1

All “Hands-On” Deck for Improved Science Pedagogy and Student Outcomes

Jessica Sprankle

Mount Aloysius College

EDUC490: Integrated Core

Dr. Beth Shoff

May 11, 2022

 2

All “Hands-On” Deck for Improved Science Pedagogy and Student Outcomes

It was my first year at Keith Jr. High School, and I entered the science classroom on the

third floor of the school. I noticed something different that set this specific classroom apart from

the rest. There were numerous plants against the windows, around the classroom and there were

two fish tanks. One of the tanks had more plants in it and the other actually had some fish. The

air in this classroom felt so fresh, and when I closed my eyes, I actually could imagine being

outside because even though I was inside four walls of a classroom inside a school. This room

felt cozy and was intriguing. I couldn't wait to explore science in this classroom. Mrs. Buck

believed in exploring life, hands on, and not just that of lectures and assignments. She felt

exploring was important and would be more engaging and I agreed as a student.

When I was asked during an interview what my future classroom would look like, I

described it as something similar to Mrs. Buck’s. If the school allows it, I want plants in the

classroom and a small fish tank and/or many even a classroom pet. I want my classroom to feel

like a place of comfort and interest. It's important to have students feel intrigued, and it will

increase the potential for them to be more engaged as they learn science. I refuse to have a

classroom that feels like an institution and have students feel uncomfortable when entering my

classroom. In Richard Louv’s 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods , he cites U.S. Census Bureau

data when he recalls that in the early 1900s, most folks kept their windows open, with only 12

percent of homes having air-conditioning. By 1970, the figure was over 70 percent, and by 2001,

almost 80 percent of U.S. homes had air-conditioning (as cited in Louv, 2005). This increasingly

commonplace occurrence of air-conditioning has changed much of children’s ability to interact

with animal life and nature, due to shuttered windows and, with them, the sounds of the outside

world. A 2016 survey reveals that U.S. children spend less time outside experiencing nature than
 3

do prison inmates (Martinko, 2016). According to journalist Katherine Martinko (2016),

maximum security prisoners in the United States get a required two hours outdoors daily while

half the children worldwide spend less than an hour outside. Researchers at the University of

Cambridge (Blamford et al., 2002) find that typical eight-year-olds are better at identifying

Pokémon characters than real-life organisms, with almost 80 percent accuracy for Pokémon

animals and less than 50 percent for real organisms. This drop off in an awareness of the outside

world, and science, more generally, is a troubling trend, and science classes have the opportunity

to turn back this tide. (Barr, 2020). By including plant and animal life in my classroom, students

can observe living organisms and learn about them while in my classroom and make the

connections to these when they go home.

I want to avoid a classroom that is just desks lined up in rows, with a chalkboard at the

front near the teacher’s desk. In this conventional classroom configuration, during lessons, the

teacher would write on the board as he or she would speak and students would take notes. Just

because this may sound familiar does not make it the ideal environment for learning. Over recent

decades, the educational landscape has changed drastically. Teacher-centered learning

environments, in which the teacher is considered to be the primary source of information while

the student is regarded as the receiver of that information, have faded into the background, while

student-centered learning environments, inspired by the constructivist view on learning, have

emerged (Loyens & Rikers 2011). The interest in the development of student-centered learning

environments has increased because of the inuence of constructivist learning theory, which

defines learning as an active process in which learners are active sense makers who seek to build

coherent and organized knowledge (Hannan et al., 1997; Mayer 2004, p. 14). Although some
 4

researchers indicate that active knowledge construction can take place in different learning

environments, even while attending a lecture , others argue that particular constructivist learning

environments should be developed in order to enhance active knowledge construction (Renkl,

2009; Loyens & Rikers, 2011; Baeten et al., 2016). Many of these ineffective classroom setups

persist because of Educational Folklore which is the idea that teachers should continue with old

methods as others have in their past.

Educational folklore is the force driving many to teach by lecturing and continuing with

what feels comfortable even when it isn't necessarily what's best for the students. Teachers get

comfortable with a certain method, and it then is more convenient than adjusting lessons to the

students needs.The education that primary school students receive shapes their relationship with

science. Elementary school teachers report they have low confidence and enthusiasm about

teaching science (Chimonidou et al., 2021). Educational folklore often inhibits opportunities for

change that could be what is best and yet over 60 years of research has shown that what one

seemed to be the best way of teaching a lesson is not the way it should be for today's students.

