This is the final blog in a three-part series focused on small teacher actions that can significantly increase students’ ability to engage in sensemaking.
As educators and students across the country head back to school, we’re wrapping up our three-part series on sensemaking. We’ve defined sensemaking and explained how phenomena are the anchor for sensemaking. Now, we’ll look at another significant factor in sensemaking — supporting students in learning science through authentic discussions.
When we imagine a scientist, we often picture a lone researcher in a lab or a polished presenter at a conference. However, science is inherently a collaborative effort. Scientific discoveries result from exchanging ideas, challenging assumptions, and collective efforts. People who talk about science, from young students to those in advanced labs, are learning through their conversations. This collaborative sensemaking depends on being able to communicate with others.
Here is a short example of what this could sound like:
Two students are reviewing data from an investigation where they dropped a paper box and a wooden box from the roof and timed how long each took to hit the ground.
Ben: The wooden box hit the ground way faster than the paper box. I thought they’d fall at the same speed.
Maya: Me too, but the data doesn’t lie. It’s like the heavier wooden box fell faster. We did it three times, and it was the same every time.
Ben: Maybe it’s because the wooden box is heavier. Like, it has more mass.
Maya: So, you’re saying that heavier things fall faster?
Ben: I’m not sure. I really thought everything would take the same time to fall the same distance.
Maya: I don’t know, but it’s weird.
Ben: Or maybe the heavier something is, the harder it is to slow down?
Maya: That makes sense. For our next trial, we should try dropping something even heavier to see if it takes less time than the wooden box.
Discussions like this don’t happen by accident. Educators have to create the conditions for students to work together. Here are some ideas to get started:
1. Pose questions that lead to more questions.
Sensemaking happens when teachers ask questions that inspire curiosity and require exploration. Have students work in small groups and chart what they notice and wonder about an image or sample. Plan and dedicate classroom discussion time to generating as many questions as possible before narrowing them down to two or three to focus on. For example, asking, “How can we tell if a new plant or animal is bad for an area?” gets students thinking about how living things interact. They might start wondering how the plant got there in the first place, whether or not it will survive, or how widely it will spread. Showing a map of invasive species and asking, “What do you notice?” can lead to questions about where different plants live, how they move from place to place, what happens to the ecosystem as a result of their presence, and more.
2. Use the Science and Engineering Practices to provide authentic collaboration opportunities.
To help students understand the world, we need to let them learn with others. Plan activities in which discussion and interaction are essential to learning. These might include planning an investigation, analyzing data, or reviewing each other’s work. For instance, second-grade students could collaborate on building miniature ecosystems and then analyze data on plant growth and animal behavior as the amount of sunlight changes (Practices #2 and #4). Or, when learning about electricity, high school students could design circuits in pairs and then share their findings with others to look for patterns and represent what they observe mathematically (Practices #3 and #5).
3. Create a supportive and inclusive classroom culture.
Sensemaking can feel risky. It’s scary to share ideas when unsure if they’re right. One way to decrease this anxiety is to Implement classroom norms that provide space and time for different learning speeds or preferences. For example, an elementary teacher might introduce climates by asking, “Why do you think leaves change color in the fall in some parts of the world but not in others?” and direct students to write their ideas on sticky notes. They can then post them on a wall when they are ready and take time to read each other’s work. Instead of having students call out or immediately selecting students who quickly raise their hands, this approach accommodates students who need more thinking time and those who have multiple ideas to share. It also gives space for students to consider their peers’ thoughts before a whole group discussion.
4. Dedicate time for reflecting on how discourse is going.
Learning to engage in productive discussion happens alongside science learning. After a discussion, have students complete a brief survey about their own participation and what they learned from others. Or, after a collaborative activity, simply ask students to reflect on what was effective and what they could do better next time.
Students are deeply engaged and affirmed as scientists when they learn through discourse. These small steps have big potential for building students’ knowledge and authentic sensemaking experiences in science.
Ready to bring GLEAM™ science instruction to life?
UnboundEd strives to support educators in providing grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful (GLEAM™) science instruction. This type of instruction gives students access to rich and authentic opportunities to do and learn science.
For more information on GLEAM science instruction, check out our previous posts. In this post, we highlighted how to plan with phenomena.
If you are a science educator or school leader looking to increase student engagement and success with science, join us at Standards Institute™ or a Summit, and please share this blog with other science educators in your orbit!
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Read the Sensemaking Series
