Abstract
The pandemic brought both problems and possibilities for elementary science instruction. Throughout this chapter, key practices and attributes of sense-making in the elementary science classroom are discussed. Best practices for online or blended instruction are examined to find similarities and overlaps between this approach to instruction and what is already identified as important in science. By reviewing both, the educator can then take the positive aspects learned during emergency remote teaching and keep them as possibilities within blended or online instruction in the future. Recommendations are provided as well as an example science lesson with adaptations.
TopElementary Science Instruction: Looking To The Future
Eureka! I Have It!
The word Eureka! has a long-standing, although perhaps exaggerated, history with scientific discoveries. The first exclamation of the word is anecdotally attributed to Archimedes, who ran through the streets of his hometown in Sicily in the third century BCE. What does it mean, and why was Archimedes exclaiming it? It roughly translates to “I have it!” and was being exclaimed because after being presented with a challenge and much thought, Archimedes had devised a strategy to test the claim that the king’s crown was not made of pure gold. Trying to solve this challenge required persistence while using various existing strategies in different ways to answer the question. The combination of his prior knowledge of science, process, and experimentation and a great deal of reflection ultimately helped him arrive at the strategy to utilize. Today, Eureka is said in jest at points. Still, it ultimately is used to show or indicate that a person has been successful at some task they were trying to accomplish, some breakthrough in understanding, or that moment of triumph (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2021). Many lessons can be gleaned from the story of Archimedes and just as he reflected on what he knew to solve a new problem, all elementary educators can also reflect on remote learning and identify what worked and what didn’t providing them the opportunity to also yell Eureka!
Key Terms in this Chapter
Digital Tools and Practices: Instructional strategies or technologies which are meant to engage students through interactive, technology-based environments.
Blended Learning: A method of instruction that combines components of both face-to-face instruction and online learning.
Best Practices: Approaches utilized by teachers that promote student learning and success.
Sense-Making: An instructional approach utilized within the science classroom whereby students construct their understanding of a phenomenon.
Science and Engineering Practices: Behaviors that scientists and engineers engage in while answering a question or solving a problem.
Next Generation Science Standards: Standards for the teaching of science published in 2013 by Achieve that utilize learning progressions in a three-dimensional framework.
Emergency Remote Teaching: Term given to the sudden switch to online teaching created by the COVID-19 crisis.
Technology Integration: The infusion of technology hardware, software, and web-based applications into instruction.
Science Instruction: Teacher designed or facilitated instruction in the area of science, which focuses on the three dimensions identified in the NGSS, which are Science and Engineering Practices, Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts