By Kathleen Palmieri
As I prepare to be a part of an item writing team for the NYS science assessment, I’ve been reviewing the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards for grades 3-8. Reading these standards brought thoughts of the NYS Math standards to mind.
As I read phrases like “Develop a model to describe and measure and graph quantities to provide evidence,” my mind gravitated to an inquiry-based, collaborative classroom – the kind of classroom where the “struggle” is productive and the students have thoughtful, inquisitive group discussions.
In both science and math, when students move from being passive learners of information to active learners, they develop a much deeper conceptual understanding. I’ve noticed this in my classroom where direct instruction that goes beyond 10 minutes tends to find students’ focus drifting. However, when I put them in charge of their learning, the classroom hums with students diving into the math or into the science lab.
Educators sometimes fear that when students work with peers it becomes more about socializing than learning. I’ve learned that when they have the opportunity to collaborate and explain their thinking to a partner, they become more aware of their thoughts and often discover gaps in their own logic.
Collaboration invites diverse perspectives. In math, one student might see a particular pattern in a problem, while another sees a math rule. Sharing their thoughts leads to a robust math discussion. Collaborative partners and groups often provide a safe space for students who may otherwise be quiet in a whole-class setting to share their thoughts. True for science. True for math.
Math as an Experimental Science
When you hear the words “hypotheses” and “experiment,” I’ll bet the subject of science comes to mind. However, these two terms are actually important in math as well.
What if instead of just finding the answer in math, students make a claim about a mathematical relationship. For example, in fifth-grade mathematics one of the most fundamental shifts is moving from whole numbers to the relationship between decimals and powers of ten. Thinking about how a scientist may run a lab, a mathematician can test their claim with different numbers or operations.
Another example is using formulas in math, such as volume, V= l x w x h and area, A= l x w. Testing these formulas and discussing results using models and operations becomes a theorem students truly understand, rather than a formula they memorized.
The Benefit of Hands-On Exploration and “The Lab Mindset”
Whether it is students being tasked with “make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties”(5-PS1-3) or “measure volume by counting unit cubes” (NY-5.MD.3 and 5.MD.4), physical manipulatives bridge the gap between abstract concepts and concrete learning.
In terms of vocabulary used in science, there is a distinct correlation to how it applies to math:
The “Aha!” Moment
The give and take of what works and what doesn’t in a collaborative environment is where true learning is born. Maybe the lab didn’t go as expected, or the math strategy didn’t work to solve the problem. These results redirect the students to dive back into their work to problem solve, make suggestions, rethink the lab, rework the numbers, etc. This is the core of learning using the scientific method and mathematical reasoning. They work together beautifully.
Some More Food for Thought
Student Outcomes: A quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin states, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.” This fits well into my study. Students will remember what they did much longer than what they were told. They begin to feel like they have scientific ideas and mathematical skills and that creates a feeling of accomplishment.
Another great benefit is that the more students use evidence-based language in making a claim – using phrases such as “I believe this because…” or “The data shows that…” – the more they develop excellent subject area communication.
The Standards: A close review of national science and math standards themselves makes the claim for math as an experimental science. The Next Generation Science Standards Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) describe exactly what students do in an inquiry-based lab. Primarily:
- Asking questions and defining problems
- Planning and carrying out investigations
- Engaging in an argument from evidence
In math, the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) inquiry-based strategies, aligned with the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs), are stated as the “habits of mind” of proficient mathematicians. Primarily:
- MP1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
- MP3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
- MP4: Model with mathematics.
Crosscutting: Finally, this effort of mine to view both science and math as experimental subjects ripe for collaboration also hits NGSS’s Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs) as students see connections between science and math. This is evident in “patterns” where students look for uniformity or predictable structure in their data or numbers to make a claim. Also, in terms of “Cause and Effect” where in both a lab and an algebraic problem, students investigate how changing one variable affects another.
Approaching Collaboration with a Lab Mindset
In my fifth grade classroom, using a Lab Mindset helps students remember the concepts longer because they discovered the patterns. Students see themselves as scientists and mathematicians who have the skills to solve problems, and they improve upon their communication skills as they use precise, evidence-based vocabulary to support their claims as they work collegially.
In closing, I have found that refreshing my knowledge of science and math standards has helped me reflect on and increase inquiry-based, collaborative learning in my classroom. I hope some of my thinking about rethinking the value we assign to well-designed “experimental” student collaboration is helpful. Share your thoughts in the comments!
Images: Unsplash+.
Kathleen Palmieri is a National Board Certified Teacher, NBCT Professional Learning facilitator and education writer. She is a fifth-grade educator in upstate New York who reviews and writes regularly for MiddleWeb. With a passion for literacy and learning in the classroom, she participates in various writing workshops, curriculum writing endeavors, and math presentations.
As a lifelong learner, Kathie is an avid reader and researcher of educational practices and techniques. Follow her on X-twitter at https://twitter.com/Kathie_Palmieri and at Bluesky @kathleenpalmieri.bsky.social. And learn more about her education adventures at www.kathleenpalmieri.com.
