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Contents vii
Chapter 13 Chapter 14
Laboratory Work and Fieldwork 248 Safety in the Laboratory and Classroom 266
Introductory Vignette 248 Introductory Vignette 266
Chapter Objectives 248 2012 NSTA Preservice Science Standard 4:
Safety 267
What Is Laboratory Work? 249
Chapter Objectives 267
Definition of Laboratory Work 249
Safety and the Law 268
Benefits of Laboratory Work 249
General Safety Responsibilities 269
Shortcomings of Laboratory Work 249
Preparation Before the School Year Begins 269
Recommendations for Laboratory Work 250
Safety Responsibilities During the
Different Purposes of Laboratory Work 250 School Year 270
Various Types of Laboratory Work 252 Eye Protection During Science Instruction 272
Experimental, or Deductive, Eye Protection 272
Laboratory Exercises 252
Contact Lenses 273
Exploratory, or Inductive, Laboratory Exercises 252
Specific Safety Guidelines for Biology 273
Science Process Skill-Development
Laboratory Exercises 253 Precautions for Using Animals 273
Technical Skill-Development Precautions for Specific Biology Procedures and
Laboratory Exercises 254 Activities 274
Digital Technology for Laboratory Work 255 Care During Animal Dissection 275
Prelaboratory and Postlaboratory Using Live Material 275
Instruction and Safety 255 Sterilizing 275
Prelaboratory Discussion 255 Body Fluids and Tissues 276
Giving Directions 256 Animal Dissection 276
Safety in the Laboratory 256 Precautions During Field Trips 276
Postlaboratory Discussion 256 Specific Safety Guidelines for Chemistry 277
Ensuring Successful Laboratory Experiences 257 Chemistry Safety Precautions 277
Relevance of Laboratory Work 258 Storing and Using Chemicals Safely 277
English Language Learners and Academically Suggestions for Chemical Safety 278
Challenged Students 258 Disposing of Chemical Wastes 279
Degree of Structure for Safety Data Sheets, Formerly Material Safety
Laboratory Activities 259 Data Sheets 279
Student Recording and Reporting of Data 259 Safety in the Earth Science Laboratory 280
Management and Discipline During Safety Guidelines for Physics and Physical Science
Laboratory Activities 260 Laboratories 281
Assessment of Laboratory Work 261 Radiation Safety 282
Fieldwork 262 Suggestions for the Use of Nonionizing
Planning Field Trips 262 Radiation 282
The Curriculum 262 Safety Units for Students 283
Surveying Possible Sites 262 Safety Assessment 283
Administrative Policy 262 Safety Contract 284
Contents xi
In an age when scientific and engineering advancements occur daily, how does science education develop a scientifi-
cally literate society that can appreciate, understand, participate in, and contribute to science and engineering? The
answer to this question resides within the individuals who are now entering the science teaching profession. These
men and women want to know how to use their understandings of science and engineering to prepare the next gen-
eration of Americans for life in the 21st century. In readying themselves for this responsibility, they need to develop
understandings about how to help students see science and engineering as ways of thinking about and investigating
the world around them, as well as viewing it as an accessible body of knowledge. Furthermore, these men and women
need to understand how to help students see the wonderment of science and engineering, and recognize the relation-
ship between science and engineering, on the one hand, and their daily lives, a healthy environment, and a produc-
tive society, on the other. This eighth edition of Science Instruction in the Middle and Secondary Schools is designed to
provide individuals with the guidance for addressing both the excitement and challenges associated with entering the
science teaching profession.
attributes, as well as teaching skills and strategies, that are linked to effective instruction and student learn-
ing. Comparisons between effective and ineffective teaching practices also are provided, to aid in orienting the
reader to the teaching profession.
• Chapter 2, “Purpose of Science Teaching,” has been rewritten on the basis of both the NGSS and current di-
rections in science education, in order to provide context for science teaching. The history of science teaching
in the United States is outlined, with attention paid to the current reform driven by both international com-
parisons and the desire for education that prepares students for college and careers. The NGSS, the Common
Core State Standards in English language arts and in mathematics, and associated assessment initiatives are
discussed in this chapter, as are the NSTA Standards for Science Teacher Preparation.
• Chapter 4, “Assessing Science Learning,” now includes sections on interpreting assessment data. Stressed here
is the important process of making sense of assessment data and using data purposefully to guide instructional
interventions. These sections both complement revisions that emphasize the centrality of continuous assess-
ment and present the science learning assessment system as a means of aligning learning goals with diagnostic,
formative, and summative assessments.
• Chapter 7 has been expanded to better address the new vision for science education reflected in the NGSS.
The new title for Chapter 7 is “The Nature of Science and of Engineering and Technology.” Sections have
been added that discuss the relationship of science to engineering and technology and to the practices of
engineering.
• Chapter 8, “Inquiry and Teaching Science,” has been modified to describe the concept of inquiry in light of
the presentation of practices of science and engineering in the National Research Council’s A Framework of
K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. In this chapter, the practices of science
and engineering are discussed as complementary elements of inquiry and important considerations of inquiry-
based instruction. In addition, to guide readers to a better understanding of teaching science as inquiry, the
chapter calls attention to three fundamental elements of scientific inquiry: the phenomena under investigation,
the practices applied to study the phenomena, and the outcomes of investigations.
