Welcome to Science Methods

1. Welcome to Science Methods EDTEP 586 Mark Windschitl, Matt Merritt

2. Technology Aims • Learn to use various computer technologies at a basic level • Understand how to use technology to foster meaningful learning

3. Concept maps • How a teacher might use a c-map to organize a class

4. How a student might use it to demonstrate what they know http://www.inspiration.com/resources/index.cfm?fuseaction=grade_9-12.science

5. How students might use it to begin organizing their thoughts

6. A group of students might build one to integrate different ideas together

7. Human Activity Density Soil Compaction Aeration Nutrient Content Drainage Insect Population/ Diversity A concept-map made by one of last year’s TEP students to start an inquiry project

8. Using a c-map to get us thinking about an essential question: Can a fish drown in perfectly clean water?

9. The goal is to get students to understand some of the relationships between biotic and abiotic factors in an environment • How might we begin to brainstorm?

10. Which aspects of your maps have theoretical “pieces” (not directly observable)? • Entities (things)or processes that are: • too small (atoms, molecular motion), • too large (the universe), • too fast (speed of light), • too slow (evolution, plate tectonics), • too inaccessible (the middle of the earth) to observe directly by the senses or measure directly with instruments. • Theoretical things can also include abstractions (like magnetic fields, gene pools).

11. Debrief • Did you find that the mapping was a product of your ideas, or that it helped you generate ideas?

12. Debrief • Makes thinking explicit • Makes thinking “sharable” • Helps to organize thinking • Helps you “see” relationships • The map is flexible, can be easily revised • Helps non-verbal kids contribute to the thinking of groups

13. For Tomorrow: • http://faculty.washington.edu/mwind/MWHome/EDTEP586_2006-2007.htm • 1. In your groups of 3, select a member to find and read one Web resource on thermal pollution, one member should find and read one Web resource on fish respiration and one member find and read one Web resource on the chemistry of dissolved oxygen in water. These resources need only be “introductory level” – ranging from one to three pages in length. • 2. Develop a testable question based on your representation that will help you understand a little more about processes, entities, involved in goldfish respiration. • 3. Describe what theoretical entities, processes or properties this question will help you learn more about. • 4. Bring to class Thursday a print-out of your group’s model from Wednesday with the question and the description of the processes you will learn more about. • And finally, please remember that in our work with the goldfish, that we must respect these animals as living things. We must avoid unduly stressing these animals. Goldfish have been specially bred for low oxygen environments. Being in low oxygen environments for short periods of time does not damage or stress them excessively, but we will want to be vigilant about moving them too often, leaving them in unusual conditions for more than a few minutes, etc.