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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 should reflect upon how you would use this strategy in your classroom.)
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?
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?
4 comments:
I had always associated hypotheses with the scientific method of inquiry and though science uses math, I have not often connected that math uses science skills. Teaching 6th grade students to discover how to convert fractions to decimals, mixed numbers to improper fractions, or how to use the markings on a ruler when measuring could provide some interesting results. I would like to do these things and provide students with the time they need to really absorb learning and get their hands dirty with math.
But, I don’t know who much I will actually use generating and testing of hypotheses in my classroom this eye. I run into the problem of time. I would be one of those teachers that did not take the time to do the experiment well and therefore the students’ learning suffered. I stay away from these things because I do not believe they accomplish as much learning in the same given time as a normal classroom lesson and Question and Answer time.
How much time to we actually have to incorporate discovery into an already packed year? Math is an OAKS tested content area and if students don’t get the exposure to concepts and ideas they need during the year (before OAKS closes the window for testing 1 month before school is out) how can I expect my students to be able to meet the ever increasing score? I would love to devote a week to explore fractions, decimals and percents with students, but I don’t have the time to let them take a week to chew on the concepts and reach conclusions that may or may not be accurate. Yes, it is how we learn in the real world. Yes, it is developing deeper understanding and higher learning skills. Yes, it is the ideal way to learn. But let’s face it my district has cut 14 days out of the school year just to keep jobs and class sizes reasonable. Beaverton cut what was it 100 teachers last year alone! What will that do to their classroom sizes? I hear of other school cutting programs or merging just to make it through these economic times that Obama calls “recovery”. How can we do these things to schools (cut teachers, cut days, cut programs) and still be expected to create these stellar learning environments? This is a great idea in theory but I struggle with finding the real time to do it justice in the classroom. I remember doing these things in the private school because we did not face STATE TEST SCORES or worry about state funding that depended on our performance, ugh.
Something I learned this chapter is that generating and testing hypotheses need not be limited to the science classroom. I will be looking for ways to create learning moments in the classroom in any way I can using Math Talk, cooperative learning teams, and finding ways to make math more meaningful. Perhaps one way I can use at least hypotheses is to answer the question ‘when will I ever need to know this out side of the math classroom’ and let students come up with ideas of people/careers that might use that math skill.
Week Nine: Generating and Testing Hypotheses
This was a great chapter, one that I unfortunately don’t get to do enough with my students. As the chapter stated: the process of generating and testing hypotheses is commonly associated with the scientific method, teachers can use the process in different tasks across all disciplines. The unfortunate part is how little time I have for scientific inquiry in my classroom. There is so much emphasis on reading, writing and mathematics these days, that science and social studies are mere units we place in to small times of the year instead of incorporating them into daily learning. I feel horrible since when a science unit is taught: weather, insects, frogs, life cycles the students are SO EXCITED about learning they can hardly contain themselves. Even in kindergarten we are somehow teaching to “the test” and getting them ready for third grade OAKS.
The later part is my learning in this chapter because I have really thought of using hypotheses more in scientific method and I have not thought about how it can be used in the other disciplines. I intend to work on changing that this year so that I am using generating and testing hypotheses in more disciplines than just science (since I am not doing nearly enough of that!)
I liked the section on classroom practice and the variety of ways that you can incorporate these systems across the other disciplines, it really gave me some ideas to think about in how to broaden my use of hypotheses in my teaching. I liked how it mentioned using it it as a method to generate hypotheses is an aspect of a system being changed. That is an interesting way to think of how to use hypotheses in other subject matters. Considering different approaches to a solution and then generating and testing the hypotheses about the solutions. Doing this by problem solving, historical investigations, invention and experimental inquiry gives different ways to incorporate hypotheses into learning. It gave me some ideas that I can use to add hypotheses into other subject areas that I teach.
I found this chapter to have some really thought provoking and informative ideas as to how to use hypotheses in ways that I have not thought to do with my students. I hope that I am able to get creative and try to use some of these ideas in areas other than science inquiry for the upcoming school year.
After reading this chapter I realized that I ask kids to generate a hypotheses often, and in multiple subject areas – especially reading and rarely in math. I also realized that I rarely ask them to articulate how they came up with that hypotheses, except perhaps in a cooperative learning group, which I realize is a very important step. I do usually ask them for evidence that proves or disproves their hypotheses, but I don’t usually ask them to record it because I struggle with the idea of the assignment becoming a writing assignment and shutting down some of my students who struggle with writing. This year, each teacher received an ipad to use in their classroom. The ipad has voice recording and I think I will use that with kids to have them record their thinking some times, so it isn’t always written. I also like giving kids sentence frames to help them get started. Also another case here, where if I implement learning journals, it might make it a little easier for both kids and me to keep track of their thinking and learning.
I would like to work on using a structured decision-making framework with my math, as well as the experimental inquiry. I think this would help support the “Guess and Check” problem solving strategy, as well as some others, and if done within a structure might help kids who struggle with the fear of being wrong – try it and see if it works…if it doesn’t, try another way. I really think this will help me when teaching problem solving in math.
Hi Sam,
You are right in questioning having the time to fit everything in; especially given the focus that the high-stakes testing does in fact matter. As you noted, thinking of ways where it naturally fits is one way.
What continues to happen in Oregon is shocking, upsetting and disturbing. Yes, I believe it was 100 teachers cut from Beaverton. At least that’s what a couple of students in our classes told us. And I have heard about the continued cuts to specialists, custodial staff and classroom days. (I don’t really know how districts can do this as in many states on the East coast there is minimum number of days that students must attend by state law. Our family moved back East in part to be closer to family but because of the crisis in the Oregon Public Schools; and this was 7 years ago. I don’t understand why parents aren’t fighting this??? Things are tight all over the country but nothing like what I know is happening in Oregon. This continually perplexes me as I hear story after story from students in our classes about the cuts and amazing challenges that Oregon teachers face.
I believe, and I could be wrong, that this all comes down to money. It takes money to run schools and I believe, at least when I lived in Oregon, that the funding for schools was tied to the general state budget. When the economy fell apart, the schools suffered. What I think needs to happen is that the money needs to come from taxes and be managed on a more local level. This is how I believe most schools on the east coast are funded, with local property taxes-with a minimum amount set by state law for per pupil spending. (I’m guessing there are federal and state funds as well, but I am not very good with numbers and math…feel free to correct me if anyone wants to.) So that all districts must spend at least $7,500 per student (just making up the figure) and they can go as high as they want. I know in Connecticut that Greenwich, which is just outside of New York City usually spends several thousand dollars above the state requirement and a small town next to where I grew up that has a lot of seniors usually spends the minimum. (The school budget is usually voted down at least two times.) Here in Vermont, I think that some wealthy communities are taxed and the funds go into a general fund to help support the rural schools. Like Stowe, VT is a tourist, ski town and they have great schools, but have to pay into this fund. I’m not sure exactly how it works but it’s basically what I said.
People do not want new taxes. Change is always hard to make. So unless something drastic is done, I think Oregon will continue to face these horrible challenges. It’s not like this in other parts of the country.
You are all amazing for what you do each and every day for your students in spite of these incredible circumstances. I hope that things start improving soon. Our children and teachers are the ones who are suffering the most.
Hello Margaret,
I know, students LOVE science. I think the only real way to try to fit it all in is to teach across the curriculum.
Hi Louise,
What a great idea to use the ipad to record the students’ thinking.
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