Best Methods of Teaching Science Inside the Classroom

1. Introduction

The best method of teaching science is the one that best enables students to build and organize knowledge regarding testable elucidations and extrapolations about the world. The basis for rudimentary scientific study such as the one undertaken at a secondary school level is the world surrounding the students and also the world inside the students (Cheung, Slavin & Lake, 2017). The first obligation of a science teacher is to create an interest in science for the students (van Manen, 2016). After all, science is almost always a complicated and difficult subject with many twists and turns hence without students’ interest, it might be hard to teach (Ward & Roden, 2016). The second obligation is to provide scientific knowledge (Saido et al., 2018). Whereas there may be a lot of practical elements in science, at the rudimentary level, there is still a lot of theoretical information to be gained (Daniels, 2016; Dogan, Pringle & Mesa, 2016). For example, in biology, it is necessary to learn the names of the body parts which is theoretical before learning what they do, which can be learned practically. The third obligation of a science teacher is to enable students to thinks like scientists (Saido et al., 2018). Thinking like a scientist means being able to internalize and apply the scientific method (van Manen, 2016). The components of the scientific method include systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses (Daniels, 2016). Based on the above, the best method for teaching science is the one that most elicits interest in the subject, enables a better understanding of actual content and also most enables the students to think like scientists.  The instant literature review will evaluate the three main methods of teaching science generally and more specifically in a secondary school classroom with a view of establishing which one of the three is the best. The first method to be evaluated will be the traditional methods which combine lectures, class discussion, and peer-to-peer teaching. This is the method that has been used to teach science for as long as the formal study of science has existed. The second method to be canvassed is the experimental method of teaching science which is based on cause and effects. In the instant literature review, the experimental method of teaching science will include the hands-on approach, the use of research-based projects and also the use of case studies. The final method to be canvassed is the application of ICT in teaching science which will include all the advanced ways if teaching science that ICT has made possible. Being a comparison literature review, the final segment will discuss the three methods contemporaneously so as to come up with the best one, as they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Based on a careful evaluation of the three methods, it is evident that in a secondary school classroom which is normally filled with teenagers, the traditional and experimental methods are useful and indeed indispensable but the use of ICT is the best possible method.

2. Literature Review

2.1 Method One: Traditional Method

2.1.1 The Lecture

Traditional Pedagogy was primarily made up of lectures where the teacher orally and in writing presents information to the students. This traditional method is among the most commonly used the rudimentary level such as in the normal secondary school; hence traditional lecturing is an invaluable method inside classrooms. As outlined in Sadler & Sonnert (2016), the knowledge curve of students is to a large extent determined by how much the teacher knows. Traditional lecturing is an important component of teaching science and applies even in the process of using other methods of teaching including the practical ones. No matter how advanced the teaching process gets, lectures, which entails simple vocal, active teaching cannot be alienated in the process of teaching science to students (Bektas, 2017).  According to Taştan et al., (2018), the learning of science under the modern highly advanced learning environment still depends in the traditional notions of who the teacher is and what the teacher does during class time. In the classroom, the teacher is thus an important source of both knowledge and the motivation to learn (Saido et al., 2018). The traditional lecture which entails passing knowledge directly to the student, as well as the passive lecture that forms an integral part of all the other methods outlined herein below, is thus critical to every science lesson (Bektas, 2017). Among the invaluable and indispensable areas of traditional lecturing are the question and answer lessons which are the hallmark of learning in science. A science lesson will be taught which applies to some part of the day to day life then students will have questions on how the lesson applies to that scenario. Science teachers must be knowledgeable and quick on their feet so as to be able to answer this question (Meguid & Collins, 2017).  

