Best+Practices

Best Practices

“Learning science is something students do, not something that is done to them. In learning science, students describe objects and events, ask questions, acquire knowledge, construct explanations of natural phenomena, test those explanations in many different ways, and communicate their ideas to others.” (National Science Education Standards, 1996)

Science is a way of exploring and finding out about the natural world, and children are natural scientists. Students should be called upon to design and conduct experiments, analyze data, draw conclusions and discuss/justify their results. A textbook is only a resource and should be used only as one of many tools for instruction.

**Classroom Instruction that Works**  by Robert J. Marzano, Debra J. Pickering, Jane E. Pollock

 This book details nine instructional practices that research shows can improve student achievement.

[|Classroom Instruction that Works]

[|Preview]

[|Getting Acquanted with the Essential Nine]

[|Integrating Technology into the Classroom using Instructional Strategies from: **Classroom Instruction that Works**]

[|Putting the Pieces Together]

[|Focus on Effectiveness]

"The Texas Education Agency commissioned Texas A&M University at College Station to conduct a meta-analysis of national science education research to identify the most effective science instructional tools and methods."



Phillip Schlechty works in school reform from a viewpoint of student engagement related to the quality of the work assigned. His efforts often focus on "Working on the Work".

[|Schlechty Center] [|Schlechty philosophy]

[|US Department of Education: Doing What Works Math & Science]