Theories/Approaches Narrative Notes
Interdisciplinary Education
Researcher(s) Connected
Jean Rousseau:
● 17th-century philosopher
● Beleived that children learn from their
surroundings
Something Beneficial Gained
● Many other countries like Korea and
China have implemented this approach
because it helps better prepare students for
21st-century careers
● Focuses on STEAM, which helps students
understand cross subject ideas
How would the approach be useful for
teaching science?
● Give students the opportunity to explore
science ideas/problems while also
integrating other subjects
Description
● Teaching the whole child
● Cultivating a growth mindset in students
● Giving students real-life learning experiences to
help them gain a deeper understanding of the
standards
● Lessons are based on inquiry which requires
higher order thinking skills
● Content is relevant to what is important to
students
How class would be organized/Restructured
● Teachers would pose a real-world problem, and
students would use deductive reasoning to
navigate through inquiry-based lessons to form an
opinion or a solution
● Students are taking control over their own
learning
What challenges exist?
● Some students have different background
knowledge of the topic and can cause issues
during group collaboration when trying to
understand others' ideas
● I am a 1st-grade teacher, and I can see students
having trouble being independent and
collaborating as a team
● Students have to learn by reading articles…many
1st grade students are still emergent readers and
don’t comprehend what they read
The Learning Cycle (5e)
Researcher(s) Connected
● Roger W. Bybee: A former teacher,
professor and creator of the 5E teaching
model.
Something Beneficial Gained
● I liked how each phase is laid out and you
know exactly what is expected of teachers
and students in each phase
● I like how students are not completely
turned loose and teachers still act as a
guide
How would the approach be useful for
teaching science?
● This approach would give students time to
explore and engage in activities while also
allowing the teacher to explicitly teach and
explain ideas to the class to avoid
misconceptions.
● Would give teachers a systematic approach
to teaching science ideas and would
eliminate confusion around teaching
science
Description
● Developed in the 1980s
● Learners build ideas on top of previously learned
skills
● Consists of 5 Elements:
○ Engage: Ask a question that is related to
prior knowledge
○ Explore: Students work together to explore
the posed question with teacher guidance
○ Explain: Students explain the concept
using their own words
○ Elaborate: Students will apply what they
have learned in a different way
○ Evaluate: Teachers evaluate student
learning
How class would be organized/Restructured
● My class would be organized using the 5E
teaching model…start off the lesson by engaging
students in a question. Students would then be
given time to explore activities related to the
question. In the explanation phase, I would
explicitly teach the concept to students. After the
explanation, students would be given more
opportunities to explore the concept through
engaging activities. I would then evaluate student
learning through the use of their new skills.
● My science block would have to be longer than it
normally is to give students ample time to explore
ideas and engage with their peers
● These elements could also be used in stations or
centers
What challenges exist?
● Finding the time to incorporate each phase
effectively
● This model would be alot to accomplish in one
lesson, but also would be confusing for students if
completed on different days
● I would need to see this modeled
Project-Based Learning (PBL)
Researcher(s) Connected
● Philosophers Confucius, Aristotle, Socrates
supported this idea
● John Dewey: American Philosopher who
was also known as the “Father of the
progressive movement”
Something Beneficial Gained
● Projects in this theory last over the course
of 1-2 weeks…I always used to think PBL
had to be rushed so this was reassuring to
hear
How would the approach be useful for
teaching science?
● Instead of relying on a science textbook to
teach standards, they are engaged in
various activities that focus on real-world
problems
● Help students understand ideas by making
them relevant to their lives…more
engaging than memorizing concepts out of
a textbook
Description
● PBL is learning by doing
● Take standards and applies them in real-world
situations
● In this model, students are encouraged to work
together and take control of their own learning
● This model also allows students to learn from
their peers
How class would be organized/Restructured
● I would start the class by engaging students in an
essential question…they would then have to work
with their peers to test their answers to the
question through experiments and research
What challenges exist?