2.1.2 Student Participation and Discussion 

The encouragement of student participation and discussion component of the traditional method as it enables students to come to a realization of what they know and think about science even as it enables the teacher to come to a similar understanding of student knowledge. As argued in Elby, Macrander & Hammer (2016), epistemic cognition in students vary exponentially. Hencem different students have different presuppositions about scientific phenomena. For students to learn better, they need the means to discover what they believe or feel about specific scientific issues even as the teacher needs to learn how different students understand different issues. Discussions create an avenue for the teacher to understand students, even as students understand themselves from the perspective of the science lesson they are undertaking. According to Lai & Hwang (2016), among the best approach class discussions between students and teachers as well as between the students themselves, is to eliminate rigidity in the process. Discussions do not have to come up at designated times but rather commenced as and when the situation arises. For example, if in the middle of a lecture, the teacher arrives at a point where the discussion would aid the students, the lecture can be stayed to allow for discussion when the interest of the students towards the particular topic has already been elicited. It is, however, important to avoid wasting too much time on discussion, as research has shown that discussion is the greatest source of time wastage in problem-based learning (Ruiz-Gallardo, González-Geraldo, & Castaño, 2016). Whereas most discussions are both interesting and productive, of students get carried away, a lot of time that would otherwise have been productively spent can be wasted. The teacher should thus carefully regulate the time that a discussion will take and curtail it if it begins to get derailed.  Over and above incorporating discussion into the lessons, it is also possible to have a discussion as the primary learning process through the concept of dialogic learning as outlined in Ruthven et al., (2017). Under this approach, teaching metamorphoses from the traditional lecture approach into a conversational one. For example, the students can study a subject in advance then class time can be used to talk about it with the other students and the teacher freely participating. Available research has shown dialogic teaching to be especially effective for science lessons as it eases the complexity of the content while contemporaneously making the lessons more interesting.  Student participation is also an integral element of the flipped classroom strategy as outlined in Schmidt & Ralph (2016). The name flipped classroom come about because a form of reversed roles in learning is adopted. The normal study approach begins with the teacher who prepares the lesson. After preparation, the teacher will then teach the lesson to the class. Finally, the class will then do homework and revision at their own time, most probably at home. In the flipped classroom, the teacher is only involved in the revision and doing of homework. The student takes the lead in preparing lessons by reading or watching a documentary. Students also undertake the main learning through strategies such as discussion or peer-to-peer learning. Finally, the revision and homework parts are done together with the teacher. This flipped classroom places more onus for learning on the student that it does for the teacher. It can be especially suitable for a classroom where the students are struggling with varying units. Each student or set of students will spend private time on the areas that they are struggling with; then the entire classroom can revise together.  

2.1.3 Peer-to-peer Teaching 

Peer-to-peer teaching strategies help to reduce the adverse effects of rote learning as when students teach one another, both sets of students not only have fun but also learn. Among the greatest threats to the formal learning of science at the rudimentary level is lack of interest in the subject, according to Hacieminoglu (2016). An important driver for diminished interest in science is rote learning where students have to memorize large amounts of scientific information. Peer-to-peer teaching provides an alternative form of learning that does not involve rote learning and thus plays an active role in mitigating a lack of interest in science by students. An important strategy towards peer-to-peer teaching is the concept of collaborative learning, which according to Savelsbergh et al., (2016) is an effective way to teach science. Under collaborative learning, the teacher sets the pace and indicates the content while the students do most of the legwork.  Whereas collaborative learning takes many forms, in the classroom, peer-to-peer teaching would be an effective means of teaching science. The teacher would indicate the lesson to be learned to the students who would then partner up and divide the work. Each student can then teach the other student the assigned work. Within this peer-to-peer teaching sessions, dialogic teaching can also be applied as outlined in Duran & Topping (2017). Under this hybrid approach, the student peer and the teaching peer can hold a conversation about the science lesson with the teaching peer taking the lead. To make the lesson more interesting, the teacher can quietly supervise the larger class without interrupting but take notes to ensure that mistake that arises during the peer-to-peer teaching lessons are revisited and corrected after the session (Wilkinson et al., 2017). Acting as teachers will elicit the interest of the teacher while the dialogic approach will keep the student or students being taught participating hence also augmenting their interest. The teacher ensures order and addresses errors at a delayed time hence making the classroom both interesting and effective at the same time (Marbach-Ad et al., 2016).  In a highly diverse classroom, there may be too much work for the teacher to even manage collaborative teaching making per tutoring the only option according to Theodoropoulos, Antoniou, & Lepouras (2016). Under peer tutoring, one student acts as an actual teacher to the other student and teaches with almost no supervision for the teacher. Whereas active participation of the teacher may not be necessary during peer tutoring, a lot of planning is needed to pair the right students together to enable learning with minimal supervision. For example, a highly talented student can be paired with struggling students or two average students can be paired, each to teach the other a section that they have excelled in respectively. During peer tutoring, the students will emulate their teacher for the duration of the lesson. Conversely, peer-to-peer teaching can also be done in groups under the concept of according Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) to Snyder, Sloane, Dunk & Wiles (2016). PLTL enables a single gifted student to assist several students who are either behind on their studies or challenged in some way. For example, a resident student can be the PLTL leader of a group of immigrant students who may be struggling with the curriculum.  Similarly, a very talented student can be the team leader of a group consisting of average students. PLTL enables a classroom teacher to assist struggling students without leaving the other students feeling left out. As the struggling students catch up, the talented students are using the opportunity for revision or getting a better understanding of the material. PLTL can also be advanced into the concept of cooperative learning, another form of peer-education that is outlined in Chatila & Al Husseiny (2017). Cooperative learning is both a form of peer-learning and also a form of rewarding students. Under the strategy, the teacher will create groups that combine achievers with struggling students. A reward system will then be developed based on the group as opposed to individual students. The talented students will be motivated to assist the struggling students, even as the struggling students will endeavour to improve so as not to let their more talented colleagues down. The entire team will thus be motivated to work harder hence increasing the propensity for success.

