the demonstration

we have a lot of methods that we can use to teach our student in school science class. For instance lecture method, discussion method, role play, field trip and demonstration. sometimes for one topic we can use as much as possible method to deliver the topic to the student. this is important so student not get boring as we only stick in one method every time we teach science. sometimes for example lecture method is good to use in teaching one topic but for another topic it maybe not work. so, we as a teacher must be good in choosing and planning the suitable method to use in class.

so, for last week presentation, my group has been assigned to discuss and present about demonstration method. i found this method really interesting and useful in teaching science. it can give concrete experience to student as they see teacher do the demonstration about certain concept and not just depending on memorizing the concept. here, student can relate the concept with real life situation so the learning become more meaningful.

but, as we realize, each method have it strength and weaknesses. for demonstration method, teacher have to be careful with the visibility that might occur during demonstration especially when it involve large number of student, maybe half of it won't pay attention and maybe they can miss the point. so, teacher has to ready with good questions that can bring the student back to the demonstration and initiate their thinking about what actually the teacher want to tell them. teacher also must be expert with the demonstration mean they have to try it first. make sure the demonstration work.

Make Your Own Recycled Paper

original resource: http://www.make-stuff.com/recycling/paper.html

Don't throw away your old newspapers. Try making your own recycled paper! Recycled paper can be made from old newspaper, following the instructions below. Recycling paper uses cellulose (plant fibers) over and over again, it uses less electricity, less water, a lot less pollution, and it saves trees from being cut down!
You will need:

• a food processor or an old blender
• an electric iron
• an old wire hanger
• an old pair of panty hose
• newspaper or other paper, torn into 2-inch squares
• white glue
• water
• an insect screen or strainer (optional)
• food coloring (optional)
• a big sink or tub filled with 4 inches of water

Make sure you have a place to work where you can make a big mess!

Step One:
Make a frame out of the coat hanger. You'll need a frame for each piece of paper you make. Stretch the hanger and bend it into a rectangle/square shape. Take one leg of the panty hose and stretch it carefully over the hanger frame. Make sure it is tight and flat.

Step Two:
Put a handful of the torn up paper and some water into the food processor or blender. Blend the mixture on high until it becomes mushy. Keep adding paper and water until you have a big gray blob. You may have to add a little more water to keep things moving smoothly. Keep the food processor on until all the paper has disappeared. Then leave it on for 2 minutes.
For some color, add a handful of brown or red onion skin (not the onion itself, just the papery outer skin).

Step Three:
Put 2 tablespoons of white glue in the sink water and add all of the paper pulp you just made. Mix it really well. Use your hands.

Step Four:
Scoop the frame to the bottom of the sink, then lift it slowly. (Count to 20 slowly while you are lifting.) Let the water drain out for about a minute.

Step Five:
Hang the frames on a clothesline or put them out in the sun. Wait until they are completely dry with no dampness at all. You can then gently peel off the paper.

Step Six:
Use the iron, set on the hottest setting, to steam out your paper. You can keep making paper until the pulp is all strained out of the sink. Mix up the sink every time you make a new piece.
Try other things like using in insect screen over a wood frame, or a strainer instead of the pantyhose and hanger. Try adding lots of food coloring, for colored paper, or try adding lint or leaves to the food processor. Your paper will have an interesting texture.

Making your own paper can be fun, and it's a great way to re-use old paper. You can recycle all kinds of paper for re-use. Sometimes paper printed from color-inkjet printers will run, that is, the color will bleed off and become part of your new paper, but that can make for an interesting effect!

jum try!! hehe..;)

hectic week!

waa...long time no see..hehe..
i've been quite busy lately..didn't have time to post anything here..
and also i dont have much thing to share about my science method class since we are busy with our experiments..
actually im a lil frustrated about the experiments because i dont think that we, the form 5 group..have much options to choose in doing the experiment..the experiments available in syllabus quite boring and a bit difficult to modify..they were static! we can't do much about it..maybe we can just change one to two things on it..

but thanks Allah, so far we manage to do it well and tomorrow we'll present our experiment and discrepant event..
hope everything will be ok..
and after this we gonna busy with our last assignment which is microteaching..
i dont have partner yet..so who need partner,ask me for it..huhu..~

dont know what title should i put here..haha~

when i went through my classmates' blog, i found that i'm the one that very 'skema' here..
i'm just talking about the things that we have learned in class and adding some ideas of mine.
no other extra information or story and something like that..quite boring right? haha..

so how? do i have to put something that not related to the class but actually good for all of us as future teacher?? heemm..wait..if i have time or idea what to put in here..*malas melampau* *rajin bah*







today, as usual, we have to do some presentation in front of the class about teaching approaches. And my group was presenting about contextual learning.

