ERIC Number: EJ871176
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Dec
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1449-6313
EISSN: N/A
An Explicit Representational Focus for Teaching and Learning about Animals in the Environment
Tytler, Russell; Haslam, Filocha; Prain, Vaughan; Hubber, Peter
Teaching Science, v55 n4 p21-27 Dec 2009
There has been growing interest in linking the learning of Science with the literacies of Science and representations. Recent attention has been focused on learning theories that emphasise the socio-cultural and situated aspects of learning, and in particular the notion of learning as participation in a discourse community. This paper will describe a learning sequence planned with Year 5/6 teachers to study invertebrates in the schoolground environment, but with an additional focus in which students generated and negotiated representations, and discussed the adequacy of these. The paper will present data from video capture of classroom activities, students' work samples, and pre- and post-unit testing, to explore what a representational focus might entail in teaching science, and the role of representations in learning, reasoning and exploring in science. (Contains 1 table and 8 figures.)
Descriptors: Classroom Techniques, Learning Theories, Discourse Communities, Class Activities, Learning Activities, Teaching Methods, Animals, Science Instruction, Social Influences, Cultural Influences, Inquiry, Foreign Countries, Elementary School Science, Grade 5, Grade 6, Ecology, Video Technology, Observation, Environmental Education
Australian Science Teachers Association. P.O. Box 334, Deakin West, ACT 2600, Australia. Tel: +61-02-6282-9377; Fax: +61-02-6282-9477; e-mail: publications@asta.edu.au; Web site: http://www.asta.edu.au/resources/teachingscience
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 5; Grade 6
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A