Engage Students in Learning Electricity Through Interactive Lessons That Use Technology

Tim Brown, Bristol Elementary School, Webster Groves School District, St.

Louis, MO

Interface

February 2011

Overview

• The learning cycle

• 4 easy-to-do circuit investigations

– Using interdisciplinary, interactive powerpoints

– Meaningful extensions and applications

• Discussion

• Conclusions

Learning Cycle

• Who uses the learning cycle?

What are the purposes of the phases of the learning cycle?

1) exploration provides students with first hand experiences to investigate science phenomena

2) concept introduction allows students to build science ideas through interaction with peers, texts, and teachers

3) concept application asks students to use these science ideas to solve new problems.

Evaluation and

Discussion

Exploration Phase Students interact with

materials and each other

Concept Introduction Phase naming of

objects and event(s)

Concept Application

Phase Students

apply information to

a new situation

Why is a learning cycle needed?

• Teachers who have tried to help students “discover” science ideas by doing hands-on activities often are frustrated--

– Students do not learn what the teacher expected.

• Why should we expect our students to “discover” ideas that took science hundreds of years to invent?

Why is a learning cycle needed cont…?

• Students need to relate new ideas to their experience and place new ideas into a framework for understanding

• Learning cycle alternates between hands-on and minds-on activities, both of which are necessary for learning science.

(Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2001).

How does the learning cycle affect students?

Studies show students benefit by having greater….

– Achievement on scientific reasoning tests – Retention of concepts

– Motivation and engagement.

(Renner, Abraham, & Birnie, 1988; Gerber, Cavallo, & Marek; 2001;

Beeth & Hewson, 1999)

Activity 1- Exploration Phase

Challenge:

• If you had wires, batteries, and a light bulb, do you think you could connect them in a way that would light the bulb?

• If you could, make a drawing of the set-up you would create, using the least amount of wires, batteries and bulbs.

Exploration cont…

• With the person next to you share your ideas, including your drawings.

Exploration cont…

• Using batteries, wires, and light bulbs test your ideas.

• What additional misconceptions do your students have about batteries and circuits?

– Current leaves the battery from one terminal, but because some is “used up,” less returns to the other terminal.

– Negative current goes back to the battery, positive current comes from the battery.

– If a bulb is further away from a battery, it will be dimmer.

(Stepans, 1996)

Activity 2-Concept Introduction Phase

• Students explain how to light a light bulb using the least amount of batteries, wires and light bulbs.

• Teachers enhance science learning of electricity through interactive PowerPoints.

Interactive PowerPoints

• Interactive PowerPoints engage students in lectures by:

– Embedding assessments– Inserting activities into note taking– Relating new information to prior

experiences– Promoting interdisciplinary learning– Using analogies

Share

• Share- As a class generate a list of conductors and insulators from the video.

Activity 3- Concept Application Phase

• Predict which of these materials will complete an electrical circuit. Provide a reason for your decision.

– Copper wire– Aluminum wire– Chalk– String– Water– Wood

Concept Application cont…

• With a partner, get the materials, test your ideas on whether each material is a conductor or insulator of electricity.

Activity 4-Additonal Concept Application

• Using the least number of wires, batteries, and bulbs, make a drawing of the set-up that will light two bulbs.

• Test your ideas.

Concept Application cont…

• Do you notice a difference in brightness of the 2 light bulbs when they are connected in a different way?

Discussion

• What elaborations and extensions do you do with your units on circuits?

– Magnetism

– Additional activities with static electricity

– Build circuits using resistors like fans or generators in place of batteries.

Discussion

• If your room is antiquated, how can you modify it to be more technologically advanced?

– Use an LCD project with your desktop computer to project powerpoints onto the board.

• Find out if resources are available to purchase projectors for individual classrooms or grade levels.

• Write a mini-technology grant to purchase LCD projectors or SMART boards.

• See Tim’s 4th grade room on next slide.

Tim’s room

Discussion

• If you cannot purchase technology this year to use PowerPoints, what other ways can you make lectures more interactive for students?

– Use guiding questions to begin lectures so students have an opportunity to explain what they already know.

– Have frequent “Checkpoints” to determine students’ understanding during lectures.

– Use materials such as white boards to have students commit to an outcome and to assess student understanding during lectures.

Conclusions about using the learning cycle in science

• Time efficient. Teachers can cover 4 circuit activities in 3-4 short lessons.

• Students form collaborative groups.– Science becomes more social.

• Students are more motivated to learn material and take ownership for learning.

• Students have higher achievement on quizzes, and end of the unit tests, and are prepared for the science portion of the MAP test.

Question and Comments?

http://schools.webster.k12.mo.us/brown

Grade Level Expectations

Scope and Sequence – Forms of Energy: Electrical Circuits

• Content Standard: Grade 4, Physical Science: Construct and diagram a complete electric circuit by using a source (e.g., battery), means of transfer (e.g., wires), and receiver (e.g., resistance bulbs, motors, fans)

• Content Standard: Grade 4, Physical Science: Observe and describe the evidence of energy transfer in a closed series circuit (e.g., lit bulb, moving motor, fan)

• Content Standard: Grade 4, Physical Science: Classify materials as conductors or insulators of electricity when placed within a circuit (e.g., wood, pencil lead, plastic, glass, aluminum foil, lemon juice, air, water)

(Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education [DESE], 2005)

NSES Inquiry Standards

• Inquiry Standard: 5–8, Science as Inquiry: Students in grades 5–8 can begin to recognize the relationship between explanation and evidence (NRC 1996, p. 145).

• Inquiry Standard: 5–8, Science as Inquiry: Students in grades 5–8 identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations (NRC 1996, p. 146).

• Inquiry Standard: 5–8, Science as Inquiry: Students in grades 5–8 think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations (NRC 1996, p. 146).

• Inquiry Standard: 5–8, Science as Inquiry: In the vision presented by the Standards, inquiry is a step beyond’ science as a process,” in which students learn skills, such as observation, inference, and experimentation. The new vision includes the “processes of science” and requires that students combine processes and scientific knowledge as they use scientific reasoning and critical thinking to develop their understanding of science (NRC 1996, chapter 6).

References:

Abraham, M. R., & Renner, J. W. (1986). The sequence of learning cycle activities in high school chemistry. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 23, 121-143.

Beeth, M.E., & Hewson, P.W. (1999). Learning goals in exemplary science teacher’s practice: Cognitive and social factors in teaching for conceptual change. Science Education, 83, 738-760.

Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (Eds.). (2001). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Brown, P. & Abell, S. (2007). Examining the learning cycle. Science and Children, 44(5), 58-59. Bruner, J. (1960).The process of education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Bybee, R.W. (1997). Achieving scientific literacy: From purposes to practices. Portsmouth,

NH: Heinemann.Gerber, B.L., Cavallo, A.M.L., & Marek, E.A. (2001). Relationship among informal learning

environments, teaching procedures, and scientific reasoning abilities. International Journal of Science Education, 23, 535-549.

Karplus, R., & Thier, H.D. (1967). A new look at elementary school science. Chicago: Rand McNally.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education [DESE], 2005. Grade Level Expectations.

Renner, J. W., Abraham, M. R., & Birnie, H. H. (1988). The necessity of each phase of the learning cycle in teaching high school physics. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 25, 39–58.

Stepans, J. ( 1996). Targeting students’ science misconceptions; physical science concepts using conceptual change. Riverview, FL: Idea Factory Inc.