2.2 Method Two: Experimental Teaching

2.2.1 Hands-on Activities and Scientific Projects

The utilization of hands-on activities and scientific projects not only provides an interesting way to learn science but also the means to develop the ability to think scientifically. From the perspective of developing the ability to think scientifically, Saido, Siraj, Nordin & Al_Amedy, (2018) focuses on an area of scientific thinking that it calls the high order thinking, based on a primary study carried out in Iraqi secondary school. The critical component of the research lies in the fact that activity-based pedagogy was the primary method applied to develop the high order thinking (Zaragoza & Fraser, 2017). The researchers came to the conclusion that activity-based teaching was an effective method of developing high order thinking. Being able to actively participate in scientific activities and projects thus fosters the ability to think like a scientist.  It is also important to note that the hands-on activities that students engage in must be made as interesting as possible. Available research shows that if students enjoy the activities they participate in as part of their science lessons, they are more likely to understand the lesson itself better, according to Basheer, Hugerat, Kortam & Hofstein (2017). Further research also shows that participatory learning also affects the attitude of the students towards science, the motivation to study science and the actual conceptual understanding of the course contemporaneously (Cleveland, Olimpo & DeChenne-Peters, 2017). The combination of the three particulars has been seen to make a difference even for students who are struggling with sciences. Among the best strategies under this category is a merger of hands-on activities and scientific projects under a concept known as guided-inquiry laboratory experiments, according to Ural (2016). Under the said concept the lesson begins with an interesting phenomenon to be investigated, then a means to investigate the said phenomenon. The students will semi-independently use the methods provided to conduct experiments and investigate the phenomenon that comes to their conclusions about it (Cheung et al., 2017). These experiments not only elicit interest in studying science but also make the lesson memorable hence making it easier for the students to remember both the phenomena and its causation as revealed by the experiments.   The success of this experiments can be attributed to the fact that they are a combination of a challenge and support, which according to Shernoff et al., (2016) fosters a good learning environment for the sciences. A good science lesson requires a challenge to make it interesting for students. Presenting the students with a phenomenon that seems so complicated is a worthy challenge. However, if the students are left to their own devices with the challenge, the complexity may make them lose interest. This is where support comes in with the teacher enabling the students to use experimentation to overcome the challenge (Cheung et al., 2017). Finding a challenge and a means to support students through the challenge is thus an effective way to establish a positive learning environment for science. A problem that needs to be solved can also be a focal point of hands-on based learning under the concept of problem-based learning according to De Witte & Rogge (2016). Under this approach, the teacher will provide the students with a problem and the means to solve it, but the means will not be evident. The problem can be based on a case study or such as symptoms of a disease that the students need to diagnose and treat in a biology class. The students will then study and discuss the problem so as to figure out its solution (Yaday et al., 2016). This approach also utilizes the strategy of combining pressure and support to create a conducive learning environment for science (Ulukök & Sari, 2016).  Finally, there is also the project work as outlined in Obialor, Osuafor, & Nnadi (2017) that to some extent varies from hands-on learning. Under project work, a level of autonomy is allowed to the student through the elimination of part of the support availed in hands-on learning. The teacher will give the students a problem singularly or severally and allow time for the students to solve it (Forsyth, 2016). The teacher may be available to provide assistance as and when the students need it, but the students are encouraged to solve problems on their own (Cheung et al., 2017). These projects go a long way in assisting students to think like scientists.

