Teaching Strategies for Science
TEACHING STRATEGIES IN SCIENCE TEACHING
THINK, PAIR AND SHARE (T.P.S.)
PURPOSE: Is a simple technique for getting students to think and communicate and to work together quickly.
PROCEDURE: The teacher poses a question for students to think about. The students generate responses and share them with their neighbors. The teacher then collects the students’ ideas.
STEPS:
THINK, PAIR AND SHARE
1. Teacher poses a question.
2. Students think and construct a response.
3. Students share their ideas with a neighbor.
4. Teacher records students’ ideas.
EXAMPLE: Based on our demonstration, think about how the boiling of liquids is different from the freezing of liquids. Discuss your idea with your neighbor and be ready to share.
SURVEYING
PURPOSE: Is a way to assess what students are thinking and to invite them to participate in class.
PROCEDURE: The teacher asks the class a question which requires students to make a choice:
How many are there? Agree? Disagree?
Students can raise their hands; do thumbs up or down, etc., to show their responses.
Both the teacher and the students get a quick sense of the class ideas or feelings about the issue being discussed. The teacher can then use the students’ responses to give direction to the lesson.
STEPS:
SURVEYING
1. Teacher asks question.
2. All students invited to respond.
3. Teacher and students observe student responses.
4. Teacher continues lesson building on student responses.
EXAMPLE: How many people agree with the answer?
How many people disagree?
How many people have ever felt strongly about something that they were willing to protest?
PREDICT, OBSERVE, EXPLAIN
This strategy is effective when teachers choose to demonstrate something to a group. Students can predict what they think will happen, observe the presentation and then explain the outcome. If a teacher demonstrates the properties of mass by boiling water, students can predict what they think will happen to the
THINK, PAIR AND SHARE (T.P.S.)
PURPOSE: Is a simple technique for getting students to think and communicate and to work together quickly.
PROCEDURE: The teacher poses a question for students to think about. The students generate responses and share them with their neighbors. The teacher then collects the students’ ideas.
STEPS:
THINK, PAIR AND SHARE
1. Teacher poses a question.
2. Students think and construct a response.
3. Students share their ideas with a neighbor.
4. Teacher records students’ ideas.
EXAMPLE: Based on our demonstration, think about how the boiling of liquids is different from the freezing of liquids. Discuss your idea with your neighbor and be ready to share.
SURVEYING
PURPOSE: Is a way to assess what students are thinking and to invite them to participate in class.
PROCEDURE: The teacher asks the class a question which requires students to make a choice:
How many are there? Agree? Disagree?
Students can raise their hands; do thumbs up or down, etc., to show their responses.
Both the teacher and the students get a quick sense of the class ideas or feelings about the issue being discussed. The teacher can then use the students’ responses to give direction to the lesson.
STEPS:
SURVEYING
1. Teacher asks question.
2. All students invited to respond.
3. Teacher and students observe student responses.
4. Teacher continues lesson building on student responses.
EXAMPLE: How many people agree with the answer?
How many people disagree?
How many people have ever felt strongly about something that they were willing to protest?
PREDICT, OBSERVE, EXPLAIN
This strategy is effective when teachers choose to demonstrate something to a group. Students can predict what they think will happen, observe the presentation and then explain the outcome. If a teacher demonstrates the properties of mass by boiling water, students can predict what they think will happen to the