OWCANWENDERSTANDOURATERWhat Are the Science Process Skillsscience mean - PDF document

1 OWCANWENDERSTANDOURATERWhat Are the Scie
OWCANWENDERSTANDOURATERWhat Are the Science Process Skills?science means more than scientiknowledge. There are three dimensionsof science that are all important. The in addition to science knowledge are processesprocesses of doing science are the scienceprocess skills that scientists use in the processthese are actually the same skills that we allgure outto use these skills in science, we are alsofuture in every area of their lives.The third dimension of science focuses on thesolving problems. Another desirable scientiattitude is a respect for the methods and using some kind of evidence, recognizing theimportance of rechecking data, and under-change over time as more information is gathered.The science process skills form the foundationc methods. There are six basic science process skills:ObservationCommunicationClassiMeasurementInferencePredictionThese basic skills are integrated together whenexperiments. All the six basic skills areare integrated together.order of increasing sophistication, although T OWCANWENDERSTANDOURATERget older they will start to spend more timeusing the skills of inference and prediction.cation and measurement tend to beused across the grade levels more evenly, partly because there are different ways to doclassifyin

2 g, in increasingly complex ways, andmust
g, in increasingly complex ways, andmust also be introduced to children graduallyIntegrating the basic science process skillsdesign fair tests is increasingly emphasized inof students by fourth grade. The VirginiaStandard of Learning (SOL) 4.1 for fourth-graders includes, for example, creatingthe students are beginning to really ask andfocus on using the integrated science processskills to design experiments and reach In the Virginia Standards of Learning, the science SOL (x.1) at every grade level K – 12tells which of the science process skills shouldbe introduced and emphasized at that gradelevel. For grades K–6, where the SOL at eachgrade includes content from all areas of science, organized in strands across thesegrade levels, the science process skills SOLand Logic strand. For grades 7–12 (LifeBiology, Chemistry, then Physics) the SOL arenes the science process skills to be taughtlevels K – 12, the intention is that the scienceprocess skills be taught and practiced by different content areas of science during theyear, and all year long they will continue to use and develop further the science processBSERVATIONObserving is the fundamental science processskill. We observe objects and events using ve senses, and this is how we learnabout the wor

3 ld around us. The ability to the develop
ld around us. The ability to the development of the other science processinferring, and predicting. The simplest obser-vations, made using only the senses, are is light green in color or the leaf is waxy andor quantity are quantitative observations. For T OWCANWENDERSTANDOURATERor the leaves are clustered in groups of Quantitative observations give more preciseinformation than our senses alone.children, need help in order to make goodobservations. Good, productive observationsare detailed and accurate written or drawndescriptions, and students need to be promp-ted to produce these elaborate descriptions.The reason that observations must be so full ofdetail is that only then can students increaseied. Whether students are observing with theirmore detailed descriptions. We can do this by listening to students’initial observationsand then prompting them to elaborate. Forits pitch or rhythm. We can prompt students tove senses they are using. Thereare other ways that we can prompt students to make more elaborate descriptions. For exam-include, before, during, and after appearancesBSERVATIONANDOMMUNICATIONANDINAs implied already, communication, the second of the basic science process skills, have to communicate in order to share theircommunication must b

4 e clear and effective information. One o
e clear and effective information. One of the keys to communicatingeffectively is to use so-called referents, refer-ences to items that the other person is alreadycolors using referents. We might say grass greenparticular shades of blue, green, or yellow. words for which both people share a commonunderstanding. Without referents, we open therougha different idea of how hot or how rough. If ashoe as a referent. The pinecone could beThe additional science process skill of meas-uring is really just a special case of observingand communicating. When we measure someproperty, we compare the property to a dereferent called a unit. A measurement state- T OWCANWENDERSTANDOURATERuse of the number makes a measurement averbally, in writing, or by drawing pictures.Other methods of communication that areStudents in the early grades are expected to beable to sort objects or phenomena into groupsbased on their observations. Grouping objectsor events is a way of imposing order based onsimilarities, differences, and interrelationships.This is an important step towards a betterunderstanding of the different objects andThere are several different methods of class-cation. Perhaps the simplest method is serialordering. Objects are placed into rank orderbased on some pr

