Use of Cognitive Apprenticeship Models of Instruction to Support Middle School Students’ Construction and Critique of Written Scientific Explanations and Arguments

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Levin ◽  
Susan De La Paz ◽  
Yewon Lee ◽  
Esther Nadal Escola
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Scientific Practices ◽  
School Students ◽  
Struggling Learners ◽  
Cognitive Apprenticeships ◽  
Writing In Science ◽  
Support Students

Writing in science can be challenging for secondary students, particularly for those with learning disabilities, students who are English learners (EL), and students who struggle with literacy due to other cognitive, language-based, or motivational learning difficulties (i.e., at risk or struggling learners). Moreover, science teachers are generally not equipped to support students’ writing in ways that are authentic to science. Despite being described more than 30 years ago, the field lacks information on cognitive apprenticeships that focus on disciplinary literacy, especially in science. In this paper, we take up these challenges and describe two intervention programs with middle school teachers and their students, focusing on the scientific practices of explanation and argumentation. We describe efforts to support students’ written construction and critique of explanations and arguments, and suggest ways that general and special educators can support students’ engagement in scientific practices through writing.

scholarly journals Implementing an Enriched Language Development Program for Learning Support Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Smail ◽  
Linda Kucan
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
School Students ◽  
Word Generation ◽  
Argumentative Essays ◽  
Support Students

This article describes how middle school students who qualified for learning support performed in an enhanced language development program known as Word Generation (WG). Word Generation is a cross-curricular language development program designed to improve students’ overall literacy skills by focusing on deepening students’ knowledge of academic language. This study was guided by the following question: How does an enhanced language development program influence students’ vocabulary learning and broader literacy skills? Students demonstrated statistically significant positive differences on the pretest/posttest vocabulary knowledge assessment and maintained that learning on a delayed posttest. Engagement with the WG materials positively influenced students’ abilities to interact with complex texts, engage in effective discussions, and construct influential argumentative essays. The findings show promise for incorporating multifaceted vocabulary instruction such as Word Generation into middle school classrooms with students who struggle with reading.

scholarly journals Interest in Dialogic and Non-Dialogic Teacher Talk Situations in Middle School Science Classroom

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 1531-1546
Author(s):  
Kalle Juuti ◽  
Anni Loukomies ◽  
Jari Lavonen
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Science Classroom ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Experience Sampling ◽  
School Science ◽  
Teacher Talk ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
School Students

AbstractPrevious research has shown that dialogic teacher talk not only supports students’ understanding but also raises their interest. However, there is little, if any, research on the connection between dialogic talk and student interest in classroom situations. To investigate this connection, we collected video observations and experience sampling data. In total, 87 middle school students aged 14 to 16 participated in the study. Data were collected from the classes of six science teachers, and three lessons were video recorded in each teacher’s classroom. During the lessons, students were asked several times to express their interest in the situation through the experience sampling method (ESM). The measurements took place in situations where the teacher either talked with the students or talked to the whole group of students. The talk situations were categorised as dialogic or non-dialogic, based on the video recording. On a five-point scale of interest, the median value was 3.3 in non-dialogic talk situations and 3.5 in dialogic talk situations. We hypothesised that students’ interest would be higher in dialogic talk situations than in non-dialogic talk situations. The hypothesis was tested with a related samples Wilcoxon signed rank test, and the results supported the hypothesis (Z  =  −  2.62; p  <  0.05). The results suggest that dialogic talk may trigger students’ interest in science learning.

Exploring different types of assessment items to measure linguistically diverse students’ understanding of energy and matter in chemistry

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kihyun Ryoo ◽  
Emily Toutkoushian ◽  
Kristin Bedell
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Chemical Reactions ◽  
Low Income ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Diverse Students ◽  
Linguistically Diverse Students ◽  
Different Types ◽  
English Dominant

Energy and matter are fundamental, yet challenging concepts in middle school chemistry due to their abstract, unobservable nature. Although it is important for science teachers to elicit a range of students’ ideas to design and revise their instruction, capturing such varied ideas using traditional assessments consisting of multiple-choice items can be difficult. In particular, the linguistic complexity of these items may hinder English learners (ELs) who speak English as a second language from understanding and representing their ideas. This study explores how multi-modal assessments using different types of open-ended items can document ELs’ and English-dominant students’ (EDSs) understanding of energy and matter in chemistry. 38 eighth-grade, linguistically diverse students taught by one teacher at a low-income middle school completed an assessment designed to elicit their ideas about properties of matter and chemical reactions through arguing from evidence, writing explanations, and developing models of chemical phenomena. The results show that the three types of assessment items captured different correct and alternative ideas that ELs and EDSs held. In particular, modeling appears promising as a tool to assess what ELs know about properties of matter and chemical reactions in middle school chemistry, compared to other written items. The findings of this study provide insights into how different types of assessment items can be used to better understand the range of ideas held by linguistically diverse students.