• Chapter 9, “Diverse Adolescent Learners and Differentiated Instruction,” places greater emphasis than the
same chapter in the seventh edition did on the American cultural mosaic and what teachers need to know and
do to ensure that all students have opportunities to learn science. This chapter also sports new sections that
present understandings about equitable science learning that serve as drivers for the NGSS.
• Chapter 10, “Learning in the Middle Grades and Secondary Schools,” addresses new understandings about
science learning. Discussions about learning progressions and the significance of motivation to the learning
process are additions to this chapter. The information-processing model of learning is presented as a major
conceptual scheme for understanding learning.
• Consistent with the NGSS, the themes of argumentation, modeling, and investigation bring coherence to the
chapters of Section Three: “Strategies for Science Teaching.” For example, in Chapter 11, the instructional
strategies of lecture, discussion, and demonstration are presented as tools for promoting scientific discourse
and the analysis of scientific argumentation. Similarly, the discussion of socioscientific issues in Chapter 12
highlights opportunities for the reader to envisage scientific argumentation as a vehicle both for understand-
ing the activities of scientific communities and for developing science understandings. Further, Chapter 12
has been modified to stress the interdependence of science and engineering and the utility of the engineering
design process.
• Changes also have been made to Chapters 13, 14, and 15. Chapter 13, “Laboratory Work and Fieldwork,”
now includes new examples of teaching practices for encouraging meaningful learning when students are
engaged in laboratory work and fieldwork. Chapter 14, “Safety in the Laboratory and Classroom,” has been
modified to reflect new understandings about safe uses and maintenance of chemicals and other substances in
science classrooms and to address especially the 2012 NSTA Safety Standard. Finally, Chapter 15, “Computers
and Educational Technologies,” includes a new section about teaching science courses online and gives greater
emphasis to the process by which teachers select technologies to support students’ science learning. This
process is aided by the presentation of a new framework that stresses the effective use of educational technolo-
gies as cognitive tools to enable students to achieve the performance expectations set forth in the NGSS.
students’ learning. A program’s success in meeting the standards is documented through a minimum of six assess-
ments that serve as the basis for recommending the program for accreditation to the Council for the Accreditation
of Educator Preparation. The standards and how the chapters of this edition support a program meeting them are
described next.
NSTA Standard 1: Content Knowledge. This standard targets students’ science content knowledge. Evidence of
meeting the standard includes teacher candidates’ performance on state content licensure tests (e.g., PRAXIS II or
other state content tests) and grades in science content courses, disaggregated by licensure levels and area (e.g., sec-
ondary school biology). It is assumed that teacher candidates will have achieved some measure of competence in the
content areas in which they will seek licensure before enrolling in the course or courses in which Science Instruction
in the Middle and Secondary Schools is used.
NSTA Standard 2: Content Pedagogy. This standard focuses on the teacher candidate’s ability to plan and assess
student learning effectively on the basis of understandings of how students learn and how to engage all students in
the construction of scientific knowledge. Evidence of meeting this standard is most often demonstrated through
the instructional units developed by teacher candidates. Chapter 3, “Planning for Science Teaching,” of this text
is designed especially to guide candidates through the process of unit planning, and Chapter 4, “Assessing Science
Learning,” is organized to help candidates understand the assessment process as well as to build and use appro-
priate assessments of student learning. In addition, Chapter 7, “The Nature of Science and of Engineering and
Technology”; Chapter 8, “Inquiry and Teaching Science”; Chapter 12, “Science, Engineering, and Societal Issues”;
and other chapters in Part Three of this text provide important information to support the unit development process.
NSTA Standard 3: Learning Environments. This standard addresses the teacher candidate’s ability to prepare
an inviting and safe learning environment that involves students in active learning experiences. As with Standard 2,
evidence of meeting this standard is most often demonstrated through the instructional units developed by teacher
candidates, but observations of candidates teaching in middle and high schools also may provide evidence of meeting
Standard 3. Chapter 5, “Teaching Science,” and Chapter 6, “The Science Learning Environment,” are organized
to support teacher candidates in building instructional lessons and units that engage students actively in the learn-
ing process and address considerations of student safety. Moreover, Chapter 9, “Diverse Adolescent Learners and
Differentiated Instruction”; Chapter 11, “Lecture, Discussion, and Demonstration”; Chapter 13, “Laboratory Work
and Fieldwork”; and Chapter 15, Computers and Educational Technologies,” can aid teacher candidates in building
understandings that enhance their planning and practice in support of this standard.
NSTA Standard 4: Safety. Attending to the use and maintenance of chemicals and the ethical treatment of live
organisms, this standard highlights the ability of the teacher candidate to engage in teaching practices that consider
the health and welfare of students. As with Standard 3, evidence of meeting Standard 4 may be demonstrated
through instructional units developed by candidates and through classroom observations. Chapter 14, “Safety in the
Laboratory and Classroom,” is developed especially to guide candidates to plan with safety in mind and to engage
in safe and ethical classroom practices. Other chapters of the text augment the understanding presented in Chapter
14 with regard to laboratory work and fieldwork; issues involving science, engineering, and technology; and matters
pertaining to inquiry teaching.