● I worry that it's placing a lot of the learning in the
student's hands…while I like the idea of PBL, it
might lead younger learners away from what is
needing to be learned
● I also feel there would be a lack of time in my
classroom to implement PBL…and a lack of
resources
Ecojustice/Place-based Education (PBE)
Researcher(s) Connected
● Chet Bowers
● Michael P. Mueller
● Deborah J. Tippins
Something Beneficial Gained
● This approach encourages students to get
out in their communities and help enact
change
● Teaching mindfulness is a skill that can
benefit science instruciton
How would the approach be useful for
teaching science?
● This approach would help students
understand the issues in their community
and encourage them to help make changes
that they can see
● It also shows science in the real world
Description
● Theory is concerned with environmental issues,
particularly with the abuse of indigenous people
and their land, and how certain lifestyles affect
the environment
● 3 components of Ecojustice
○ Challenging Cultural Assumptions: Our
beliefs and life experiences shape our
actions
○ Local Action: Local citizens take action to
help their own community
○ Emporing Voices of the Disenfranchised:
Understanding that we need to share
resources with not just humans but
animals
How class would be organized/Restructured
● Shifting the focus to mindfulness and encourage
students to question their assumptions
● Familiarizing myself in local environmental
issues
● Encouraging open dialogue amongst students to
enact change
What challenges exist?
● Different locations bring various environmental
challenges
● I feel like it wouldn't meet all our 1st-grade
standards…for example, we have to hit the
standard that talks about precipitation…I live in
the desert and we rarely ever get rain
STEAM
Researcher(s) Connected
● Wynita Harmon
● Renee Polk Johnson
Something Beneficial Gained
● I was familiar with STEM but I thought it
was the same as STEAM…after reading
the article I learned that Arts was added to
stem to create STEAM
● I like arts as an addition because it helps
make STEAM students even more rounded
How would the approach be useful for
teaching science?
● Would be useful because it not only
incorporates science but also technology,
engineering, arts and mathematics to assist
students in inquiry-based activities
● It gives science teachers the ability to
integrate science with other subjects
Description
● Consits of Science, Technology, Engineering,
Arts, and Math
● Origniated in the 1990s
● Created because the US was lacking behind other
1st world countries in science and technology
● The goal is to make students ready for the future
● Gives schools more options to teach STEAM
How class would be organized/Restructured
● Student takes the rule of learner but also a leader
● Students will be working in groups
● Some students will be assigned the role of
“leader” in their group
● STEAM encourages students to pick there own
groups…this is something I struggle with because
I try to group students based on ability and
behavior
What challenges exist?
● Younger students might have difficulty solving
more complex problems
● I would like to be trained in how to effectlvy
implement STEAM activities in my classroom
Environmental Education
Researchers Connected
● Allison Bowers
● Nicole Holthuis
● Nicole Ardion
● Noelle Roth
Something Beneficial Gained
● Enviormental Education differs from
Enviormental Science because it is more
concerned with how data is analyzed and
portrayed to the public
How would the approach be useful for
teaching science?
● This would help students get a real world
understanding of the environment around
them and how what they are learning
affects them and their community
●
Description
● Encourages students to be aware of the issues in
our environment
● Students pose the questions and work in groups to
discuss environmental topics
● Includes students imersed in real world scenarios
● Teachers act as a facilitator in the classroom
rather than controlling students and what is being
taught/learned
● Use of a “photo journal”
How class would be organized/Restructured
● Students engage in inquiry based lessons…an
essential question is posed at the beginning of the
lesson
● Using a photo journal to aid in understanding…
What challenges exist?
● Setting clear expectations for students as they are
in charge of their own learning…especally in my
classroom I still have students who struggle to
communicate their feelings and problem solve
independently
● Ensuring students use materials safely would be
another concern in my classroom…I still have
students who can not control themselves and
damage my materials
Inquiry
Researcher(s) Connected
● Jean Piaget
Something Beneficial Gained
● I learned that inquiry doesn’t have to be a
full blown research project…if a teacher or
students look something up on their own its
considered inquiry
How would the approach be useful for
teaching science?
● Students are naturally curious so it will
help guide students into learning about
certain science topics
● It peaks students interest and allows them
to find the answers to their own questions
Description
● Instruction os guided by student questions
● Teacher will show things related to the topic and
have students think of questions they have…
students will then find the answers to their
questions
How class would be organized/Restructured
● Would require teacher to give up control since it
is student lead
● Since inquiry is student lead there wouldnt
necessarily be a “lesson” taught…more so an
introduction to an idea where students generate
their own questions
What challenges exist?
