Procedure
The following teaching strategies can be used in the classroom:
Promoting Relationships and Incorporating Communication Skills
| Study partners |
As part of a review for an exam, group students in pairs
to question each other about the study material. |
| Teachers of the day |
Assign small groups to short-term projects. Students can divide responsibilities
and give oral reports to the class. |
| Team challenge |
Have students, either individually or in pairs, answer questions prior
to a test or exam to earn bonus points. The process will be helpful if
students receive points for correct answers but no penalty for incorrect
answers. |
| Jigsaw |
Have each group member read a portion of a reading assignment and report
on their part. You can quiz on the entire area of study. |
| Interviews |
Have members of the group role-play a person or concept and have another
member interview them. This is a good way to introduce facts and make the
process fun. |
| Puzzles |
Give vocabulary words to the group and have them make a crossword puzzle.
This could also be used for an intergroup activity — the groups can
exchange puzzles and solve them. |
| Drawing |
Ask the students to illustrate a concept with cartoon characters. Include
the scientific fact with the cartoon. |
| Dramatization |
Have the group write an original play using parts of a concept or material
to be memorized, such as chemical elements or parts of a cell. |
| Who am I? |
Assign to groups a person or concept that they present to the other groups
in the format of guessing who or what is being described. This idea works
well with gas laws, location of elements, and classification of biological
animals and plants. |
| Building project |
Assign to groups parts of a concept and have them build their part. For
example, students can build a periodic chart from index cards that the
groups make. Or, give groups a part of the photosynthesis process and have
them fit it into a factory or other structure. Materials can be as simple
as paper and paste or play dough. |
| Build memory hooks |
Have the students use letters to make sentences or phrases to help remember sequences, pathways, or concepts. For example: atomic sublevels (s, p, d, f — some poor dumb fool) or the Great Lakes (HOMES — Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior). |
| Report writing |
Have students write a technical report on a lab experiment using research
and reporting. Emphasis should be placed on the following:
- Data should be
organized and illustrated in an orderly and easy-to-read fashion.
- Reports
should be written in third person. Eliminate “I did this,
and then I did that.”
Students should analyze the methods used and give conclusions, especially
if the data collected do not fit the results expected. |
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Forming Team Groups
The definition of “team” is any group with a common goal and ownership
or shared responsibility in achieving the goal. Students should change groups
no more than once during a grading period to allow for consistency in grading
and for developing skills in working with others.
- Pairs or groups of four are most effective.
- When students select their own groups, they have an opportunity to display responsibility and learn how to take initiative in social situations. If frequent problems exist, assign groups.
- Establish opportunities for students to learn to accept constructive feedback, whether positive or not, and use appropriate responses to feedback.
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Problem Solving in Groups
Many high school students get bored with routines, while others find solace
in a routine. Working in a group will help students learn methods of coping
with different situations and with change in the business world.
- Recognition
of group goals is accomplished using the scientific method of starting
with the question.
- Acceptance of team goals is obtained by brainstorming methods
to solve the problem.
- Students work together to form plans to solve the problem,
including the role of each group member.
- Prioritizing and managing time involves
planning a procedure that allows the task to be completed in a timely manner.
Scheduling actual parts of the procedure
teaches timing.
- Students delegate tasks by organizing the group with duties
for each member. Below are suggested titles to organize the team. Depending
on the size and
membership of the group, some of the following roles will not be effective
tools. Each member should have a specific responsibility.
-Coordinator and group spokesperson: divides procedures to be completed
and speaks for the group.
-Taskmaster: encourages group to stay focused.
-Leader: responsible for overall team function.
-Recorder: responsible for data records.
-Facilitator: equipment and supply procurer.
-Safety monitor: safe procedure and time manager or other responsibilities
as needed.
-Quiet captain: keeps the noise level down.
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Summary
Perhaps Henry Ford summarized today’s work force best when he wrote:
- Coming
together is a beginning;
- Keeping together is progress;
- And working together is success.
A daily endeavor to provide a better tomorrow
is a MUST!
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Important Note
The information contained herein is presented in good faith. Teachers should
verify their own results prior to the use of these lesson plans in a classroom
setting. Use of this document is beyond the control of The Dow Chemical Company
(“Dow”), The Dow Chemical Company Foundation (“the Foundation”),
the National Science Teachers Association (”NSTA”), and/or the
authors. Consequently, Dow, the Foundation, NSTA, and/or the authors assume
no obligation or liability for the use of these materials or the outcomes of
any experiments and make no warranty, express or implied. Safety glasses or
goggles should be worn at all times. Other protective clothing should be worn
as instructed by the teacher. All materials should be properly disposed of
as instructed by the teacher. The user of these materials is solely responsible
for compliance with all applicable federal, state and local law(s) concerning
appropriate safety and disposal procedures.
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