Lecture 5: Teaching Concepts

It is Tuesday! Today, i learn about teaching concepts. Before that, i learn about scientific knowledge. What is CONCEPT? Law? Fact? Dont know?
Then, let me tell you. 

• Fact is foundation for concepts, principles, and theories. 
• Concept is an abstraction of events or objects that seem to have certain properties in common.
• Principles and Laws are composed of concepts and facts and related to observable phenomena
• Theories explain why phenomena occur as they do.

Now, move to TEACHING CONCEPTS.

There are 5 ways for Teaching Concepts:

1. Giving examples and non-examples
2. The use of advance organizer such as concept maps
3. The use of images and analogies
4. The use of various presentations such as models and symbols
5. The use of experiments

Examples and Non-Examples:

- Use similar concepts, eg. Evaporation & Transpiration

- Steps:

i.identify the concept

ii.List the characteristics of the example

iii.List the characteristics of the non-example

iii.Identify the characteristics that differentiate the two concepts

iv.Classify the characteristics

Concept Maps:

- Linking concepts to make it meaningful

- Use of concept maps in teaching:       

• Teaching a topic        
• Reinforce understanding
• Check learning and identify misconception
• Evaluation

- Types of concept maps:

• Hierarchical concept maps
• Cluster concept maps
• Chain concept maps

- Steps in constructing concept maps:

1. Focus on a theme and then identify related key words or phrases.
2. Rank the concepts  from the most abstract  to the most concrete and specific.
3. Cluster concepts that function at similar level of abstraction and those that interrelate closely.
4. Arrange concepts in to a diagrammatic representation.
5. Link concepts with linking lines and label each line with a proposition.

Images & Analogies:

- Introduce the target concept

- Cue the students’ memory of the analogous situation

- Identify the relevant features of the analog

- Map the similarities between the analog and the target

- Draw conclusions about the target concepts

- Identify the comparisons for which the analogy breaks down

Examples:

1. A DNA moleculeis like a ladder
2. A cellis like a factory
3. A heart is like a force pump
4. A kidney is like a waste filter
5. An eyeis like a camera

That's all. Lastly, i wanna share a quote "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do"..=)

Lecture 4: Learning Theories

WHAT IS LEARNING THEORY?

• Learning is a lifelong activity
• Can be intentionally or incidentally
• A complex affair which involves a persisting change in human performance or performance potential
• While, theory is a set of laws or principles about learning

As a future teacher, I have to learn the learning theory so that I can help my students acquire facilitate their goals.

There are 2 types of Learning Theory:

1. Behaviorism
2. Cognitivism

Behaviorism: 

- Learning as a product

- Prediction and control of behavior

- Change in learner’s behavior

Cognitivism:

- Look into how learners construct meaning of the knowledge learnt 

- What happens in the mind

- Begins with what learners know

- From cognition – the process of knowing; which involves perception, memory & thinking. 

Example of behaviorism is Skinner’s radical behaviorism. Skinner’s radical behaviorism is related to Pavlov’s stimulus-response.

Last but not least, let's look at some of example of cognitivism:

1. Piaget’s Stages of cognitive development: Believes that all individuals proceed through a number of stages of intellectual development
2. Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development: Learners can reach the higher ground in a particular knowledge domain
3. Ausubel’s Meaningful Reception learning: Making meaningful learning  through the use of learning tools

That is all for today~

Lecture 3: Emphasis of science curriculum

The topic for today is science curriculum. First of all, let me introduce about curriculum material. Curriculum materials are syllabus, curriculum specification and text books. I learn about how the the SCIENCE TEXTBOOK is designed. Science textbook is designed based on 3 things:

1. The National Philosophy
2. The National Philosophy of Education
3. The National Science Education Philosophy

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL PHILOSOPHY?

1. Belief in god
2. Loyalty to king and country
3.  Upholding the constitution
4. Rule of law
5. Good behavior and morality

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION?

Education in Malaysia is

• An on-going effort toward developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner
• to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonious based on a firm belief in and devotion to God
• Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are:

1. Knowledgeable
2. Competent
3. Possess high moral standards
4. Responsible
5. Capable of achieving a high level personal well being
6. Able  to contribute to the harmony and betterment of the family, society and the nation at large

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY?

In consonance with the National Education Philosophy, science education in Malaysia nurtures a Science and Technology Culture by focusing on the development of individuals who competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient and able to master scientific knowledge and technological competency.

Now, let us look at the several OBJECTIVE OF SCIENCE CURRICULUM for secondary school.

The science curriculum for secondary school enables the students to:

1.  ACQUIRE knowledge in science and technology in the context of natural phenomena and everyday life experiences
2.  UNDERSTAND developments in the field of science and technology.
3.  APPLY knowledge and skills in a creative and critical manner for problem solving and decision making
4. FACE challenges in the scientific and technological world and be willing to CONTRIBUTE towards the development of science and technology
5. APPRECIATE the contributions of science and technology towards national development and the well being of mankind
6. CREATE awareness on the need to love and care for the environment and PLAY an active role in its preservation and conservation

That's all for the lecture 3...

Lecture 2: What is science?

Today is THURSDAY! The class starts with a simple question from my lecturer. WHAT IS SCIENCE??? ...
The first thing that come into my mind is SCIENCE IS ABOUT LIFE. Our life which is included both living things and nonliving things. From my point of view, it is what the science is all about. 

Anyway, different people have different view right? From my classmate point of view, science is:

1.  the knowledge beyond the knowledge 
2. related to daily lives or everywhere
3. about the concept and the process

In short, science is ASK.

A - attitude

S- skill

K- knowledge

                                                                       Knowledge

AttitudeSkill

Lecture 1: Introduction

It is MONDAY! 1 month sem break is over. Today, the first class of method of teaching science starts. For the 'warming up', we do discuss about the continuous assessments. My lecturer, Dr. Rohaida divides us into 5 groups. so that, it will be easier for us to do assignment's group. 

group 1 --> science form 1 syllabus, 

group 2 --> science form 2 syllabus

group 3 --> science form 3 syllabus

group 4--> science form 4 syllabus

group 5 --> science form 5 syllabus

For the next class, i have to bring curriculum specification, science textbook and science syllabus.