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Purposeful Engagement in Science Learning

The Project-based Approach

by Kabba E. Colley (Author)
©2016 Textbook XVI, 202 Pages

Summary

Purposeful Engagement in Science Learning provides a blueprint of how teachers and their students can engage in science learning that mirrors the way science is practiced. It is written for K–16 science educators as well as those in the informal science education sector. The framework for this book is based on the project cycle, which is consistent with the process of scientific inquiry. Chapter One reviews the historical, philosophical and psychological foundations of project-based scientific inquiry (PBSI) and the evolution of this approach in the U.S. Chapter Two examines and synthesizes the research on PBSI. Chapter Three explores how to plan PBSI and offers practical strategies for veteran and novice science educators alike. Chapter Four presents different strategies for implementing PBSI with particular emphasis on factors to consider, including the roles and responsibilities of teachers and students. Chapter Five provides selected case histories of successful PBSI. Chapter Six deals with the different methods of evaluating and assessing students’ learning in PBSI environments and provides examples of performance-based assessments suitable for evaluating students’ learning. Chapter Seven examines the relationship between PBSI, after-school programs and community involvement. Finally, Chapter Eight identifies and describes relevant resources that could be used to support and enhance PBSI. This book is organized in a way that allows science educators to address the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), while at the same time, helping students learn science in ways that are relevant to their lives.

Table Of Contents

  • Cover
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • About the author(s)/editor(s)
  • About the book
  • This eBook can be cited
  • Contents
  • Acknowledgments
  • Preface
  • Chapter 1. Introduction to Project-based Science Instruction
  • Chapter Overview
  • Historical Foundations of the Project-based Approach
  • Philosophical Foundations of the Project-based Approach
  • Psychological Foundations of the Project-based Approach
  • Project-based Science Instruction in the United States
  • What Is Project-based Science Instruction?
  • Categories of Projects
  • Science Learning Standards and Project-based Science Instruction
  • Chapter Summary
  • Food for Thought
  • Chapter 2. What Does Research Say About Project-based Science Instruction?
  • Chapter Overview
  • Conducting the Review
  • What Does the Research Says about PBSI?
  • PBSI Curriculum Materials
  • Engagement of Teachers in PBSI Professional Development
  • Engagement of Students in PBSI
  • Impact on Student Learning
  • Applications of PBSI Within and Across Science Disciplines
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Earth Science/Environmental Science
  • Engineering
  • Chapter Summary
  • Food for Thought
  • Chapter 3. How to Plan for Project-based Science Instruction
  • Chapter Overview
  • Underlying Principles and Concepts of PBSI
  • A Day in the Life of a Project
  • Orientation to PBSI
  • Expectations and Requirements of PBSI
  • Roles and Responsibilities
  • How to Identify and Define a Project
  • Aligning Students’ Project Questions to Science Learning Standards
  • Developing a Project Plan
  • Chapter Summary
  • Food for Thought
  • Chapter 4. Implementing Project-based Science Instruction
  • Chapter Overview
  • What Factors Should We Consider Before Implementing PBSI?
  • Type of Principal
  • Teacher Knowledge, Skill, and Disposition
  • Type of Curriculum
  • Availability of Funding
  • Parental Involvement
  • Level of Technology Adaptation
  • Physical Environment
  • Time
  • Strategies for Implementing Project-based Science Instruction
  • Teacher-centered
  • Student-centered
  • Teacher-Student Partnership
  • One Teacher-One Classroom
  • Multiple Teachers-Multiple Classrooms
  • Teacher-Student-Scientist Partnership
  • Extracurricular Activity (PBSI Clubs/Societies and Afterschool Programs)
  • Internships
  • Using Microcomputer-based Laboratories Tools
  • Collecting, Analyzing, and Interpreting Project-based Data
  • Preparing and Presenting Project Reports
  • Chapter Summary
  • Food for Thought
  • Chapter 5. Case Histories of Project-based Science Instruction
  • Chapter Overview
  • Case 1. Project-based Biology: The Herpetology Project
  • Background and Context
  • Teacher’s Role
  • Students’ Role
  • Strategies for Implementation
  • Project Activities
  • Challenges and Lesson Learned
  • Case 2. Project-based Chemistry: Investigating Carbon Dioxide and Indoor Air Quality
  • Background and Context
  • Carbon Dioxide and Indoor Air Quality Project
  • Teacher’s Role
  • Students’ Role
  • Strategies for Implementation
  • Project Activities
  • Challenges and Lesson Learned
  • Case 3. Project-based Earth/Environmental Science: Park Ecology
  • Background and Context
  • Teacher’s Role
  • Students’ Role
  • Strategies for Implementation
  • Project Activities
  • Challenges and Lesson Learned
  • Case 4. Project-based Physics: High-Altitude Ballooning
  • Background and Context
  • Teacher’s Role
  • Students’ Role
  • Strategies for Implementation
  • Project Activities
  • Challenges and Lesson Learned
  • Chapter Summary
  • Food for Thought
  • Chapter 6. Evaluating Project-based Science Instruction
  • Chapter Overview
  • Methods Currently Used to Assess Students in Project-based Science Learning Environments
  • Assessment by Presentation and Product
  • Oral Presentation
  • Strengths of Oral Presentation
  • Weaknesses of Oral Presentation
  • Essay
  • Strengths of Essay Assessment
  • Weaknesses of Essay Assessment
  • Project Reports
  • Drawings
  • Strengths and Weaknesses of Assessment Using Project Report and Drawings
  • Portfolios
  • Strengths of Portfolio Assessment
  • Weaknesses of Portfolio Assessment
  • Assessment by Performance and Observation
  • Strengths of Assessment by Performance
  • Weaknesses of Assessment by Performance
  • Chapter Summary
  • Food for Thought
  • Chapter 7. Project-based Science Instruction, Afterschool Science Programs, and Community Engagement
  • Chapter Overview
  • Purpose of Afterschool Programs
  • Characteristics of Afterschool Programs
  • Relationships Between PBSI and Afterschool Science Programs
  • Community Engagement in Afterschool PBSI
  • Potential Benefits and Challenges of Afterschool PBSI Programs
  • Chapter Summary
  • Food for Thought
  • Chapter 8. Resources for Project-based Science Instruction
  • Chapter Overview
  • Using Library Resources
  • Using Internet or Online Resources
  • Museums and Science Education Centers
  • Computer Hardware and Software
  • Scientific Tools and Technology
  • Curriculum and Instructional Materials
  • Scientific Electronic Databases
  • Government Agencies
  • Professional Science and Science Education Associations
  • Scientific Research Centers and Organizations
  • Chapter Summary
  • Food for Thought
  • References
  • Index

