TI-AIE: Language in the science classroom: cells

What this unit is about

This unit will help you to increase your understanding of the central role of language in the development of students’ understanding of science. It provides you with some simple strategies to use in your classroom that will help your students to improve their scientific literacy.

Learning science involves an initiation into a new language – the language of science. But this language can be a major barrier to most students in learning science. The problems that they experience in using scientific language can be a major block to their understanding and reasoning in science. Good teachers will be aware of their students’ understanding of scientific words and will have strategies to help them to develop shared understandings of specialist words.

The techniques here are illustrated in the context of the topic of ‘The fundamental unit of life’ (cells). However, the techniques and suggestions described can be used in many topics in the science curriculum.