In my personal experience, the consequences of pushing too much content in a

teacher-directed lesson to students and not giving them the opportunity to have more of a student

approach to the material can be exceedingly detrimental to student engagement, which, in turn, is

problematic for ensuring student learning. I thought, at the time, this method would be best after

watching my co-op teach this way and other teachers from my past, but it was clearly not a

method that worked well for me or the students. I worked exceptionally hard on planning well

throughout the lesson or so I had thought. Up to moments before the lesson began, I had run it

through my head and could not see any of the flaws, but as I was teaching, it all began to unravel.
 5

I began with going over homework from the lesson of the day prior and noticed some

students did not fully understand the material. In hopes of them catching on with some review in

today's lesson, I continued on and did not stop to go back over yesterday's content specifically so

that I could cover everything I needed to for today in such a short amount of time. The National

Commission on Teaching & America's Future (1996) identified four serious limitations to

pre-service teachers' career preparation: inadequate time to learn content, fragmentation of

content areas and best practices for teaching in those areas, uninspired teaching methods, and

superficial curriculum. I told the students the topic of the lesson for the day then began a short

video as an introduction. This video was very kid-friendly but still packed full of information. In

my mind, it touched on everything I was going to cover but what I was going to teach was much

more than what a typical sixth grader would have needed to know. I focused more on the chapter

lesson than what the actual core standard required the students to know. When I planned my

lesson, I divided up the material from the lesson in a matter of so many days that I felt the

material needed to be covered in so that I could hit my target goals.

Taking extra time would have meant sacrificing time on other lessons that students would

still need to learn. This put a lot of pressure on me to try and keep my pace and not fall too far

behind on content. This lesson was heavy content that really needed to be broken up into smaller

segments and taught over the course of more than one day but more like three. Many observers

blame the No Child Left Behind (NClB) act for escalating teaching to the test from a problem

into an epidemic. The law "virtually transformed the concept of education," according to a recent

editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle, "turning teaching and learning into a mere exercise in

preparing students to test well" (Jerald, 2006, para. 2). As I was reading through the book and

explaining the content, I continued to ask questions to engage the students but would not get
 6

many responses if any at all. Most of the students continued to just give me faces in awe or blank

stares. The processes of learning are highly complex. To make meaning of these process,

cognitive psychologist categorize what data and evidence they have collegetd into various

‘explanatory models’ that provide a convenient way of communicating multifaceted ideas and

serve to integrate concepts and research findings into systems that generate hypothesis and future

applications (Spellman & Willingham, 2005; Satterthwait, 2010). In this way the cognitive

psychologists' knowledge of human learning can be advanced and better understood. However,

the considerable progress that has been made in understanding how learning takes place is rarely

incorporated into the classroom practice in a deliberate way, but teachers know what usually

worlds best in their classroom; they can predict likely outcomes of their students’ engagements

with particular clases Good experienced teachers have a deep understanding of their students’

needs and attempt to address them as best they can to achieve intended outcomes (Satterthwait,

2010). As a student teacher, this is a concept that is going to take some time to adjust to because I

do not have much experience but I felt this content really needed to stay teacher centered due to

the fact that there are a few students who just can not handle any type of group work or

demonstration. Making this a teacher centered lesson causes many other students to miss out on

the opportunity of a hands-on lesson which is very unfair to the good students when they always

come prepared, ready to learn and explore science. Teachers are endangering both their

credibility and the future success of their students by being mired in the educational folklore of

doing things the way they’ve always done them despite evidence to the contrary that argues not

only are their methods ineffective but are actively detrimental to student learning, and teachers

should instead embrace more hands-on learning practices to better engage students, enhance their

own teaching, prompt critical thinking, and allow for cooperative and deeper learning.
 7

