Miss M's Learning Space

As part of our drama course this semester our group connected 5 drama strategies with the grade 8 science strand on cells (understanding life systems). Our guiding theories were The Learner's Theory (Dwyer, 1996) and The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Dr. Howard Gardner, 1983). Guiding Theories The Learner’s Theory (Dwyer, 1996) states that 10% of what children hear they will retain, but 90% of what the teach to themselves and each other they will retain. This is important to keep in mind when planning lessons and activities for students to do. When students say, discuss or “do” an activity they are 70% more likely to understand and retain this information. This is why we have chosen 5 various drama strategies to assist in teaching our science concepts that require students to be active participants. This will ensure students are not only engaged in the lesson, but also grasping the concepts being presented as Dwyer’s theory ensures. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences wa...

Scientific literacy isn’t necessarily having the skills necessary to be a professional scientist, but rather a way of understanding (in general terms) scientific processes, including questioning, in order to make informed decisions about matters that have a scientific element. Especially when this understanding impacts decisions made at the ballot box. Retrieved from http://goo.gl/aipdIO  A scientifically literate society would benefit the field of science itself by having more recruits, greater support for scientific research and more realistic public expectations of science. However, realistic decision making and support depends on society knowing what scientists do and valuing what they do. At a personal level, people who are scientifically literate are better equipped to evaluate and respond appropriately to scientific and pseudoscientific arguments used by advertisers, commercial organizations and politicians, and better equipped to make important decisions that...

This demo, from Bill Nye the Science Guy, would make an awesome introduction to the grade 8 water systems unit. The purpose of this demonstration is to explain thermohaline circulation. Thermohaline circulation is a factor that affects the circulation of water in the oceans (it is explained in more detail in the scientific explanation section). The idea behind this experiment is not simply to teach students what thermohaline currents are, but rather to build a foundation of water system knowledge so when students move into the inquiry stage of the class they can understand the effects of global warming on ocean currents and what that means for other ocean systems as well as earth systems. When explaining what the experiment represents, it’s important to include the impact this phenomena has on other earth systems. For example, scientists have speculated that the current slow down of thermohaline circulation could lead to a a dampening of the warming being experienced in No...