2.3 Method Three: The use of ICT

The use of ICT in teaching science may have developed as a subordinate element of teaching science through the traditional and experimental methods, but due to the proliferation of computers, it has gradually grown into an actual teaching method by itself. The application of ICT in the teaching of science in the classroom not only enables a higher level of the interaction between students and also between students and their teachers but also assists in teaching disadvantaged students (Aslan & Zhu, 2017). From the perspective of disadvantaged students, the article McMahon, Cihak, Wright, & Bell, (2016) evaluates the process of using ICT to create inverted reality so as to teach scientific vocabulary to students who suffer from an intellectual disability. According to the article, inverted reality can connect events to vocabulary hence easing the learning process for challenged students. Inverted reality can also similarly ordinary students learn vocabulary in areas of science that they struggle in. The need for incorporation of ICT in education is augmented by the fact that ICT itself is also a part of the modern formal curriculum as per Broll et al., (2017). From the perspective of science, ICT has become what English was in traditional education as it is both a course to be learned and a tool for learning other courses. Another perspective of using ICT for science pedagogy more so for younger students is the gamification of science studies as outlined in Hamari et al., (2016) and Papadakis & Kalogiannakis (2017). Modern students show extreme interest in computer games and that interest has been harnessed for use as a science learning tool, and with great success. Carefully developed programs combine the experience of enjoying a computer game and learning science. The learning can be the introduction of new concepts or even actual teaching on substantive elements of scientific study.  ICT also plays a role in modern science learning through the concept of blended learning, an approach that introduces the use of technology in the day to day traditional learning process according to Lee, Lau & Yip (2016). Traditional teaching aid such as the blackboard and Manila paper are gradually becoming outdated due to technological advancement and proliferation. A good example of blended learning would be the students having a tablet which the teacher uses to take the class through a lecture as outlined in Ho, Nakamori, Ho & Lim (2016). The students can then both listen to the teacher in real life and follow the lecture on the tablet. Blended learning can also play a critical role in the cases when some students are slower at learning than others. The gadgets can keep the faster students busy as the teacher assists, the slower one. However, according to Sung, Chang, & Liu (2016), care should be taken when preparing the lessons by the teacher due, inter alia, to the ICT knowledge gap between the ordinary teacher and the ordinary student. ICT evolves rapidly and regularly with students being able to keep up with technology changes as opposed to teachers. If the lesson preparation is based purely on the teachers understanding of modern technology, a lack of harmony between students and the teacher is possible. In the article Sung, Chang, & Liu (2016), it is suggested that the teacher bases the integrative blended lessons of available up to date research. The research can then be adjusted to suit the needs of the class, as opposed to the teacher developing lessons based on personal knowledge about available technology.  Over and above blended learning, ICT has also made it possible for learning to take place without having to actively include the teacher as presented in Pernanda, Zaus, Wulansari & Islami (2018). Among the techniques for learning without a teacher is an advancement of blended learning called CD learning. Under CD learning, the lesson is reduced into an animation of even pre-recorded lesson combined with colourful illustrations. The multimedia capabilities of CD learning not only make the learning process more interesting and captivating for the students but also makes learning easier due to the illustrations.  ICT can also be useful in the utilization of case studies and real-life situations to teach science according to Ward & Roden (2016). With computerized devices, case studies in multimedia content such as videos and pictures can be shared amongst students then used a learning tool (Siahan et al., 2017). Computers and computerized gadgets can bring real-life scenarios to the classroom, which enables students to build complex knowledge from day to day knowledge they have already developed (Mtebe, Mbwilo & Kissaka, 2016). Among the examples of computer-enabled case study strategies, the Discovery-Inquiry (DI) Learning Model is one of the critical components of utilizing real-life scenarios as reflected in the research reported in Tompo, Ahmad & Muris, (2016). The said article focuses on the use of DI in Indonesia to assist students to overcome common misconceptions about scientific phenomena. Based on the results and discussion, DI is highly effective as a model for scientific study even in complicated areas of science. As in solving an algebraic equation, students develop fresh knowledge by building in what they already know. Computer simulation has also advanced the ability to study science using real or imagined case studies or even virtual experimentation (Suwono et al., 2017).  From a different perspective, the use of ICT has also been an invaluable tool for bringing the world and current issues to the modern classroom as they form an integral part of the science learning process. For example, climate change and global warming is not only an important issue but also a source of modern debate (Herman, Feldman & Vernaza-Hernandez, 2017). A teacher can use news and current events as case studies for science lessons. Conversely, the teacher can also use computer-generated case studies as a teaching tool (Lynch & Ghergulescu, 2017). Most of the lessons taught in science classes have an actual application in day to day living. Many of the gadgets in the physics class relate to machines used in day to day life while biology refers to human bodies or the bodies of other animals. 