Beyond Educational Folklore Toward a New Success Story

Educational Folklore is one of the biggest problems many are struggling in the classroom,

and it likely contributed to the many questions about the credibility of teachers and if the

education occurring in public schools is truly what's best for children. Teachers are already

struggling in the classroom and the student futures do not look as promising. Teachers struggle

with timelines for making sure enough content is taught so that test scores can be at the best they

can be. Most teachers say the students are important, the students come first but to get all the

content that is needed, at what cost because something would need sacrificed and from numerous

sources it seems to be student engagement. One state in particular, Georgia, had studies that

showed student struggles in a science classroom. Experts said for students to improve their

uncertainty in science then changes would need to be made in the way science is taught in the

classroom. The overall subject needs to be made more relevant and taught by teachers who have

a deeper understanding of the content. Also, the overall attitudes towards science would need to

change as well. "We have to get over this prejudice against science that it is a hard subject that

many students will struggle with," said Ken Townsel, middle school science coordinator for

DeKalb County schools (Diamond, 2005, A.1.). According to Diamond (2005), Townsel added,

"The younger we reach children, the younger we get them interested and excited about science,

the better we will be" (A.1.). When it came time to take the test in 12th grade, about 30 percent of

Georgia students failed, and thousands of students were unable to graduate on time because they

were unable to pass the science section of the test.

Many teachers may be lacking skills. It's not just the students who are struggling but the

staff as well. Even those who have the degree in science are failing to truly grasp the

fundamentals of the subject according to Bill Robertson, who has a doctorate in science
 8

education and travels the country teaching science teachers. and without the proper knowledge

many resort to just reading from a textbook and sticking to the simple lecture. "I believe the

teachers want to understand [science], we just have to find ways to help them," said Robertson,

who has published a series of books through the National Science Teachers Association called

Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It. Robertson is not alone in

saying teachers' lack of knowledge is part of the problem. Paris et al. (1998) conducted a study

that involved 184 students from an elementary school in a midwestern city participating in the

Hands-On Biology program. Fifty-eight students (29 males and 29 females) were in the third

grade, 60 (29 males and 31 females) were in the fourth grade, and 66 (33 males and 33 females)

were in the fifth grade. There were three classes per grade. The results showed that even though

female students are engaged in a science classroom in primary to middle grades their scores do

not hold up to the level of interest. Males are showing higher scores than females in science and

math in middle grades. The question then presents itself of what is the reason that these scores

are so different? Are females struggling with retaining the information more than males or is

there also another cause? Many students are reading the textbook material, listening to the

lectures but then struggle to make the connections of the material with the real world. When

students are given the opportunity to explore they seem to do much better.

From the moment babies are born, they open their eyes to a whole new world. This world

is full of wonder and curiosity. In the beginning stages of their life they are very dependent on a

parent figure to take care of them, but they are still eager to explore. A baby will begin using the

five essential tools they were born with right away which are their five senses. Taste, touch, sight,

sound and smell are means of exploring and learning everything humans can about the world

around them. From the moment of birth, humans are little explorers who are full of wonder
 9

concerning the natural world and continue to learn everyday as they grow older. In their early

stages, young ones will work on motor skills and dexterity. Children are encouraged to play

because it is the work of exploration. This is integral to children's science learning. Giving

preschoolers time to explore and play with new materials is an important part of the learning

cycle. They instinctively ask how, what, and why questions about their surroundings. Fostering

this interest supports the development of children's ideas about the world and their budding

understanding of the natural sciences. Nurturing their curiosity can lead to increased learning and

the development of verbal and linguistic skills. Effective science instruction in preschool

classrooms offers children opportunities to negotiate and explore new materials. Engaging young

children with science concepts is important for cognitive, social, and emotional development

(Trundle & Smith, 2017). In a preschool classroom, special interest tables or stations provide a

great way to introduce the play phase, which is essential for implicit learning. Implicit learning

occurs when young children engage based on their own curiosities and questioning processes.

This incidental learning time is crucial to young children as they begin to build their own

meaning(s) from their experiences with materials, tools, and peers (Trundle & Smith, 2017). With

this being said in basic terminology children are working through the scientific method before

even knowing what it is and participating in science without even knowing it because it hasn't

been labeled as students doing science when they are that young.

Science is the means of experimenting and observing to learn about something that we

want to know more about or better understand. Sensory tables, water tables and the playground

where there is soil and sand can all help young children stay engaged and explore. This incidental

learning time is crucial to young children as they begin to build their own meanings, thoughts,

and feelings all from their experiences with materials, tools, and peers. Even in these early phases
 10

these young children have a level of expectation that they are required to meet and if they are

falling behind they will receive intervention. If kids fall behind even in the beginning stages of

preschool they will get the help needed to keep them on track and continue to explore on the right

path.

