Elaboration of Models as Didactic Project for

Teaching Knowledge of the Natural

Environment in Primary Education

Guadalupe Martínez-Borreguero & Francisco L. Naranjo-Correa

Department of Didactics of Experimental Sciences, University of Extremadura

Dept. of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Extremadura, Spain

mmarbor@unex.es

International Workshop

Science Education and Guidance in Schools: The Way Forward

Florence, 2013

Contents • Introduction

• Methodology – Objective

– Design of the experience

• Results • Conclusions

• Future perspectives for teacher intervention

• Acknowledgements

Introduction Purposes of

Education

Purposes of

Education

Understand Understand

Generate

Knowledge

Avoiding

Rote learning

Promoting Promoting

Meaningful

learning Teachers should make an effort to:

to enable

students to

search and integrate

learning of science in

search and integrate

new methods of

teaching and

learning of science in

the school

the assessment of

student learning in

science education based in science

the creation of new

guidance intervention

evidence-based in science

education

Meaninful

Learning

Knowledge Knowledge

Society

should arouse the

interest of students to make learning active,

Teaching methodologies should arouse the

interest of students to make learning active,

participatory, enjoyable and even fun.

Starting Points: Model Building

• To learn science, the need to manipulate, observe and experiment depends on our aim.

• Learning science involves learning to change the

ways of seeing, reasoning, and speaking about

the phenomena.

world around them using their own

Aim:

That students become capable of

explaining the phenomena of the

world around them using their own

models and theories of

contemporary science

The realization of practical works in

What we need:

The realization of practical works in

the teaching of science as those

presented in this experience

Focus

As teachers we want to offer a valid basic scientific

training to interpret daily events around us, from a

critical and participatory point of view.

T science from the earliest stages of education is Teaching science from the earliest stages of education is

a vital task, is a way of seeing the world and thinking

about it.

Our Proposal: the use of models as a method of teaching science that

allows us to "see the world" and to "think about it" learning scientific

Our Proposal: the use of models as a method of teaching science that

allows us to "see the world" and to "think about it" learning scientific

content through inventions, machines and devices from our daily life

Methodology

Overall Objective

educational materials that can be used in Develop educational materials that can be used in

the elementary classroom

allow a better allow a better

understanding of

science

arouse the interest arouse the interest

towards science

development of models and educational projects development of models and educational projects

Methodology

Specific Objectives Specific Objectives

1. Create models of an object, invention, machine or technological device

that helps understanding the scientific basis involved in its operation to

1. Create models of an object, invention, machine or technological device

that helps understanding the scientific basis involved in its operation to

transfer science and technology to the elementary classroom.

2. Generate a contextualized learning through an educational project

that falls within STS activities.

meaningful learning through the stimulation of abilities and 3. Promote meaningful learning through the stimulation of abilities and

skills, the discovery and the construction of knowledge.

Design of the Experience

On this course is taught the scientific and educational content that will enable the elementary teacher to perform their

teaching in relation to the Knowledge of the Natural Environment.

2012 - 2013

Faculty of Education

University of Extremadura

Primary School

253 students

fourth year of the Degree in

Primary School Teaching

Knowledge of the Natural

Environment in Primary

Education

Among its objectives are:

"To train future teachers of primary education to meet the challenges of the education

system and adapt the lessons to the training needs of the stage of 6-12 years of the

education system, performing its functions under the principle of collaboration and

teamwork."

• Innovative educational project: – Conceptual

– Practical

– Educational

– Technological

• Foster meaningful learning of concepts, ideas and principles, placing them in real life, where they acquire their functionality.

• STS approach: – Arouse students' interest and to give value to the

importance of knowledge of the natural environment through science.

How to reach our goal?