3. The Best Method for a Secondary School Level Classroom

3.1 Limitations of Methods of Teaching Science 

Each of the three methods addressed above has an elaborate pro et contra that also includes practical and material limitations. The traditional method, which combines lectures, peer-to-peer teaching, and student participation has a number of limitation that made it necessary to expand the teaching of science to include the other new ways (Sadler & Sonnert, 2016; Bektas, 2017). For a start, the traditional method is mainly limited to the acquisition of information as opposed to the development of knowledge. Under the traditional method, students learn a lot about science from a theoretical point of view based on verbal learning as well as the limited two-dimensional illustrations (Bektas, 2017). However, the development of knowledge in science requires some form of experience which the traditional method could not provide. Conversely, the traditional method has a handicap when dealing with differently talented students as the faster-learning students have to slow down so as to allow the slower students to catch up (Boyle, Rosen & Forchelli, 2016; Meguid & Collins, 2017). It is in part due to students being variously talented that peer-to-peer teaching is essential to the traditional method.  On the other hand, the primary limitations of the experimental method are cost and time constraints. The experimental method entails bringing the science to the classroom through practical application (de la Torre, Sánchez & Dormido, 2016). However, at the secondary school level, science lessons are quite advanced and would require relatively complicated experiments and illustrations. Such experiments would require a lot of paraphernalia, space and time to be done effectively, which resources are not available to most classrooms (Holman, 2017). A lot of training and skill is also necessary to enable the carrying out of several experiments in a safe manner (Balta & Sarac, 2016). In many cases, the student ends up being taught about the experiments, instead of getting to participate in them (de la Torre, Sánchez & Dormido, 2016). Finally, the ICT method has fewer limitations safe for the monumental cost for acquisition and maintenance of hardware and software and also the cost of training. Information technology is one of the most dynamic industries in the world and sees a lot of change almost on an annual basis. Equipment and gadgets acquired would need regular upgrades and even replacements (McMahon, Cihak, Wright, & Bell, 2016). The upgrades and replacements would also need to come with training for the teacher who needs to use the gadgets in the classroom (Klentien & Wannasawade, 2016). 

3.2 Why Science is Taught in Many Ways

It is, inter alia, to counter the limitation above that science is taught in a variety of ways, or rather a combination of more than one way. Education planners and the classroom teacher will carefully evaluate the lessons that need to be taught and develop the most suitable way of teaching each one of them based both on the nature of the lesson and also on the availability of resources. Simple and straightforward lessons are taught using lectures (Bektas, 2017). Tricky lessons that may confuse students are taught using the experimentation lesson. However, the choice of experimental lessons is also determined by the ease and safety of the experiment as well as the availability of resources. In many cases, the traditional method will be combined with the experimental lesson so as to limit costs and ensure student safety (de la Torre, Sánchez & Dormido, 2016). ICT is the most recent teaching method and has created a way to mitigate the manifest limitation of traditional and experimental lessons. ICT enables the teacher to interact with different members of the class contemporaneously hence aiding the traditional method (Klentien & Wannasawade, 2016). Is also enables virtual experiments which mitigate both the dangers and cost implications of the experimental method. It is based on the above that the teaching of science in a classroom takes a multiplicity of approaches. 

