TP Task 1 – Promoting Scientific Thinking

This task is linked to EPR3703; using higher level questions (Bloom’s Taxonomy) to develop students’ thinking.
Teaching students the skills of scientific thinking is not only for science, but can be applied to any area of learning.
Complete this while observing your MST as he/she conducts a Science lesson within your first week of teaching
practice.

Questioning is an integral part of scientific inquiry and the learning process.

Explain the importance Students’ questions can reveal much about the quality of students’ thinking
of questioning in and conceptual understanding, their alternative frameworks and confusion
about various concepts, their reasoning and what they want to know. Student
science questioning, particularly at the higher cognitive levels, is also an essential
aspect of problem-solving (CHIN, 2001).

CHIN, C. (2001, January 1). Learning in Science: What Do Students’ Questions Tell
Us About Their Thinking? . Retrieved from The Chinese University of Hong
Reference Kong:
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.612.609&rep=rep1
&type=pdf

Engagement Question(s) asked by the Was thinking

teacher time given?
Activity If yes,how How did the students’ respond?
(& subject & LO) much?

Subject: Science 1- Do you think this Yes, Students where excited and highly
puppet is living, one minute engaged since they were introduced to the
LO: To investigate dead or never living things, dead and never alive topic in
living things. alive? (Close a fun and enjoyable way. Therefore,
ended question). asking them enjoyable questions ensured
Activity: Listen to a all of the students involvement.
PowerPoint
presentation which 2- Do you think Ms. Yes, Students where excited and highly
illustrates living Khadija is living one minute engaged since they were introduced to the
things, dead and dead or never living things, dead and never alive topic in
never alive. Adding alive? a fun and enjoyable way. Therefore,
to that, students are asking them enjoyable questions ensured
introduced to the all of the students involvement.
habitats topic.
3- Explain why is the Yes, two Students were given the chance to discuss
puppet never alive minutes (think- their thoughts along with their pairs. In
and Ms Khadija is pair- share addition, students were giving each other
living. (Open strategy was good reasons such as: respiration and
ended question). applied) movement. Adding to that, students who
 didn’t know the answer were benefited
since their pair supported their
understanding during the discussions.

4- Who do you think Students were given the chance to discuss

lives there? Yes, two their thoughts along with their pairs. In
(students are minutes (think- addition, students were giving each other
shown a picture of pair- share good reasons such as: respiration and
the teacher’s house strategy was movement. Adding to that, students who
to introduce them applied) didn’t know the answer were benefited
to the meaning of since their pair supported their
habitat). After that, understanding during the discussions.
they are asked:
Why different
animals live in
different habitats?
(essential
question).

On reflection:
Which question(s) did the students engage with the most? Why do you think that was?
Which engagement activity were the students most engaged with? Why do you think that was?

In my perspective, I think that the following question was the most question that engaged the
students: ‘Who do you think live there?’. This is because, all students were curious and tried to guess
who lives in that house. Therefore, students were hooked by this question at the beginning of the lesson
which led the session run in a smooth and enjoyable way.
Whereas, students enjoyed the inquiry based learning activity where students were provided
with sources (computers and books) in order to search, draw and document some facts/information
about the different habitats around the world. I know this because, students were interacting with each
other and all of them were working hard in order to have the best poster so as to present it to the
classroom.