• Title/Summary/Keyword: small-group discussion lesson

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The Effects of Small-group Discussion Lesson Using Concept Sketches in Astronomy of Earth Science (지구과학 천문 영역에서 개념스케치를 활용한 소집단 토론 수업의 효과)

  • Kim, Youn-Gui;Jeong, Gu-Song
    • Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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    • v.30 no.1
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    • pp.170-180
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    • 2010
  • Among the various fields of Earth Science, especially in Astronomy, we often deal with the change of space-time in an abstract way. Thus, making use of 'Concept Sketches'-simplified sketches that represent the main features, principles, processes and interrelationships of the learning content by using some concise explanations, signs and terms could help the students efficiently learn the phenomena of Astronomy. This study's aim was to check its effects and analyze the results of the lessons that included concept sketches and a discussion about the field of Earth Science in high school. The control group took traditional lessons, while the experimental group did a small-group discussion that used the concept sketches. After the lesson, some students were chosen to answer a questionnaire and go through an in-depth interview. The result of the data shows that the small-group discussion lesson that used the concept sketches helped both the high-ranking and low-ranking students to build concepts and was able to attract students' attention. Moreover, the students produced long-term memories of the content learned through the class discussion, which allowed them to exchange their own thoughts and opinions with other students. Most of all, drawing pictures, a familiar activity, appealed to the students, so they took part in the class eagerly.

The Influence of Small Group Discussion on the Science Writing Ability of Elementary School Students (토론 활동이 초등학생의 과학글쓰기 능력에 미치는 영향)

  • Shin, Youngsik;Jhun, Youngseok
    • Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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    • v.32 no.7
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    • pp.1109-1123
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    • 2012
  • The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of small group discussion on elementary students' science writing. In this study, four 6th grade students were chosen from an elementary school in Seoul. Students were involved in eight science writing classes and the contents of a small group discussion and interactions were recorded and observed. Students' science works were collected and analysed based on three domains: scientific thinking, logic and originality. The result of this study showed that the contents of a small group discussion greatly affected the scientific thinking domain. A low-achieving student received lots of help from a high-achieving student. It was easy to improve in the logic domain through the science writing classes. Average students got good grades in an originality domain when the subject was related to their real life. A small group discussion would have an effect on science writing ability positively if the students acquired proper guidance on the procedure and manner of discussion. The science writing lesson would be more effective if the learning group was organized homogeneously in the aspects of intelligence achievement and interpersonal relationships.

Teaching Methodology for Future Mathematics Classroom:Focusing on Students' Generative Question in Ill-Structured Problem (미래학교 수학교실의 교육 방법론에 대한 탐색:비구조화된 문제에서 학생들의 질문 만들기를 중심으로)

  • Na, Miyeong;Cho, Hyungmi;Kwon, Oh Nam
    • The Mathematical Education
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    • v.56 no.3
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    • pp.301-318
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    • 2017
  • This paper explores students' question generation process and their study in small group discussion. The research is based on Anthropological Theory of the Didactic developed by Chevallard. He argues that the savior (knowledge) we are dealing with at school is based on a paradigm that we prevail over whether we 'learn' or 'study' socially. In other words, we haven't provided students with autonomous research and learning opportunities under 'the dominant paradigm of visiting works'. As an alternative, he suggests that we should move on to a new didactic paradigm for 'questioning the world a question', and proposes the Study and Research Courses (SRC) as its pedagogical structure. This study explores the SRC structure of small group activities in solving ill-structured problems. In order to explore the SRC structure generated in the small group discussion, one middle school teacher and 7 middle school students participated in this study. The students were divided into two groups with 4 students and 3 students. The teacher conducted the lesson with ill-structured problems provided by researchers. We collected students' presentation materials and classroom video records, and then analyzed based on SRC structure. As a result, we have identified that students were able to focus on the valuable information they needed to explore. We found that the nature of the questions generated by students focused on details more than the whole of the problem. In the SRC course, we also found pattern of a small group discussion. In other words, they generated questions relatively personally, but sought answer cooperatively. This study identified the possibility of SRC as a tool to provide a holistic learning mode of small group discussions in small class, which bring about future mathematics classrooms. This study is meaningful to investigate how students develop their own mathematical inquiry process through self-directed learning, learner-specific curriculum are emphasized and the paradigm shift is required.