When these kids enter the primary grades, they receive learning in numerous subjects but

the time for play and exploration is now limited. Students will begin learning science in the

classroom through lessons that teachers create based on the core standards. Children do not get to

just do as they want but now focus on specific topics at a time in the public school. Still at a

young age they will get some small lessons but science will be combined with usually some type

of hands-on activity following or game play to keep them interested in the topic. In a public

school, the teacher directs the subject and the task to be completed for every child in the

classroom. In a Montessori school, the children choose the task they wish to work on, provoked

by their natural curiosity in an environment specially prepared for their intellectual development.

A Montessori teacher is a guide who uses the power of observation to note each individual’s

advancement and to encourage them toward greater learning in a stress-free way (Meinke, 2019).

As the students get older their attention spans are better meaning they can sit and listen to

topics longer than when they were little and so the lessons get longer and the activity time is

shorter since there is more information to cover. This idea though is very wrong and creates the

first problem with students still needing to have exploration time to explore all aspects of the

subject or topic in science. As the time to explore and play is limited, then the level of interest

will also likely decrease. Ariel Wright is like many Georgia students when it comes to learning

science. She reads her textbooks and listens to her teacher. But she just doesn't get it. "See, in

class we learn what all these scientific things mean and I get that I have to know what those
 11

things mean," the fourth- grader at Arcado Elementary in Gwinnett County said (Diamond,

2005). "But I don't always get why I have to know what they mean, you know?" Yet, once a week

Ariel has a science lab, where she and her classmates feel and touch science. They look at onion

and skin cells through a microscope. They rub their fingers over plastic models and watch a

salamander and tarantula grow. That's where it all comes together. "I come here and see what

things like cells and other stuff do," Ariel said, "and then I get it" (Diamond, 2005). Students, up

to this point, have been taught to learn through experiences and play time with all of their senses.

Play was defined as a time of work when they can build on their own meanings and it was crucial

that they receive this time but now it's just so easily taken away.

Years go on and each grade begins to lose more of the exploration time and switch it to

lecture time. Very simply, a lecture is an organized verbal presentation of subject matter often

augmented by visual aids. According to Bligh (1972), a lecture is a period of more or less

uninterrupted talk from a teacher. A more detailed definition is found in Percival and Ellington

(1988) who state that a lecture is “a didactic instructional method, involving one-way

communication from the active presenter to the more or less passive audience” (as cited by

Matiru et al., 1995).The time they have to play is now filled with textbook work and writing

assignments. Historically the lecture can be traced back to the 5th century BC when it was

popular with the Greeks. It was widely adopted in the early Christian and Muslim Universities in

medieval times when books were scarce, and even today, it is the most common teaching method

in higher education. The term lecture comes from the Latin lectare, to read aloud, which

identifies it as an expository or ‘telling’ method (Matiru et al., 1995). As this idea has come from

such early times it’s been adapted to what is normal and since it has taken place the level of

engagement has also been depleted with each generation. Students go from creating their own
 12

method of learning, exploring in preschool classrooms and having control, to now listening to the

teacher lecture. In a teacher centered classroom students will learn, complete, say, and do as the

educator says, and this takes time away from being able to truly explore a topic to learn about as

they once did. It can be very confusing and taking a new approach could be troublesome. In a

modern day classroom, there are posters on the walls and students sit at desks facing forward in

most middle and secondary levels. For primary grades, students will sit in groups or some

educators have a non-traditional flexible seating classroom setting.

Educators Embracing the Alternative

Keeping the focus on what worked in the past will continue in the future and will

absolutely fail these kids in years to come. The drawbacks that are affecting students in teacher

based instruction include working alone which gives students less opportunity to develop

communication and critical-thinking skills. Students typically work alone and it means missing

out on potential opportunities to share the process of discovery with their peers. Also

collaboration in general is an essential and valuable skill in school and in life but this is

discouraged in the classroom. According to Joseph Lathan (2022), this method works best when

the instructor can make the lesson interesting; absent this, students may get bored, their minds

may wander and they may miss key information. If teachers are willing to ask for help and step

out of their comfort to try something new then the future would look brighter. If asked why I

became a teacher I would say it's because of the students. I want to be the best I can be for them

and I know they are the future so with that being said I should be willing to adjust and do

whatever it takes to meet the needs of my students. This is the answer almost every student

teacher gives as they graduate. Learning the benefits as a young student teacher allows for us to
 13

start fresh and it's important to try incorporating as much hand on learning as possible to allow

for student scores to improve.

