10 INNOVATIVE METHOD

IN TEACHING SCIENCE
 APPROACH
Set of principles, beliefs or ideas
W h a t ’s t h e d i ff e r e n c e ? about the nature of learning.

STRATEGY
Long term plan of action designed to
achieve a particular goal

TECHNIQUE
Teacher’s particu;arstyle and well-
defined procedure used to
accomplish a specific activity or task

METHOD
Systematic way of doing something
which implies logical arrangement of
steps
01 REFLECTIVE TEACHING
METHOD

Students/teachers learn through an

analysis and evaluation of past
experiences. Without analysis, no
new learning and ideas can be
constructed.
 Strategies of Reflective
Teaching

• Self analysis
• Writing journals
• Keeping a portfolio
02 INDUCTIVE METHOD

• Is also referred to as indirect

instruction
• It begins from specific to general
• It begins with questions,
problems, and details and end up
with answers, generalizations,
conclusions.
 Advantages of Inductive
Method

• Learners are more engaged in the

teaching-learning process
• Learning becomes more interesting at
the outset because of it begins with
the experiences of the learners
• Develops higher order thinking skills
(HOTS)
03 INQUIRY METHOD

• Is sometimes termed as
“discovery”, “hueristic”, and
“problem solving”
• Defined as a teaching method
which is modelled after the
investigative processes of
scientists.
 Characteristics of Inductive
Method

• Investigative processes such as

inferring, hypothesizing, measuring,
predicting, etc. are employed
• The procedure in gathering
information is not prescribed by the
teachers
• Children are highly motivated to
search
• The answers arrived are genuine
products of their own effort.
04 PROBLEM SOLVING
METHOD
• The problem-solving method
in teaching involves providing students
with real-world problems that they
must solve through collaboration and
critical thinking. This method
encourages students to apply their
knowledge and creativity to develop
solutions that are effective and
practical.
• Strategy that employs scientific
method in searching for information
 5 Basic Step of Problem
Solving Method

1. Sensing and defining the problem

2. Formulating hypothesis
3. Testing the likely hypothesis
4. Analysis, interpretation, and
evaluation of evidence
5. Formulating conclusion
 COOPERATIVE
05 LEARNING METHOD
• Makes use of classroom organization
where students work in groups or teams
to help each other learn
• Students work in team to tackle academic
tasks
• Reward systems are group-oriented
rather than individually-oriented
• Teams are made up of mixed abilities
• Each individual learner is accountable for
his/her learning.
 Elements of the Cooperative
Learning Method

1. Positive interdependence
2. Face-to-face interaction
3. Individual and group-accountability
4. Interpersonal and small group skills
5. Group processing
06 PEER TEACHING
METHOD
• The best way to learn is to teach it
• Peer tutoring is commonly employed
when the teacher requests the older,
brighter and more cooperative member of
the class to tutor other classmates.
 5 Tutoring Arrangements

1. Instructional tutoring
2. Same-age tutoring
3. Monitorial Tutoring
4. Structured tutoring
5. Semi-structured tutoring
07 SIMULATION METHOD
• “Simulation is the process of designing a
model of a real system and conducting
experiments with this model for the purpose
of understanding the behavior (with the
limits imposed by a criterion or set of
criteria) for the operation of the system” –
Shannon
• It tests the knowledge and skill levels of the
participants by placing them in situations
and scenarios where they must solve
problems actively.
 Advantages of Simulation
Method

1. Develops self-confidence
2. Links theory with practice
3. Critical analysis
4. Develops social skills
5. Self monitoring
 OBSERVATION
08 METHOD
• Described as a method to observe and
describe the behavior of a subject.
• A way of collecting relevant information
and data by observing.
• Referred to as a participatory study
because the researcher has to establish a
link with respondent and for this has to
immerse himself in the same setting as
theirs
 Techniques of
Observation Method

1. Field trips
2. Community survey
3. Community service projects
 BLENDED
09 LEARNING METHOD
• This environment understands
and acknowledges that not all
students learn in the same ways.
• Having the variety of technology
in the classroom gives students
the option to learn in the best
way that fits for their learning
style.
 Ways to Practice Blended
Learning

