Developing problem-solving skills using Q/L Strategies

1. Gear Question to Science Processes Appropriate For Students i) Students in primary/lower elementary a. Observing b. Grouping and simple classification; for example, multiple classification, class inclusion c. Measuring d. Using numbers; for example, counting leaves and animals e. Placing objects in series or ordering them; for example, from small to large, short to tall or light to heavy f. Making inferences g. Indicating time and space relations h. Conserving substance, length, number and area i. Reversibility j. Values perspectives l. Predicting m. Making one-to-one correspondences ii) Students in upper elementary and middle grades ( age 11 and above) a) Formulating hypotheses b) Learning to control a variable, such as growing one plant in light and one in the dark c) Designing relatively sophisticated experiments d) Interpreting data from experiments e) Understanding the conservation of weight and volume f) Making operational definitions g) Constructing model( theories about natural phenomena) 2. Improving guided discovery Q/L skills k. Interpersonal relations, such as learning to see things from other peoples

a. Slow down to speed up thinking To prolong wait-times can get greater speculation, conservation, and argument. Also, teachers trained to prolong wait-time changed their classroom behavior like flexible responses, modify teacher expectations for student performance, changed the number and kinds of teacher questions and changed the direction of discussion to teacherstudent discussion. b. Come up for a breath Halt-time is that an instructor halts and waits for students to think, but the students do not answer questions. If this happened, teachers may have to ask more specific question. c. Halt-time and wait-time and cultural/ ethnic differences Walt-time and halt-time are especially meaningful to teachers who have students from different cultural backgrounds. Teachers must know which ethnic and cultural students have and adapt the teaching techniques to maximize their learning. d. Use Rewards Cautiously Rewarding students may cause less student involvement. Thus, teachers should count how many praise words they use and determine which students receive them the most. e. Use cooperative learning to improve classroom discussions By working collaboratively on a group problem, students are able to interact positively and noncompetitively. Many shy or slower thinking students are encouraged to contribute and participate in this nonthreatening, supportive group environment, f. Close your mouth and open your ears Teachers and students spent more time listening each other. Both must listen carefully and sensitively, not only to the answer but to the thinking behind the answer. g. Be a model of sensitive listening techniques Teachers should listen-not analyze, evaluate, or judge-until the student has completed the response to a question. If wait until students finis their answers before reacting, teacher will grasp their idea better and be more likely to convey in nonverbal ways.

h. Guiding students to become better listener Students often do not learn and achieve as well as they could because they have not developed their listening skills. Thus, suggestions of using practical to help improve the listening skills of teacher and student