A Study on Teaching-Learning and Evaluation Methods of Environmental Studies in the Middle School (중학교 "환경" 교과의 교수.학습 및 평가 방법 연구)

  • 남상준
    • Hwankyungkyoyuk
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    • v.7 no.1
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    • pp.1-17
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    • 1994
  • This study was performed to determine appropriate teaching-learning and evaluation methods for Environmental Studies. To promote the relevance of our study to the needs of the schools and concerned educational communities of environmental education, we reviewed related literature, conducted questionnaire surveys, interviewed related teachers and administrator, held meetings with experts, and field-tested our findings. For selecting and developing teaching-learning methods of Environmental Studies, findings of educational research in general are considered. moreover, principles of environmental education, general aim of environmental education, orientations of environmental education, and developmental stages of middle school students in educational psychology were attended. In addition, relevance to the purpose of the Environmental Studies curriculum, appropriateness for value inquiry as well as knowledge inquiry, small group centered class organization, social interaction centered teaching-learning process, regional environmental situation, significance of personal environment, evaluation methods of Environmental Studies, multi- and inter-disciplinary contents of the Environmental Studies textbook, suitability to the evaluation methods of Environmental Studies, and emphasis on the social interaction in teaching-learning process were regarded. It was learned the Environmental Studies can be taught most effectively in via of holding discussion sessions, conducting actual investigation, doing experiment-practice, doing games and plate, role-playing and carrying out simulation activities, and doing inquiry. These teaching-learning methods were field-tested and proved appropriate methods for the subject. For selecting and developing evaluation method of Environmental Studies, such principles and characteristics of Environmental Studies as objective domains stated in the Environmental Studies curriculum, diversity of teaching-learning organization, were appreciated. We categorized nine evaluation methods: the teacher may conduct questionnaire surveys, testings, interviews, non-participatory observations; they may evaluate student's experiment-practice performances, reports preparation ability, ability to establish a research project, the teacher may ask the students to conduct a self-evaluation, or reciprocal evaluation. To maximize the effect of these methods, we further developed an application system. It considered three variables, that is, evaluates, evaluation objectives domains, and evaluation agent, and showed how to choose the most appropriate methods and, when necessary, how to combine uses of different methods depending on these variables. A sample evaluation instrument made on the basis of this application system was developed and tested in the classes. The system proved effective. Pilot applications of the teaching-learning methods and evaluation method were made simultaneously; and the results and their implications are as follows. Discussion program was applied in a lesson dealing with the problems of waste disposal, in which students showed active participation and creative thinking. The evaluation method used in this lesson was a multiple-choice written test for knowledge and skills. It was shown that this evaluation method and device are effective in helping students' revision of the lesson and in stimulating their creative interpretations and responces. Pupils showed great interests in the actual investigation program, and this programme was proved to be effective in enhancing students' participation. However, it was also turned out that there must be pre-arranged plans for the objects, contents and procedures of survey if this program is to effective. In this lesson, non-participatory observation methods were used with a focus on the attitudes of students. A scaled reported in general description rather than in grade. Experiment-practice programme was adopted in a lesson for purifying contaminated water and in this lesson, instruction objectives were properly established, the teaching-learning process was clearly specified and students were highly motivated. On the other hand, however, it was difficult to control the class when some groups of students require more times to complete their experiment, and sometimes different results. As regards to evaluation, performance observation test were used for assessing skills and attitudes. If teachers use well-prepared Likert scale, evaluation of all groups within a reasonablely short period of time will be possible. The most effective and successful programme in therms of students' participation and enjoyment, was the 'ah-nah-bah-dah-market' program, which is kind of game of the flea market. For better organized program of this kind, however, are essential, In this program, students appraise their own attitudes and behavior by responding to a written questionnaire. In addition, students were asked to record any anecdotes relating to self-appraisal of changes on one's own attitudes and behaviours. Even after the lesson, students keep recording those changes on letters to herself. Role-playing and simulation game programme was applied to a case of 'NIMBY', in which students should decide where to located a refuse dumping ground. For this kind of programme to e successful, concepts and words used in the script should be appropriate for students' intellectual levels, and students should by adequately introduced into the objective and the procedures of the lessons. Written questionnaire was used to assess individual students' attitudes after the lesson, but in order to acquire information on the changes of students' attitudes and skills, pre-test may have to be made. Doing inquiry programme, in which advantages in which students actually investigated the environmental influence of the areas where school os located, had advantages in developing students' ability to study the environmental problems and to present the results of their studies. For this programme to be more efficient, areas of investigation should be clearly divided and alloted to each group so that repetition or overlap in areas of study and presentation be avoided, and complementary wok between groups bee enhanced. In this programme, teacher assessed students' knowledge and attitudes on the basis of reports prepared by each group. However, there were found some difficults in assessing students' attitudes and behaviours solely on the grounds of written report. Perhaps, using a scaled checklist assessing students' attitudes while their presentation could help to relieve the difficulties.

