Assignment #9: Complete the 4 part assignment format as you read, reflect, and respond to Chapter 9: Generating and Testing Hypotheses.
Remember: Although your course packet asks you to post to blog for parts A, B, C, and D…we are asking that you only post part C and D. We’re trying to make the blog easier to read and more user- friendly. Thanks!
A. Self Assessment of Current Beliefs and Practices: This component asks you to reflect on how and why you currently use the instructional strategies of Generating and Testing Hypotheses in your classroom. The intent of this is to activate your prior knowledge of your strategy use so that you can make comparisons as you read the chapter.
B. Read & Reflect “Research & Theory”: This portion of the assignment asks you to read chapter 9 and reflect briefly on your thinking after reading the “Research and Theory” section of Generating and Testing Hypotheses.
C. Practice: Choose one of the specific “classroom practice” strategies or techniques shared in this chapter to teach to your students (If you are not currently teaching, you may share how you would use this strategy in your classroom) – please post a brief reflection of how this went to the posting labeled Week Nine: Generating and Testing Hypotheses.
D. Final Strategy Reflection: A sequence of questions posted below asks you to reflect on what you’ve learned about both the strategies presented in the chapter and what you’ve learned about yourself as both a teacher and a learner. Please post a brief reflection of how this went to the posting labeled Week Nine: Generating and Testing Hypotheses.
How has the information you read in this chapter on Generating and Testing Hypotheses effected your thinking about teaching and learning? What have you learned about yourself as a teacher and learner? Use the following questions to assist you in writing a brief strategy reflection:
• How might I change how use Generating and Testing Hypotheses in my classroom?
• What is something you now understand better about Generating and Testing Hypotheses?
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C. Practice
The framework for each of these tasks was extremely helpful to see the practical application for the Social Sciences. I specifically connected with the historical investigation framework in which students generate a hypothetical scenario and then “determine if the hypothesis is supported by the evidence” (pg 107).
The decision making model on pages 108-109 is also very applicable to Social Studies and I will be able to use it (for instance) in our study of health care systems. I like the freedom that these models give students to think and explore, as well as the structure provided by the framework guides.
D. Final Strategy Reflection
I found myself hesitant to embrace this chapter, most likely due to my own assumption that “generating and testing hypothesis” would belong only to the sciences. (Not to mention that I was never a strong science student!)
The most powerful learning in this chapter was realizing that I had had students make predictions in the past, but had not incorporated this more abstract and difficult task of asking them to predict what would happen if an aspect of an organization/system/event was changed. I can see how much more they would have to understand about the organization/system/event to generate and test (or defend) the hypothesis given that prompt.
The frameworks, suggestions for supports (templates, sentence stems, and rubrics) will be helpful to incorporate this method into my class.
C. This spring I put together a scientific inquiry project where the kids were given three bean seeds and asked to come up with a question and hypothesis. They could plant their seeds anyway they wanted. Some questions were, "If I grow one seed inside and one seed outside, which seed would grow the most?" Or creative ones like, "If I water my seeds with milk and water, which will grow better." It was really fun to see the creativity in their questions. I realize, after reading this chapter that I should have had them explain to me WHY they believed their hypothesis to be true. Most would have been obvious - the plant outside would grow better because of the sunlight...but I didn't ask them to explain their hypotheses and now see I should have! I kind of threw the whole project together at the last minute and played it by ear - I was surprised how well it turned out, but next time I will be more prepared! We were studying plants and we had just visited the science fair and they were ready to go with an experiment! :)
I got some good ideas from the chapter about weather and inventions - two new units I'm teaching next year due to the new science Power Standards. I really liked the idea about taking the kids outside to make predictions about what the weather would be the next day, and then discussing if their predictions were correct. After learning the specifics of weather, clouds, etc. then the kids would be able to make plausible predictions. I think they would love playing "weatherman!"
D. Like this chapter states, I am willing to admit when I think about generating and testing hypotheses, I think science. Aside from constantly making predictions in reading and math, I focus the hypotheses part of education mostly in science. I've learned it's important for the students to be able to "back up" their hypotheses with background knowledge. I can see that done in different ways: pair-share, written, tape recorded...
I see my new math curriculum (Bridges) lending itself nicely to being able to generate, back up, and prove (or disprove) hypotheses. It's hands on and there's so much "learn by doing." I feel it will be a great starting point for me to add generating and testing hypotheses into areas other than science!
