Term
Fall 2020
Capstone
Capstone Project
Degree Name
MAT
Facilitator(s)
Jennifer L. Carlson and Julia Reimer
Content Expert
Rebecca Holscher
Abstract
The history of science education has seen dramatic changes since its formal introduction to school curriculum in the last half of the 1800s. Science has moved from a passive learning experience to much more active and student-driven pedagogy. In 2014, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were introduced and states have been adopting these since then. As a way to meet the demands of the NGSS, inquiry-based science lessons have been created. One branch of inquiry-based learning is using phenomena as a way to introduce new content and having students use prior knowledge and models to explain the science behind the phenomena. Research shows creating lessons that allow students to evaluate and explain phenomena using their own words and the teacher following up with accurate explanations and terminology leads to a stronger understanding and better thinking skills. This capstone project uses a year-long curriculum rooted in phenomena-based lessons to help answer the research question: How does embedding phenomena-based learning practices into middle school science curriculum help students become critical thinkers and develop a deeper understanding of the scientific content.
Project Type
Curriculum
Keywords
Curriculum, Science, Teachers/ Teaching
Recommended Citation
Kubat, Allison, "Embedding Phenomena-Based Learning Practices Into a Middle School Science Curriculum" (2020). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. 602.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_cp/602
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Projects