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book was inspired by my students, who just wanted to know how to conduct PBSI without having to take specialized courses or engage in endless professional development activities. To these students, I owe a debt of gratitude for their tough questions and insistence that I provide an example by not only talking the talk but also walking the walk. This book would not have been possible without Dr. Binta M. Colley, my wife and partner in crime, who was never bored listening to my “Colley Theories,” who was never too tired to read my drafts at all times of the night and day, and who unceasingly edited my drafts and provided constructive feedback throughout. Thank you my Dear for all your loving support and encouragement. Although it would be impossble to name them all here, I wish to thank those who came before me, on whose shoulders I stand. Finally, special thanks to Dr. Robert F. Tinker, former Chief Scientific Officer at TERC Inc., and President Emeritus of Concord Consortium for his support and mentoring during the embryonic stage of my PBSI journey, and all my former colleagues at TERC, Inc., where the seeds for my interest in PBSI were sown.

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PREFACE

The history of projects is as old as the history of human society. Wherever humans have lived, projects have existed. Humans are constantly engaged in activities such as building homes and shelters, constructing roads, and inventing transportation systems. In addition, humans are constantly engaged in farming and food production, and exploitation of the earth’s natural resources. All of these activities are purposeful acts, which is what projects are. Projects are defined as “purposeful acts that are conducted within a social context.”

Over the last century, the teaching and learning of science from K–16 has been implemented mostly through the use of the lab and lecture method. Although this approach has served the science education community well, it could be argued that this approach has outlived its usefulness. In order to get students excited about science, increase their participation in science and engineering careers, and promote scientific literacy among ordinary citizens, a new approach is required. When we look at the scientific enterprise and how science is conducted in the real world, we find that science, or the practice of science, is dominated by purposeful activities or projects. Science, as is practiced in the real world, is characterized by complex social activities ← xiii | xiv → and relationships that involve scientists engaged in a cycle of knowledge theorizing, construction, testing, validation, and sharing.

To encourage students to learn science and to promote scientific literacy, the way science is conducted in K–16 must change to reflect the way science is conducted in the real world. This is no small task and will require a change in not only policy and practice, but also a change in our current mind-set about teaching and learning of science.

This book, Purposeful Engagement in Science Learning: The Project-based Approach, provides a blueprint on how teachers and their students can engage in purposeful science learning that mirrors the way science is practiced. This book is written for K–16 science educators as well as those in the informal science education sector. The framework for this book is based on the project cycle, which makes this book flexible and easily adaptable to a wide variety of science learning environments.

