Perspective! THE ROLE OF SCIENCE INTERVENTION STRATEGIES IN HELPING STUDENTS
JASMIN B. DELOS REYES
Many students struggle with subjects like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Students, parents, and educators can become discouraged when they struggle with science. As students advance in grade level, the emphasis on science in the public school system increases, leading many students to believe they will never catch up. Intervention refers to putting in place strategies to help students to rectify any underperformance as soon as it is. identified through regular, short, focused guidance and support. Intervention is used to refer to programs and activities that aim to improve teaching and learning to raise achievement and improve learning experiences in science education. It includes activities designed to alter approaches to teaching and ways in which the curriculum is implemented. The term intervention will be used generically to cover a wide range of actions and activities.
The most effective intervention is led by the subject teacher who has an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the student’s barriers to achievement and strategies they can focus on to improve their attainment. Strategies and strategic processing within science education are designed to help students learn not only what scientists have come to understand about the world but also how they learn it. Although many domain-general strategies can be implemented in science classrooms, some strategies are either specific to science or are encouraged within science (i.e., the focus of this presentation). Historically, concept development and conceptual change approaches, as well as investigations, dominated science’s strategies and strategic processing. Concept development and conceptual change strategies were based on the notion that an individual’s conceptual knowledge formed and changed similarly to how scientists constructed and changed scientific explanations (e.g., explanatory hypotheses and theories). Such strategies often sought to initiate cognitive dissatisfaction with learners’ pre-existing understanding, and then move learners linearly and rationally through steps that promoted knowledge reconstruction consistent with scientific understanding. Similarly, empirical investigation strategies were based on a model of cyclical scientific inquiry, where students interacted with phenomena in a mode of observation to generate questions, made sense of these interactions by either constructing or being provided an explanation, and then applied these explanations to other contexts and phenomena.
Differentiated instruction enables educators to identify each child's learning needs, which is essential in science classes. For example, a teacher could provide an inquiry-based activity for students who understand the concept while also providing targeted instruction to struggling students. This method enables fast-learning students to broaden their knowledge while also allowing struggling students to achieve their best.
Scaffolding instruction is essential for educators working with struggling students. Before moving on to the next lesson, set aside a few minutes each day to review the previous days' studies. Humans must interact with content three times before it is committed to memory. Students will benefit from this memorization tip. These acronyms help them remember information more easily. For example, The dog deserves to Get treats can help you remember the following biomes: tundra, desert, deciduous forest, taiga, grassland, and tropical rainforest.
Know the various learning styles. The three main learning styles are auditory, visual, and kinesthetic/hands-on. Make sure your students' learning instructions cover a wide range of learning styles. Graphic organizers will benefit students who prefer to learn visually. In contrast, students with a kinesthetic/hands-on learning style will prefer activities like Total Physical Response. Multisensory instruction combines what students see, hear, do, and feel. Linking these senses during education can help students remember information. The Total Physical Response activity falls under this category because it combines learner motions with verbal vocabulary. Utilize technology to increase engagement. Students become more excited and motivated to learn when they master the learning process. Using technology in the classroom enables them to do exactly that. For example, many online programs include virtual laboratories where students can investigate science terms and manipulate various aspects of the experiment, allowing them to explore the concept for themselves. The possibilities for using technology in the classroom are endless. In this approach, you must be aware of potential pitfalls and make every effort to avoid them.
Those who never give up are the most successful students because they persevere regardless of how difficult the task. Students who consistently struggle may lack perseverance because they become easily discouraged with each setback. The most important thing to teach children early in life is perseverance by encouraging them to believe that they can achieve anything they set their minds to as long as they keep working hard and never giving up. Though a beautiful gift to be treasured, they must understand that life is not always a piece of cake. Teach your students that when adversity strikes, they must be willing to pick themselves up and move on. You could become a source your students can draw from when they’re low on energy. Always encourage your struggling students to keep trying and not become discouraged by making learning a positive experience for them to be self-motivated for the rest of their lives!
-oOoThe author is Teacher III