To Play or Not to Play: The Effectiveness of Play in Science Education

1. To Play or Not to Play:The Effectiveness of Play in Science Education LaKeisha Y. Stockton @02289547 EDUC 379 December 11, 2007

2. Overview • Introduction • Statement of the Problem • Review of Related Literature • Statement of the Hypothesis • Methodology • Participants • Instruments • Design • Procedure • References

3. Introduction • Pre-school classrooms are filled with play, inquiry based, instruction • In primary grades instruction switches to a more formal approach which is more teacher-centered • Teacher is a content expert who conveys the material • Students are passive information receivers

4. Introduction • Piaget emphasizes the importance of experience and creating one’s own knowledge • Vygotsky emphasizes the importance of social interactions • National Science Education Standards emphasize the development of inquiry based science- programs • This concept has not been completely embraced this important concept

5. Statement of the Problem • What is the effectiveness of play as a means of instruction, as opposed to traditional style of instruction in a primary classroom. • Finding will be used to develop more effective lessons to teach science to young children

6. Review of the Literature • Hedges (2004) A Whale of an Interest in Sea Creatures: The Learning Potential of Excursions. • When excursions are an extension of the classroom learning increased for a pre-school classroom in New Zealand • Students were intrinsically motivated to learn and create their own knowledge through exploration and discovery

7. Review of Literature • Randler & Bogner (2002) Comparing Methods of Instruction Using Bird Identification Skills as Indicators • Study compared instructional methods for middle school students in Germany • Group A- hands-on instruction • Group B- direct instruction • Found that there were minimum differences between the two methods of instruction

8. Review of Literature • Secker (2002) Effects of Inquiry-Based Teacher Practices of Science Excellence and Equity • Study used 10th grade students in United States • Found that when there is a greater emphassis on student-centered instruction students achievement in science is higher overall

9. Review of Literature • Walsh, Sproule, McGuinness, Trew, Rafferty, & Sheehy (2006) An Appropriate Curriculum for 4-5-Year-Old Children in Northern Ireland. • Findings suggest that Enriched Curriculum classrooms which are student-centered offer a higher-quality learning experience

10. Hypothesis • More learning will occur when primary children participate in a lesson the incorporates play as opposed to only the traditional style of instruction.

11. Operationalization of Terms • Instruction • The method that teachers uses to meet the goals and objectives set for each lesson

12. Operationalization of Terms • Play • Is a method of instruction that is student-centered • Includes hands-on experiences, experiments, exploration, and creations that are facilitated by the teacher • Allows for freedom for students to explore concepts individually

13. Operationalization of Terms • Traditional style of instruction • Teacher-centered instruction • Lectures, repetition, and drills

14. Methodology: Participants • 2nd grade students • District of Columbia Public Schools • Majority African-American • Many participate in a free or reduced lunch program

15. Methodology: Instrument • Measures student achievement • Teacher created classroom assessment • 10 multiple choice items and 5 matching items

16. Methodology: Design

17. Methodology:Procedures • All students in the class will participate • All students will be pretested and divided into 2 groups • Group A will be taught a lesson using direct instuction • Group B will be taught the same material through play based inquiry

18. Methodology: Procedures • The next day, students will take the pre/post test to see what they learned • The student will take the pre/post test two weeks later to see what information was actually retained in long term memory

19. Data Analysis • The change scores will be used to make the analysis. • The t-test for independent samples will be used to analyze the change scores.

20. References • Colburn, A. (n.d.). What teacher educators need to know about inquiry-based instruction? Retrieved November 29, 2007 from http://www.csulb.edu/~acolburn/AETS.htm • Characteristics of learning-centered teaching and traditional teacher-centered instruction. (n.d.) . Retrieved October 30, 2007 from http://www.usp.edu/lct/Table1%20Characteristics%20of%20learnings.pdf. • Colt, S (n.d.) School-by-school reform: Do scripted lessons work- or not? Making schools work with Hendrick Smith Retrieved October 20, 2007 from http://www.pbs.org/makingschoolswork/sbs/sfa/lessons.html. • Hedges, H. (2004). A whale of an interest in sea creatures: The learning potential of excursions. Early childhood Research and Practice. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v6n1/hedges.html. • Instructional methods: What are instructional methods? (n.d.). Planning for Instruction Retrieved November 29, 2007 from http://edtech.tennessee.edu/~bobannon/in_strategies.html.

21. References • Kieff, J.E. & Casbergue (2000). Playful learning and teaching: Integrating play into preschool and primary programs. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. • Klein, E.R., Hammrich, P.L., Bloom, S., & Ragins, A. (2000). Language development and science inquiry: The head start on science and communication program. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 2(2). Retrieved from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu.v2n2/klein.html. • Randler, C., & Bogner, F. (2002). Comparing methods of instruction using bird identification skills as indicators. Journal of Biological Education, 36(4). Retrieved September 24, 2007, from Academic Search Premier Database. • Secker, C.V. (2002). Effects of inquiry-based teacher practices on science excellence and equity. Journal Educational Research 95(3). • The theories into practice (2007) Retrieved October 14, 2007 from http://tip.psychology.org/

22. References • Teacher vs. learner-centered instruction. (2006) Retrieved November 1, 2007 from http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/goalsmethods/learncentpop.html • Walsh, G., Sproule, L., McGuinness, C., Trew, K., Rafferty, H., & Sheehy, N. (2006) An appropriate curriculum for 4-5-year-old children in Northern Ireland: Comparing play-based and formal approaches. Early Years: journal of International Research and Development, (26)2. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from Academic Search Premier Database. • Wortham, S.C. (2002). Early childhood curriculum: Development bases for learning and teaching. New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.