Marta
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I love to use observation together with creative writing. When observing something in nature (butterfly, bird, leaves changing colors, etc.) we write a story (either independently or as a class, depending on age group) in which our observations become key plot points in the tale. We practice asking "why" to move the story along. If a student writes about a butterfly landing on a flower, he or she must explain why the butterfly is there in the first place and why it chose to land on this flower, etc. Of course, this is creative writing so students are free to come up with fanciful explanations. However, once the story is complete, it is time to fact check. Creative writing allows student imagination and curiosity, and many times experimental questions, to arise naturally.
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One of the best ways is to model by example. "Today I saw... and I wondered..." Share your own questions with students and encourage them to ask their own questions about things they observe around them. Most importantly, fostering a safe environment where all questions are treated as important and valid. Once students feel comfortable asking questions, it is important to give them the space to answer questions and the freedom to give wrong answers without feeling bad, and giving them tools to analyze their answers and explore other ways to approach a problem to perhaps come up with a different solution.
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The "I Wonder" board is a great idea and can be used not only for science, but it could be adapted to foster curiosity about literature, history, geography, etc.
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I love the idea of having students share their findings with external audiences. I think providing students of any age with a feeling of empowerment to learn, to teach and to make valuable contributions to science and conservation are so important. We use eBird to record our bird sightings, but watching this video and reading the article has opened my eyes to so many other possibilities for expanding citizen science projects with our learners.
Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)