What do you notice and wonder about the phenomenon represented by this graph?
If we look at the performance expectations of Next Generation Science Standards, which many districts and several states have adopted as their science standards, the practice of “asking questions” comes up only four times in all of middle and high school. I argue that for personalized, engaged learning, asking questions is the most important scientific practice. If we want students seeing themselves as scientists (which we do), then they need to be the ones asking the questions. Students’ lived experience and community/cultural-connections matter in building their identity as scientists, and asking questions is a critical part of that. Unfortunately, this practice is one I see only rarely in classrooms. I continue to see many teachers doing most of the deep thinking (and students doing the provided worksheets and Kahoot).
This lack of students’ questions not only misses a critical area of science, it’s also an equity issue. I argue that textbooks and prepared materials most often rely on questions built from the perspective of the dominant white culture. Textbooks and most other materials do not reflect local and community-based phenomena, whether urban or rural. They typically represent a limited notion of content and practice loosely tied to national standards.
Given that many teachers rely on packaged materials, having students ask questions becomes more challenging, but it can be done. Here are a couple strategies for adding in this work:
If we look at the performance expectations of Next Generation Science Standards, which many districts and several states have adopted as their science standards, the practice of “asking questions” comes up only four times in all of middle and high school. I argue that for personalized, engaged learning, asking questions is the most important scientific practice. If we want students seeing themselves as scientists (which we do), then they need to be the ones asking the questions. Students’ lived experience and community/cultural-connections matter in building their identity as scientists, and asking questions is a critical part of that. Unfortunately, this practice is one I see only rarely in classrooms. I continue to see many teachers doing most of the deep thinking (and students doing the provided worksheets and Kahoot).
This lack of students’ questions not only misses a critical area of science, it’s also an equity issue. I argue that textbooks and prepared materials most often rely on questions built from the perspective of the dominant white culture. Textbooks and most other materials do not reflect local and community-based phenomena, whether urban or rural. They typically represent a limited notion of content and practice loosely tied to national standards.
Given that many teachers rely on packaged materials, having students ask questions becomes more challenging, but it can be done. Here are a couple strategies for adding in this work:
- Anchor Projects – while day-to-day learning continues, students also work on a self-selected anchor project in the background as time allows. In that space they ask questions and pursue learning based on their own interests, with class-wide sharing and check-ins through the year. This Costa Rica school does that work within a theme at each grade, and this Wisconsin DPI website has further ideas.
- Driving Question Board – When introduced to a phenomenon, students should have the opportunity to share their noticings and wonderings. Those wonderings can be put on paper or virtual sticky notes to form a “driving question board” that the class returns to throughout the unit. In a typical unit, the vast majority of student questions are answered, while others can be turned over to students to explore on their own beyond classwork. It does not sidetrack planned learning but enhances discussion to better address and include student ideas. Page 22 in this OpenSciEd guidebook has some practical implementation ideas.
- Other Resources – the Learning in Places team has useful ideas for K-3 science in community spaces. Google Books has a preview of the NSTA Making Sense of the World through Science and Engineering Practices book, which includes most of chapter 5 on asking questions.
- Crosscutting Concepts – this dimension of the NGSS (and Wisconsin Science Standards) details how scientists think about or approach phenomena. It details the questions they ask. Students as well should be using them as question starters. What pattern do we see? What’s happening in the broader system and what do we focus on in this system? How does the structure of this part of the organism relate to its function? Teachers will have to model these questions first. The San Diego County Office of Ed has some useful further ideas.
- Question Formulation Technique – this process provides a structure for students and a protocol for teachers to work toward asking better questions. It does take more time, especially at first, but will effect real change.
- Eliciting Student Ideas – Ambitious Science Teaching is an incredible resource (and book). Part of figuring out what students already know can and should involve allowing them to ask questions about the topic. It’s a productive formative assessment for both content understanding and the ability to ask scientific questions.
- Finally, teachers themselves should model good questions in discussions, on assignments, and on assessments. They should call out when students ask good questions. STEM Teaching Tools has two nice resources for asking questions based on the science and engineering practices and the crosscutting concepts.
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