Part+two

Part Two

In the science classroom, student comprehension of scientific language is an important step towards understanding the concepts introduced. Students must be able to clearly define concepts from primary sources and be able to translate them into common language. For example, simple harmonic motion is a form of translational motion that uses oscillations as displacement rather than traditional distance. That sentence alone is the typical introduction to that topic in supplementary reading materials. Students will have to be able to break down the words and ideas by that one sentence to know what is really being discussed. Without even getting into the first term, simple harmonic motion, the student must be able to define translational motion. Translational motion is a concept that has been repeatedly introduced to physics students but rarely appropriately labeled within the classroom. The same goes for the term displacement. Displacement is usually traded for the word distance for the ease of students. While that may work well in the classroom, the students may not make the connection with displacement and distance while reading the textbook. Multiple studies indicate higher incidences of plagiarism in science, engineering and technology classrooms (Yeo, 2007 & Ryan et al, 2009). One of the reasons given for this was based on the language used in primary source materials. Students would be unable to translate the complex specialized scientific jargon into common language leading to the student committing plagiarism to catch up to where the curriculum is supposed to be. Students do not understand the key concepts of science because they are unable to fully comprehend the language. It is as if you are trying to order off a menu in a restaurant that has everything written in Mandarin Chinese. A high school physics textbook assumes the student has taken or is in the process of taking calculus. The concepts of rotational motion are typically introduced without giving a background in radian and how to determine degrees from radian and vice-versa. The best way to approach this is to stay aware of the reading material and instructional supporting materials involved in each topic (Roseman, Stern and Koppal, 2009). To encourage comprehension in science, the instructor must utilize the appropriate supporting materials to ensure that all students are able to approach the topic from the same level. Another way to approach student comprehension is to relate the concepts introduced in the text to real-world examples (Alvermann and Wilson, 2011). If students can imagine doing what the topic describes or can see the behavior themselves, there is less confusion in understanding the vocabulary. Comprehension in science classrooms could also be achieved by maintaining the scientific vocabulary in the classroom. Having students use the scientific language in discussion and in writing assignments will encourage students to directly relate terms to common language rather than the instructor taking on the role as translator. By encouraging this behavior in students, vocabulary does not have to be retaught between topics. For example, in a physics classroom, when discussing how far and fast a race car was moving before stopping, encourage the students to use physics terms instead of their everyday vernacular. The race car was accelerating until it reached a constant velocity and to where its acceleration decreased until its velocity reached zero. Having students go through this exercise and seeing the similarities in their current vocabulary and scientific terminology may increase comprehension decrease the student’s perception of the complexity of the textbook and may even improve transfer skills as students move on to more challenging concepts and terminology. This idea for the physics classroom was due to Donna Alverman and Amy Wilson’s (2011) article on taking earth science beyond the textbook. In Alverman and Wilson’s article, an earth science classroom is taken on a tour of their own school grounds and shown evidence of erosion and the effects of water on loose soil (p. 117). By showing the students real world examples they could look for every day, the scientific language is easier to understand. Taking this example into everyday classroom vocabulary building activities will improve the student’s comprehension. The coherence of the textbooks falls on the shoulders of the instructor to clear up. In addition to the instructional strategy I mentioned earlier, I believe the instructor should teach the students how to read the text to their benefit. By this I mean teaching the students how to organize their notebooks using the textbook as their main source rather than the brief time during lecture. Adding a reading activity as homework or as an extended assignment will help students understand the concepts and vocabulary at the student’s pace. This will also help the curriculum flow easier and faster during class time.  Overall, the scientific language found in primary sources is complex and very specialized. It must be translated into common words by the students for the students. Without the language barrier between how the textbook wants information to be presented and the student, curriculum could flow at a faster rate and students may be able to hold on to skills for longer periods of time. Taking the language from the text and the classroom and placing it into the student’s daily life can assist in the student’s progress in the classroom. With the language down, the student would be able to understand the concepts introduced at a higher rate and there would potentially be lower incidences of plagiarism in the science classroom.

 Works Cited

Alverman, D., & Wilson, A. (2011). Comprehension strategy instruction for multimodal texts in science. //Theory Into Practice//, //50//, 116-124.

Bryant, D., Ugel, N., Thompson, S., & Hamff, A. (1999). Instructional strategies for content-area reading. //Intervention in Schools and Clinics//, //34//(5), 293-301.

Concannon. (2011). Gravity is easy to understand, right? the difference between calculating and comprehending. //Science Activities: Classroom Projects and Curriculum Ideas//, //49//(1), 14-22. Retrieved February 17, 2012, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00368121.2011.570381

Glynn, S., & Muth, D. (1994). Reading and writing to learn science: achieving scientific literacy. //Journal of Research in Science Teaching//, //31//(9), 1057-1073.

Roseman., Stern., & Koppal. (2009). A method for analyzing the coherence of high school biology textbooks. //Journal of Research in Science Teaching//, //47//(1), 47-70. Retrieved February 15, 2012, from []

Ryan, G., Bonnana, H., & Scouller, K. (2009). Undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy student’s perceptions of plagiarism and academic honesty. //American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education//, //73//(6), 1-7.

Yeo, S. (2007). First-year University Science and Engineering Students' Understanding of Plagiarism. //Higher Education Research & Development//, //26//(2), 199-216.