In order to put phenomena to work for you in your classroom, you need to understand what they are. So just what are phenomena?
A phenomenon is the context that motivates the work of a scientist or an engineer, the events, circumstances or framework that defines what they do, the knowledge they’re looking for and the problems they’re trying to solve. In plain language, a scientist or an engineer doesn't go to work to remember facts or previously learned knowledge. That's not what drives their work.
Instead, scientists and engineers use investigative processes with what they know to generate new ideas and build new knowledge. Scientists are focused on using their knowledge to test hypothetical answers to questions about observable events. Engineers identify problems and similarly use investigative processes to solve those problems with evidence based technology.
In the scientific context, phenomena are observable events. They provide the motivation for the work of scientists and engineers every day. A phenomenon can range from a seasonal event (i.e. the changing of the seasons), to weather patterns (i.e. drought conditions).
When students ask questions about phenomena in the classroom, they have a chance to learn more about the world around them, bring their own knowledge into the conversation, and lead their own science and engineering investigations. Examples of phenomena from the K-12 science curricula include:
While working as scientists and engineers in the classroom, students can tackle observable events like these by asking, testing, and answering their own questions about phenomena. In other words, they can develop a question about the phenomena – the observable event – and attempt to answer that question by testing their hypothesis.
In the engineering context, a phenomenon presents a problem that engineers try to solve. Engineers often study phenomena that impact humans (i.e. floods, fires, building materials, earthquakes). For example:
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In the classroom, students can observe and respond to phenomena just like engineers do in the real world. They can extend their understanding about science principles and learn more about the world around them by interacting with phenomena like these:
Scientists take their observations of events and ask questions about them, then test hypotheses related to those questions, to create new evidence-based knowledge.
Engineers expand on their observed knowledge by solving problems observed in the world around us through prototyping – designing solutions then testing them until they find something that works, and typically, continuing to improve these solutions over time.How Do
The NGSS standards expect students to develop and perform an understanding of the DCI, CCC, and SEP elements of each standard. When investigating phenomena, students are building a better understanding about the world around them and making personal connections to the study of science. They are also deepening their understanding of DCIs, CCCs, and SEPs.
In an NGSS designed classroom there are many roles for phenomena:
Inquiry-based learning is the basis of implementing NGSS standards. When we focus on phenomena in the classroom, students are using their funds of knowledge to build an understanding of complex concepts. When done well, students are challenged to extend their own knowledge and lead their own investigations. They are asking questions and answering them with investigative phenomena from hands-on science and engineering experiments. Giving students a chance to use classroom learning to understand real-world phenomena makes student’s hard work relevant and rewarding.
Rather than promoting rote memorization, the NGSS standards require students to authentically explain, predict, demonstrate, and apply knowledge. This requires the use of high level critical thinking skills and gives students the opportunity to practice 21st century career skills as they question what they know, work together to find solutions, and respond to the results shared by their peers. Rather than a one-way street, phenomena and the NGSS standards teach students that scientific inquiry requires a diverse group of people looking at a complex problem in many different ways to find the best solution, and to keep improving on that knowledge and technology.