5 operty. For example, studentscan be seri
operty. For example, studentscan be serial ordered according to height, ordifferent breakfast cereals can be serial orderedaccording to number of calories per serving.cation are binaryor does not have a particular property. Forgroups: those with backbones and those with-be carried out using more than one property atonce. Objects in one group must have the required properties; otherwise they willbelong to the other group.performing consecutive binary classiensuing subsets. The result is a classiplant kingdoms are examples of multi-stagechildren could be to create a multi-stage clas-and/or behavioral similarities and differences.The Virginia Science SOL match the differentcation skills to the different grade levels. In kindergarten, children are expectedto sequence a set of objects according to size.The kindergarteners are also expected to separate a set of objects into two groups basedaccording to various attributes or propertiesitems using two or more attributes (2.1). Inthird grade, students should classify objects T OWCANWENDERSTANDOURATERThinking about making inferences in this wayshould remind us that inferences link whatalready known from previous experiences. Weuse our past experiences to help us interpretOften many different inferences can

6 be inferences also may change as we make
be inferences also may change as we make additional observations. We are generally more condent about our inferences when t well with our past exper-iences. We are also more conour inferences as we gather more and moresupporting evidence. When students are tryingto make inferences, they will often need to in order to become more coninferences. For example, seeing an insectrelease a dark, sticky liquid many times will increase our conwill reinforce our inferences, but sometimesadditional information will cause us to modifyor even reject earlier inferences. In science,inferences about how things work are contin-ed, and even rejected sequence natural events chronologically (3.1).data to create frequency distributions (4.1); fth grade, students should identify rocks,NFERENCESANDUnlike observations, which are direct evidencegathered about an object, inferences are expla-nations or interpretations that follow from thean insect released a dark, sticky liquidfrom its mouth, and it is an inference to state,the insect released a dark, sticky liquid from its. When we are able to make inferences,and interpret and explain events around us, we have a better appreciation of the environ-ment around us. Scientists’ hypotheses aboutwhy events happen as they do are

7 based on inferences regarding investigat
based on inferences regarding investigations.Students need to be taught the differencebetween observations and inferences. Theyneed to be able to differentiate for themselvesobservations and the interpretations or infer-We can help students make this distinction rst prompting them to be detailed and T OWCANWENDERSTANDOURATERMaking predictions is making educated guess-es about the outcomes of future events. We areforecasting future observations. The ability to make predictions about future events environment around us. Prediction is based on both good observation and inferences madeabout observed events. Like inferences, predic-tions are based on both what we observe andwe have built up from those experiences. So,predictions are not just guesses! Predictionsbased on our inferences or hypotheses aboutevents give us a way to test those inferences orhypotheses. If the prediction turns out to becorrect, then we have greater coninference/hypothesis. This is the basis of thec process used by scientists who aretogether the six basic science process skills.science process skills with classroom lessonseld investigations will make the learningexperiences richer and more meaningful forstudents. Students will be learning the skills science they are learning an

8 d thus reach astudents to become more in
d thus reach astudents to become more interested and havemore positive attitudes towards science. A Key to Science Learning. Yockey, J. A.Science & Childrenconcepts they have learned.Centimeters, Millimeters, & Monsters.Science & Childrendescribing a humorous way to teach Drawing on Student Understanding. Stein,M., McNair, S., & Butcher, J. (2001). Science & Childrendescribes how children can use drawings animals. In the process, student learningabout the animals is reinforced, as the children are encouraged to think deeplyLearning and Assessing Science Process(3rd Ed.). (1995). Dubuque, IA: T OWCANWENDERSTANDOURATERA comprehensive text describing both thebasic science process skills and the inte-grated science process skills in detail, alongthe skills with science content and approp-Oh Say Can You SeeScience & Childrendescribing a simple strategy for improvingTeaching & Learning The Basic Science Skills:. Rezba, R. J. (1999). Officetional Services, Virginia Department ofEducation, P.O. Box 2120, Richmond, VAWhen a Hypothesis is NOT an EducatedGuess. Baxter, L. M., & Kurtz, M. J. (2001).Science & Childrendiscussing the difference between making aprediction (an educated guess about the out-come of a test) and forming a hypothesis (anoccurred).