Process Skills in teaching Science

Process skills for teaching Science:

Controlling variable

Observation

Communication

Hypothesis

Inference

Prediction

Measurement

Classification

Experimentation

What is Observation?

THINK ...  Does observation mean  looking at…./ seeing… ?

e.g. Observe a book or observe the girl riding a bicycle

•       Fundamental skill - Qualitative and quantitative observations

•        Includes the 5 senses

•        Observation also means to express the result of observing –data or facts

•        Hence, Observation is an objective process of gathering data through the use of one's senses applied in an analytical way.

•       However, observations can also be subjective.

Task for teachers : Is the statement below an observation ?

•          John is a bad boy

John exhibits behavior that we characterize as bad. The behavior  is an observation

What is Measurement?

THINK

            Which of these are measurements in science?

    The distance between A and B is 5 meters

    There is 50 kg of sugar in the bag

    He has five sticks in his hand

    Rahul has few sweets in his hand whereas Kumar has many

    She got A grade in her first examination

    The HCl in Bottle1 is of LR grade

•       Measurement is an observation made more specific by comparing some attribute of a system to a standard of reference.

•       The nature of this process entails the description of some system attribute by comparison to a standard of reference.

What is Classification

 THINK           Look at the volcanoes…. Are they same?

            What are the similarities and differences?

•       We need to classify because the world is full of similarities as well as diffrences!

•       Classification is the process of grouping objects on the basis of observable traits.

•       The nature of the skill of classification is two fold. First, one must be able to identify traits and, second, one must select traits that express the deeper essence of the system.

  

•       Example:          Rocks and Minerals  

                                    Metals, Non metals and Metalloids

                                    Herbivores, Carnivores, Omnivores

What is Communication?

•         This process actually refers to a group of skills, all of which represent some form of systematic reporting of data.

•         The most common examples include data display tables, charts and graphs.

What is Inferring?

It is raining.  Why is it raining today?

•       Inferring is an inventive process in which an assumption of cause is generated to explain an observed event. This is a very common function and is influenced by culture and personal theories of nature.

•       The nature of this process is inventive within the parameters of cosmology and culture.

What is Prediction?

Can you tell me…

Why there is no reaction?

I’m Trying to observe some similarities

have cold and cough

since long

The doctor say it could be…

•       This process deals with projecting events based upon a body of information.

•       A guess is not a prediction

•       The nature of the skill of predicting is to be able to identify a trend in a body of data and then to project that trend in a way that can be tested.

Creating Scientists in Classrooms!!

1.                  Questions

2.                  Obesrvations

3.                  Communication

4.                  Thinking

Critical

Creative

Analytical

5.                  PRACTICE - CONSISTENCY

6.                  INTEGRATING SUBJECTS

7.                  ANALYSIS, INTERPRETAION , CONCLUSION

8.                  REASONING

9.                  READING

10.              EXPLORING