Iris Shi

GA

Guest Editorial: The BSCS 5E Instructional Model: Personal Reflections and Contemporary Implications

Tue, Oct 03, 2017 2:34 PM
Article review

The BSCS 5Es is a widely used instructional model, which has helped teachers approach instruction in a meaningful way that enhance student learning. In this article, the author provides an overview of the 5E model and answers some questions to improve the application of the model. According to this article, the BSCS 5Es instructional model has 5 phases, engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration and evaluation. In the first phase, the educators catch students’ attention and help them engage in a new concept by short activities. In the second phase, teachers provide students time and opportunity to pursue their questions, observe patterns, investigate and analyze phenomena.In the third phase, teachers allow students to analyze their exploration and explain their understanding. In the fourth phase, teachers expand students’ thinking, which stimulate students to develop a deeper and broader understanding. In the last phase, teachers give students feedback to help students correct or enhance their work. The author also give some recommendations for teachers to promote their application. The author suggests that the best choice of duration to teach a unit is 2-3 weeks. Using the model of entire program can increase the effectiveness. When teachers using this model, the most effective choice is that teachers had better not omit any phase or shift the sequence of phases. If necessary, teachers can add or repeat some phases to develop a better teaching efficiency. It is also important that the 5Es can help to incorporate the multi-dimensions of NGSS in the classroom. In conclusion, the 5E model provide 5 sequence for teaching and learning. However, it is not just a rigid model. As a teacher, we should apply this model flexibly.

Spatial Thinking Strategies: Promoting cognitive processes in the elementary classroom

Tue, Oct 03, 2017 2:32 PM
A brief review

Piaget's theory of cognitive development supports that spatial thinking can be developed. With the understanding of this view, the article provides some advices about how teachers can help promote the development of cognitive processes, especially spatial-thinking skills, in the elementary classroom. First of all, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1993) recommends that educators can help improve elementary students’ spatial ability by manipulatives. Therefore, educators should provide more hands-on science activity programs or mathematics manipulatives in teaching, which can promote students’ participation and thinking. Based on hands-on science activities, this article suggests that educators should give more open-ended questions, choose appropriate activities and stimulate students’ potential. In my opinion, the sequence of those three advices should be the choice of activities, open-ended questions and stimulate students’ potential. Firstly, educators choose appropriate activities, open-end activities or the activity can be solved by different ways, which can develop students’ spatial thinking. Students can think in different ways and pursue their own way to solve a problem. Secondly, in the teaching process, educators should ask more open-ended questions, which can help students to think their work deeply and engage in the activity. According to this article, “What” and “How” question promotes learners to find answers. “Why” questions should be used with caution, or students may doubt themselves. Finally, I think that developing students’ potential is one of the goals of activities. Questions and activities challenge students and promote their thinking. Though that, students’ spatial-thinking abilities and potential are developed. In conclusion, although this article mix stimulating students’ potential as a method to promote spatial-thinking skills, it still give an application model of Piaget’s theory to help educators to create their own educational mode and environment. As a teacher, we should provide students more opportunities and spaces to think in different ways.

Editor's Note: Meeting the Challenges of Communicating Science

Tue, Oct 03, 2017 2:31 PM
A brief review

The article shares thoughts regarding the current issue about communicating science. When students gain scientifically literate, they must be able to communicate. Therefore, first of all, we should to figure out the meaning of communicating. Communicating does not means that talk or discuss orally. Speaking, reading, and writing are all essential tools in science, they are all necessary to learn science and deal with the obstacles . The author states that the main difficulties most science teachers face is to integrate writing into their science lessons. Writing in science are important to help to participate in science and engineering practices, understand disciplinary core ideas, and clarify crosscutting concepts. There are so many vocabulary in science, so that students can’t express their understanding clearly. In order to support students, teachers can teach students to interpret themselves visuals such as diagrams, graphs, tables, charts, symbols, and maps in their writing to clarify their understanding. Reading is also a crucial part in science communicating. Students gain information from reading, which can enrich their mind. However, vocabulary, complex expository text and students’ reading level limits themselves. In order to improve students’ communicating, teachers should provide more text-free or text-light sources, such as video, podcasts, and tweets. In conclusion, communicating help students to gain new information, express scientific perspective and voice, and remove misunderstanding. When teachers promote students’ communicating, it is important to expand the types and areas, combine speaking with writing and reading, which can help students to gain a better achievement.