scholarly journals Interference of First Language in Secondary School Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6S3) ◽  
pp. 675-681
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
First Language ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Writing Strategies ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
School Students ◽  
Essay Writing ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Support Students

First language (L1) interference is inevitable in second language (L2) acquisition. The research was carried out to investigate types of students writing approach that relates to first language interference among upper secondary students and the level of first language interference in L2 written essays among lower secondary students in Malaysia. The participants in this research were 50 students currently studying Form Four in a state-funded school, Akademi Menara Gading, Pahang. The data was collected using the Student L1 Interference Tendency Questionnaire [SLITQ], and analysis of students’ essay writing samples. After triangulating the data, the result indicated that most students positive they have under-differentiation in their essay writing, and analysis of the student's written essays showed that there is less evidence of L1 interference. In conclusion, teachers and schools should acknowledge L1 interference in students’ writing skill and promote a variety of writing strategies to support students existing writing skills.

scholarly journals Perception of Social Media in Secondary Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Hatice Gedik ◽  
Hamide Akbas Cosar
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
School Students ◽  
Late 20Th Century ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Communication has always been a basic need for human beings throughout the history. The Internet, which became widespread in the late 20th century, provided new and improved opportunities in communication. Social media, one of these communication opportunities, has become an indispensable means of communication. The aim of the current research is to determine which social media accounts the middle school students use and why they use social media. The sampling of the study is comprised of 211 students attending a state middle school in Turkey. In the current study, the participating students were asked to write an authentic composition with the title “use of social media” and the collected data in this way were analyzed by using the content analysis method. According to the results obtained in the current study, it can be argued that the participating children are aware of the negative effects of the use of social media on their social life, academic achievement and health. However, despite these negative effects, they find it difficult to keep themselves away from social media. According to the participating students, social media is a harmful communication tool that makes it easy to get information and news, is entertaining, addictive and not suitable for children.

A middle school instructional unit for size and scale contextualized in nanotechnology

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cesar Delgado ◽  
Shawn Y. Stevens ◽  
Namsoo Shin ◽  
Joseph Krajcik
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Instructional Unit ◽  
Nanoscale Science And Engineering ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
Nanoscale Science

AbstractSize and scale is a “big idea” in nanoscale science and engineering and is poorly understood by secondary students. This paper describes the design process, implementation, and evaluation of a 12-h instructional unit for size and scale, in a summer science camp for middle school students from a low SES public school district. Instructional activities were designed following a construct-centered design approach and included the use of microscopes, custom-made computer simulations, and 2-D and 3-D scale models. The unit followed a project-based instructional approach and was contextualized with the driving question, “How can nanotechnology keep me from getting sick?” Pre- and post-intervention interviews revealed that students significantly increased their qualitative and quantitative knowledge of the size of objects including atom, viruses, and cells, with an effect size of 0.8 for an overall metric. The campers closed the gap with private middle school students and on some measures surpassed high school students from the same district. The principle of “broad spectrum” curriculum and instruction – activities that target specific advanced understandings but simultaneously scaffold or support the learning of more fundamental, prerequisite ideas – was inductively generated from an analysis of the learning activities.

scholarly journals The Nutrition Education Initiative Resource Guide

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-15
Author(s):  
Penny A. Ralston ◽  
Bonnie Greenwood ◽  
Thomas Cornille ◽  
Linda L. Brown ◽  
Dykibra Gaskin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
School Science ◽  
School Students ◽  
Resource Guide ◽  
Middle School Science Teachers ◽  
Education Initiative

Background and Purpose: With obesity in children and youth continuing to be a major health problem in the U.S., schools are considered an important setting to implement programs to address the issue but few have focused on middle school students. The purposes of this study were to: 1) determine the effectiveness of a school-based nutrition education program, the Nutrition Education Initiative (NEI) Resource Guide, in improving school lunch eating behaviors of middle school students, and 2) identify science teachers’ perceptions of the materials. Implementation: The project was implemented by 16 middle school science teachers and 309 seventh grade students in a medium-sized north Florida community. The NEI Guide included three conceptual areas (Build a Healthy Base, Choose Sensibly and Aim for Fitness), major concepts, objectives, narrative information, and teaching strategies. Evaluation: Using a pre-/post without control group design, the study involved collecting data via food recall surveys with students, and surveys and interviews with teachers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-tests. Results: During lunch time, a higher proportion of students met the recommended dietary servings for dairy, meat, vegetables, fruit, juice and grains from pre-test to post-test. Students also significantly increased dietary intake of meat (p< .01), fruit (p< .01) and fruit/juice combined (p< .05); and significantly decreased intake of fried vegetables (p< .001), with decreased fat intake approaching significance (p< .06). Differences in dietary patterns were noted between the two schools studied. Science teachers perceived the NEI Guide as effective; yet they also identified challenges including lack of adequate training, lack of time to implement the materials, and lack of collaboration with the project team. Conclusion: The project outcomes suggest that middle school science teachers can positively impact school lunch eating behaviors of middle school students in selected schools by incorporating nutrition education in their curricula.