NSTA Standard 5: Impact on Student Learning. The focus of this standard is the impact of the teacher candidate’s
practice on the students he or she teaches. Evidence of meeting Standard 5 typically involves the use of assessments
administered before and after instruction that show the abilities of candidates to affect learning. Chapter 4, “Assessing
Science Learning,” is purposely designed to help candidates plan assessments aligned to learning outcomes as well as
analyze and interpret assessment results. Other chapters address engaging students in classroom, laboratory, and field
experiences that help them build understandings about the nature of science and engineering, about the processes of
scientific inquiry and engineering design, and about the uses of electronic technologies to support learning.
NSTA Standard 6: Professional Knowledge and Skills. This final standard focuses on the continuing professional
education of the teacher candidate. Documentation of candidates’ learning about and participating in professional
education opportunities provides evidence of meeting Standard 6. The sections titled “Resources to Consider,”
presented at the end of each chapter, provide recommendations to candidates for enhancing their knowledge and
understandings about a host of topics specifically related to science teaching and learning.
Acknowledgments
This textbook continues the tradition of informing beginning as well as experienced science teachers about the craft
of middle and high school science teaching. Since its first publication in 1959, the content of the book has evolved,
but the objective of using teaching skills and instructional strategies in an effective manner to support the major
themes of science education has remained constant. To this end, we thank Alfred Collette and Walter Thurber, the
authors of the first edition, Teaching Science in Today’s Secondary Schools. We also acknowledge our science education
Preface xv
colleagues who have contributed their excellent work to the literature on teaching and learning science. In addition,
there are many individuals to whom we are indebted for their important contributions to the current and previous
editions of the book and for assisting us in our professional work.
Coauthor Eugene Chiappetta gives special thanks to the following individuals:
Jill Bailer, a middle school science teacher who taught for many years in the Houston Independent School
District, assisted me for many years with the secondary science methods course at the University of Houston,
in which hundreds of pre- and in-service teachers enrolled. Along with her physical presence during certain
classes, Jill provided many insights into teaching science at the middle school level. Robert Dennison, a distin-
guished high school biology teacher and biology teacher educator, has kept me informed about the evolution-
versus-creationism controversy and the personal life and professional work of Charles Darwin. In addition,
Robert assisted with the biology teaching methods course that was offered for many years by the Department
of Curriculum and Instruction.
David Fillman, a former high school biology teacher and Director of Science for the Galena Park Independent
School District, assisted with the content analysis of many middle and high school science textbooks, which used a
comprehensive list of dimensions and descriptors of the nature of science. An understanding of the nature of science
has been a central theme of science education for many decades. David also supported numerous funded programs
coordinated at the University of Houston that affected many science teachers in the Houston area. Steve Fleming
of the Pasadena Independent School District helped to validate what is and is not possible with regard to effective
teaching practices in public school settings. Many of his ideas were implemented in the physical science and chemistry
methods courses that were offered by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Patricia Harrison, a former chemistry teacher and erstwhile Director of Secondary Science for the Alief
Independent School District, was instrumental in providing many ideas about effective science instruction. She
stressed the importance of using multi-instructional approaches and brain-based research that support good teaching
practices. Matthew Wells is an outstanding environmental and biology teacher in the Cypress Fairbanks Independent
School District. He put forth and modeled ideas on how he helps all students to learn and appreciate science.
There are many colleagues at the university level who provided important insights into engineering, science, and
science teaching. April Adams, a professor at Northeastern State University, influenced my thinking about inquiry-
based science and the place of “content with process” in teaching science. Fritz Claydon, a professor of engineering at
the University of Houston, introduced me to university engineering programs, affording me a better understanding
of the practices of engineers. Joe Salanitro, a microbiological scientist, has been a good sounding board for under-
standing the nature of science. He also supported programs in Science Education at the University of Houston that
were funded by the chemical industry. Len Trombetta, an electrical engineering professor at the University, offered
important insights into engineering. Sissy Wong is a science education colleague in the Department of Curriculum.
She offered ideas about science teacher induction programs—programs that introduce science teachers to the teaching
of science and that should be part of every beginning science teacher’s education experience.
Science teachers must learn well the contents of the chapter on safety in the laboratory and classroom. Kenneth
Roy, a public school science educator and writer of many NSTA books and journals on science safety, provided ideas
to update Chapter 14, “Safety in the Laboratory and Classroom.” James Kaufman, the CEO of the Laboratory Safety
Institute, was extremely helpful in examining information about safety and the use and storage of chemicals in school
science. I am most grateful to him for sharing his vast knowledge of science safety.
And of course, I thank my wife, Barbara, who is always willing to proofread some of my writing. She has been
a great supporter of my professional work and a magnificent partner. I am forever grateful to this wonderful lady.
Coauthor Tom Koballa thanks the following individuals:
Alejandro Gallard, Goizueta Distinguished Chair of Education at Georgia Southern University, provided
input on ideas about cultural and linguistic diversity presented in Chapter 9, “Diverse Adolescent Learners and
Differentiated Instruction.” Insights shared by Dr. Gallard and Dr. Okhee Lee, Professor of Childhood Education
at New York University, in their writings guided my thinking about how students who are traditionally underrepre-
sented in science can be well served in middle and high school science classes.
