Conducting Learning Through Research in Classrooms
1) Connecting with Scientists - being a role model - How to convince scientists to get involved - A toolbox for the scientist to interact with a class - Creating a network for scientits and teachers to connect
2) Imagining a starting point for the science project and make a list of all the curriculum linked skills and knowledge linked to this project
3) Let the kids ask questions, sort the questions, bring in documentation, etc.
4) Teach kids, with the scientist, how to build hyppothesis, experiments, draw conclusions
5) Give the kids a formal aim (not a curriculum related aim)
6) Curiosity and questions as driving forces of the project
7) Any unexpected event, error, failure is a way of learning
8) Each kid has a personnal lab notebook : personnal observations, hypothesis and thoughts can wander and roam freely
9) The class has a collaborative lab notebook : written, rigorous, methodic