|
Science Circles contains a wide range of classroom activities designed to engage students in extensive discussion while exploring science topics. The Science Circles approach is developed from the concept that understanding is discourse-based. Scientific literacy is built when students can practise using correct terminology to give explanations and construct arguments based on evidence. The activities are intended to be used in conjunction with standard science textbooks and units. Using Science Circles to complement other science activities and units of work will assist in the vital quest to make classroom science meaningful for each student, and develop a greater readiness to value and use science language and ideas in everyday life.
The topics of Science Circles are those most likely to be included in typical junior science programs, including one from each of the main fields of scientific endeavour:
- The nature of science
- Biology
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Earth science
- Astronomy
- Environmental science.
At the simplest level, a science circle can be viewed as a group discussion in which students air their own understandings and questions about science topics. Talk in science circles should ideally form a significant part of each stage of science learning, from the introduction of a new topic through to its summation. A science circle discussion may begin with a student recording their own thoughts when asked a question, or two or three students discussing a concept cartoon or creating a mind map at the beginning of a topic. It can also be a whole group session discussing ideas about what is of interest to different people when planning an investigation or concluding a unit of work, including how they felt during the process.
In this series, the activities presented for each topic consist of a four stages process which reflects the ongoing cyclic processes of scientific enquiry and learning.
The activities are self-contained and require no extra resources. Each activity page has an extension task, some of which are research tasks that may require extra reference material to complete.
|
