Memorable Experiences of a Science Field
Trip
Doug Knapp, Indiana University
Potential immediate outcomes
of a science field trip are the retention of knowledge associated with
the program and an improved attitude toward the site visited during the
trip. The length of associated memories regarding this experience are less
clear. In an attempt to begin learning more about memorable experiences
associated with a science field trip, a 1-month and an 18-month evaluation
was conducted of elementary school students who had participated in an
environmental science program at a community park in a midwestern city.
Results of the evaluation found that studentsâ memories were nonspecific
and disassociated from information given by the field teacher. On the other
hand, results from both tests yielded positive responses toward wanting
to learn more about the subject matter and an interest in returning to
the field trip site. This would indicate that, while not retaining specific
objective-oriented content, students did gain a positive reaction to returning
that continued over the long-term. Research related to memorable experiences
is outlined, using a theory of long-term memory developed by Tulving (1972)
as a basic paradigm of correlation for the subsequent investigation.
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A Review of the Integration of Science and
Mathematics: Implications for Further Research
JeongSuk Pang and Ron Good, Louisiana State University
Building on the earlier
analysis by Berlin (1991), this paper reviews various studies on integrating
mathematics and science in the 1990s and provides some implications for
further research. The areas identified for further exploration include
comparison of the nature of mathematics and science, epistemological debates
in mathematics and in science education, the bases used to emphasize science
over mathematics or vice versa, empirical evidence of effectiveness of
integration, connections between teacher education programs for integration
and teachersâ subsequent classroom teaching practices, perceptions of integration
on the part of teacher educators, contextual difficulties in implementing
integrated approaches and possible solutions, and rationales of integrating
mathematics and science through technology. In order to help all students
become scientifically literate, which most reform documents call for, more
focused attention on integration of curriculum and instruction is necessary.
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Effectiveness of Two Generative Learning
Strategies in the Science Classroom
Donn Ritchie and Chris Volkl, San Diego State University
The purpose of this study
was to assess the effectiveness of two generative learning strategies,
concept mapping and laboratory experiments involving object manipulation,
to determine if either one is more effective with individual learners or
learning groups in a science classroom. Eighty sixth-grade science students
were randomly assigned to group or individual conditions and to one of
two experimental treatments. Experimental treatments were changed between
a first and second posttest. Long-term retention was evaluated with a third,
delayed posttest. Students starting with concept maps showed higher achievement
on the delayed posttest than students beginning with the laboratory experiment.
No difference was found between students working as individuals or in groups,
but a significant interaction between generative learning strategy and
grouping condition was revealed. Implications for sequencing generative
learning strategies are discussed.
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Developing Student Understanding: Contextualizing
Calculus Concepts
Eileen M. Schwalbach, Mount Mary College
Debra M. Dosemagen, Pius XI High School
This study looked at the
practice of one high school teacher who provided students with concrete
examples from their physics class to give them a contextually rich environment
in which to explore the abstractions of calculus. Students discovered connections
between the physics concepts of position, velocity, and acceleration and
the calculus concepts of function, derivative, and antiderivative. The
qualitative study sought to describe several critical aspects of understanding:
studentsâ ability to explain concepts and procedures, to apply concepts
in a physics context, and to explore their own learning. It included 32
seniors at a large, urban, comprehensive, religious school in a midwestern
state. Samples of student work and reflections were collected by the teacher,
as well as by students in individual portfolios. The teacher kept a reflective
journal. This study suggests that making connections between calculus and
physics can yield deep understandings of semantic as well as procedural
knowledge.
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