As a new teacher just out of college, we are still learning and it will take a few years to

really get comfortable in the position so what better time to have some trial and error days with

seeing what seems to work best and what does not. According to Larry Cuban (2010), in “How

Long Does It Take To Become a ‘Good’ Teacher,” one cannot expect every teacher to be

world-class so let's say that it takes half of 10,000 hour rule to be a sufficiently “good” teacher

where principals and parents want that teacher in their school. Five thousand hours amounts to 5

to 6 years of teaching experience. By working hands-on when teaching lessons, not only will

students learn the content and have a deeper understanding with the content they are learning but

so will the teacher. Even if a subject topic is not well understood, the teacher can benefit from

learning alongside the student and for years to come then know more about this particular topic

in science than they once did. From personal experience I watched as some of the teachers I

observed were unsure of some science topics, one in particular was chemical bonds. The teacher

found a video for the students to watch and they had also read a section from the textbook but

students still seemed to struggle with the topic. It was then the teacher had the students get into

groups by making index cards and having the students each be an element then after undergoing

a chemical change the elements were not lost or gained only switched the chemical makeup. The

students were able to use themselves as the model and understand that they may have begun as

one group but after the change they created two groups and split up and everyone still had a place

to go. The teacher was able to learn from having the students perform this simple experiment and

it allowed her to explain the lesson better when she could physically understand it better from

watching the demonstration that she created. A textbook can only provide the black and white but
 14

when exploring real life allows for many colors to be observed while using all five senses to

identify and think critically.

A great example of this would be talking about the layers of soil when discussing Erosion

with students in science class. It's one thing to show pictures and discuss the layers the soil may

have then try and describe the soil so students are expected to create the mental image of soil, but

to make the lesson more interactive the students could go outside and watch as the teacher would

use a shovel to lift just a small amount of soil from the ground and students could then physically

see the different layers and they wouldn't have to then create a mental image but could create a

memory from a simple observation of real soil outside the classroom. In a widely cited and

recently reprinted book, Liberty Hyde Bailey a botanist, horticulturist, and educator argued that

“Nature study is not a science. It is not knowledge. It is not facts. It is spirit. It is concerned with

the child’s outlook on the world”. In the 19th century, a handful of widely scattered American

educators had introduced natural history into their classrooms, but they failed to gain a lasting

foothold for their curricular innovations (Barrow, 2010). By the 1890s, progressive educational

reformers increasingly challenged the hidebound curriculum that had long dominated American

primary schools, a curriculum that used rote memorization and recitation to teach the venerable

triumvirate of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Resonating with these calls for reform, nature

study advocates called for a more hands-on, student centered approach to primary education, one

that relied on extensive interaction with the natural world to enliven a mind-numbing curriculum

that tended to encourage children's inherent curiosity (Barrow, 2010). If students do not see the

reasoning behind what they are learning then they will feel it is pointless and useless information

that does not need to be retained. By allowing the students to go beyond a traditional lecture they

are able to explore and make the proper connections of science to real world nature.
 15

Technological Interventions

When thinking about the perceptions of students, even technology has given the science

world a great advantage. Many science lessons could be dangerous or just overall too costly and

so to save the school from spending costs or possibly liabilities reasons students could watch

simulations or participate in virtual labs that would be similar to real world scenarios. Some labs

for students might include learning about human anatomy but it is not ethical to explore with a

real human body but by completing a virtual lab student engagement will still continue as they

interact on their computer or tech device. The possibilities would be endless with allowing

students to have the virtual labs if live ones are unethical or also for students who may miss class

they could have a makeup and still complete the assignment from home

Technology, over the last 10 years, has become something quite fascinating. Quite frankly

the last 3 years with technology growth science is able to take on a whole new level of deeper

learning than ever before since COVID took place and students were forced to complete learning

from home. While many STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) instructors

returned to in-person instruction in fall 2021, others found themselves continuing to teach via

online, hybrid, or hybrid flexible (i.e., hyflex) formats. Regardless of one’s instructional

modality, the findings from our own and other studies provided insight into effective strategies

for increasing student engagement and decreasing cognitive overload (Dohan, et. al, 2022).