Stages of the Methodology

Stage Three: Development

Developed the proposed projects by an autonomous, active and participatory work

Creation and exhibition of the models produced

Stage Two: Planning

To enhance group learning techniques, collaboration and teamwork, students were divided into 2-4 people working

groups

They were provided a guidance script for the development of the model and its subsequent introduction in the context of the teaching project to be carried out

Stage One: Initial session

Introduction on practical work in science education Theoretical basis for learning to teach primary science

through different learning strategies

• Introduction section From a

conceptual standpoint

• Section of justification of the model

From a didactic point

of view

• Section with the contents

From a conceptual

point of view

Planning

• Section with both curricular and instructional objective.

From an educational point

of view

• Section with the complete process for the construction of the model.

From a practical and technological

standpoint

• Section that explains the activities that can be performed in the classroom with the model created.

From an educational point

of view

Planning

Results

115 models representing the physics on inventions, machines and

devices of our daily lives.

Each model has been complemented with an educational project

Description of the contents, prior knowledge, competencies, learning

objectives, the socio historical context of the model, the construction

Description of the contents, prior knowledge, competencies, learning

objectives, the socio-historical context of the model, the construction

process, the theoretical foundation, the working, and classroom

activities to perform based on different teaching strategies.

The models are focused on different

themes

• Alternative Energies

• Energy Transformations

• Simple Machines

• Complex Machines

• Light and Sound

• Optical Instruments

• Electric Circuits

• Electricity and Magnetism

• Forces

• Motion…

Photographs of the some models

developed in this experience

Conclusions

Students who will be future teachers expand their knowledge

and learn, in a very active way, different ways of teaching science

Students who will be future teachers expand their knowledge

and learn, in a very active way, different ways of teaching science

in the elementary classroom.

During the project, students had to research and bring into play During the project, students had to research and bring into play

their prior knowledge.

The students managed to make different models of the same invention or theme

but with different materials and different operating physical principles. This can

enrich the explanation of the concepts in the classroom, as it is possible to draw

analogies and similarities of the mechanisms involved in each model.

The students managed to make different models of the same invention or theme

but with different materials and different operating physical principles. This can

enrich the explanation of the concepts in the classroom, as it is possible to draw

analogies and similarities of the mechanisms involved in each model.

We have sought the views of the students who

participated, who evaluated the usefulness of the

methodologies as teaching and learning strategies in

science.

Qualitative validation of the work

Students indicate that such methodologies achieve to awake in children more

interest in the scientific content, as it is introduced in a novel, playful and

dynamic way.

Students indicate that such methodologies achieve to awake in children more

interest in the scientific content, as it is introduced in a novel, playful and

dynamic way.

Qualitative validation of the work

The creation of the models has made much understandable and interpretable

how the world around us works, and allows the child to explore, manipulate

and discover the cause and effect relationships involved in each of the

inventions produced.

The creation of the models has made much understandable and interpretable

how the world around us works, and allows the child to explore, manipulate

and discover the cause and effect relationships involved in each of the

inventions produced.

The

each of the models developed, which has facilitated the introduction of STS

activities

The project has enabled the work on historical and social aspects related to

each of the models developed, which has facilitated the introduction of STS

activities.

Such projects are an excellent didactic methodology for the teaching and

learning of scientific concepts involved in the operation of the technology that

surrounds us, promoting meaningful learning in which theoretical content

relates to procedural content.

Such projects are an excellent didactic methodology for the teaching and

learning of scientific concepts involved in the operation of the technology that

surrounds us, promoting meaningful learning in which theoretical content

relates to procedural content.

Independent variable ? Independent variable ?

Teaching

Methodology

Teaching

Methodology

Using models

Using traditional learning Using traditional learning

methodologies

Dependent variable ? Dependent variable ?

Amount of learning achieved by Amount of learning achieved by

students related to the methodology

used

Experimental Group

Control Group

21

Future work

Acknowledgements

To all our 4th year students of the subject

Knowledge of the Natural Environment in Primary

Education, for their participation and time, as well

as for the creativity and originality that they have

shown in this project.

Thank you for listening!