Chuck Hodges, Associate Professor of Instructional Technology at Georgia Southern University, was always
willing to talk about educational technologies and their power for enhancing student learning. Conversations with
Dr. Hodges informed my thinking about frameworks that are useful for describing how to integrate educational
technologies into science learning experiences.
Also, I wish to thanks the pre- and in-service teachers who populated my science education courses for 20 years
at the University of Georgia. My thoughts were often about their triumphs and challenges as middle and high school
science teachers. I would ask myself as I wrote, “How would Steve, Bob, Libby, Hope, Donna, and others respond
to this information? Would it help them become stronger teachers?” My perceptions about their responses to these
questions guided what I chose to include in chapters and how I chose to present it.
xvi Preface
Special thanks go to my family. Balancing the demands of serving as dean of a college of education and working
on this edition left little time for family life. My plan is to spend more evenings and weekends enjoying the company
of my family in the coming year.
Finally, we would like to thank the reviewers of the eighth edition for providing valuable guidance on ways to
improve the book: April Dean Adams, Northeastern State University; Julie Andrew, University of Colorado, Boulder;
Scott M. Graves, Southern Connecticut State University; John Pecore, University of West Florida; and Thomas E.
Ricks, Louisiana State University.
C h a p t e r
1
Thoughts and Actions
of Beginning Science Teachers
importance of molecular structure in chemical reactions. Mrs. Locke feels that conveying her experiences
in the chemical industry will enhance student learning.
Toward the end of the class period, Mrs. Locke gives students some information about the next
class period and how it will build on what they have learned today. She points out that the students may
perform a lab on magnets tomorrow if time permits. At this point, the bell sounds for class to end and
Mrs. Locke calls out to the students, who are now moving from their seats, to read over the chapter
on magnetism in the textbook. As the students clear out of the classroom, the beginning teacher has an
empty feeling of dissatisfaction that the lesson was subpar, lacking excitement and coherence.
Obviously, there are aspects of Mrs. Locke’s science lesson that were effective and aspects that could be improved. Examine how
the beginning teacher addressed the five basic teaching functions, and write statements concerning how they were implemented
or not implemented in the lesson. The five teaching functions are (a) planning, (b) purpose, (c) assessment, (d) teaching, and
(e) management. For each of these functions, state the effective actions demonstrated by the teacher, followed by suggestions for
improvement. After you have completed this task, read further along in the chapter to learn more about Mrs. Locke’s assessment
of her teaching. You can do so through the vignettes and conversations presented between Mrs. Locke and her mentor teacher,
Mr. Carlson. Their conversations will help guide your thinking about effective teaching practices.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
Use the following learning outcomes to guide your thinking about how to strengthen the relationship between
science teaching and student learning:
1. Discuss the thoughts and actions of beginning science teachers, which often lead to ineffective instruction with
regard to (a) the purpose of science teaching, (b) planning to teach science, (c) assessing student progress,
(d) teaching science, and (e) managing the learning environment.
2. Discuss the thoughts and actions of many experienced science teachers, which usually lead to effective instruction
with regard to (a) the purpose of science teaching, (b) planning to teach science, (c) assessing student progress,
(d) teaching science, and (e) managing the learning environment.
3. Analyze and evaluate a teacher’s instructional effectiveness as observed in a video recording or written vignette
with regard to (a) the purpose of science teaching, (b) planning to teach science, (c) assessing student progress,
(d) teaching science, and (e) managing the learning environment.
4. Demonstrate, in both instructional plans and a brief teaching episode, effective instructional practices with
regard to (a) the purpose of science teaching, (b) planning to teach science, (c) assessing student progress,
(d) teaching science, and (e) managing the learning environment.
5. Describe how you could go about establishing a mentoring relationship with an experienced teacher.
What challenging aspects of teaching science might a mentor help you develop into successful practices?
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a vision of effective science education and to place you on the road to
success as a science teacher. You need to have both a big picture of the profession and a focus on the professional
attributes, skills, and strategies that will lead to effective instruction and efficient student learning. Figure 1.1 shows
a framework for conceptualizing science teaching. The lower section of the framework presents a number of science
education themes, important areas that should inform your thinking and actions related to science education. The
upper section shows fundamental attributes and abilities that support the major themes. Without an understanding
of the professional attributes of successful teachers and the abilities necessary to implement effective science instruc-
tion, little can be accomplished in classrooms with large numbers of active adolescents, many of whom have a high
interest in matters other than science.
4 Part One Getting into Science Teaching
FIGURE 1.1 Professional teacher attributes, instructional practices, and major themes that support science education goals and
learning outcomes.
Let’s listen in on a conversation between Mrs. Locke and her mentor as they discuss Mrs. Locke’s planning for the
lesson on magnetism.
Mr. Carlson: Tell me Virginia, when did you begin planning for the first lesson that you taught on magnetism?
Mrs. Locke: I began the night before, because they keep you busy in this school. There sure are a lot of paperwork
and after-school duties, which leave very little time to sit and plan for the next day.
Mr. Carlson: I can appreciate what you are saying about all of the paperwork and duties. They seem to get worse
each year. Nevertheless, we have course materials and resources that can help you with your planning. Be sure
to frequently examine the notebook that we prepared for the integrated physics and chemistry course. Other
teachers and I spent a great deal of time and effort assembling it. Although it may not be perfect, the notebook
is organized into units, and it provides national, state, and district standards for each unit. In addition, you will
find goals, instructional objectives, suggested activities, assessments, and a ton of supporting materials in it.
