What does an effective science classroom look like?

            My previous blogs have looked at what an effective science classroom looks like. My last blog looked at a phenomenon called “activity mania”. This phenomenon describes teachers that focus on the activities and forget the content. When the content is missing, the activity will lose its value.

            In this blog, I wanted to focus on creating the lesson. What does a quality lesson look like? What should it include? When researching these questions, I came across a site that contained The Learning Cycle model. We had talked about this model in class and how lessons should look when using this model. The model in this site provided a great visual and detailed explanation. The Learning Cycle encourages teachers to begin lessons with exploration. During this phase, students explore and work collaboratively to develop questions and record observations. The second phase of the cycle is called Concept Development. During this phase, students will use their questions and observations to develop a further understanding of their ideas. The teacher will also become more of a facilitator during the phase. The final phase is called Concept Application. During this phase, students will be asked to apply their ideas and concepts. You many also want to incorporate assessment into this phase. The Learning Cycle promotes an inquire-based learning environment. It also encourages students to develop their own understanding of learning.

            The Learning Cycle gives teachers a guide to creating lessons. Creating effective classroom lessons aren’t an easy task, but resources like this one can help make it a little easier. Teachers still need to remember the purpose of the lesson and incorporate hands-on activities. Lessons also need to contain an assessment that will accurately evaluate your students’ learning. I would really like to take a deeper look at what assessment looks like and when it’s appropriate.