1. Having education apps up and

running
2. Following some official learning sites
for teaching and studying
3. Having e-learning software
4. Video conferencing of teachers and
students.
 GAMIFICATION
10 METHOD
• It refers to making learning game-
oriented or in other words, making
game learning-oriented.
• Games help students learn in a
playful manner, yet keeping the
learning flame on.
 Guiding Principles of
Gamification Method

1. Set the rules and expectations clearly

2. Make a grading scale to mark the
progress
3. Keep a balance between fun and serious
learning
THANK YOU
ARTICLES ON INNOVATIVE
SCIENCE TEACHING
METHODS
Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools

AUTHORS
1. Nathan BALASUBRAMANIAN
2. Brent G. WILSON
3. Krzysztof J. CIOS
Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools

• ABSTRACT
• This article describes the design of an
interactive learning environment to increase
student achievement in secondary schools
by addressing students’ preconceptions, and
promoting purposeful social collaboration,
distributed cognition, and contextual
learning.
Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools

• The paper presents the framework that

guided our design efforts to immerse all
students in a progression of guided-inquiry
hands-on activities. Students find
compelling reasons to learn by responding
to authentic sciencebased challenges, both
in simulations and hands-on activities,
based on specific instructional objectives
derived from the national science and
technology standards.
Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• INTRODUCTION
• Schools have numerous responsibilities, including
teaching the students observation, critical thinking,
mathematical reasoning, communication and problem-
solving skills. Science and pre-engineering, properly
taught, can help schools fulfill these responsibilities
because students can apply the knowledge and skills
learned in their academic subjects to solve practical
problems in their science classes. In particular, developing
students’ conceptual understanding and analytical abilities
through doing authentic science-based guided-inquiry
hands-on activities enhances students’ self-worth and
confidence, and consequently improves their school-wide
academic achievement
Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• INTRODUCTION
• This paper describes the researchers’ preliminary efforts at
addressing these challenges using a design experiment to
inform both theory and practice. The conceptual
framework (section 3.1) describes the theory.
Concurrently, we developed a prototype and necessary
instruction for teaching the concept that “electrical circuits
require a complete loop through which an electrical
current can pass" to middle-school students.
 Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• STRUCTURED-SCENARIO ONLINE GAMES
(STRONG)
• The middle-school wonder years are critical periods in the
personal, emotional, social, and cognitive development of
students. During this period, students have a tendency to
rush through building activities without much reflection.
Bransford and Donovan [10] observe that this is due to
students’ preconception of experimentation as a way of
trying things out instead of testing their ideas.

• Researchers define a game as an engaging interactive

learning environment that captivates a player by offering
challenges that require increasing levels of mastery. The
Laser Challenge Game [12] designed by the Nobel
Foundation exemplifies this definition. In our classroom
study, we found that all middleschool students,
disaggregated by gender and ethnicity, made significant
 Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• STRUCTURED-SCENARIO ONLINE GAMES
(STRONG)
• Researchers designed STRuctured-scenario ONline
Games (STRONG, in short) as modular, self-contained,
easily accessible, multi-player, online interactive learning
environments, to direct, facilitate, and assess students'
conceptual science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) understanding through deliberate
reflection.