C: This chapter gave me several ideas for my Child Development class. I can use the Systems Analysis to teach children about birth defects by having them look at the development of a fetus and how it depends on the mom to develop correctly, and then introduce an action, or “change” that may result in a birth defect. I can see good opportunities for discussion and working in small groups. The Historical Investigation would work to talk about the increase in certain birth defects or the increase in teen pregnancies and have the students work in pairs to investigate different hypothetical scenarios.
D: I think this chapter will help me to use Generating and Testing of Hypotheses more often as I can see more clearly how to use it! I also loved the information and emphasis on making sure students can explain their hypotheses and conclusions. To often I see students just repeat back answers and then watch the information immediately fade away. Having a variety of tools to work with them on explaining as they are creating and testing hypotheses will help the information stay with the students, plus improve their writing and speaking skills.
C) Practice
I teach literacy through social studies in a month-long unit on ancient Egypt. I could see being able to use both the systems analysis task and the historical investigation task to engage students in making and testing hypotheses. More specifically, at one point in the unit students learn about the various levels of Egyptian society. Asking students to generate hypotheses about how society would have been affected given a change in one aspect of the system would, as the text indicates, improve their understanding of the contributions each level of society made. I could also see using the decision making process to help students be more responsible for their own behaviors during school.
D) Final Strategy Reflection
As I thought about how I use a deductive approach in my own teaching before asking students to generate hypotheses, I immediately thought about inquiry through science. Hypothesizing is of course a basic skill of scientific inquiry, and while working as a student teacher in a 5th grade classroom not too long ago, we spent a lot of time focusing on developing a testable hypotheses. However, as I read further through the chapter, I realized that the idea of generating and testing hypotheses is not confined solely to science but is actually used throughout the day. I found myself thinking of examples ranging from team building exercises that require problem solving to making predictions during a social studies unit, both of which require generating and testing hypotheses. My thoughts are that both of these examples require that students first understand what is “known” about the event or problem, that they identify a plausible hypothesis from possible ideas that might work, and then find evidence (be it through further research or an actual experiment) that confirms/disproves the hypothesis.
Sarah,
I like your idea of using this for team building activities!
Kelly
C. I had never really thought about problem solving and it's connection to generating a hypothesis and testing it. My first thought was that this was for science only until I read the problem solving section of this chapter. This is something we do almost on a daily basis in reading. Again this is usually done as a whole group and done orally so my goal this coming year will be to actually have students work independently on creating a hypothesis or as we call it a prediction and help them explain how they came up with their hypothesis and then see if they were right when they get to the end of the story. I do also want to make sure we discuss this process in science as well. I know that I can always take more time to let each student make their own hypothesis and test it to see if they are right.
D. I definately understand now that generating and testing hypothesis is not for science only. I also realized that this is something I am already kind of doing in my classroom and this chapter will help me do it even better so students become stronger in this skill area.
Generating And Testing Hypotheses
Practice: Kelly couldn’t have said it any better, “I like the freedom that these models give students to think and explore, as well as the structure provided by the framework guides.” Predicting is a common practice in education, but I’ve never thought about it as something that could be extended and explored. I really liked the frameworks that were provided throughout the chapter that will definitely be a guide for me in my own classroom. The Problem Solving task is one that I have also used in the past, but this example is much more thorough and interesting. I think that this would give the teacher a better understanding of what the students have learned, and what needs to be revisited. I have done the bridge experiment before, but never have I considered changing an element in order to broaden the student’s thinking and cause them to hypothesize yet another aspect of their learning. I really think this is something that I will use in my own classroom because it focuses on delving deeper, and that is exactly what the kids need!
Reflection: I was also one who thought of this chapter as purely the “science” chapter, but I learned a lot about how to create more in depth lessons and have deeper conversations when you discuss why you think certain things will happen. I now know that testing your hypotheses can be done in many different subjects to help your understanding. I think that as a teacher this will help me understand what my students need to learn more about. It will give me a better insight into what they have learned and what they still need to practice. As a student, I think that testing hypotheses would excite me because it isn’t just about learning the material, it’s about understanding it, and proving to myself that I know why things happen the way they do.
Lindsay - I think that your idea of asking your students to explain why they thought their hypothesis was true is a great idea. You could even turn it into a writing activity by having them write about what happened after they tested their hypothesis, and then why they think their hypothesis was or wasn’t right.
Great conversations and comments everyone. This is the beauty of using a blog format.
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