PBI in Science

Teacher Talk

Roger Rabold

December 7, 2011

 

The following is based on teaching of advanced biology to high school juniors and seniors, although I believe that the concepts behind this approach should be the norm in science classes at all grade levels.

 

Science is a PROCESS used TO SOLVE PROBLEMS related to the physical, chemical and biological world.

 

Generally speaking, most science teachers have never taught ÒscienceÓ.  We (myself included) have taught physics, chemistry, and biologyÉ.. but not ÒscienceÓ.  This Òreal scienceÓ has traditionally been ÒhiddenÓ in the standards, and has hopped between being incorporated into the content standards and being pulled out and labeled  Òscientific inquiryÓ or Òscientific ways of knowingÓÉ. But it is (and has always been) there, and we are just now realizing its importance.  Not only is it in the standards, but it also resonates in the college readiness standards and in the 21st century skills.

 

In the past we have dedicated a day or two at the beginning of the year to the teaching of the Òscientific methodÓ before moving on to the Òreal contentÓ.   We can no longer do thisÉ. it is the foundation of our fieldÉÉ soÉ..

 

What do we do now?

 

HereÕs what I have done.  Using information gained through multiple professional development opportunities including I.B. trainings, PBL training, and PBI training, I have transformed my methods of teaching.  Although I had been doing several PBI lessons already, I felt a need to make this scientific process the focus of my teaching.  Instead of teaching content, and picking labs to reinforce the content, I now pick the problems (labs) and tie the content to the labs.  The focus is on ÒdoingÓ science.  The content is learned on a Òneed to know basisÓ.  The students need the content to solve the problemsÉ.a great motivatorÉ. especially when they sometimes come up with the problems!!!  Then, they use the tools of science to attack the problems and draw conclusions.

 

How do I do that?

 

I spent much of the first quarter teaching the tools of science through modeling the problem based learning approach through increasingly challenging problems.  Slowly I loosened the reigns. It is a bit like coaching really. You teach them all of the skills, strategies, and game plan; but you can't play the game for them! You simply try to motivate them to do thier best, learn from their mistakes and eventually master the competition.

 

What Òtools of scienceÓ am I talking about?

 

á     Research Based Lab Protocol and rubric

á     How to use Excel

á     How to make a professional chart

á     How to make a professional graph

á     Choosing the right type of graph

á     How to develop a problem statement

á     How to develop testable hypotheses (alternative and null)

á     How to do APA citations

á     How to run statistical tests of data

á     Choosing the right statistical test for your experiment

á     How to identify independent, dependent and controlled variables

 

What are some examples of these ÒproblemsÓ ?  Here are problems my students have faced this year.

 

 

Sample of student work.

 

What might this look like in elementary or middle school?

 

How do I get everything ÒcoveredÓ? 

 

Can this be done in a 43 minute period?

 

Can this be done with the Ògeneral populationÓ of students?

 

 

Do they work in groups or alone?

 

 

 

Other questions?