• STRONG scenarios and challenges are designed to

promote a deliberate STOP → REFLECT → THINK →
ACT approach to rekindle students' intentionality and
inherent preference for goal-oriented action.
Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• STRUCTURED-SCENARIO ONLINE GAMES
(STRONG)
Peggy: Oh great! Now what are we going to do? Cassandra:
Sweet! Let's play cops and robbers.
Peggy: We need to get help quick.
Cassandra: Are you kidding me? This is freaking awesome.
Peggy: Are you kidding ME? This is freaking . . . FREAKY.
Cassandra: No way, this is the ultimate opportunity to play the
best, the most extreme, the greatest game of cops and robbers
known to humankind.
Peggy: OK, just one game, but after that we're getting help.
Cassandra: Deal! I'm the robber, you try to find me.
Peggy: OK, go. (a couple of minutes pass)
Peggy: Uh Oh! I can't find you. This is scary. Where are - -
(cut off because she fell). I tripped on a rock. Help me.
Cassandra: HA HA HA, you tripped. I mean . . . are you
okay?
 Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• STRUCTURED-SCENARIO ONLINE GAMES
(STRONG)
Cassandra: That's not a rock. It's a treasure chest from the old
Captain Willy.
Peggy: I don't think we should open it, there could be
something dangerous in there. Let's get help first.
Cassandra: Oh yeah! I have my cell phone, we could just call
my mom.
Peggy: Why didn't you think of this before?
Cassandra: Uh oh . . .
Peggy: What?
Cassandra: No signal, I hate my phone service, it never works
Peggy: We're doomed. Well, I guess we could open the box to
see what's in it . . .
Cassandra: It's not a box. It's a treasure, but let's look inside.
(open the box)
Peggy: It's some wire and . . .
Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• STRUCTURED-SCENARIO ONLINE GAMES
(STRONG)
Cassandra: Gold?
Peggy: No a light bulb and . . .
Cassandra: Gold?
Peggy: No a battery. We can put this together to make a signal
to get us out of this eerie place.
Cassandra: We could scream for help, someone might hear us
as well.
Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• Curriculum-Centered Design
In the researchers’ early design of STRONG, students learn,
use and understand one concept from the National Science
Education Standards [9], "electrical circuits require a
complete loop through which an electrical current can pass"
(p. 127), while building simple electrical circuits for a
warning device. Along with this concept, players of
STRONG will learn and use the knowledge and skills in three
labeled strands in the Atlas for Science Literacy [18]: lines of
reasoning, failure, and interacting parts.

There are four levels in STRONG: beginner, intermediate,

proficient, and advanced to correspond with the primary, (K-
2), elementary, (3-5), middle, (5-8), and high, (9-12) school
grades in the Benchmarks
Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
 Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• PROTOTYPE OF STRONG
Basic Game Components STRONG
1. Player Roles Players select one of the six online avatars
and watch scenarios unfold. Our current
design does not give players more freedom
and control over their clothes and their
environment, but these power-ups will be
incorporated in subsequent designs to
reward higher team scores.

2. Game Rules Students take a pretest (hands-on and

online), watch engaging scenarios unfold as
Flash movies, use embedded electrical circuit
construction Java simulations, answer six
randomly selected questions, and take a post
test (hands-on and online).
 Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• PROTOTYPE OF STRONG
Basic Game Components STRONG
3. Goals and Players will learn, use and understand at
Objectives least one core concept from the standards,
while building simple electrical circuits for a
warning device.

4. Puzzles or Problems Players demonstrate an understanding of

(Challenges) how a simple circuit might be connected for
wiring a warning device, using only one light
bulb and a battery. Each STRONG
assessment question is a puzzle or problem
or challenge in itself.
 Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• PROTOTYPE OF STRONG
Basic Game Components STRONG
5. Narrative or Story The dialogue about cops and robbers
between Peggy and Cassandra when their
cave is suddenly engulfed in
darkness depicts a typical scenario in
STRONG.

6. Players’ Student discussions, building various circuit

Interactions designs using hands-on and Java simulations,
answering six questions (three for each
player) for assessment even as they
alternate and collaborate represents
expected interactions.
 Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• PROTOTYPE OF STRONG
Basic Game Components STRONG
7. Payoffs and What kind of confidence multiplier factors
Strategies might players use? With raw scores varying
from 0 to 1, multiplying it with a multiplier
could change the final scaled team scores
significantly.

