National Partnerships for After School Science -- a training and professional development project to increase the capacity of afterschool centers to offer extended, hands-on science projects for elementary aged children.
This tool has been developed in order to help informal educators learn how to help children use a range of "Process Skills" to enrich and deepen their explorations and investigations in science and engineering. The premise is that activities of high quality are already in place, but that when the children learn how to go beyond merely "hands-on" experiences, to also develop the "minds-on" habits listed here, they will be greatly more successful in their investigations and probelm solving and greatly more motivated to seek further experience and knowledge in the sciences.
The tool identifies four broad approaches to exploration and problem solving: Observing, Investigating, Questioning and Explaining. The first goal is simply to bring awarenss to educators and children alike of the value of operating within each of these modes at some point during an investigation at levels that are approaiate to the age of the children and to the informal setting of after school.
The tool then breaks each of these 4 approaches into three "skill" levels which to some extent represent the increasing maturity and sophistication of the investigators as they move through the elementary and high school years. But despite the obvious "developmental" progression of these skills, it is also true that ALL investigators benefit from using ALL the skills at their particular level at some point in most investigations. Elementary (or older) aged children easily can understand and practice some form of each of the twelve skills listed in the diagram. The task of the informal educator is to learn what these skills typically look like in children of any particular age, and to help children include more and more of the skills into their regular investigative behavior.
Use the video clips below to practice observing children and recording the range of skills that they habitually employ in their science explorations
Balancing Toys: Sammy and Amie
Sammy and Aimee are a well matched team. Both are thinking hard about how to ensure that their sail boat stays more or less upright in a storm OR How to keep the Captain dry. Which approaches to solving this problem [Observing, Investigating, Questioning and Explaining] do you see them using most often and what levels of each approach do they employ?
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Gliders: Hector and his partners
This 6 minute collage of Hector and his three partners, filmed over three days while working on the Design It: Gliders project, tries to capture his evolving style and apporach to the task. Although he never collaborates well with his partners, his attitude towards the project itself (at first very serious and contained) loosens up a lot over time. He becomes more communicative and verbal in his explanations and speculation about what makes his planes fly (or not.)
Which approaches to solving this problem [Observing, Investigating, Questioning and Explaining] do you see him using by the end of the clip and what levels of each approach does he employ most often?
"Colliding Balls":Malaysia, Kayla and Sade
These girls are investigating what happens when balls of various sizes and made from different materials roll down a plastic track. They have not been given a specific goal or question to investigate at this point. Their approaches [Observing, Investigating, Questioning and Explaining] to this activity are more theatrical than Sammy and Amiee, but may be no less rich if observed closely. What approaches do you see them using? And what level of questioning (or other skills) is Sade (kneeling) using when she asks: "And you think that ... is actually going to roll off [the ball] and have enough gravity to actually stay on the track?"
"Colliding Balls": Jaxander and Sammy
The boys have a more subdued (serious?) style than the girls, What are their characteristic approaches to this activity[Observing, Investigating, Questioning and Explaining], remembering that as presented, the activity was very open-ended. No specific goals were set by the program leader.