When we try to teach *how science works* we seem to either present the scientific
method as a prepackaged recipe, or describe various phenomena in nature. Neither
prepares students to think and act scientifically throughout their lives. There is a
better way to teach science. We should be creating everyday scientific thinkers!
You can turn your activities and assignments into effective practice of scientific thinking just by adding the four-step Improvement Kata platform to them. The Improvement Kata is a scientific working pattern that comes from research on adaptive organizations. It helps your students practice the following life skills:
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Scientific/Creative Thinking. Generate & refine solutions to obstacles through experimentation.
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Collaboration. Work in a team to accomplish a next goal on the way to a larger challenge.
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Communication. Organize thoughts, data and findings, and share them effectively.
The value of classroom activities depends on what students are practicing when they engage in them. This website gives you free materials & instructions for adding the Improvement Kata to your classroom. All it takes to get started is running the two fun, 50-minute hands-on exercises described in this website.
NO NEW CONTENT IS NEEDED. After you run the first exercise (KiC-1) to introduce
the Improvement Kata platform, you can start overlaying its 4-step pattern onto
any assignment or activity. See the "Applications" page for some examples.
Educators in all subjects and grades use the Improvement Kata to integrate deliberate practice of metacognitive scientific-thinking skill in a variety of assignments & projects.
The puzzle used in the exercise
Kata in the Classroom
An Experimenting Round
Kata in the Classroom
Simple Tools for Experimenting
Kata in the Classroom
The puzzle used in the exercise
Kata in the Classroom
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Start by watching this 2-minute video:
Click through this short SlideShare:
Copyright Information
The materials on this website are intended to support persons who are teaching, practicing or interested in the Improvement Kata & Coaching Kata. They are periodically updated and are copyrighted under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. You are free to copy, use, remix, transform, build upon and redistribute them as long as you note the source as katatogrow.com, but these materials may not be used for sale in any form.
In encourage you to use and share these materials freely. That way we all continue to learn and the topic continues to evolve!