Contextual learning suggests that learning takes place when learner can make connection between their prior knowledge with the situation they are facing. or the other way around which is connecting between new information and experiences they have had, or with other knowledge they have already mastered! simply say, students can make sense of new knowledge by processing it in their own frames of references.

according to contextual learning, students discover meaningful relationships between abstract ideas and practical applications in the real world; concepts are internalized through the process of discovering, reinforcing and relating.

five essential form of learning according to contextual learning.

ok..done!

time for...

::thinking skills~

after a week of CNY break..now im back posting something about what we have learned in science method class this morning. if in the week before break, we have discussed about scientific skills, today we have covered about thinking skills.

thinking skills is actually a mental process to integrate knowledge. it is a foundation of thoughtful learning. thoughtful learning emphasis on thinking process during receiving knowledge.

thinking skills can be divided into two which are critical thinking and creative thinking.

critical thinking is a thinking process which students have to evaluate the new ideas in systematic order before accepting it.

creative thinking is a thinking process that needs high imagination and ability to modify new idea. it enhance some idea to become better. creative thinking is use in solving problem which requires a lot of ideas.

IMAGES & ANALOGIES AND MODELS & SYMBOLS

Today we have discussed another two techniques which can be used in teaching concept which are using images and analogy and also using models and symbols.

Teachers use analogies to build conceptual bridges for students between what is familiar (an analog concept) and what is new (a target concept).

The Teaching With Analogies includes these 6 steps:
(1) Introduce the target concept,
(2) Review the analog concept,
(3) Identify relevant features of the target and analog,
(4) Map similarities,
(5) Indicate where the analogy breaks down, and
(6) Draw conclusions.
sources:  http://www.coe.uga.edu/twa/

for example: teaching current circuit using water circuit as analogy of it. Or teaching cell using Cell City diagram as below.

Images here refer to mental images. Mental images are visual representations of a step in a rule or procedure that are visualized in the mind. Unlike pictures, mental images can change to reflect changes in information because they are represented in the learners' imagination.

for example: teaching about neutron, electron and proton. as they cannot be seen, ask the student to imagine that neutron is placed in the nucleus(center)  and proton also placed together with neutron in nucleus while electron is rotating around the nucleus.

teachers can use models to help students make sense of their observations, and understand abstract ideas through visualization of 

1. object that are too big, too small or positioned so it is difficult for them to be seen easily.

    eg: an ecosystem, cell and heart

2. processes that cannot be seen directly. eg: digestion

 

3. abstract ideas: eg: particulate nature of matter; transfer energy

 some examples of science symbols.

M

TEACHING CONCEPT

 

Our group has been given a task to teach a concept using example and non-example method.

we have choose to introduce the concept of organic compound using this method.

we have listed few things on blackboard as follow:

coal                      alcohol                          carbon dioxide gas

limestone              petrol                            eggs

marble                  newspaper                    soda baking

flour                     cotton shirt                    calcium cyanide

teacher should: 

1) ask students to identify which of the things above are originate from living things(plants and animals) and non-living things(minerals)

2) ask students to classify them into two group with distinct differences

3) leading questions to define the characteristics of the things in each group

4) guide students to find the similarities and differences between them

5) tell the students the exact concept of organic compound based on discussion.

organic compound:  organic compounds are all compounds of carbon except for oxides of carbon, bicarbonates and carbonates of metal ions and metal carbides and cyanides and originated from living things such as plants and animals.