Mrs. Locke: I did briefly look over the information in the notebook about magnetism, but I tried to make the
lesson different.
Mr. Carlson: That’s fine, and I encourage you to be creative in designing your own lesson. Nevertheless, reflect
carefully on what is in the course notebook, some of which is on the district’s intranet. Then modify what the
district has to accommodate your teaching style and students’ abilities. Please study the purpose, assessment,
instruction, and management suggestions that the district has set down; they could be a big help in your think-
ing about each lesson. And perhaps most important, study the instructional objectives; I can tell you more
about learning outcomes when we talk later about planning and assessment.
Mrs. Locke: Perhaps I have not put in enough time in my planning. In the future, can I show you some of my
plans before I teach?
Mr. Carlson: I look forward to that.
Through district-wide or small-group efforts, most teachers have access to an assemblage of resources that are
useful for planning instruction for particular courses. The discussion between Mrs. Locke and her experienced men-
tor indicates that Mrs. Locke could benefit from reviewing the district’s notebook, which contains lesson plans for
the entire course. As the discussion suggests, this assemblage of information can provide a great deal of direction for
those teaching science for the first time.
Nevertheless, we feel strongly that beginning teachers should not rely solely on resources assembled by others.
Each teacher should modify lesson plans and other materials to best accommodate his or her teaching style and the
needs of students. Further, each teacher should modify and expand the instructional objectives presented, because
doing so will provide personal ownership of the learning outcomes considered most appropriate for students.
Some educators are adamant in their belief that you cannot teach someone else’s lesson plan. Although there is
certainly some truth to this statement, we believe that beginning teachers can benefit tremendously from using les-
son plans and other available resources as the foundation for their teaching. These materials can then be modified to
personalize instruction in ways that are most suitable for teachers and students alike.
intended learning outcomes and to ascertain the effectiveness of the instruction. At the level of teaching lessons,
assessment is best done if it takes place before, during, and at the end of the instructional period. Comparisons are
then readily made.
With regard to using assessment for generating grades, information can be gathered from students’ work, their
behaviors and oral responses, and test results, as well as other outcomes (see Table 1.1). With regard to all teaching
plans and instruction, the assessment must be tied directly to instructional objectives, often referred to as learning
outcomes or behavior objectives. Instructional objectives state exactly what the learner should know or be able to do
by the end of the lesson. These objectives should be measurable and must be an integral part of the written plan, the
instruction, and the assessment. Too often, teaching plans have vague statements of the intended learning outcomes,
leading to less effective teaching and learning.
Let’s listen in on a conversation between Mrs. Locke and Mr. Carlson regarding the assessment associated with the
magnetism lesson.
Mr. Carlson: As I think about your lesson, I would like to zero in on the assessment that you used to determine
student learning. Tell me about your instructional objectives.
Mrs. Locke: The instructional objectives that I included in my plan were for the students to
1. Define magnetism.
2. Understand about the lines of force associated with magnets.
Mr. Carlson: Virginia, I am pleased that you have set down at least two instructional objectives for the lesson. You
begin with a definition, which is fine. I do have a problem with the second objective. Can you think of a reason
for my reservation about number two?
Mrs. Locke: Not really. Here I am looking for student understanding. In my certification program, I was taught
that understanding is important.
Mr. Carlson: Certainly! We want to teach for understanding. But if we are serious about achieving this outcome,
we must state the outcome it in a manner in which the learning can be observed and measured. From an
instructional design point of view, understanding must be stated in such a way that you can observe it
happening during and after the instruction. Would you like to try to state objective number two in a more
observable manner?
Mrs. Locke: Sure. How about like this:
2. Describe the lines of force around a magnet.
Mr. Carlson: You are on the right path. Let’s give the learning outcomes a bit more specificity. What do you think
about this?
2. Draw and describe the lines of force around a bar magnet, including the direction of the forces from the
north to the south pole or from the south to the north pole.
Do you think my modification of the original objective is more to the point of what you want the
students to be able to know as the result of this lesson and at the completion of the magnetism unit?
Mrs. Locke: Definitely.
Mr. Carlson: I would add a third instructional objective to your lesson, because you addressed another learning
outcome during your instruction:
3. Given a diagram of bar magnets, or given real bar magnets placed near each other, with their poles labeled,
predict whether the magnets will attract or repel.
You also may wish to ask students to explain their predictions.
Mrs. Locke: I think that is what I want students to be able to do on the test.
Mr. Carlson: Great! Let’s touch on another aspect of assessment: assessing students’ knowledge at the beginning
of the lesson. You did begin the lesson by asking students what they know about magnetism. That was a good
start, but I recommend spending more time on ascertaining this knowledge from all of the students. You called
on just two students to tell you what they know about magnetism. I recommend that you call on many more
students. Can you think of how to determine what students know about magnetism at the beginning of the
lesson?
Mrs. Locke: I can ask students to write a short paragraph explaining magnetism and then go around the room asking
for certain students to read their paragraphs.