● Some students in my class have problems taking
initiative and still require lots of support during
lessons…I have to ask many leading questions
and I think that would interfere with the inquiry
students are supposed to be taking part in
Differentiated Instruction
Researcher(s) Connected
Carol Ann Tomlinson
Something Beneficial Gained
● I needed to be reminded that differentiation
is also for high achieving students
● I often focus so much on differentiating for
struggling students that I forget how
important it is to do the same for high
achieving students so they feel challenged
How would the approach be useful for
teaching science?
● Would help increase student engagement
and give all students the opportunity to
understand complex science ideas
Description
● Students are given different ways to take in
information and show what they have learned
● Originated in the 1600s
● IDEA ensured all students regardless of disability
had access to differented instruction in thier
classroom
● No child left behind also encouraged skill based
instruction
How class would be organized/Restructured
● Providing extra time for students, giving students
materials that help them be successful
● Videos to help visual learners understand the
science standard
What challenges exist?
● Finding the right balance between differentiating
to the point where it helps students be successful
and not making it too easy to where they arent
using higher order thinking skills
 Article Overview
I have selected the STEAM theory as one that most closely identifies with my teaching style. In my
classroom, I focus on improving my student's communication skills, offering hands-on learning opportunities,
and ensuring class activities prepare my students for future endeavors, which is why I chose STEAM. Growing
up, I was also privileged enough to attend an elementary school that was STEM certified. I can recall
participating in many engaging activities that made me love science education. We had a special class dedicated
to STEM activities and the school regularly held ‘STEM Nights’ to engage parents and members of the
community in their young student's science education. With this past STEM experience in mind, I want to stay
true to the STEM education I received and model my classroom science instruction (with the added arts
component) after the STEAM theory. To further my research into the STEM theory and how I can effectively
implement it in my classroom, I have chosen to review the article, ‘ Implementing STEAM in the early
childhood classroom’ written by Nancy DeJarnette. This article details the importance of STEAM in classrooms
because it allows teachers to incorporate multiple disciplines simultaneously. STEAM also allows students to
“explore, question, research, discover, and exercise innovative building skills”(DeJarnette, 2018). These skills
are essential to building the next generation of our workforce to keep up with other first-world countries.
It is never too young to incorporate STEAM for our students. In fact, preschool-aged students benefit
from STEAM activities because of their natural intuition to problem solve and work with new materials. This
early introduction to STEAM helps prepare students for jobs in the 21st century. However, in order to
effectively implement STEAM in our classrooms, teachers need professional development to ensure proper
implementation. The study conducted in the article wanted to see the outcome of STEAM implementation rates
in preschool classrooms after workshops, professional development, resources, and in-class support were
offered to teachers. Researchers took a total of 50 preschool teachers from high-needs schools and explained the
NGSS and the growing need for STEAM in classrooms. These teachers also received STEAM lesson ideas
along with related materials. Not only did they find teachers enjoyed STEAM, but also their students. The study
showed that “teachers developed more positive attitudes towards STEM and increased their self-efficacy as a
result of receiving STEM professional development”(DeJarnette, 2018). After receiving STEAM training,
teachers felt confident in implementing this theory in their classrooms.
In order for me to begin implementing this theory in my classroom, I would need to be properly trained
and have access to STEAM-related materials as my district does not have a science curriculum and I have never
received any type of training related to the subject. I would also need to ensure my students are familiar with
collaboration norms in the classroom. My students would benefit from STEAM in the classroom as it
encourages them to work in teams and take on the role of leader. This type of multisubject exposure would also
benefit my students by giving them the opportunity to learn about different disciplines. Many of my students
have not had the opportunity to work with technology and engineering in my classroom. In conclusion, the
article helped further prove why STEAM would benefit my classroom and the need for STEAM training in my
district.
 References
DeJarnette, N. K. (2018). Implementing STEAM in the early childhood classroom. European Journal of
STEM Education, 3(3), 18.