3.3 Suitable Environment for Teaching Science

Of the four learning environments, the most suitable for teaching science is the community-centered learning environment that focuses on learning the needs of the community. Science is not about getting an education so as to acquire certification but rather gaining knowledge that will be useful to the student and the community in the future (Kim et al., 2018). The community-centred learning method begins with an evaluation of the community and assessment of what the community needs currently and in the future. Science lessons will then be calibrated based on these needs (Colomer, Serra, Cañabate & Serra, 2018; Kim et al., 2018). The learning of science has been going on for millennia, but applicable science has been changing from generation to generation. It is on this basis that the community method is most suitable to enable the teaching of the most relevant aspects of science in a secondary classroom. 

3.4 Teaching Science in the Past and Present 

A lot has changed between the traditional and modern approaches of teaching science both in process and teaching environment (Müller et al., 2016). For a start, ICT has become an invaluable part of teaching modern science while in the traditional classroom, ICT did not even exist. From the perspective of the teaching environment, science was traditionally taught in a didactic manner (Sadovaya, Korshunova, & Nauruzbay, 2016). The teacher was in charge of the class and determined exactly what was to be learned in each session and even how the learning was to take place. Teachers were also extremely patronizing as they were expected to know it all and to be the source of knowledge for students (Sadovaya, et al., 2016). The students on their part would look up to the teacher and only speak when spoken to. However, the modern teaching of science takes an entirely different approach based on the student-oriented learning environment approach. In the new approach, the teacher is still in charge of the class, but there is a lot of feedback from the student with the teacher adjusting the class to meet student needs (Müller et al., 2016).   

3.5 Skills gained Using Traditional Ways and ICT

The traditional way of teaching science work hand in hand in a modern classroom but if they were to be considered separately, it could be said that the traditional way enables teaching about science while the ICT method brings science to the students (Santoso et al., 2018). The learning of science requires a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge. The traditional way would mainly provide students with information about science. The students would then have to do a lot of learning by themselves including observation outside the classroom in their way (Cheung et al., 2017). Such an approach would teach children how to improvise and be innovative. For example, students to glean science from games, toys or nature walks. ICT, on the other hand, brings all science to the classroom through its multimedia capabilities (Santoso et al., 2018). Students are able to get almost all information, theoretical and practical at one sitting, inside the classroom (Lynch & Ghergulescu, 2017). The students will thus gain a lot of skill in almost every area of science. However, ICT students will be limited when it comes to improvisation and innovation as they are constantly spoon-fed with readily available information.

3.6 The Best Method 

Each of the three methods outlined above has an elaborate pro et contra generally and also from the perspective of teaching the classroom at the high school level. On the other hand, each of the three methods is invaluable in itself as it presents an important aspect of teaching science to students. Indeed, each of the three methods plays a definitive in the teaching process so that the study of science cannot be complete without it. It is the very need for each of the three methods that enable a determination of which of the three is the best method. Indeed, only one of the three can bring all three methods to the classroom, and that is the ICT method (Zhang et al., 2016; O’Callaghan et al., 2017). The modern classroom has a collection of different students who are facing a variety of challenges in different areas of scientific study or even instructional language being used. The teacher, therefore, to pay attention to all the students and each of the student or student groups contemporaneously. ICT will enable the teacher to give traditional lectures through computerized gadgets and seem to be in all places at the same time (Zhang et al., 2016; Maharaj-Sharma & Sharma, 2017). It will also enable students to undertake virtual experiments at the comfort of the science class that may not have access to the necessary amenities necessary for real-life experimentation (Ghavifekr et al., 2016; Heradio et al., 2016). Conversely, ICT will also make the teacher seemingly omnipresent during peer-to-peer teaching so as to play supervisory and assisting roles (Dubey, Sangwan & Hansen, 2017). Contemporaneously, ICT also bring advantages that both the traditional method and the experimental method lacks when it comes to eliciting the interest of the students (Uluyol & Sahin, 2016; Lindberg, Olofsson & Fransson, 2017). Indeed, ICT has the ability to bring play to the classroom and also take the classroom to play time such as in the use of gamification to study science. It is on this basis that the use of ICT in teaching science in a secondary school science classroom is not only the best possible method when compared with the traditional and experimental methods (Lynch & Ghergulescu, 2017). ICT is clearly also the future of scientific study at the rudimentary level as hardware and software technology for science pedagogy continues to advance (Lindberg, Olofsson & Fransson, 2016; Kumar & Sharma, 2017).

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