AMERICAN COLLEGE

ASSESSMENT COVER PAGE

OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Student Number: AC/0003678

Student Name: D.W.Krishani Kalmini

Lecturer’s Name: Ms. Khalida Mohideen

Subject Code: CHD1338

Subject Name: Maths and Science for The Young Children

Assignment Title: Science and Child Development

Due Date: 2023.04.19

Date of Submission: 2023.04.19

Extension Details (if applicable):

Word Length (excluding list of references): 2400 Words

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Date: 2023.04.19
 SCIENCE AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Introduction

Most people when thinking of science, imagine the picture of frogs, heats, and planets and for

most of them, it is just an extension of their daily life activities. With the help of science, one

is taught how to explore and wonder about the things surrounding them. It is the natural

behavior of a human. Science is a subject that matches the ideal natural curiosity of students.

This is the major reason children need to learn science from an early age because of its

numerous benefits.

Children ask questions like ‘Why is the sky blue?’, ‘Where do colors come from?’ and more.

With an understanding of science, all their questions can be answered. An additional benefit

is that it can be fun if presented in the right manner to them. For teachers, this is an

opportunity that they can take to build up a strong impact of science in students’ lives to

shape their opinions and thoughts from an early age. According to research, students have

already formed their opinions about science by the age they reach seven. As the emphasis on

STEM is increasing in education, it is important to include science teaching at the early age

of students’ education. The impact and influence of early childhood teachers bring out the

potential of students to pursue a career in science or technology at any other grade level.
.
 1. Benefits of science for the young children

There are many benefits to children studying science. Some of the most notable include:

• Developing critical thinking skills:

Science encourages children to ask questions, make observations and use evidence
to support their ideas.

• Enhancing problem-solving abilities:

Science teaches children to think creatively and develop solutions to problems.

• Improving understanding of the natural world:

Science helps children understand the world around them and how things work.

• Encouraging curiosity and wonder:

Science is a fascinating subject that can spark children's curiosity and encourage
them to explore and discover new things.

• Preparing for future careers:

A strong foundation in science can open up many career opportunities in fields
such as medicine, engineering, and technology.

• Encouraging teamwork and collaboration:

Many scientific projects and experiments require children to work in teams and
collaborate with others.

• Improving literacy and numeracy skills:

Science can help children develop their reading and writing skills, as well as their
ability to understand and use mathematical concepts.
 • Prepared For Higher Grades:
Learning starts from a tender age. Starting to make the children familiarize with
scientific concepts and terms can make them value the importance of science in
their life. As they prepare for higher grades, they might already know some of the
terms and concepts from their early age. This knowledge will help them to be
prepared for their high education.

Overall, studying science can be an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience for
children, helping them to develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in life.

2. Cognitive development and Science

Children grow and develop rapidly in their first five years across the four main areas of
development. These areas are motor (physical), language and communication, cognitive and
social/emotional.

Cognitive development means how children think, explore and figure things out. It is the
development of knowledge, skills, problem solving and dispositions, which help children to
think about and understand the world around them. Brain development is part of cognitive
development.

As a parent, it is important to foster your child's cognitive development as soon as he/she is

born because doing so provides the foundation for your child's success in school and later in
life. For example, research shows that children who can distinguish sounds at six months of
age are better at acquiring the skills for learning to read at four and five years of age.

To promote your child's cognitive development, it is important that you actively engage in
quality interactions on a daily basis. Examples include:

• Talking with your baby and naming commonly used objects.

• Letting your baby explore toys and move about.
• Singing and reading to your baby.
• Exposing your toddler to books and puzzles.
 • Expanding on your child's interests in specific learning activities. For example, your
toddler might show an early interest in dinosaurs, so you can take him/her on a trip to
the natural history museum to learn more about the time that these creatures roamed
the earth.
• Answering your child’s “why” questions.

Another way that you can foster your child's cognitive development is to provide him/her
with choices and prompt him/her to make thoughtful decisions. You should also allow your
child to explore different ways of solving problems. While you may want to provide some
gentle guidance and encouragement, allow your child some time to figure out things, like a
new puzzle. This may require some patience on your part, but it will ultimately help him/her
to learn.

To develop cognitive skills, I follow the methods mentioned below.

• Talking with my school children and naming commonly used objects.

