Strategies, Methodologies, Approaches in Teaching Science
Strategies, Methodologies, Approaches in Teaching Science
Strategies, Methodologies, Approaches in Teaching Science
(REPORTERS)
GANIE, JANINA GAROTE, MAIMONA
GAYAK, OMAIYA KALIS, SANDRA
KALIS, SHARALYN LANDASAN, MONAISA
LUMAHOG, PRINCESS MAKABANGEN, NORMA
WEEK 10-14
Strategies, Methodologies, and, Approaches in Teaching Science
Nature of Science:
What is Science, and why should we teach science? We live in a scientific and technological age,
and no citizen can survive in a developed society without basic scientific literacy and certain elementary
skills. We depend upon scientific knowledge and understanding for economic and material advancement.
Science is fundamentally concerned with exploring and interpreting physical work through the three
fundamental areas of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. One has to be trained to use it. This training comes
from teaching. Which helps in developing the power of thinking and reasoning, curiosity, open-mindedness,
and ultimately developing a scientific temper.
Science Curriculum:
Science has two basic components, viz. content, and processes. In Science texts, you can very easily
find out, 'What is content?' and 'What are processes?'. 'Law, Theories, Principles, Hypotheses. Equations and
concepts can be categorized, as content. Skills such as 'Observing, Classifying, using numbers, Measuring,
using space-time relationships, Communicating, Predicting, Inferring, defining operationally, formulating
hypotheses, Communicating, Predicting, Inferring, defining operationally, formulating hypotheses,
interpreting data, controlling variables and Experimenting' comprise processes.
Teaching a particular content and process has to be compatible with the 'Nature and Objective of
Science' with the cognitive level of a child and existing classroom conditions. You must have frequently
come across the terms, 'Approach and Method', they are not the same but have a fine line of difference
between them.
An approach may be explained as a comprehensive way of dealing with a particular problem. It is a
general plan of action, on the basis of which, various methods and models have been involved. However, a
method is an orderly and logical arrangement of ideas based on a particular approach. It is a procedural
illustration of systematic and clearly defined steps for accomplishing particular objectives. An approach
hence can be called a premise or precursor on which a method is designed.
There are a variety of approaches and methods for teaching science. We will discuss the following:
- Enquiry Approach
- Problem-Solving Approach
- Lecture-Cum-Demonstration Method
- Laboratory Method
- Scientific Method, and
- Project ‘Method
ENQUIRY APPROACH
If you want to develop in the child the spirit of enquiry, use the 'Enquiry Approach' while teaching
science. Enquiry Approach begins with a puzzling event like 'blowing out of an electric bulb in the class'.
Children enquire when there are explanations to be given/ obtained. After the puzzling event (problem) is
presented to the children, they may ask the teacher (you) some questions. You should not give the children
readymade answers. Let them enquire. You may answer the children's question with a 'yes' or 'no'. Each
question may be in the form of small hypotheses. Such teacher-student interaction may continue till the
children begin to formulate hypotheses about what happened in the puzzling event. Then, the children verify
these hypotheses after searching through reference material, and doing little experiments:
PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH
Problem-Solving Approach for teaching science is a technique that provides children with an
opportunity to solve scientific problems quite independently or through a guided approach by following
systematic steps. When you want to use this approach to teach a science topic, you will have to start your
lesson with a problem. The children then will think of some possible solutions to the problem (hypotheses)
based on their previous knowledge. To test these hypotheses, children are engaged in self-study, mutual
discussion (learner-learner interaction, and teacher-learner interaction), and practical work. They test their
hypotheses one by one, and finally, they are able to find out the best possible solution for the problem i.e.
conclusion.
DEMONSTRATION METHOD
Demonstration means 'to show'. In the lecture method, the teacher just talks but in the demonstration
method, he shows or illustrates certain phenomena, concepts, or principles. Demonstrations provide concrete
experiences to students. Thus, it helps to understand abstract ideas to students.
LECTURE-CUM-DEMONSTRATION METHOD
In essence, a lecture consists of one person talking to many about a topic or theme. The talk may be
augmented by the use of a demonstration being performed by the teacher, then we call it a lecture-cum-
demonstration. The main purposes of a lecture-cum-demonstration are:
a) To convey information
b) To generate understanding
c) To stimulate interest.
LABORATORY METHOD
In the laboratory method, students perform laboratory experiments by their own hands individually
or in small groups, under the supervision and guidance of their science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology)
teacher. So, here students are more active and involved as compared to the Lecture-Demonstration method,
where the teacher was performing experiments and most of the students in the class were just passive
observers. The role of the teacher when using this method is that of a facilitator. The teacher goes to
different individuals or small groups, observes what they are doing, corrects them if they are doing
something wrong, and is always available to students when they really need him for guidance.
