Abie L. Benítez
The discussion on the instructional approach could be the subject of a lengthy academic paper yet for the purpose of this unit I am going to be succinct. Working with second language learners poses a challenge for teachers. I want to utilize an approach that is supported by research on learning and on pedagogy.
What does research tell us about learning science? Brain research translated into classroom practice gives us guidance on how one could learn efficiently new scientific concepts. Wolfe (2001) posits that concrete experience provides the learner with the information necessary to understand the concept as the information becomes more complex. The brain functions in ways that it utilizes connections to reinforce learned concepts and hands-on activities may be the way to provide these experiences to young learners. What are the implications of these facts about learning? Teachers must make a conscious decision to change their role from a direct transmitter of knowledge to a facilitator helping students develop their own meaning from experiences (Loucks-Horsley, 1998). I plan to provide my students with the experiences they need to understand abstract concepts in science such as: heat or work.
Trying to reach my students I have developed a repertoire for teaching that includes standards for effective pedagogy. These standards are well related to practice as well as to research. Five standards have been issued by a group of researchers and educators: joint productive activity, language and literacy across the curriculum, contextualization, challenging activities and instructional conversations (Tharp, 1999). These research-based pedagogical principles must be present in the instruction of second language learners and indeed will enhance the learning of all students.
