Inquire learning effects to elementary school students’ nanotechnology instructions

The Nanotechnology Talent Investment Program in Taiwan

The investment for science talents directed the national competitiveness (Deway, 1938). Therefore, nanotechnology, biotechnology and computer technology are the main directions of technology development in this century. The nanotechnology development and research started by Feynman in 1959. It is recognized as one of the most important industries in the 21st century (Lee & Tang, 2006). The technology development and research brought new resource development and application to current and future world. Many advanced countries also invested large resources to this field and further listed as an important national development program (Wu, 2002).

Taiwanese government departments invested large financial resources in nanotechnology development. The first stage “National Nanotechnology Program (NNP)” started from 2002 to 2007 in Taiwan. This NNP program was designed for education and research industries, through the nanotechnology development to develop new products for using in communication, energy, medical, environmental and food industry, further improves the quality of life. (The Office of National Nanotechnology Program, 2006; Lee & Tang, 2006). In the education field, by letting students understand nanotechnology and providing sufficient talents, the education department started “Nanotechnology Talent Investment Program” in 2003, for the students in kindergarten, elementary school, high school, university to post graduate studies, workforce extended training and further expanded to lifetime training. In 2004, nanotechnology materials have already appeared in textbook in the elementary school (Chen, 2004).

Currently Taiwan is in the progress of the second stage NNP, which started in 2009 for a period of 6 years (2009 - 2014), it was intended to continue the first stage in 2002 for improving technology development and competitiveness of Taiwan (Wu, 2007)

Expositive-Teaching

Language is an important facilitator of meaningful reception and discovery learning. A language’s general facilitating role in cognitive is mediating implicit verbal response in concept formation (Ausubel, 1968). Verbal generalization is particularly important for concept attainment in a learner (Heidbreder & Zimmerman, 1955). The expository teaching and reception learning are typically verbal or discovery learning, as Gagne and Smith (1962) point out, it may be either verbal or nonverbal.

According to Ausubel’s meaningful learning theory, the expositive-teaching is an efficient and effective way of organizing classroom learning method. This teaching method offers the educator the most direct route for laying a foundation for higher order thinking (Ausubel, 1963). The expository approach is notion of ‘reception learning’, because the material to be covered is presented in a fairly complete and meaningful form (McInerney & McInerney, 2002), it primarily focuses on teaching general ideas to comprehend one specific concept, otherwise known as deductive reasoning (Woolfolk, 2004).

The expository instruction attempts to present information to learners in a form they can easily access and understand, so the expository methods include demonstrating, lecturing, explaining, narrating, requiring students to read a textbook or manual, showing students an instructional video, or asking students to work through a computer program presenting information. It is assumed that learners will process new information thoughtfully, and that it will link in an organized manner with their prior knowledge (Woolfolk, 2004). Therefore, teacher must recognize the need to subdivide, translate, and structure the information into a more digestible form for the learners, and introduce the knowledge in a logical and systematic manner (Ausubel, 1968 & 1963).

Ormrod (2000) reports that teachers can enhance students’ learning from expository instruction if teachers: 1. Begin the lesson with an ‘advance organizer’, clarifying the objectives for the lesson and indicating how the key concepts are interrelated. 2. Present points in a clear and coherent sequence as the lesson progresses. 3. Connect new information with students’ prior knowledge. 4. Use visual aids to illustrate important points and to attract attention. 5. Apply verbal and visual cues to highlight important points. 6. Pace the presentation at the optimum rate to allow students time to process information and to take notes if required. 7. Summarize key points again to end the lesson, and draw attention again to notes on the whiteboard and the lesson objectives (Woolfolk, 2004).

Experiential –Teaching

The experiential-teaching is a teaching method through hand-on experience that students learn about the world and only use their prior experiences to apply to the world. Good experiences were most valuable and useful. According to Kolb, Duru and Itin they also argued that “learning is best facilitated in an environment where there is dialectic tension and conflict between immediate, concrete experience and analytic detachment” (Kolb, 1984). “The most effective methods at the bottom of cone involved the student active participation in hands-on learning activities” (Duru, 2010). “Experiential-learning is the process of making meaning from direct experience” (Itin, 1999), it is learning through reflection on doing, which is often contrasted with rote or didactic learning. Therefore, learning is "the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combination of grasping and transforming experience" (Kolb 1984). David Kolb and Roger Fry (1975) argued that effective learning entails the possession of four skills: concrete experience abilities, reflective observation abilities, abstract conceptualization abilities and active experimentation abilities.

Kyriacou (1992) described the experimental teaching as the use of learning activities where pupils are given a marked degree of ownership and have a control over the learning activities used. As observed by Brookfield (1983) the term ‘experiential-learning’ is being used with two connotations. On the one hand, it is used to describe the learning where a student acquires and applies knowledge, skills and feelings in an immediate and relevant setting. It thus involves a ‘direct encounter with the phenomena being studied rather than merely thinking about the encounter, or only considering the possibility of doing something about it” (Borzak, 1981). So it has identified two basic characteristics: Experiential-learning is an emphasis on learning by doing and an emphasis on pupil decision-making (Waterhouse, 1990).

Dewey (1938) and Kolb (1984) suggest concrete experience alone does not amount to experiential-learning. To transform experience into new knowledge, students need to derive meaning from that experience. They do so by reﬂecting upon its connection to their own current understandings. Conscious engagement with direct experience is precisely where experiential-learning and inquiry-based learning are converged. Therefore, it includes learning that comes about through reflection on everyday experiences. The experiential-learning is equivalent to personal change and growth, learning is facilitated when: 1. The student participates completely in the learning process and has control over its nature and direction, 2. It is primarily based upon direct confrontation with practical, social, personal or research problems. 3. Self-evaluation is the principal method of assessing progress or success (Deway, 1938).