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The Effects of Cooperative and Individualistic Learning Strategies by the Level of Achievement (학습자의 성취 수준에 따른 협동학습과 개별학습의 효과)

  • Lim, Hee-Jun;Choi, Kyoung-Sook;Noh, Tae-Hee
    • Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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    • v.19 no.1
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    • pp.137-145
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    • 1999
  • This study investigated the influences of the cooperative and the individualistic learning strategies on the academic achievement and the attitudes toward science instruction and science by the level of achievement. These two learning strategies endowed students with the responsibility of learning and emphasized student-centered learning which included higher order thinking activities. Cooperative learning group students studied the tasks through small group discussion, and individualistic learning group students solved the same ones individually. In the traditional group. teacher-centered expository lesson was used. The subjects of this study were 7th graders of coed middle school, and were taught about separation of mixture for 10 class periods. Two-way ANCOVA results revealed that the test scores of academic achievement for cooperative learning group were significantly higher than those of individualistic and traditional learning groups. The attitudes toward science instruction and science were also more positive in cooperative learning group than the others. No interactions between the treatment and the level of previous achievement indicated that the cooperative learning strategy was effective regardless of the level of achievement.

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Teaching Orientations and Classroom Practices of Science Teachers Participating in Workshops for Constructivistic Science Teaching (구성주의적 수업을 위한 워크숍에 참여한 중등 과학 교사의 교수 지향과 수업 실행)

  • Jeong, Deuk-Sil;Lee, Sun-Kyung;Oh, Phil-Seok;Maeng, Seung-Ho;Chung, Ae-Ran;Kim, Chan-Jong
    • Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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    • v.27 no.5
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    • pp.432-446
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    • 2007
  • The purpose of the study is to explore the science teaching orientations of secondary science teachers, and how they influence the planning and execution of reform-based lessons. Professional development workshop for constructivist teaching consisted of three different phases; five lectures, small group discussion, and preparing lesson plans. Four teachers who participated also executed their lesson plans in their own classroom. All workshops were videotape recorded. Classroom observations and interviews were conducted and recorded. Instructional materials were also collected for each science class. All data recorded were transcribed and analyzed. Based on the data collected from multiple sources, we identified each teacher's teaching orientations, and through this lens, we also tried to understand their classroom practices. We expected teacher-participants to implement constructivist science teaching. However, the differences among teachers in the course of actual planning and implementing activities for constructivist science was wider than we expected and even some teachers were unsuccessful. Teaching orientations can act as a filter for teachers when they decide whether to accept and apply new knowledge about teaching and learning to actual lessons or not. Even if a teacher plans a guided-inquiry lesson, her/his didactic teaching orientation could be revealed in actual classroom, and lead her/his class to other direction which is quite different from her/his original intention. Although the teachers participated in the same workshops in our study, they planned and executed differently and their own teaching orientations contribute substantially to their practice. Understanding the role of science teaching orientations could be an important step in addressing issues of diverse difficulties in supporting reform efforts in science.