PROJECT METHOD
A project is a purposeful activity. It may be a preparation of a mod static or working, a chart or
performing an experiment. Here are examples of some good science projects improved bullock cart, a solar
cooker-cum-solar power generator, a computer-controlled car, a simple device to prove Newton's third law
of motion, a working model of the solar system, determination of the time of a falling body, a device for
conversion of waste mechanical energy to electrical energy, sewage treatment and re-use of water, extraction
of oil from rice bran, very cheap symbiotic bacteria rhizobium substantial for expensive nitrogenous
fertilizers, cheap record player, digital clock, kitchen flask, milk plant, multi-purpose cherkah, food feeding
machine for physically handicapped, low-cost tricycle for handicapped children and so on.
LET US SUM UP
There are various approaches and methods of teaching science like – The inquiry approach, problem-
solving approach, lecture-cum-demonstration method, laboratory method, scientific method, and project
method. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. You should be very careful in selecting a
method for teaching science. You should be very clear on how to use different approaches and methods,
when to use and why to use them. All this will depend upon your objectives, your resources, classroom
conditions, and of course, the topic you're going to teach. It is advisable to practice each approach and
method as far as possible, in your practice teaching.
Where, P is the power, W is the work done and t is the time taken.
ELECTRICITY
Most people know what electricity is. It comes out of the wall sockets in our homes and makes the
lights go on. It can hurt you if you touch it. Why is that? Why do you get a shock when you touch a
doorknob? Lightning looks like electricity. Why is that?
Everything in the world is made up of tiny particles called atoms. They are so small that they cannot
be seen even with a microscope. Atoms are made of two kinds of electric charge. In the middle of the atoms
are the positive charges and flying around the outside are the negative charges. Most of the time, there are
just as many positive charges as negative charges. Each positive charge has a negative partner. Sometimes,
however, there are too many of one kind of charge. These extra charges go looking for a companion. These
negative charges are called electrons and are not held very tightly in the atom,
so it is easy for them to move around. The moving electrons make up what we
call electricity. There are two kinds of electricity: static and current.
Static electricity is what makes your hair stand up when you rub a
balloon against it or gives you a shock from your doorknob. In static
electricity, electrons are moved around mechanically (i.e. by someone rubbing two things together). When
you drag your feet across the carpet, extra charge is scraped off the rug and collected on your body. When
you touch a doorknob, all the charge wants to leave you and go to the doorknob. You see a spark and get a
shock as the electrons leave you.
Lightning is the result of static electricity. In a thunderstorm, negatively charged particles can build
up in a cloud. Electrons repel each other; they really don’t like each other and want to get as far away from
each other as possible. The farthest they can get away from each other is if they go into the ground because
it’s the biggest thing around. As the electrons jump to the group, we see lightning. It’s just like a big spark.
Benjamin Franklin found out that lightning can be very dangerous. Lightning has more than 20 million
Volts!
In current electricity, electricity has to flow in a closed
loop called a circuit. If the loop is broken anywhere, the
electricity can’t get through. This is like blood in the body.
Blood gets pumped through your arteries by the heart and
eventually comes back to the heart through your veins. In a
circuit, electric charges are the blood and the wires are the
arteries and veins. Electric charges have a certain amount of
energy. The measure of this energy is called voltage (Volts). A
flashlight battery has about 1 ½ Volts and your wall socket has
about 120 Volts. The electrons moving through a circuit are
called a current. You can get an electric shock when a big current – lots of electrons – flows through your
body.
The electrons in a circuit have to be pushed by something, like a battery. If you look at one end of a
battery, there is a + sign, this is where the extra positive charges are. At the other end, where there’s a – sign,
there are extra negative charges (electrons). When we turn on a flashlight the electrons race out of the
battery through the wires to get to where the positive charges are. On their way, they run through the wire
inside the light bulb. The thin wire inside the bulb gets very hot and makes light.
MAGNETISM
Magnetism is the force exerted by magnets when they attract or repel each other. Magnetism is
caused by the motion of electric charges.
Every substance is made up of tiny units called atoms. Each atom has electrons, particles that carry
electric charges. Spinning like tops, the electrons circle the nucleus, or core, of an atom. Their movement
generates an electric current and causes each electron to act like a microscopic magnet.
In most substances, equal numbers of electrons spin in opposite directions, which cancels out their
magnetism. That is why materials such as cloth or paper are said to be weakly magnetic. In substances such
as iron, cobalt, and nickel, most of the electrons spin in the same direction. This makes the atoms in these
substances strongly magnetic—but they are not yet magnets.
To become magnetized, another strongly magnetic substance must enter the magnetic field of an
existing magnet. The magnetic field is the area around a magnet that has magnetic force.
All magnets have north and south poles. Opposite poles
are attracted to each other, while the same poles repel each
other. When you rub a piece of iron along a magnet, the north-
seeking poles of the atoms in the iron line up in the same
direction. The force generated by the aligned atoms creates a
magnetic field. The piece of iron has become a magnet.
Some substances can be magnetized by an electric
current. When electricity runs through a coil of wire, it
produces a magnetic field. The field around the coil will
disappear, however, as soon as the electric current is turned off.
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