Curriculum Development > Elementary School K-5 > BSCS Science Tracks > Details   BSCS Science Tracks More Details Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 2006 Collaborative Learning Collaborative learning is a central feature of BSCS Science Tracks because of its power in promoting student learning and conceptual development. We use the term "collaborative learning" rather than "cooperative learning" because students develop the skills of true collaboration-discussion, debate, constructive critique, building on others' ideas, writing, drawing and otherwise representing thoughts and ideas-as well as the social skills associated in "getting along with others." (We acknowledge that true cooperative learning includes the elements of collaboration listed above, but it is often misrepresented as emphasizing social behavior at the expense of cognitive development.) Continuous Assessment In BSCS Science Tracks assessment looks a lot like instruction. If assessment is continuous, it flows easily back and forth with instruction as students encounter new phenomena or information, reflect on their experiences and demonstrate what they know and can do as a result of those experiences. To help teachers incorporate assessment into daily instruction, Tracks includes the following types of formative and summative assessments: Journals and folders Projects and performance tasks Observations Illustrations and drawings Charts and graphs Interviews with students Self-reflection and self-assessment Essay-type questions "Checking Understanding" exercises at the end of each lesson "Evaluate" lessons at the end of each module The program also includes two blackline masters for assessment-"Notes for Assessing Understanding and Abilities" and an "Assessment Checklist"-to help teachers keep their notes about student learning organized. Many of the assessment strategies provide concrete examples of students' abilities on which teachers can base a grade, a formal assessment or a report to parents about what a student knows and can do. Guided Inquiry Within the science education community, there is debate about whether students should be encouraged to engage in primarily independent inquiry, following their own interests and questions, or whether students should experience "guided inquiry" with their classmates. We take the view that there is merit in both, but have structured BSCS Science Tracks primarily around "guided inquiries" with opportunities for students to pursue their own questions through a section titled, "How Could You Find Out?" The authors relied on the Standards and Benchmarks for the selection of concepts that students should develop. To ensure conceptual development, the program frames its "guided inquiry" within the BSCS 5E Instructional Model, so that students can share their experiences and their thinking about the concepts. When students have common experiences related to a few major concepts, they and the teacher can enrich all students' understanding of those concepts as they discuss and debate the results of those common experiences. Although students can and do develop concepts through independent inquiries, it is much more difficult for the teacher to manage and to evaluate students' learning. We hope that as teachers and students become more comfortable with scientific inquiry in the classroom, they will include independent investigations as a larger part of students' science experiences. Technological Design Within the four modules in the "Science and Technology" strand (see Overview of the Curriculum Framework), we place students in the role of imaginative engineers who invent, test and evaluate solutions to technological problems. Students experience the technological design process by investigating the properties of materials from which objects are made, joining and shaping materials for a specific purpose, using tools and building and testing the strength and stability of structures. In the upper grades, students explore the benefits and risks associated with using technology to solve problems in the real world, such as oil spills, waste disposal and other environmental problems. By completing the lessons in these modules, students develop the abilities of technological design as presented in the National Science Education Standards: identify a simple problem; propose a solution; implement proposed solutions; evaluate a product or design; and communicate a problem, design and solution. Student Guide Tracks includes a comprehensive student guide and resource book for every module in grades 1-5. The student guide is not a "read-about-science" book; rather, it serves as a guide to help students learn to do the following things: Conduct scientific inquiries within a collaborative team and on their own Become more responsible for their own learning Manage hands-on activities themselves Structure collaborative learning tasks Reflect on their learning and assess their own conceptual and skill development Conduct independent inquiries related to questions or topics of personal interest Follow and interpret directions Make decisions about how to complete scientific investigations and technological design projects In addition, the student guides reinforce components of basic literacy, including shared reading and writing, guided reading and writing, continuous assessment, skills instruction, opportunities to respond to reading and writing in a social context and the use of reading and writing strategies across the curriculum. By using their guides, students learn to rely on themselves, their teammates and their classmates, not solely on the teacher, for information, assistance and guidance. The student guide helps the teacher become a facilitator of learning instead of the sole dispenser of knowledge and information. Teacher's How-To Handbook The Teacher's How-To Handbook contains a series of essays that provide for the successful implementation of BSCS Science Tracks. The Teacher's How-To Handbook is an essential component of the Teacher's Edition because it is the only place teachers can find the complete program overview and specific information about such essential topics as how to assess students, how to establish collaborative groups and how to help students construct understanding of scientific concepts. Each teacher needs only one Handbook, whether she or he teaches from one or four of the Teacher's Editions at each grade level. Also, the Teacher's How-To Handbook is the same for teachers at all grade levels, K-5. There is not a separate handbook for grade 1, grade 2 and so on. The Teacher's How-To Handbook contains the following brief, informative articles: "The Complete Program Overview" of the components of BSCS Science Tracks "How To Manage the Classroom for Hands-on Science and Technology" "How To Promote Safety Indoors and Out-of-Doors" "How To Create a Collaborative Classroom" "How To Assess Student Understanding" "How To Use Journals to Promote Understanding" "How To Involve Students in Scientific Inquiry and Technological Design" "How To Help Students Construct Their Understanding of Science Concepts" "How To Promote Scientific Conversation" "How To Foster Independent Investigations" "How To Address Equity Issues" "How To Use the Vignettes of Scientists and Engineers" "Standards, Benchmarks, and BSCS Science Tracks" Correlation with the National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Science Literacy A correlation of the content of Tracks with the National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Science Literacy is located in the Teacher's How-To Handbook and in An Inside Look, available from Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. The publisher prepares correlations of BSCS Science Tracks with many state curriculum frameworks. Contact Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company  for information about a specific correlation to your state's standards and benchmarks. This project originally received funding from the National Science Foundation

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