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From one teacher to another |
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The following information is taken from Expérimentez
l'Expo-sciences created by the Conseil du loisir scientifique
in partnership with Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. and the ministère
de la Culture et des Communications du Québec.
The following is a testimonial by Raymond Vanasse, a chemistry
teacher at Bernard-Gariépy Secondary School. Although recently
retired, he is still very much involved with the Science Fair.
When I first started teaching, I put a lot of effort into preparing
my lessons. I wanted to be dynamic and use concrete examples, and I
tried to explain difficult concepts using illustrations and simple language.
Students seemed to be interested in my class. It was often a one-man
show. The students did not ask too many questions and everything was
easy. I asked the questions and gave the answers. I did all the work.
Everything came from me.
I was quite disappointed to discover, following an evaluation, that
the students had not assimilated the concepts of this "super course."
After five years of teaching, I developed an approach that favoured
student creativity. With the teacher's help, students use a heuristic
approach, one that allows them to learn through discovery and investigation.
They use their existing knowledge to investigate and develop further
knowledge. It's a constructivist
approach, which is the perfect complement to the scientific method.
I adopted this pedagogical approach as part of an individualized teaching
system.
Incorporating a research project into my course from September to January
was the best way of integrating my new pedagogical approach. It was
an opportunity for my students and me to observe that work done as part
of a research project is the most interesting and dynamic, and produces
the best results as far as learning is concerned.
In my opinion, teachers should help students do experimental or technical
research whenever possible. This type of research can shed new light
on a problem, while documentary research can serve only to summarize
existing knowledge about a problem.
The merits of experimenting
Throughout various experimental research projects, I have observed the
efforts made by students to control all the variables. Often, the experiment
doesn't work out the first time and has to be repeated until some sort
of a pattern emerges. Students have to make an effort to analyze results
and draw conclusions. Experimental research has a lot more to offer
students by enabling them to find creative ways of expanding their knowledge.
It was through joint efforts by both student and teacher that I discovered
to what extent it was possible to impart the joy of science.
Cultural differences?
At the Canada-wide Science Fair, we see a strong percentage of Anglophone
students presenting experimental, technological or computer research
projects. The young Francophone students tend to favour the study
projects. What I have often noticed is that these study projects can
serve as a basis for experimental or technological research. To make
this leap, students need their teachers' help to guide them. Sometimes,
very little is needed to bridge the gap between these two types of
projects.
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© 2002, Conseil de développement du loisir scientifique
(CDLS). This document is distributed by the Conseil de développement
du loisir scientifique.
For more information, visit our Web site at www.cdls.qc.ca. |
The opinions
expressed in this section are those of the authors and do not
necessarily
reflect the opinions of Merck Frosst or its employees. |
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