8 Part One Getting into Science Teaching
Mr. Carlson: Exactly! That is a good approach to determining what students know about a concept at the begin-
ning or, indeed, at any point during instruction.
Mr. Carlson continues to talk with Mrs. Locke about assessment. In addition to discussing assessment during
the lesson and at its end, they talk about assessing students’ learning during the lesson. This focus leads Mrs. Locke
to realizes that during the lesson she should have asked more questions and called on many more students to answer
questions, about magnetism—questions that are tied directly to the desired learning outcomes for the lesson and
are described explicitly in the instructional objectives. Further discussion about assessment also led Mrs. Locke to
realize that a review of students’ knowledge of the learning outcomes should have been conducted at the end of the
lesson. Such a review would provide feedback on where to begin the instruction in the next period and how much
review and reteaching is needed.
Let’s again listen in on a conversation between Mrs. Locke and her mentor, Mr. Carlson, regarding her teaching of
the magnetism lesson.
Mr. Carlson: I was delighted to see that you used a variety of teaching skills and instructional strategies. This is a
good way to think about and carry out your teaching. From your lesson plan, I see that you used at least five
different modes of teaching:
• an introduction to the lesson, with questions for students to answer
• a lecture that included contributors to our knowledge of magnetism
• a 15-minute YouTube presentation illustrating the earth’s magnetic lines of force
• a short question-and-answer session on the mechanism of magnetism, using the overhead projector
• a closing of the lesson at the end
How do you feel about the manner in which you carried out your teaching with respect to these five aspects of
instruction?
Mrs. Locke: At first, I thought that I was doing well with the lesson. Then, about midway into the period, I felt
that I wasn’t getting enough from students, and I noticed that they were losing interest in my teaching.
Mr. Carlson: Can I give you some suggestions concerning the instruction that might help you in the future?
Mrs. Locke: Sure, I’m here to learn how to be a better teacher.
Mr. Carlson offers feedback on the way Mrs. Locke opened and closed the lesson and on the instructional strategies
she employed:
Opening. You started off the first part of the lesson on the right foot by asking questions about magnets. This
approach caused students to think. However, you called on only a few students. I recommend that you
engage all students at the beginning of the lesson by asking them to express their knowledge of magnets in
their notebooks. Place the questions on the board or project them with a SMART Board. Then, continue
by asking students to answer specific questions regarding magnetism.
After the students complete their writing with you, walk among them, examining some of the written
responses, and call on many students to answer each question. Also, ask students to verify the correctness
of the other students’ responses. Encourage students to express themselves orally. Toward the end of
the opening of the lesson, you can list the important concepts the students studied and the instructional
objectives of the lesson.
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love us less, you do not feel it so much; when you are
thrown among a lot of people who do not much care
about you, you find out the value of our love for you,
and think more of us. However, you have Herbert, and
I daresay you think that you love him better now than
ever you did at home. As we are all sinful and
imperfect creatures, I have no doubt that you have
sometimes done and said things which we should be
sorry to hear of. You must ask God to help you to do
better in future; but I must say that I have always
found you good and obedient, and you have never
given us any anxiety. There is one lesson which you
ought to learn from your present feelings of discomfort
and worry; when you are a big boy at Rugby, and see
any poor little fellow worried and uncomfortable, you
must say a kind word to him (remembering what you
once felt yourself); you have no idea how much good
a kind word from a big fellow (what you call a swell)
will do to a poor little beggar. You remember how kind
Gardner was, and how much he was liked at Rugby for
it. All are well, and send best love. I fully intend to
come to see you when I get back to Offley—perhaps to
the old Rug. match. God bless you.
“Yours most affectionately,
“G. E. Hughes.”
“November, 1871.
“Dearest Old Boy,
“I know why you feel rather down in the mouth just
now. You have (to use a phrase in athletics) lost your
first wind, and haven’t yet got your second wind. The
novelty of excitement of school life has gone off, and
you are too new to it yet to enjoy what there is
enjoyable in it. Courage! I know your feelings well,
having experienced them myself. So has Herbert: so,
in short, has everyone who has ever been at school.
You will soon get over it all, and like your school life,
although of course it is not so pleasant as home. Most
schoolboys are selfish and bad-mannered, and there
are always plenty of snobs and bullies amongst them;
but there is always a minority of nice fellows. I am
inclined to believe that as you go so often to Arnold’s,
you have not made much acquaintance with your
schoolfellows. Perhaps it would be better to cultivate
their acquaintance more. Don’t be afraid about not
getting into Rugby. You ought to have heard Herbert’s
doleful forebodings about never being able to get out
of lower school: he was much more doleful than you,
but if you were to remind him of it, he would probably
not remember it at all; neither will you a year hence. If
you are hungry, can’t you buy grub in the town? I
mean something like sausage-rolls, or hard eggs. I will
give you the money for it; or can you suggest any way
in which we can supply you? What do you do on
Sundays? and to what church do you go? I wish we
could have you with us occasionally, just as much as
you do. All are well, and join in best love. God bless
you.
“Yours most affectionately,
“G. E. Hughes.”
“Offley.
“Dearest Old Boy,
“I believe your mamma has written to you, but I
must give you a few lines to say how much we were
pleased with your report which came this morning.