Constructing Meaning and Engaging Learners Through Digital Tools and Practices Within the Middle Level Science Classroom

2019 ◽  
pp. 68-99
Author(s):  
Christine Anne Royce ◽  
Susan German
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Science Classroom ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Middle Level ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
School Students ◽  
Instructional Process ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Constructing Meaning

With the continued growth of digital tools and practices, the manner in which instruction is planned and delivered within a middle-level classroom will need to evolve. Science educators have often been in the forefront of technology inclusion. With the current expectations of three-dimensional learning promoted within the Next Generation Science Standards, teachers have additional opportunities for students to utilize digital tools and practices during their instructional process. Through the utilization of carefully selected digital tools and practices, science teachers can engage learners and better assist them in constructing meaning through three-dimensional learning. The authors focus on the intersection of three areas: how middle school students make sense of content and develop understanding, the utilization of strategies for designing and creating a middle school classroom around digital practices, and the challenges and opportunities that this instructional shift encounters.

scholarly journals Engaging Middle School Students in Authentic Scientific Practices Can Enhance Their Understanding of Ecosystem Response to Hurricane Disturbance

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 658
Author(s):  
Steven McGee ◽  
Amanda Durik ◽  
Jess Zimmerman ◽  
Randi McGee-Tekula ◽  
Jennifer Duck
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Scientific Practices ◽  
Transfer Of Knowledge ◽  
Ecosystem Response ◽  
School Students ◽  
Hurricane Disturbance ◽  
K 12

Ecosystem response to hurricane disturbance is complex and multi-faceted. The likelihood of increased frequency of severe hurricanes creates a need for the general public to understand how ecosystems respond to hurricanes. Yet, opportunities to study disturbances to complex systems are rare in U.S. K–12 schools. Educators and researchers in the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research program used the results of research on ecosystem response to hurricane disturbance in the Luquillo Experimental Forest as a foundation for the development of Journey to El Yunque, a web-based, middle-school curriculum unit. The program engages students in using models as evidence to develop explanations for how particular species respond to hurricane disturbance. Prior research in education has shown that engaging students in a particular role, like that of a scientist, could have detrimental effects on students’ abilities to transfer what is learned from one context to another. In this research, we sought to understand whether having students engage in authentic scientific practices could support transfer of knowledge to the abstract context of a standards-based assessment. Students were randomly assigned to engage in the program in the role of a scientist or in the role of a student learning about an ecosystem. The dependent variables included students’ comprehension of the background readings, their predictions of population changes, and their overall learning of ecology. The results indicate that taking on a scientist role during the learning activities had an indirect effect on general ecology knowledge by increasing the quality of students’ notetaking during background reading. The results also indicate that students struggled to use their knowledge to develop a robust explanation for how species respond to hurricane disturbance. Journey to El Yunque provides a framework for engaging students in authentic investigations of hurricane disturbance. Future research will examine how to improve the quality of students’ final explanations.

Online Learning Tools for Middle School Science

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-40
Author(s):  
Fatima E. Terrazas-Arellanes ◽  
Carolyn Knox ◽  
Lisa A. Strycker ◽  
Emily D. Walden
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
General Education ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
School Students ◽  
Design Based Research

This article reports on how design-based research methodology was used to guide a line of intervention research that developed, implemented, revised, and evaluated online learning science curricula for middle school students, including general education students and English language learners (primarily of Hispanic origin). The iterative, design-based research approach was carried out in two stages with multiple steps per stage: (a) stage 1, or informed exploration, identified and described the problem under investigation; and (b) stage 2, or enactment, redesigned previously developed online science units, implemented each unit in case studies, and completed a feasibility evaluation. The present paper focuses primarily on the second stage, demonstrating the process by which online science units were repeatedly refined with input from stakeholders, and then examined for their feasibility to implement, usefulness for helping teachers engage with students, and potential to effectively deepen science knowledge. Data were drawn from multiple sources, including teacher logs, student and teacher surveys, student notebooks, content assessments, and focus groups. Results indicate that the online science units were feasible to implement, usable, and helpful. The data-driven, design-based research methodology proved to be both practical and efficacious, and underscored the critical importance of involving all stakeholders in the process of curriculum creation and refinement. This work offers a model for the development of constructivist science instructional materials for English learners using online, multimedia technology.

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