8. Outcomes and Players learn and demonstrate

Feedback understanding of the concept “electrical
(Embodying concepts to circuits require a complete loop through
be learned which an electrical current can pass," after
reflecting on the critique and feedback in the
STRONG prototype.
Innovative Methods of Teaching
Science and Engineering in
Secondary Schools
• CONCLUSION
A tool like STRONG empowers both students and teachers.
STRONG meets learner needs because it supports students’
preference for learning by doing. STRONG is promising for
instructors because it supports teachers who engage students
with guided-inquiry hands-on learning. A solid foundation in
STEM during students’ critical developmental years will help
them enhance their lifelong learning goals.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
• ABSTRACT
The paper innovative teaching methods in science education,
reviewed different innovative teaching methods. Theoretical
background of the study is the constructivist theory that
advocates active student participation unlike the ‘’talk and
chalk method of teaching where learners are spoon-fed
information instead of discovering for themselves. Concepts
such as innovative and teaching methods were explained.
Conventional teaching methods were discussed. Innovative
teaching methods were suggested.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
• ABSTRACT
Some advantages of the innovative methods include; creating a
sense of responsibility in students as they become more
involved in their learning, building a team spirit in students,
etc. Some disadvantages are; it’s time consuming and maybe
expensive. Notwithstanding the disadvantages, they offer better
teaching and learning option in that they are more
learnercentered than the traditional methods. Teachers are
therefore encouraged to fully adopt these methods or
incorporate them into the traditional teaching methods they
use.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
• AUTHORS

E.U.C. Nwaeze
R.C. Onuoha
Ifeoma Ukogo
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
• PROBLEM AND PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
• According to research, the conventional lecture approach in
classroom is of limited effectiveness in both teaching and
learning, because students assume a purely passive role and
their concentration fades off after 15-20 minutes,
(Damodharan and Rengarajan, 1997). Effective
concentration leads to improved learning outcome.

• Study aims at; briefly discussing conventional teaching

methods in use currently, its advantages and disadvantages,
enumerating various innovative teaching strategies
available for the use of science educators in Nigeria.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
• Theoretical Background
• The theoretical basis of this study is the Constructivist
theory propounded by Jean Piaget, 1896-1980. This is a
learning theory that explains how students can acquire
knowledge or learn and describes how learning happens.

• A major feature of constructivism is that it is student-driven

rather than teacher-driven. Students take part in hands-on,
collaborative and/or project-based learning. In science
education, this is often called inquirybased learning. This is
an important part of many contemporary science curricula,
in which students explore science concepts for themselves
through carefully set-up experiments.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
• CONVENTIONAL VS. INNOVATIVE
TEACHING METHODS
CONVENTIONAL INNOVATIVE
• Lecture Method • Multimedia Learning
• Demonstration Method Process
• Discussion Method • Activity Based Teaching
on Science Principles
• Role Playing and
Scenario Based Teaching
• Z to A Approach
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
• CONVENTIONAL/TRADITIONAL TEACHING
METHODS
Advantages of Lecture Method
• It does not take much of the teachers’ time.
• The teacher can pass much information across within a short
time since it is a one-way flow.

Disadvantages of lecture method

• There is a “one way flow” of information.
• The teachers’ continuous talk leads to lack of feedback from
the students.
• Teaching and learning are concentrated more on theoretical
method rather than practical.
• Students learn from memorization rather than by
understanding.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
• CONVENTIONAL/TRADITIONAL TEACHING
METHODS
Advantages of Demonstration Method
• It saves time and facilitates material economy.
• Students receive feedback immediately through their own
products.
• It gives a real-life situation of course of study as students
acquire skills in real-life situations using tools and materials.
• It helps to motivate students when carried out by skilled
teachers and it is good in showing the appropriate ways of
doing things.

Disadvantages of Demonstration Method

• It is not suitable for a large classroom as students at the back
will not be able to see the demonstration.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
• CONVENTIONAL/TRADITIONAL TEACHING
METHODS
Advantages of Discussion Method
• Helps in students’ problem solving skills as they bring out their own
ideas on issues.
• It helps in sharpening critical and quantitative thinking skills. • Helps
students learn how to explain in their own words what they are
thinking and doing and not just to memorize terms.
• It motivates students more to prepare for a class in which they are
expected to participate actively in.