There is no happiness in this world so great to us as
the assurance that you and your brothers are doing
well. I am very sorry that you were down in the mouth
at my departure. I should like to have you always with
me, but you (being a boy of good sense) must know
very well that it cannot be: you must (like all others)
fly from the nest some time or other, and school is the
preparation for a longer flight. I have no doubt that
now you are all right again. You won’t be down-
hearted long, if you only work well and do your duty.
At your age the spirits are very elastic, and soon
recover any depression.
“We shall be anxious to hear about your cough and
Sharp’s opinion. God bless you,
“Yours most affectionately,
“G. E. H.”
At the beginning of the next term Jack went to Rugby, and almost
the first letter he received from his father was the following
Valentine, which species of missive appears to have become popular
amongst boys:—
“February 23, 1872.
“Your Susan.”
And so you and I are living now under the dome of many-coloured
glass, and shall live as long as we remain in these bodies, a
temporal and an eternal life—“the next world,” which too many of
our teachers speak of as a place which we shall first enter after
death, being in fact “next” only in the truest sense of the word;
namely, that it is “nearest” to us now. The dome of time can do
nothing more (if we even allow it to do that) than partially to
conceal from us the light which is always there, beneath, around,
above us.
“The outer life of the devout man,” it has been well said, “should
be thoroughly attractive to others. He would be simple, honest,
straightforward, unpretending, gentle, kindly;—his conversation
cheerful and sensible: he would be ready to share in all blameless
mirth, indulgent to all save sin.” And tried by this test, the best we
have at command, my brother was essentially a devout man.
The last thirty years, the years of his manhood, have been a
period of great restlessness and activity, chiefly of a superficial kind,
in matters pertaining specially to religion. The Established Church, of
which he was a member, from conviction as well as by inheritance,
has been passing through a crisis which has often threatened her
existence; faction after faction, as they saw their chance, rising up
and striving in the hope of casting out those whose opinions or
practices they disliked. Against all such attempts my brother always
protested whenever he had an opportunity, and discouraged all
those with whom he had any influence from taking any part in them.
“I have no patience,” for instance, he writes at one of these crises,
“with —— for mixing himself up with Church politics. I believe you
know what I think about them, namely, that both parties are right in
some things and wrong in others, and that the truth lies between
the two. I hope I shall always be able to express my dissent from
both without calling names or imputing motives, and when I hear
others doing so, I am always inclined, like yourself, to defend the
absent. I was very sorry to hear that —— has given up his parish. I
cannot understand his excessive attachment to what is, after all,
only the outside of religion; but he is so good a man, so hard-
working, so self-denying, that one feels what a great loss he must
be.”
Outside the Church the same religious unrest has had several
noteworthy results, perhaps the most remarkable of these being a
negative one: I mean, the aggressive attitude and movement of
what is popularly known as scientific thought. Amongst its leaders
have been, and are, some of the best, as well as the ablest, men of
our time, who have had, as they deserved to have, a very striking
influence. But the tone of scientific men towards religion has been
uniformly impatient or contemptuous, not seldom petulant. “Why go
on troubling yourselves and mankind about that of which you can
know nothing?” they have said. “This ‘eternal’ or ‘inner’ life of which
you prate is wholly beyond your ken. We can prove to you that much
of your so-called theology rests on unsound premises. Be content to
work and learn with us in the material world, of which alone you can
get to know anything certain.” That challenge has shaken the
foundations of much which called itself faith in our day. I never could
discover that my brother was ever seriously troubled by it.
Dissertations on the Mosaic cosmogony, theories of the origin of
species, speculations on the antiquity of man, and the like,
interested, but never seemed to rouse in him any of the alarm or
anger which they have excited in so many good Christians. Granting
all that they tend to prove, they deal only with the outward garment,
with the visible universe, and the life which must be lived in it,
leaving the inner and real life of mankind quite untouched.
He was, however, neither so tolerant of, nor I think so fair to, the
stirring of thought within the Church, which has resulted in criticisms
supposed to be destructive of much that was held sacred in the last
generation. His keen sense of loyalty was offended by anything
which looked like an attack coming from within the ranks, and so he
shared the feeling so widely, and I think wrongly, entertained by
English Churchmen, that the right of free thought and free speech
on the most sacred subjects should be incompatible with holding
office in the Church.
As to his own convictions on such subjects, he was extremely
reserved, owing to a tendency which he believed he had detected in
himself to religious melancholy, which he treated simply as a
disease. But no one who knew him at all could ever doubt that a
genuine and deep religious faith was the basis of his character, and
those who knew him best testify unanimously to its ever increasing
power. “I don’t know if you were ever told,” his sister writes, “of the
singular desire dying people had that George should be with them.
You know how reserved he was, and he would always think that
people would prefer some one who talked more to them, but I think
it was his great gentleness and strength which made the dying feel
him such a comfort. He never volunteered; but when sent for, as
was often the case, always went to them, and read and prayed
constantly with them as long as they lived. There was one poor
young man who died of consumption, and George was constantly
with him to the last. The father was a very disreputable character,
and George seldom saw him. But some time after the young man’s
death, the father met George in the fields, and threw himself on his
knees to bless him for his love for his dead son. George came home
much shocked that the man should have knelt to him. One old man,
whom he used to go to for weeks and weeks during his long last
illness, really adored him, and, when George was away for a short
time, prayed that he might live till he saw him again. And George
was back before he died.”