PEDAGOGY CONTENT KNOWLEDGE (PCK)

PCK is about how to teach students based on pedagogy we have discussed before such as learning theories, approaches and strategies. its also consist of knowledge of science that are facts,concept,principle,theories etc.

if we refer to PCK, we can see that not all teachers can teach science. for example, english teacher maybe good in language but he or she not necessary good in conveying the knowledge of science to students. science or any subject should be teach by one who expert in that area.

science knowledge

1.facts: the simplest explaination about something that have been accepted by whole world.
for example:  a dog is a mammal

2. concepts: consists of many facts.
for example: plastics are polymers that can be shaped by applying heat or pressure. 

3. principle is a law.
for example: Newton's Third Law stated  For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. 

4. Theories: still can be argued and not necessarily true
for example: science theory of evolution

knowledge claims about alternative concept 

- happens when student have misconception in science. 

- even adult also have misconception

- sometimes the ideas are same with scientist before because they make conclusion based on observation.

- the teacher themselves not competent with the knowledge.

famous term arises from alternative concept is SPONTANEOUS GENERATION

Vygotsky: Social Development Theory

in learning theory discussion, lecturer has told our group (form 5) to discuss and explain about contructivism theory focusing on Vygotsky's social development theory.

the theory focused on the connections between people and the socialcultural context in which they act and interact in shared experiences.

three major themes in Vigotsky's theory of learning

1. social interaction plays a fundamental role in the process of cognitive development.

2. the More Knowledgeable Other that refers to anyone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner such as teacher.

3. the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) . the ZPD is the distance between a student's ability to perform a task under adult guidance and/or with peer collaboration and the student's ability solving the problem independently.

what i think about this theory???

teacher can implement this theory in class by make students do discussion in group and teacher act as a facilitator. the groups should consist students from different level so the good one can help the weak one in understanding the stuff. teacher should guide the students so the students always in track and not covered by misconception.

ASK: Attitudes.Skills.Knowledge.

there are 3 mains domain of learning.
i. cognitive
ii. psychomotor
iii. affective

based on chart above knowledge refers to cognitive domain, attitudes refer to affective domain while skills refer to psychomotor domain.

we gain knowledge from reading, attending lecture, informal process from parents and community, doing experiments or engaging with real life situation. our knowledge is strengthen when we face new condition that have something to do with prior knowledge.

process or skills can be divided into three which are thinking skills,science process skills and manipulative skills.

thinking skills can be critical thinking and creative thinking. when students doing observations and able to do attributing, its can enhance their critical thinking.

science process skills is about cognitive skills while manipulative skills refer to psychomotor skills that is able to do something such as drawing and so on.

scientific attitudes are how we feel and how we deal with science knowledge. as a student and also a teacher we should create or we should have a good attitudes towards science. By doing and learning science we should appreciate more on what scientist have done for our good. for example research on global warming, why global warming happens and how its happened? when we know all this things, we should avoid the manner that contribute to global warming.

what is science education?

now, we come to another task that have been given by my lecturer.

which is, WHAT IS YOUR IDEA ABOUT SCIENCE EDUCATION??
the class have given their opinions after a short discussion with their partners.
here are some of the ideas:

1. process of teaching and learning science
2. foster students with science knowledge, science skills and inculcate scientific attitudes among students.
3. realize that knowledge is not absolute. new discovery and new knowledge may come out anytime.
4. process of sharing the content of science and interaction among human community

blogging??

actually i already have 1 blog to talk about my life,my interest,my hobby,my event and everything that related to my life which i think i want to share about.
but recently i quit blogging because i think im not good in story telling..hehehe ;)
and now..i appears again in this blogging world just have to fulfill my course requirement..requirement??
haha..no la..this is one of my assignment..for science method..hehe ;)

on 6 January 2011, we started the class with a question from my lecturer..

WHAT IS SCIENCE???

want to know what come first in my mind at that time??

to me,science is about everything. pen is science. our breathing process is science. bridge is science. all is science.
below are the ideas about what me and my friends think about science.

1.science as a study that related to logical and rational thinking.2. its related to daily lives/everywhere
3.science as a process or things to occur
4. made of different discipline (Biology,Chemistry,Physics)
5. consist of process skills and manipulative skills.
6. science is something we have to do with experiment..
7.science is a discovery from scientist