Scaffold scientific discourse development

Developing scientific discourse skills is part of developing scientifc literacy.  To be scientifically literate, one must be able to express themselves using appropriate vocabulary, posing questions, and citing evidence as support for theories.  Language and vocabulary can be developed using glossaries, electronic dictionaries, videos, translation websites, thesaurese, and other online references.  Further, interactive websites give students practice engaging in science topics in different ways.  Technology allows for multiple viewings of videos and opportunities to revisit websites or slideshows. 

The next scaffold for discourse could involve knowledge and vocabulary building.  Using concept mapping, students can manipulate their own theories and examine explanations in detail.  They can readily see the structure of scientific discourse and evaluate its credibility. (Using Technology)



(Spitulnik, Soloway)

From my own experience, I've noted that chronological accounting of what has happened and what one has noticed, doesn't take us far enough to understand what is going on.  Students using expository writing structures may notice more, and think more deeply about their observations, including the cause and effects, and using comparison and contrasts to describe observations and their analysis to others.  Scientific writing is a genre in and of itself; it requires writing analytically, using different kinds of expository text structures. Becoming familiar with these structures through reading and analytics that recommend use of such structures could help further the scientific writing process.

Teaching and learning science requires scientific thinking about observations, cause and effect, data analysis, and valid conclusions that can be made based on evidence gathered.  Beginning writing students may need more support and structured scaffolding such as graphic organizers including Venn diagrams, flow maps, T-charts, graphs, or concept maps to provide sense-making.  These visual reminders can scaffold the understanding of science learned, as well as connecting to similar experiences in science.,

In my teaching in upper elementary, middle school, and high school science, I've always used science notebooks.  Students have used the notebooks for multiple purposes, including recording observations, experiments, results, taking notes during class and during peer discussions.  Students refer to notebooks during discussions to provide evidence for their thoughts, and are then again encouraged to write about their higher-level understandings.  Teaching writing alongside science and encouraging and teaching to literacy in both writing skills and science skills benefits the students by allowing all to participate at some level, helping students, or citizen scientists to organize their thoughts and writing to more effectively communicate their ideas, encouraging reflection through feedback received, and to provide a more thorough report of the science being investigated. 

Questioning, models, illustrations, diagrams, current thinking, and new vocabulary understandings can be part of the notebook or blog that is kept.

 
 (Fulwiler, 2007)

Blogging creates a notebook which can also be commented on by others, becoming an authentic experience, with authentic forms of feedback from peers, teachers, and scientists.  The sense of audience in blogging is beyond that of a classroom or teacher audience, and may in itself, encourage more thoughtful, thorough, and organized writing, as well as help structure more complex forms of scientific thinking, reasoning, data analysis, and evidentiary conclusions.

Fulwiler also discussed the idea of shared reflection, which is a powerful tool to unite the visual analysis, the written and orally communicated discourse to make sense of the science and make connections.  It is important to communicate deeply about the science understandings.  Describing what one has experienced and observed lays the groundwork for later constructing more generalized ideas and gleaning appropriate abstract principles.  Ongoing cientific discourse for students and citizen scientists lays the grounding for developing deeper scientific knowledge and skills.

Fulwiler offers the following scaffolding for basic science writing:


(Fulwiler, 2007, p. 22)

In Fulwiler's recommendations for science writing in the elementary grades, she encourages the science writing to be classified as rough drafts, so students focus on the science concepts and thinking, the organization of the scientific thinking and skills, and the word choice or the scientific vocabulary and the clarity of word use. (Fulwiler, p. 27) 


References

Using Technology to Support Struggling Students: Science Literacy, Vocabulary and Discourse, National Center for Technology Innovation. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/41187/

Toward Supporting Learners Participating in Scientifically-Informed Community Discourse
Jeff Spitulnik1, Scott Studer2, Elizabeth Finkel1, Edwin Gustafson2,
Jason Laczko2, Elliot Soloway1,2
1School of Education, University of Michigan
2College of Engineering, University of Michigan

Elliot Soloway, Mark Guzdial, and Kenneth E. Hay. 1994. Learner-centered design: the challenge for HCI in the 21st century. interactions 1, 2 (April 1994), 36-48. DOI=10.1145/174809.174813 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/174809.174813 

Fulwiler, B. R., Writing in Science: How to Scaffold Instruction to Support Learning, Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH, 2007.