How do they learn? My step-by-step learning process for general and special education science.

How do they learn?

My step-by-step learning process for general and special education science. 

There are some scientific principles that all students should know before they graduate. Some of these concepts are simple (the weather, living vs. nonliving things, etc.) while others are more complex (the water cycle, food webs, types of energy, etc.). Regardless of student placement, students should all have the opportunity to learn key academic concepts. Even students in life skills classrooms benefit from experiencing these components of the academic curriculum. But we can save that conversation for another time. This post is all about what I do to reach all of my students. 

1. Explore- Not every student will remember the connection between an exploration and the content unless it is explicitly and repeatedly stated. However, all students benefit from making an egg dropper, investigating through a WebQuest, and completing outdoor checklists. I believe that it is truly best practice to begin a new concept with an exploratory activity when possible. While explaining the content, you have a concrete activity that you can refer back to which helps students make connection. Also, it is fun! Exploration and experimentation teach students to ask questions and motivates them towards deeper learning. 

2. Present the facts- For as much as I believe in exploration, I also believe in direct instruction. I will not instruct for more than fifteen minutes on a topic because I start to lose students. My PowerPoints are very active in nature and are chalked full of activities and questions. I always pair instruction with action so that students are immediately responsible for the information. I often use the textbook to highlight terms and show some examples. I do not use the textbook exclusively, so this is a great opportunity to incorporate it in a useful manner. Some teachers will question the practicality of direct instruction for students who struggle with whole group instruction. I have found that all of my students come away from direct instruction with something useful. More interestingly, most of my students are able to demonstrate a significant amount of learning after simply listening to the instruction before any application activities. 

3. Practice- This is the lengthiest stage in my process. During this phase in the learning process, I provide several different types of application activities. These include matching, sorting, identifying, summarizing, drawing, labeling, and writing activities. I try to use a variation of print and digital resources to differentiate learning activities. I provide a demonstration for students (I do), then we work on a few activities together (we do), and then I provide independent work (you do). I will repeat learning activities if students were unable to demonstrate learning and I typically build on activities from easier to more challenging concepts. 

4. Review- After we have gone through all of the lessons for a particular unit, we will review. Sometimes this takes place for a week. Sometimes this only takes a day or two. It totally depends on the content and length of the unit. The main point is, I will not move to the assessment if the students are not ready. Some years I have not finished the curriculum for the school year, but my students really knew the units that we covered. This is a personal preference, but it has been quite helpful in building trust with my students and encouraging thorough work. The review also gives students the opportunity to identify study materials that will help them succeed. 

5. Assessment- My assessments always reflect the instruction and practice activities that I utilized in the classroom. It is disheartening for a student when they are faced with new content on a test. I do provide opportunities for students to challenge themselves on the assessments, but most of the questions align directly with instruction. I do use alternative assessments such as projects and presentations when it is appropriate. 

Here is an example of a science unit that I created for my students which incorporates all of these elements. I would love to hear your thoughts about what you incorporate into your science lessons!