ASSIGNMENT (60%)

JANUARY 2024 SEMESTER

SUBJECT CODE : ECE 221

SUBJECT TITLE : Science for Young Children

PROGRAMME : GRADUATE DIPLOMA

STUDENT’S NAME : SRI LAKSMI DEVI A/P SINNASAMY

MATRIC NO. : E30301240024

ACADEMIC : DR LEE GAY WAH

FACILITATOR

LEARNING CENTRE : SHINGO - KL

Part A

a)
The research focuses on the role of parents in assisting inquiry-based science
activities at home. It identifies three factors that guides parents participation: the
affective factor, the knowledge and skills factor, and the organizational factor. The
parent’s need for background knowledge is important for explaining visible truths to
the child. The parent ensures that instructions are followed and the child can complete
as much as possible independently.

The parent’s efforts, interest, and affective support play an important role in
completing activities at home. The parent’s involvement in the video-based online
science club activities is necessary for the child’s understanding of the science of
phenomena. However, the parent’s motivation and interest are not enough reasons to
arrange a time slot for the activities.

The research also brings out the importance of the parent’s involvement in the
process. The parent should be motivated and interested in the science of phenomena,
as well as the child’s ability to understand the concept. The online learning
environment should offer support in these areas to help parents participate in such
activities.

The study suggests that the parent’s involvement in the science club activities is
important for the child’s commitment and understanding of the subject matter. The
parent’s involvement in the science club activities should be based on their own
interests and abilities, rather than entirely on the child’s enjoyment or difficulty in
understanding the subject matter.

In conclusion, the research highlights the importance of parental support in facilitating

inquiry-based science activities at home. By showing the affective, knowledge, and
organizational factors, parents can better support their children’s learning experiences
and play a part to the the success of the science club activities.
b)

Teachers guide parents in facilitating hands-on science experiments at home as

encourage to active participation from both parents and children. Planning science
labs online involves deciding whether to use virtual or hands-on experiments. Virtual
labs are interactive digital simulations of physical laboratory activities, allowing
students to observe and manipulate computer-generated object or phenomena. Hands-
on labs involve physical experiments using concrete materials, tools and equipment,
using ready-made kits. An effective cause balances there approaches to ensure
students can safely handle lab-grade materials without direct supervision.

Encourage children to use all their senses and describe their observation of
seeds, such as their appearance feel, and smell. Support problem-solving by asking
questions like “what would happen if…” and “How could…” to encourage children to
think creatively and explore their surroundings.

To increase children’s thinking, provide experiences that extend their

understanding of plants and seeds. Encourage them to explore indoor and outdoor
plants at a nursery or botanical garden. Record their activities and responses to
identify patterns in their thinking. For example, introduce a big item that will float to
challenge their thinking. Be a co-explorer, sharing your observations, predictions,
ideas, and modeling the behaviour of a scientist. Look for teachable moments during
daily routines to connect with children’s science explorations. By doing so you can
help children develop critical thinking skills and develop a deeper understanding of
the world around them.

During mealtime, encourage children to practice science by measuring, estimating,

comparing and recognizing shapes. Reread comfort books and create a lab for science
experiments.
Part B

Understanding science involves connecting new knowledge to pre-exist ones, which

can be challenging for novices due to the complexity of new ideas and resistance to
change. Great science teaching requires understanding progression and conceptual
change, starting with concrete ideas and moving to more abstract ones. Great science
teachers focus on big ideas that remove unnecessary noise and start with observations
to explain complex ideas.

Science is a discipline that explains the physical world, so it's important to start with
observations and be passionate about what you do. Whole class practical work is not
the best way to teach most scientific concepts, but focusing on key aspects is crucial.

Motivation is key for both teachers and students, and both should feel clever and
remember that "you can't touch their brain until you've touched their heart." Practice
is essential, as teachers need to rehearse explanations and students need to consolidate
through deliberate practice.

Science teachers can make a difference through formative assessment, which is most
rich when it's done through tasks that make learning visible and allow teachers to
respond. MCQs can be useful in this context, as they help students understand and
respond to their learning.

There are multiple ways to nurture the innate curiosity among young children within
the realm of science. First of all, we should consider the child’s questions. “Why is
the moon following us?”, children point this out to us that they are thinking about how
the world functions with this request. We can answer in a way that encourages them
use of science. Consider our possible reaction. Do we find it cute or not? (it is! But
the question also demonstrates children’s critical thinking!)
If we are unsure about the solution, what more can we do? (Never fear. It’s possible
that our youngsters would like to share something interesting with us. Take pleasure
is answering children’s concerns. Invite them to discuss their opinions and
observations

The next way to encourage children’s curiosity is to investigate and come to the
solutions together. It’s not necessary for us to act as children’s dictionary and rush to
respond all of their questions. Asking additional questions and motivating more
thinking can be achieved by answering with “What do you think” or “I don’t know
but we can find out together”. Investigate and turn up at the solutions together.

Furthermore,educators should allow them the time and space to explore. Science is
taught to kids through experimentation. They need time to think independently, try
things out, and experiment. Hold out on providing the “correct” responses just yet.
Give children the freedom to explore and learn on their own schedules.

We also should recognize that discoveries can often appear messy. Yes, Children are
likely to become messy while they investigate things, whether it’s indoors with water
or outdoors with mud and sticks. Give kids old clothes to wear and let them know it’s
okay to get messy.

Moreover, we can learn from our errors together.If an experiment goes wrong, seize
the opportunity to work with your child to figure out what went wrong. A mistake
may open up a world of possibilities and provide you and your child the chance to
improve your ideas, understanding, and theories.

Appoint a curious person. Curiosity is the first step towards studying science. An
environment of discovery may be created by questions and observations, which is
necessary for scientific learning. Even when taking a bath, kids may pick up a lot of
science knowledge. While you may encourage curiosity, you should also let your kid
ask questions on her own. Say, "I wonder if the soap will also float?" in response to
him observing a rubber duck float in the water. Take a look at their research and tests.

Encourage further research.Educating adults in meaningful interactions with kids may

improve their education. When the time is appropriate, perhaps after they has finished
their independent research, make a proposal to continue their investigation. We
should instruct our youngster by posing questions such as, "What could happen if we
try this?"

Talk about some of the items we discover while walking; one such item is a stunning
striped rock. This teaches children that there's always something worth looking into
and learning more about.It could also teaches children how rare and creative the
nature is.