• Exposing my school children to books and puzzles.
• Answering my school children’s ‘why’ questions.
 3. Formal and informal scientific reasoning approaches.

Scientific reasoning represents a set of skills students need to acquire in order to successfully
participate in scientific practices. Hence, educational research has focused on developing and
validating assessments of student learning that capture the two different components of the
construct, namely formal and informal reasoning.

Reasoning is a mental process that enables people to construct new representations from
existing knowledge.

It includes cognitive processing that is directed at finding solutions to problems by drawing

conclusions based on logical rules or rational procedures. When people reason, they attempt
to go “beyond the information given” to create a new representation that is assumed to be
true.

The process of scientific reasoning comprises formal and informal reasoning. Formal
reasoning is characterized by rules of logic and mathematics, with fixed and unchanging
premises. It encompasses the ability to formulate a problem, design scientific investigations,
evaluate experimental outcomes, and make causal inferences in order to form and modify
theories related to the phenomenon under investigation. Formal scientific reasoning can be
applied not only within the context of science, but in almost every other domain of society. It
can be used to make informed decisions regarding everyday life problems; for example,
individuals use proportional reasoning to decide the fastest way to travel from one place to
another.

In informal reasoning, students draw inferences from uncertain premises as they ponder ill-
structured, open-ended, and debatable problems without definitive solutions.

When students reason formally, they work with the given premises in belief mode, which
concerns arriving at true and warranted conclusions whereas informal reasoning is carried out
in design mode, which focuses on identifying relevant premises that can be used to establish a
strong argument.
Since a premise of informal reasoning is uncertain and can be questioned, its conclusion can
be withdrawn in the light of new evidence. This process involves weighing the pros and cons
of a particular decision. Learners engage in informal reasoning when they deal with socio-
scientific issues—controversial issues that are influenced by social norms and conceptually
related to science, such as whether or not to consume genetically modified food or support
government's plan for a car-free city.

Both types of reasoning are used to manipulate existing information and share the same goal
of generating new knowledge. While formal reasoning is judged by whether or not
conclusions are valid, informal reasoning is assessed based on the quality of premises and
their potential for strengthening conclusions.

The manipulation of existing information in formal and informal reasoning processes can be
described with dual-process theories of reasoning. According to these theories, there are two
distinct processing modes: Type 1 processes are autonomous and intuitive processes that do
not heavily rely on individuals' working memory, whereas Type 2 processes involve using
mental simulation or thought experiments to support hypothetical thinking and reflective
processes that require working memory. An individual's first response to a problem tends to
be processed automatically and refers to their past experiences and personal beliefs (i.e., Type
1 process: For example, when using formal reasoning to decide the fastest way to travel from
A to B, an individual's first thought might be to take a plane since it is commonly considered
the fastest means of transport. However, the individual might change his or her mind after
processing all necessary information, such as the travel time to and from the airport.

Not every individual is able to progress after the first stage and produce a rational decision.
Those who are confined to Type 1 processes make intuitive decisions, whereas more
experienced individuals utilize Type 2 processes to construct a well-informed choice. In the
example of using informal reasoning to decide whether or not to support a government's plan
for a car-free city, intuitive thought might lead individuals to support the plan based on their
experiences with pollution.

However, with the purpose of generating new representations, only those who can (a)
elaborate on their intuitive decision with acceptable justifications; (b) address opposite
arguments; and (c) think about how the plan can be further improved are utilizing Type 2
processes. In this regard, there is a strong connection between formal and informal reasoning,
in which both types of reasoning share the common goal of generating new knowledge by
processing available information through the dual stages.

4. Role of the teacher in planning scientific activities.

The Scientific method is an essential method in teaching of science. This

scientific method can be used by the learner to understand the objects, activities and acquire
the skills decision making and problem solving. The solutions or results derived through this
method can be applied to the living environment. In order to apply the solutions in life
solutions,
the teacher should,
i. Arrange a necessary environment to understand the problem
ii. Guide the learner to collect the data or information
iii. Help in classification and arrangement of data or information in a desired order.
iv. Formulate the hypothesis and test the same.
v. Help to prepare a report on tested hypothesis
vi. Give a life situation enable the student to utilize the solution to find the result.

