Rise and Thrive with Science Teaching PK-5 Science and Engineering (2023) / Chapter Skim
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2 Bringing Out the Brilliance of All Children
2 Bringing Out the Brilliance of All Children
Pages 29-52
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From page 29... ...
This intense curiosity and enthusiasm for learning are part of what the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's 2022 Science and Engineering in Preschool Through Elementary Grades: The Brilliance of Children and the Strengths of Educators report calls the "brilliance of children."2 Research has opened up a new perspective on what young children can do and how and where they learn science and engineering. Central to this perspective are four main ideas, discussed in this chapter: • Even very young children have competencies that facilitate learning in sci ence and engineering.
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From page 30... ...
By emphasizing children's competencies and social contexts, these ideas shake up some traditional assumptions about how children learn science and engineering. These ideas are also foundational to many of the instructional strategies described in this guide.
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From page 31... ...
This example from a real preschool environment shows the competency of children:3 Susan Emmanuel, a preschool teacher, has set out wooden blocks, ramps, and balls for her young learners to play with. Her real purpose is to encourage the children to engage in engineering design.
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From page 32... ...
, 24–29. The excerpt uses different teacher and student pseudonyms than the original article.
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From page 33... ...
You can draw on children's emotional dimensions to support learning and understand that for some children, particularly those from marginalized communities, there are emotional risks in engaging in certain activities. For example, an engineering design task that requires students to "work through failure" can be risky for children who have received negative feedback or punishment for making mistakes.
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From page 34... ...
Children learn about science and engineering in many different contexts before they enter school, and they continue to learn in multiple contexts outside of school. Anywhere can be a place for learning, anyone can facilitate learning, and any experi ence can be a learning occasion.
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From page 35... ...
In both the school and family storylines, students notice and wonder about things they see on outdoor "wondering walks." After conducting their initial wondering, children identify "what should we do" questions about science issues that matter in their communities. These "should we" questions engage children in researching and deliberating about issues with ethical implications for the environment and society, such as Should we remove invasive species from our parks?
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From page 36... ...
Field-based learning 8 Mona Hopper, a White teacher in a Spanish · Nang's family wonders why some plots in the immersion classroom, leads her kindergarteners community garden were covered with a blanket and their families on a series of science "wonder- of leaves. ing walks" near their school in the Fall.
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From page 37... ...
Families that don't have the capacity for this · Is there another good use for leaves if they are level of activity or don't have a yard to rake can taken away? still support their children's learning by taking sea In the weeks that follow, children and fami- sonal walks around their neighborhood or a local lies gather evidence by doing book and internet park, noticing relationships between creatures and research and conducting additional investigations.
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From page 38... ...
It also provides meaningful opportunities for children to apply scientific practices and take on meaningful science topics. Even young children, like the kindergartners in Ms.
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From page 39... ...
Can you frame the central investigative question of your unit in a way that enables families to conceptualize it and generate ideas to support learning? Encouraging students to explore aspects of the unit in the context of their lives outside of school deepens their learning, boosts excitement, and allows students to test out their ideas before bringing them into class.9 How awareness of multiple contexts can help with instruction Different contexts offer different mixtures of situations, people, and resources to support learning.
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From page 40... ...
• You can take advantage of other learning environments to expand on what children learn in school. This might be done through a partnership with an infor mal learning environment, a field trip, an invitation for an expert to come to your class, or more casual means, such as making children and parents aware of a community site, like an urban garden.
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From page 41... ...
The following example describes how Native American families participating in a science education program in an urban forest preserve use Indigenous ways of knowing to help children learn about the natural world and their place in it. Example 11 "Reading" the Tracks of a Deer Walking, reading, and storying land is a methodology that has long been embedded in Indigenous ways of building knowledge of the natural world.
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From page 42... ...
On one of several family forest walks, Winnie and Jonas col laboratively read the land and developed "micro-stories" to explain what they were observ ing. Several minutes into the walk, Jonas encountered what he suspected was a deer trail.
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From page 43... ...
When students discuss and work together in small or large groups, they become aware of different ideas, learn from each other, and jointly construct knowledge. The creation of a positive, caring learning environment is one step toward acknowledging the social dimensions of learning and encouraging collaborative and supportive relationships among students.
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From page 44... ...
It also invites a vibrant mix of ideas that energizes discussion, challenges ways of thinking, and encourages the growth of knowledge for everyone in the class. In your science and engineering instruction, you can leverage social and cultural resources by learning more about the cultures and family knowledge of your students and involving families in demonstrating and shar ing their knowledge and practices.
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From page 45... ...
But if the teacher commends the child for their explorations and observations and channels his enthusiasm into a meaningful discussion, then the child may see themselves as a budding scientist.12 How can a commitment to equity and justice bring out the brilliance of all children? While instruction anchored in investigation and design holds promise for bringing out the brilliance of all children, it doesn't automatically advance equity.
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From page 46... ...
Ensure access to high-quality science and engineering instruction, facilitated by well-prepared teachers, through instructional practices, classroom norms, instructional materials, and supplemental experiences. Example: You see science "achievement gaps" as "opportunity gaps." You draw on children's cultural and language resources to give them broader ways to access science learning.
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From page 47... ...
Example: You have children investigate how communities of color experience dis parate effects of environmental pollution. You encourage children to talk to family members about local community development decisions and how they affect the full range of people, animals, and plants in the community.
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From page 48... ...
They debated the question, Is water a human right? Students started to reason that if clean water sustains life, people who cannot afford water fees should not have to pay for water.
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From page 49... ...
The Water Is Life example shows how a serious community issue can be a springboard for students to investigate a problem, learn about the relevant core science ideas, and use their growing understanding to take actions related to human justice. Children had already expressed concern about local water shut-offs and water contamination in another community, and the teacher used their interest to motivate them to learn about the science of water and social studies issues of local decision making and citizens' ways to influence policy.
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From page 50... ...
A study of elementary school students16 asked three Black boys and three girls -- two Black, one White -- who were working in teams on an engineering design challenge to rate themselves in engineering on a scale of 1–10. The self-assessments of the Black students reflected how well they felt they maintained "appropriate behavior" during engineering class.
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From page 51... ...
How might students demonstrate scientific behaviors in divergent or non traditional ways, and how can I recognize and nurture these actions? • What assets do I recognize in my students, in any academic and/or social context?
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From page 52... ...
52 Rise and Thrive with Science
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