Traditional science learning would have consisted of a lecture then a lab but now students have

the opportunity to explore a topic and could read over the lesson before getting to school then

allow the classroom time to be specifically for hands-on learning. This type of learning is known

as flexible instruction. Helen Yopp, (2006) conducted an experiment with some of her students to

demonstrate this type of instruction. She had her students read and learn about pine cones before
 16

class then during class students examined real pine cones with peers. Students were able to come

up with questions they may have and draw conclusions from this hands-on learning experience

and after they were finished she had them create a book based on what they had examined in

class to allow for critical thinking and creativity. From personal experience when I was observing

a fifth grade classroom in 2020, I decided to teach one of the lessons about plant life and the

growth process. After spending some time watching a video and learning from text material I

took a second day to have the students try a hands on lesson with still learning about plants life

and growth only this time students were able to see first hand plants starting off as seeds and how

they are planted into the soil and need care such as water and sunlight. Almost all students have a

computer or technology device that is provided to them by the school at the beginning of the

year. They are able to take the devices home every night and this would create the possibility of

trying something new and giving more time to cover a topic in the classroom. Teacher answers

would be the student won't read at home or this student won't do any homework. Yet there is no

excuse for a child who struggles to read when computer programs have a button that will allow

them to have the content read to them. Students are very good with technology and even though

many teachers are unsure of new ways this technology has many other benefits. It just requires

some time to adjust and learn. Student centered instruction is very tech friendly and many

activities or assignments allow students to learn at their own pace.

With IEPs or 504 plans, students who need additional support and modifications to

lessons this makes lessons overall easily accessible and takes stress away from the teachers who

would normally have to make adjustments manelly to the lecture they would have taught in the

classroom. Both IEPs (Individualized Education Program) and 504 plans can offer

accommodations for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. However, in order to
 17

qualify for an IEP, the student must have one of the thirteen types of disabilities listed in IDEA

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)(employU, 2021). An IEP is written documentation

that describes services the school will provide and sets specific learning goals for the student. It

will include the child’s present levels of functional and academic performance, information

regarding when services start, how long they last, and how often they will occur, any

modifications to what the child is expected to learn, and if the child will participate in

standardized tests or be included in school activities and general education classes. Unlike an

IEP, a 504 does not have to be a written document (employU, 2021). There isn’t a standard 504

plan but typically a 504 plan includes specific supports, services, and accommodations a student

will receive, the name of the person who is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the

plan, and the names of the people who will provide each service. A 504 plan is more of an

agreement with the school to provide specific accommodations that will benefit the student so

they can better achieve academic standards (employU, 2021). From my own experience when

student teaching over 50% of the students I worked with had either an IEP or 504 plan. Working

with these students is nothing different from those without changing the way the content material

is presented to them depending on the reason for the IEP or 504.

Lessons would of always needed modify for these students but due to class sizes and the

amount of kids things were not of that in the past students did not get the proper learning they

needed years ago but things such as No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was passed in 2001

which is to close student achievement gaps by providing all children with a fair, equal, and

significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and Elementary and Secondary

Education Act (ESEA) passed in 1965 offered new grants to districts serving low-income

students, federal grants for textbooks and library books, funding for special education centers,
 18

and scholarships for low-income college students. Thanks to technology advances it has made a

difference in helping these students with disabilities.

Beneficial Points of Student Based Instructional Methods

As we think about the difference technology has made, the bigger picture is to look at all

the benefits of including hands-on learning in the classroom. Student interaction has been limited

in a teacher-centered classroom but even more so since COVID and worldwide shut downs. By

creating the flexible instructional lessons students will be able to have peer interactions through

cooperative learning. Hattie (2009) said, “...cooperative learning has a prime effect on enhancing

interest and problem solving, provided it is set up with high levels of peer involvement” (p. 212).

Creating group discussions and arguments to enhance the creation of new meaning not only helps

students critically think but allows for deeper learning.

