Current+Trends

=New ideas and strategies are always emerging in the education field. = =Here are a few of newest trends. = = = =__1. Using an inquiry approach to learning __= =Over the last ten years, many studies seem to suggest that the lecture format of instruction is not very effective in getting students to understand science concepts at a conceptual level. Therefore, many schools and/or districts are implementing a more hands-on inquiry approach to learning. [|The Southwest Center for Education] has a nice explanation of the steps included in science inquiry and this graphic from the same site demonstrates this. =  = = =2. __Adopting a National Standards Based approach to teachin____g__: The goal of the National Science Education Standards is to create scientifically literate students. Rather than creating standards for individual states, the drive is to implement the same standards across all states. A scientifically literate student will be able to ask questions and determine answers to the problems of everyday life. An overview of the [|National Science Standards] can be found at this link. = = = =2. __5e lesson planning__: The 5e model of lesson planning is a constructivist approach to teaching that enables students to build their own understanding. A great webquest for more information on this topic is http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/fellows/ullrich/webquest/mkuindex.html = = = =3. __Alternative assessments__: Providing a wide variety of assessments to meet the needs of all students is the ultimate goal of science educators. There are many features to alternative assessments and the following website http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/assessing/alternative.htm provides some great information on the topic. =