Of this old man, he writes himself to his mother:—
Intercourse of the most sacred and intimate kind with the old, and
dying, and suffering of another station in life is, however, far easier
to a man of reserved temper than it is with the young and healthy.
The most difficult class to reach in country villages, as in our great
towns, is that which is entering life, not that which is thinking of
quitting it. You may get young men together for cricket or football,
or even for readings, or in a club, and attain in the process a certain
familiarity with them, useful enough in its way, but not approaching
the kind of intimacy which should exist between people passing their
lives in the same small community. The effort to do anything more
with a class just emancipated from control, full of strength and
health, and as a rule suspicious of advances from those in a rank
above their own, must always be an exceedingly difficult one to
make for such a man as my brother, and is rarely successful. He
made it, and succeeded. During all the winter months, on every
Sunday evening the young men and the elder boys of the village
were invited to his house, and quite a number of them used to come
regularly. They were received by him and his wife. First he would
read a passage of Scripture, and explain and comment on it, and
afterwards he or his wife read to them some amusing book. He used
to speak with the greatest delight of the pleasure which these
meetings seemed to give, and of their excellent effect on his own
relations with the young men and boys who frequented them. When
the time for separating came, they used all to say the Apostles’
Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the following short prayer, which he
wrote[14] for the purpose:—
[14] Since this was printed I have heard that the prayer was
not written by him, but only adapted for the use of the boys from
a collection of some Church Society.
If I were to write a volume, I could throw no clearer light on the
inner life of my brother than shines out of this short, simple prayer,
written for village boys, and repeated with them week by week. Nor
is there any other picture of him that I would rather leave on your
minds than this. When I think of the help and strength which he has
been to me and many more, the noble lines on All Saints’ Day, of the
poet I have already quoted in this memoir, seem to be haunting me,
and with them I will end.
“Such lived not in the past alone,
But thread to-day the unheeding street,
And stairs to sin and sorrow known
Sing to the welcome of their feet.
FINIS.
ENIGMAS OF LIFE.
By W. R. GREG.
1 vol. 12mo. $2.00.
“It would be unfair to deny to these essays very great ability. The style is clear
and vigorous; the amount of thought and power displayed is considerable. Many
of the remarks on our social condition, on the prevention of disease, on the forces
which act on population, are exceedingly valuable, and may be read with much
advantage.”—The Illustrated Review (London).
“The whole set of Essays is at once the profoundest and the kindliest that has
for some time tried to set people a-thinking about themselves and their destiny.”—
Daily Telegraph (London).
“It is both an amusing and instructive book, evincing large research and giving
its results in a lucid and attractive style. The author’s purpose is to present old
tales and superstitions as interpreted by comparative mythology. The seven
chapters of the volume relate respectively to ‘The Origins of Folk Lore,’ ‘The
Descent of Fire,’ ‘Werewolves and Swan-Maidens,’ ‘Light and Darkness,’ ‘Myths of
the Barbaric World,’ ‘Juventus Mundi,’ and ‘The Primeval Ghost World.’ The volume
is so rich in matter that the task of selection is difficult.”—Boston Globe.
“With the capacity for profound research and the power of critical consideration,
he has a singular grace of style and an art of clear and simple statement which will
not let the most indifferent refuse knowledge of the topics treated. In such a field
as the discussion of old fables and superstitions affords, we have not only to
admire Mr. Fiske for the charm of his manner, but for the justice and honesty of his
method.”—The Atlantic Monthly.
“Mr. Fiske is a master of perspicuous explanation. He has not laid claim to any
originality in the present volume, but his most grudging critics must allow that his
presentation of this intricate subject is simple and straightforward and at the same
time scholarly.”—New York World.
BACKLOG STUDIES.
BY CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER,
AUTHOR OF “MY SUMMER IN A GARDEN,” “SAUNTERINGS,” ETC.
With Twenty-one Illustrations by Augustus Hoppin.
1 vol. Small quarto. $2.00.
MY SUMMER IN A GARDEN.
$1.00.
Illustrated by Hoppin. $3.00.
SAUNTERINGS.
$1.50.
“Since the English language has been written, we know of nothing comparable
to his style, splendor, variety, ease, idiomatic richness, and grace.”—London
Leader.
THE ROMANCE OF THE HAREM.
By MRS. A. H. LEONOWENS,
AUTHOR OF “THE ENGLISH GOVERNESS AT THE SIAMESE COURT.”
Illustrated. 12mo. $3.00.
“When we began to feel that the poetry of the East was exhausted, Mrs.
Leonowens opened for us the door into a land of romance as novel, as fascinating,
and as splendid as any the Orient has ever shown us. In her ‘English Governess at
the Siamese Court,’ we had a somewhat confused glimpse of it; but in ‘The
Romance of the Harem’ we have our curiosity fully satisfied.”—Hartford Courant.
1873
NEW BOOKS IN PRESS
FOR
SPRING PUBLICATION.
Messrs. JAMES R. OSGOOD & CO.’S
LIST OF WORKS IN PRESS FOR PUBLICATION DURING THE COMING SEASON.
Zelda’s Fortune.
Expiated. By the author of “Behind the Veil.”
Not Without Thorns. (Immediately.)