For students to continue to be productive and stay engaged it's important to continue the

incorporation of object manipulation. This factor plays a significant role in motivating and

focusing students in a science classroom as they participate in an activity to keep them engaged.

Lev Vygotsky, the educational theorist often identified with social constructivism , viewed tools

as a defining and shaping human activity not merely facilitating it (Wertsch, 1990). Similarly

object- mediated learning contributes to students’ learning by causing them to question or seek

explanations of the effects of an object's use in particular contexts to bring about results

(Satterthwait, 2010). When students work with objects, go on field trips, and are in general

engaged in the lesson they are more likely to remember the content that is being taught and it will

stick with them and allow for connections to be made with other content and real world

experiences.
 19

According to Donna Satterthwait (2010), embodiment is learning that can be defined as

how we humans make sense of our perceptions and actions as we negotiate our journey through

our surroundings. By showing up, working with peers, and using equipment or objects this

interaction is an experience that is created and understood through this physicality. Recent data

show that the brain is modified by the use of tools “...that the use of tools can change the pattern

of movement because the body schema has changed ”(1). This comment provides direct evidence

in which the brain detects body parts (Cardinali, et. al, 2009; Satterthwait, 2010). The mind and

body are not two separate entities as it has been thought by many philosophers most famously

Descartes (Johnson, 2008) but rather they work together to build understandings and abstract

ideas. According to Strick, Dum, and Fiez (2009) conclude that the cerebellum plays an

important role in human cognition and affect and appears that the brains anatomy and function

are interconted to all human endeavors which includes learning, thinking and moving ( Roser &

Gazzaniga, 2004; Satterthwait, 2010).

Including the right educators will also be an important role. Teachers who are

scientifically and technologically literate role models are more likely to positively influence their

students’ future academic achievements in science and technology and their overall literacy as

well. The beauty of teaching science and technology through hands-on experimentation, given

the right teacher guidance and direction, is that it can naturally spark student curiosity to

discover. Also, hands-on experimentation teaches students to use science as a way of thinking

and critically evaluating information through prediction, observation, measurement, recording,

classification, analysis, and reasoning ( Turiman, et. al, 2012; Docherty-Skippen, et. al, 2020).

Teachers bring service to their schools and students as I hope to do. My time spent at

Mount Aloysius opened the door to understand and recognize the mercy values. Service is the
 20

generosity in sharing one’s talent and time to help address the needs of individuals and

communities. Not only do you look at a student's needs but the entire classroom as a whole.

Teachers' teaching methods then reflect on views of the entire school and what the distinct

believes in. It's important to be the best you can be as a teacher and that is my philosphy.

Creating a curriculum or framework that allows students to take some control of their

learning not only opens doors to responsibility but allows students to set goals on what they want

to accomplish. To enhance student engagement in a student- centered class that involves hands -

on learning experiences Lee and Hannafin ( 64: 707-734, 2016) argue that learners need to be

empowered with autonomy, scaffolding, and authentics audiences, manifested in an “own it,

learn it, share it” design framework. Allowing students to own their own learning initiatives.

Setting goals that relate to their life and keeping them within reason. Teachers can help create a

space for students to complete these goals whether they are done through virtual instruction or in

a classroom setting. Students then must learn and engage themselves in resources that help them

address the topics of desired knowledge but also follow suit with curriculum standards. Teachers

can guide students and technology can help and play a big part when in the learning process. The

sharing phase is presented within numerous opportunities such as online with peers, and family,

or could be shared around their classroom and school. The possibilities are endless. The sarong

process may bring unwanted stress and shame that is detrimental to the learning process but

keeping things virtual can help students maintain respect and avoid humiliation in public spaces

(Wong, 2020).

The present state of practices employed within the public education system has many

flaws, and teachers have many concerning issues to face. By continuing with the folklore, it puts
 21

the futures of students in a position where failure seems to be more likely. I can only hope that

the landscape and expectations will change and student-centered instruction will be introduced

more in science classrooms across the nation. Thinking about my future classroom leaves me

hope that others will continue what I first experienced in Mrs. Buck’s classroom by allowing

nature in their classroom for students to learn from living organisms and have opportunities to

expand their knowledge. By keeping flexible instructional methods in a science classroom

students will continue critical thinking, creating questions, evaluating and answering those

questions.

