Science education : the right question at the right Time !
The right question at the right time by Jos Elstgeest A child was reflecting sunlight onto the wall with a mirror. The teacher asked: 'Why does the mirror reflect sunlight? ' The child had no way of knowing, felt bad about it and learned nothing. Had the teacher asked, 'What do you get when you stand twice as far away from the wall?' the child would have responded by doing just that, and would have seen his answer reflected on the wall. Another teacher took his class to explore the surroundings. They came to a flowerbed with what he called 'four o' clock flowers". He asked: 'Why do these flowers close in the early evening and open again in the morning?' Nobody, including the teacher, knew. The question came from the 'testing reflex' that we all struggle with. He could have asked: 'Would the same flower that closes at night open again the next morning?' And the children could have labeled some flowers and found out the answers.
via bitly http://bit.ly/13on90Z http://exs.exploratorium.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/The-Right-Question-at-the-Right-Time.pdf
The right question at the right time by Jos Elstgeest A child was reflecting sunlight onto the wall with a mirror. The teacher asked: 'Why does the mirror reflect sunlight? ' The child had no way of knowing, felt bad about it and learned nothing. Had the teacher asked, 'What do you get when you stand twice as far away from the wall?' the child would have responded by doing just that, and would have seen his answer reflected on the wall. Another teacher took his class to explore the surroundings. They came to a flowerbed with what he called 'four o' clock flowers". He asked: 'Why do these flowers close in the early evening and open again in the morning?' Nobody, including the teacher, knew. The question came from the 'testing reflex' that we all struggle with. He could have asked: 'Would the same flower that closes at night open again the next morning?' And the children could have labeled some flowers and found out the answers.
via bitly http://bit.ly/13on90Z http://exs.exploratorium.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/The-Right-Question-at-the-Right-Time.pdf
