquiry…the process skills Examine the role that these skills play in the learning process

Goals To enable participants to construct a more complete and accurate understanding of the process skills of science and the central role these skills play in the learning of science concepts To further abilities to identify the developmental levels of the process skills and begin to think about the re-design of science activities in ways to promote students’ continuing development of these skills

Part 1: Identifying Process Skills What are the process skills of science?

Part 1: Identifying Process Skills What are the process skills of science? Observing Questioning Hypothesizing Predicting Planning and Investigating Interpreting Communicating

As science teachers, we try to… Develop scientific attitudes Increase students’ content understanding Strengthen processing skills

Exploring Process Skills

Process Skills Circus Instructions Select partner (s) – teams of 2 or 3 Follow instructions at each station Please be sure to record detailed observations in science notebook Reflect on the process skills identification chart and record the process skill used at the station Proceed to another station

Process Skills Identification Candle Velcro Hinged Mirror Ice Can Wet Paper Wind up Toy Observing Inferring Classifying Measuring Collecting Data Predicting Hypothesizing

What process skills did we use? Discuss what you identified as the main process skill at each statement? Please note areas of agreement and disagreement? Mark your teams thoughts on the overhead – please use a different color pen and fill in the key

Process skills considered.. Are these skills practiced discretely?

Discrete skills? Someone who is observing, for example, may be doing some predicting and hypothesizing and interpreting…simultaneously Pulling the skills apart and distinguishing them from one another can be tricky! Process skills are not individual skills so much, but are combinations and blends of skills. As teachers, can we work to address these skills separately so that we can identify where students are in the their development of each skill and to work on strengthening specific skills?

Hypothesizing v. Predicting v. Interpreting Answers the question why? Answers what will happen in this particular instance if? Answers the question, what does the data tell me? Example?

Clarifying Process Skills What are learners doing when processing?

Developing Process Skills “Student Learning – Condensation” Identify the process skill on the identification chart Cite evidence (quote, data, etc.) from the reading

As students develop and understand more science concepts and processes, we would expect explanations to become more complex, more sophisticated…. Reflecting a rich scientific knowledge base, evidence of logic, high levels of analysis and greater tolerance of criticism and uncertainty. National Research Council. (1995). National Science Education Standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Levels of Processing? Can we increase the depth of understanding in the process skills? Can we modify the circus activities, change instructions, new materials, and/or redesign completely? Post your re-design! How did you change the activity? What process skills are new that were not there before?

Strong process skills are essential to inquiry Strong process skills are essential to inquiry. Students use process skills to build conceptual understanding of “new” science content Students of all ages can use process skills and these skills can be practiced at simple and increasingly complex levels Process skills are an intertwined, coherent set of skills Redesign of activities can challenge process skills of students, and develop stronger processing skills

This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EHR-0314914. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the granting agency.