Our educational staff needs to be open to new ideas and understand there will be trial and

error days. Maybe one day a lesson will not go as planned but that doesn't mean it can't be

modified to be better for another class. Teachers need to communicate and rely on each other to

learn and ask the right questions to allow the students to get the best education possible. It's

important to be successful and bring back the engagement in the classroom otherwise students

are being failed by those who vowed they came first and that their education was important, that

students would always be the priority and as a teacher we should never give up on doing what's

best for our students. To me the students in my classroom mean as much to me as my own child

does and the education I want for my daughter is the same I would give to my classroom of

students.
 22

References

Barr, B. (2020). Whatever happened to the classroom turtle? : How animals spark student

engagement and a love of learning (foster hands-on learning and student engagement

with class pets and science-based activities). Solution Tree

Barrow, M. V. (2010). Learning from the Natural World [Review of Teaching Children Science

Hands-On Nature Study in North America, 1890-1930, by S. G. Kohlstedt]. Science,

329(5995), 1016–1017.

Bonnay, S. (2022, February 23). History of early childhood education: then and now. HiMama

Blog - Resources for Daycare Centers.

Chimonidou, A., Ludwig, R. R., & Marinova, I. (2021). Supporting pre-service primary school

teachers with hands-on-science. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 21(6),

pgs. 148-158.

Cuban, L. (2010, April 20). How Long Does It Take To Become a “Good” Teacher? Larry Cuban

on School Reform and Classroom Practice.

Diamond, L. (2005). The art of teaching science: How can our kids get better at science? with

more hands-on learning and better-prepared teachers.: [home edition]. The Atlanta

Journal - Constitution
 23

Docherty-Skippen, S., Karrow, D., & Ahmed, G. (2020). THE INFLUENCE OF HANDS-ON

EXPERIMENTATION AND INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING IN ELEMENTARY SCIENCE

AND TECHNOLOGY (S&T) EDUCATION: PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' ATTITUDES

AND CONFIDENCE TOWARDS TEACHING S&T. Brock Education, 29(1), 25

Inside Higher Ed. (2017, May 9). Questioning Education Folklore.

Jerald, C. (2006). Teach to the Test? Just Say No. Reading Rockets.

Johnston, A. N. B., PhD., & McAllister, Margaret,EdD., R.N. (2008). Back to the future with

hands-on science: Students' perceptions of learning anatomy and physiology. Journal of

Nursing Education, 47(9), 417-21.

Lathan, J., PhD. (2022, February 14). Complete Guide to Teacher-Centered vs. Student-Centered

Learning. University of San Diego Online Degrees.

Leo, J., & Puzio, K. (2016). Flipped instruction in a high school science classroom. Journal of

Science Education and Technology, 25(5), 775-781.

Marketing User. (2021, November 30). The Difference Between IEP and 504 Plans and How to

Obtain Them. employU.

 24

Matiru, B., Gasser, G., & Schlette, R. (1995). Teach Your Best: A Handbook for University

Lecturers (Illustrated ed.). IKO.

Meinke, H. (2019). Exploring the Pros and Cons of Montessori Education. Rasmussen

University.

Morales, S. (2021, September 1). Teaching for Equity: The Role of Folklore in a Time of Crisis

and Opportunity. . Journal of Folklore and Education. .

Paris, S. G., Yambor, K. M., & Packard, B. W. (1998). Hands-on biology: A

museum-school-university partnership for enhancing students' interest and learning in

science. The Elementary School Journal, 98(3), 267-288.

Reimagined, E. (2019, June 7). Why Does Age Determine the How, What, and With Whom of

Learning? Education Reimagined.

Satterthwait, D. (2010). Why are ‘hands-on’ science activities so effective for student learning?

Teaching Science, 56 (2), pgs. 7- 10.

Trundle, K. C., & Smith, M. M. (2017). A hearts-on, hands-on, minds-on model for preschool

science learning. YC Young Children, 72(1), 80-86.

 25

Wong, K. M. (2021). “A design framework for enhancing engagement in student-centered

learning: Own it, learn it, and share it” by lee and hannafin (2016): An international

perspective. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 69(1), 93-96.

Yopp, R. H. (2006). Enhancing hands-on science experiences with informational texts: Learning

about pine cones. Science Activities, 43(3), 31-34.