Disadvantages of Discussion Method

• It is more time consuming.
• The teacher needs to be a good facilitator to lead an effective
discussion.
• Discussions are likely to become disorganized or irrelevant, if not
properly guided.
• Some students may not function effectively in a class where much of
the time is devoted to student discussion, due to shyness or other
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS
• Multimedia Learning Process
Multimedia, is the combination of various digital media types
such as text, images, audio and video, into an integrated multi-
sensory interactive application or presentation to convey
information to an audience, (Wideman, 2003). Interactive
multimedia teaching process involves teaching using game and
simulations, through activities that engage the senses.

Some multimedia tools are; Microsoft PowerPoint which is

slide-based and can be prepared with many of the popular
multimedia elements like graphs, sound and video.

Movie based multimedia tools using Windows Movie Maker.

This can be used in the teaching of life sciences through
making movies of important life processes such as germination
of plants, reproduction etc.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS
• Activity- Based Teaching on Science Principles
This method is important as science should not be done
theoretically but needs to also be praticalized. This is the
practical based study of the theories in the course. Thus it is
important that all science subjects be taught practically as well
as theoretically.

Activity-based teaching can be done using resources such as

Indoor laboratory or Field laboratory – this can be set up in
schools with very minimal resources especially for the life
sciences.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS
• Role Playing and Scenario Based Teaching
Role-plays according to Onwukwe (2010) are activities
designed to allow the participants (students) assume characters
that help them perform certain roles in an imaginary social set
up. In this method, the students do not just read, watch or tell
about a topic but act it out as in a play.

By engaging in role-playing, students acquire new experience

that helps them to view the information they have (their basic
knowledge) in a new, realistic light.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS
• Z to A Approach
In this method, the teacher takes the approach of attempting to
explain the application part of a particular concept first before
explaining the concept itself. The teacher should explain the
application of a particular concept first and explain the effects
of such applications. For instance, explaining Galileo's
“leaning tower of Pisa experiment’’ of two different objects
falling at the same rate using traditional method and Z-A
approach.

Traditional way of teaching method will be explaining the

theorem first and followed by its application. But Z-A approach
goes opposite in a manner that the proof or application is
explained first and later the theory.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS
ADVANTAGES
a. Good for students with low attention span as it effectively
retains students’ attention because of the colorful interface.
b. They are more student-centered than traditional methods as
the students do most of the work while the teacher more or less
supervises.
c. Helps to create a sense of responsibility, accomplishment and
maturity in students as they are solely responsible for every
decision they take in the course of their projects and
assignments.
d. Enables students to see the practical applications of the
concepts they have been taught as they try their hands on what
they were taught.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS
ADVANTAGES
e. Creates long lasting memory/correlation of a concept.
f. Facilitates collaborative work among students. In
collaborating during assignments, peer tutoring was often
possible among students’ where knowledge is passed on from
one person to another.
g. Students tend to perform better, i.e. research showed that
student taught chemistry using role playing performed better
than those taught using conventional methods, (Onwukwe,
2010).
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
CONCLUSION
All the mentioned teaching methods and more all have
advantages and disadvantages meaning that none is a perfect
method. The essence of teaching being to expose students to
knowledge, it is therefore important that they are made to be
actively involved in the process. Traditional methods do not
allow for active participation of students, thus the need for
innovative teaching methods which do. This is therefore where
the mentioned innovative teaching methods of; role playing, Z-
A approach, multimedia learning process and activity-based
teaching through practical comes into play.

They are necessary to modern day teaching and learning

because they have removed the old passivity of the learners
replacing it with activity.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
CONCLUSION
Teachers are no longer required to bear the full burden of the
students learning but are seen more as guide, facilitator and
role models that direct and steer the students towards their
learning needs. There is therefore need for urgent application of
some of these methods in teaching basic science. In cases
where it’s not possible, a combination of traditional and
modern methods should be combined for a more fulfilling
teaching and learning experience.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN
SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR JUNIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL BASIC
SCIENCE STUDENTS.
THE WAY FORWARD
• Professional development should be made an integral part of
schools culture to help develop the teachers’ skills.

• Government should endeavor to provide enabling

environment for the maximum functioning of the teacher
through provision of necessary resources in schools.

• Parents in the form of school PTA’s should (in situations

where there are lapses) step in to ensure the provision of
basic equipment for these teaching methods.
THANK YOU