Science Strategies To Increase Student Learning And Motivation In Biology And Life Science Grades 7 Through 12

On the first day of school, have you ever thought of your classrooms as newly opened boxes of crayons? I do. Like pencil-sticks of colored wax, the students each have different names, individual characteristics, and various levels of brightness. I set a goal each year to promote not only creativity but to draw out of my students' reasons about why science is so important. As science educators, we not only need to illustrate the importance of knowing facts and terminology; but, also be able to frame those concepts in such a way that students are motivated to want to study and understand biology. When I began teaching, I never thought that I would have the multitude of experiences I have now. I have taught in schools ranging from city to rural, public to private, and large to small; not to mention classes ranging from general science to advanced biology. Through these diverse experiences, I have developed a number of strategies that have enhanced student achievement and science appreciation. In this book, I will share with you these experiences and techniques, showing you how to enhance teaching skills, increase student drive, create mental connections, better manage your class time, use proper technology, practice forms of differentiation, and incorporate the NGSS. In addition, this text allows me to share my most treasured philosophies, experiences, and teaching strategies and how they can be applied to biology/life science classrooms.

The Science Quest introduces the Inquiry/Discovery instructional framework, an innovative method for captivating students? interest in science, for building their skills in scientific thinking, and for dramatically enriching their understanding of scientific content and concepts. For teachers curious how to implement ?inquiry? learning as called for in the National Science Education Standards, this book provides detailed and practical guidance. It shows teachers how to transform ordinary lessons in ways that 1) encourage students to take initiative in posing scientific ?inquiry? questions; and 2) enable students to independently ?discover? answers to their questions by engaging in investigative practices and critically evaluating the findings. Inquiry/Discovery practices can be introduced in stages, starting with simple activities and gradually increasing the levels of challenge. The Science Quest includes everything a teacher needs to bring successful instruction, including: Extensive lesson planning and assessment tools Suggestions on working with students in teams Scores of sample lessons from varied disciplines

Vols. for 1911-13 contain the Proceedings of the Helminothological Society of Washington, ISSN 0018-0120, 1st-15th meeting.

Problem-Based Learning in the Life Science Classroom, K- 12 offers a great new way to ignite your creativity. Authors Tom McConnell, Joyce Parker, and Janet Eberhardt show you how to engage students with scenarios that represent real-world science in all its messy, thought-provoking glory. The scenarios prompt K- 12 learners to immerse themselves in analyzing problems, asking questions, posing hypotheses, finding needed information, and then constructing a proposed solution. In addition to complete lesson plans supporting the Next Generation Science Standards, the book offers extensive examples, instructions, and tips. The lessons cover four categories: life cycles, ecology, genetics, and cellular metabolism. But Problem-Based Learning in the Life Science Classroom, K- 12 doesn' t just explain why, how, and when to implement problem-based learning (PBL). It also provides you with what many think is the trickiest part of the approach: rich, authentic problems. The authors facilitated the National Science Foundation- funded PBL Project for Teachers and used the problems in their own science teaching, so you can be confident that the problems and the approach are teacher tested and approved.

Why are students today not learning biology, appreciating its importance in their lives, or pursuing it as a career? Experts believe dismal learning experiences in biology classes are causing the vast majority of students to miss information that could help them lead healthier lives and make more intelligent decisions as adults. How can we improve the teaching of biology throughout the school curriculum? Fulfilling the Promise offers a vision of what biology education in our schools could beâ€"along with practical, hard-hitting recommendations on how to make that vision a reality. Noting that many of their recommended changes will be controversial, the authors explore in detail the major questions that must be answered to bring biology education to an acceptable standard: how elementary, middle, and high-school biology education arrived at its present state; what impediments stand in the way of improving biology education; how to properly prepare biology teachers and encourage their continuing good performance; and what type of leadership is needed to improve biology education.