Characteristics of Science teacher:

_ he / she should be open minded
_ Interested in seeking accurate knowledge and searching for the truth
_ objective in nature (analyze all the happenings without any prejudice or bias)
_ not superstitious (free from superstition).
_ solve the problems based on upon the evidence and following scientific method
_ Opinion and conclusions would be based on the adequate evidences only.
_ identify the measures to develop scientific attitude among the students.

As a science education researcher and a teacher educator, my goal is to help prepare the next
generation of science teachers. Here are five attributes of an effective elementary school
science teacher that align with the new standards.
1. Nurtures student curiosity

Children are curious by nature. Science teachers should use relevant everyday events as a
basis of science instruction that fosters interest and curiosity. This approach encourages
students to take a more active role in figuring out how natural events work instead of being
taught those lessons by an instructor.

2. Encourages scientific thinking

Effective science teachers involve students in making sense of natural events and the science
ideas underlying them. In other words, they actively engage students in wondering and
figuring out science phenomena around them and how they happen. They help students
develop exploratory questions and hypotheses to explain such events, and encourage them to
test and refine their explanations based on scientific evidence.

3. Develops scientific literacy

Teachers who plan lessons according to the current standards aim to develop scientifically
literate young citizens who can identify, evaluate and understand scientific arguments
underlying local and global issues.

4. Integrates science with other subjects

Teaching science with an interdisciplinary approach – that is to say, using math, technology,
language arts and social studies to make sense of science phenomena – can lead to rich and
rigorous learning experiences.

5. Uses classroom assessments to support student learning

A science teacher who is interested in students’ ideas will design and use classroom-based
assessments that reveal students’ science thinking. They do not use closed-ended assessments
that require yes or no answers, textbook-style definitions or lists of scientific facts. Instead,
they use open-ended, phenomenon-based assessments that give students a chance to show
their understanding.
A Research, I done with my children.

1. Draw the outline of a fish on the bottom of a glass plate. Retrace your drawing to
make sure all the lines are connected. Let dry for a minute or two.
2. Fill the measuring cup with tap water. Place the pour spout just inside the corner of
the dish and add water very slowly until it just covers the bottom. Be careful not to
pour water directly onto your drawing or make splashes near it. The water will move
toward your drawing, eventually surrounding it. Observe what happens.
3. Tilt the dish slightly from side to side.

The easy-release ink lets go from a surface, but why does it float? There are two reasons.
First, dry erase ink isn’t soluble, which means it won’t dissolve in water. Second, dry erase
ink is less dense than the water, so it becomes buoyant, meaning it can float. When you tilt
the dish, the fish moves around on the water’s surface.
Conclusion

• Science not only teaches children about the world around them, it can also teach them
more about themselves. Learning about the human body from a young age can go a
long way in increasing the confidence of children and their understanding of their
own bodies and its functions.

• Cognitive development means the development of the ability to think and reason.
Children ages 6 to 12, usually think in concrete ways (concrete operations). This can
include things like how to combine, separate, order, and transform objects and
actions.

• Both types of reasoning are used to manipulate existing information and share the
same goal of generating new knowledge. While formal reasoning is judged by
whether or not conclusions are valid, informal reasoning is assessed based on the
quality of premises and their potential for strengthening conclusions.

• Science teachers create engaging lesson plans and activities for the learners, including
laboratory works, group research, and field experiments. They also demonstrate
methods and present scientific research to support their observations.
References

(PhD), D. C. (2023, 03 15). Cognitive Development Examples. Retrieved from Helpful

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Adetunji, J. (n.d.). characteristics of an effective science teacher. Retrieved from The

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teacher-from-a-researcher-who-trains-them-165211

Benefits of Learning Science in Early Childhood. (2023). Retrieved from vnaya:

https://www.vnaya.com/blog/benefits-of-learning-science-in-early-childhood

Quora. (2022). Retrieved from Poe: https://poe.com/

Scherer, N. T. (2016, 07 19). Bringing Formal and Informal Reasoning Together. pp. 1-2.

TEACHING OF SCIENCE source book: Lecture Notes. (n.d.). District Institute of Education
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What Is Cognitive Development. (2020). Retrieved from Help me grow:

https://helpmegrowmn.org/HMG/HelpfulRes/Articles/WhatCognitiveDev/index.html