The book is divided into eight chapters. Chapter 1 provides background and context to project-based science instruction (PBSI) by reviewing the historical, philosophical, and psychological foundations of PBSI. This chapter also traces the evolution of PBSI in the American science education scene. Chapter 2 attempts to answer the question: What does the research say about PBSI? Chapter 3 looks at how to plan PBSI and offers practical strategies for teachers and students who are veterans and novices to this approach. There are different strategies to implementing PBSI. Chapter 4 takes the reader through these strategies with particular emphasis on factors to consider and roles and responsibilities of teachers and students. Chapter 5 provides selected case histories that have been successfully implemented and are considered examples of what is possible in PBSI. Chapter 6 deals with the different methods of evaluating and assessing students’ learning in PBSI. This chapter also offers concrete examples of assessment instruments that could be used to evaluate students’ learning in PBSI environments. Chapter 7 examines the relationship between PBSI, afterschool programs, and community involvement. Finally, Chapter 8 identifies and describes relevant resources currently available that could be used to support and enhance PBSI.

This book follows the path of half a dozen or so books that have been specifically written on PBSI in the last two decades. The author owes a debt of gratitude to those pioneers who took on a subject that is not well understood and tried to make it accessible to all those who want to implement PBSI. The contribution of this book to the field of science pedagogy is its specific focus on the project cycle and its attempt to reach diverse audiences both in ← xiv | xv → the formal and informal science sector. In addition, this book is organized in a way that allows science educators to address the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), while at the same time helping students learn science in ways that are relevant to their lives.

Kabba E. Colley

| 1 →

·1·

INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT-BASED SCIENCE INSTRUCTION

Chapter Overview

Project-based science instruction (PBSI) did not originate in a vacuum. Rather, it grew out of a particular historical and philosophical context. To situate this pedagogical approach in context, we will begin this chapter by examining its historical, philosophical, and psychological foundations. The chapter will then trace the history of PBSI in the United States. Various authors, researchers, and science educators have defined project-based science instruction. However, these definitions vary by context and discipline. This chapter will also examine the various definitions of PBSI with a view to providing a comprehensive working definition. The relationship between science-learning standards, nature of science, and PBSI is not well understood and warrants further discussion. This chapter will end by reflecting on this relationship with a particular emphasis on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and PBSI. ← 1 | 2 →

Historical Foundations of the Project-based Approach

We note, first of all that a very large proportion of the fruitful experiences of life are the purposeful type. We make permanent changes in our behavior while we are in the pursuit of ends. Consequently we must provide a large number of opportunities for the most educative kinds of purposeful activities in school. Attempting to do this affects in turn our notions of what children should be learning, of the kind of teacher we want, the kind of course of study he [she] ought to have in hand, how this should be made, the choice and use of textbooks, specifications for buildings and equipment, methods of supervision, testing, and promotion, as well as our relations with the parents—to say nothing of the janitor. Aims, subject matter, activities of pupils and teachers, standards of achievement, measures of results—all of these are passed in review, and all are evaluated afresh in the light of this far-reaching conception of life and learning.

—Hosic & Chase (1924, p. 6)

Historically, all societies, regardless of time and place, have used projects in one form or another to educate their young and continue to do so up to the present moment. In predominantly agrarian societies, the majority of the people worked on the land. They conducted activities such as preparation of land, cultivation of crops, rearing of livestock, fishing, and hunting. Much of that changed with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. In modern industrial societies, most of the population is employed in the processing of raw materials, manufacturing of goods, and provision of services. These activities that people engage in, whether in agrarian, modern industrial, or societies in transition (those societies that are not purely agrarian or industrial), are project-based because they are purposeful activities punctuated by clear starting and finishing points and conducted within specific social contexts (Kilpatrick, 1918).

Details

Pages
XVI, 202
Year
2016
ISBN (ePUB)
9781433135651
ISBN (PDF)
9781453918470
ISBN (MOBI)
9781433135668
ISBN (Hardcover)
9781433130915
ISBN (Softcover)
9781433130908
DOI
10.3726/978-1-4539-1847-0
Language
English
Publication date
2016 (August)
Keywords
student collaboration student ownership of learning teachers as facilitators implementation strategies science research microcomupter-based laboratory performance-based assessment project evaluation project implementation project planning Next Generation Science Standards project cycle project-based science project-based science learning project-based science instruction
Published
New York, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt am Main, Oxford, Wien, 2016. XVI, 202 pp.

Biographical notes

Kabba E. Colley (Author)

Kabba E. Colley (Ed.D., Harvard University), is Associate Professor and Chair of Secondary and Middle School Education at William Paterson University. He has also served as Academic Vice President and Dean at Goddard College. His research focuses on project-based science learning, gender issues in science and international education.

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