Preprimary student teachers’ view about the skill of observation

1. Preprimary student teachers’ view about the skill of observation Suomela, L., Ahtee, M., Juuti, K., Lampiselkä, J. & Lavonen, J. University of Helsinki Presentation at EECERA conference, 29.8. – 1.9. 2007, Prague

2. Backgroud • Science process skills became into the focus by the introduction of the SAPA (Science – A Process Approach) program. • Skills, like observing, classifying and inferring, are related to cognitive processes. • Skills have central role in concept development. • However, there appears to be little knowledge how to support the development of these skills. Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

3. Aims of the research • Our aim is to understand what our students think about teaching science process skills, in the first phase “to observe” is in focus • We want also to improve the student teachers’ knowledge and skills in teaching science process skills in preprimary and primary school Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

4. A sample of fieldwork at school • Task: Children (8 -9 years old, working in small groups) were given a task ” make observations of the marks of winter and write on a white paper what you find” • Teacher: student (the basic courses of biology, geography, etc. must be done before practising teaching) • Place: Helsinki, southern Finland, a park near the school • Time: January, some years ago Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

5. There´s always snow in Finland in the winter? (Middle Finland, Alavus, in the end of December 2006) Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

6. and ice… (Middle Finland, Alavus, in the end of December 2006) Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

7. or is there ? (Helsinki, Baltic sea in the end of December 2006) Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

8. Christmas, Helsinki 2005, city centre, high noon Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

9. What did the children found out? • ”there´s snow” • real world: it was a time of winter in Helsinki when snow had smelted away and the groud was black, grey, hard and moistly, but there was not snow anywhere • so, the children didn´t make any observations! Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

10. THE OBSERVATIONS CAN BE THE BASIS OF KNOWLEDGE • individual observations are crucial • one needs to identify details and similarities • drawing conclusions and classifying is essential (according to Taba 1966, 1967) Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

11. Learning to observe • ”gains a place in an interconnected complex of inquiry processes” • ”is more than just seeing and looking” • ” is a starting point of scientific processes” (Howes, E. 2007: Educative experiences and early childhood science education: A Deweyan perpective on learning to observe. Teaching and Teacher Education.) Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

12. About observation • The Observer • senses • curiosity • motivation • ability to concentrate • knowledge • The Object • details • entirety • change • TheEnvironment • physical • social • tools and materials • classroom display • The use • classify • make concepts • connect • infer, etc. Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

13. Observation gather information pre-existing knowledge understand orders is influenced by experiences allow us to identify patterns dialogue check ideas Observation detailed theory- independent relevant cannot be should be “learned and transferred” guided Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

14. Data Collection • This research – a questionary - was conducted in autumn 2006 in the department of Applied sciences of education, University of Helsinki • Preprimary teacher students (N = 71, mainly females) participated in the study • Students have the course “didactics of science” usually in the third year of their curriculum Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

15. Research questions • What do you think is “to observe?” • What do you understand with the skill of making observations? • What do you think is crucial when you are teaching children the skill of making observations? Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

16. Some results concerning the observer • The great majority keep interest and attention essential • Ability to concentrate is also important • Observations are made with senses - more than half (58 %) mentioned senses • Earlier knowledge effects on what is really observed - more than half ~ 54% thinks so, but • An observer must forget all existing conceptions - 10 % writes like this! Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

17. Results concerning the object • Half mentioned the object: details –entirety, essential features • One student wrote that ”there is never false observations” Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

18. Results concerning the environment • Only less than third of the respondends mention environmental factors (more social, few physical) and time • Tools or instruments “are not needed?” ´ As few as 9 (~ 13 %) students considered also equipments, but none arrangements in classroom. Nobody mentioned equipments such as lenses, microscopes or telescopes. • Third of the respondents think that you need to make notes from the observed things, phenomenons Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

19. Results concerning the use of acquired information • What to do with the information obtained from the observations is not considered • “You need to compare and classify what you have observed” –only fifth of the respondents think like this • Only some write about “connecting the acquired information to existing knowledge” Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007

20. Implications • Focus on general principles how to make observations in science • Focus on giving plenty of opportunities to get experience and routine in making observations and notes. • The teacher needs to become consciousness of pupils’ existing knowledge and observations of the same observable phenomenon Liisa Suomela & al. Eecera 2007