I think this is an interesting thing to consider in any content area. What are we assessing when we test students? In this case we're really just testing their ability to read. While I am personally concerned that my students are well rounded, and that includes reading, as a science teacher I am more concerned that my students know the information from my classroom. If a students doesn't have the reading skills to complete a test, then the test is not an accurate assessment of their science knowledge.
Others have mentioned the importance of practical assessments such as lab activities, and I completely agree that they are a excellent way to assess a science student. Unfortunately a student's understanding of a scientific theory will likely be assessed with a test. Some modifications will need to made so the student is not at a disadvantage. Perhaps the student could be read the test, or the teacher could make a recording that the student could listen on headphones while taking the test while the rest of the class does. Another option is an oral exam, which will also eliminate the need for writing, which they likely also has difficulty with.
Some of the software we saw in the lab, such as Read Aloud, reads documents as it high lights the words. I would encourage a student to practice with such software to improve thier reading skills.
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I agree with most of the statements here Kate. I would ask though, what is the fine line between science knowledge and reading knowledge. What I mean is, I also agree that in a science classroom, science is the King or Queen. However, how do you learn about science without the reading skills? How do you encourage the reading skills to improve if the focus is only science? Unfortunately, once a student leaves the 6th grade, learning how to read is no longer something we work on in school. In my science classroom it is all about the zone of proximation. It is about finding the right material to match the students reading capabilities. Also, helping students be engaged by finding interesting materials. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI sort of disagree there with Lynn Lynn. I mean there is of course, always the need for literacy when it comes to learning. But at the same time, I think science is just one of those subjects where hands-on science and activities are more important than reading. But here's the sad thing: science becomes more of a reading subject as the student gets older. who says that only the younger kids get to do fun stuff? I think it's more important for older kids to be able to experience fun stuff like discprepant events!
ReplyDeleteI love them!
But if there aren't any literacy skills, how is student learning about the content. We learn through experience, but to even have the experience, some sort of reading and writing is needed. Reading the protocol/procedure of the lab and writing the result down is somewhat the simplest form of literacy.
ReplyDeleteJust a suggestion, the sound of oral exams used to, and still does, make me feel like I'm going to freeze. Maybe a debate or a presentation would be a better form of assessment. Also, I had a teacher who tried an oral exam format for our class one time. It turned out to be a disaster because the questions were broken up through the class and the students were put on the spot and in my opinion some questions were way easier than others and obviously that's not fair.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you didn't mean that kind of oral exam but I thought I would share that story since it is still a sore spot in the history of my education haha
I agree with Kate. While I would like to think that science is a subject where you can understand the concepts, be a good scientist, and not be able to read, that is just not the case. If someone passes your class and he/she is struggling to read, then they really can't go much farther with science, can they? Part of being a scientist is being able to convey your hypotheses and reading reports and such.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, if the person has a disability that is affecting their reading ability, then the teacher, legally and morally, should help the student so that he/she has a more fair advantage. We are working to be teachers at the secondary level, so most of the time we will already be aware of students' learning disabilities. For this teachers are already instructed on how to handle the situation (such as untimed tests for dyslexic people).
Reading enables students to absorb more information (besides only knowing what they're told), which better allows students to think critically. This is a huge part of science. A student who can do the algebra and calculus required for physics, not be able to read at an elementary level (since there isn't hard vocab on tests usually unless it's new vocab words), and have no learning disability would be an anomaly, for which I'll have to see how I'll deal with that when it comes.