The Design and Construction of an Efficient Model for Teaching Science in Junior High School

To construct an efficient teaching model for high school science, in addition to the use of the personal experiences of the author and a literature review, the findings of the recent international studies were also utilized. The model consists of six main dimensions: relating learning experiences with life experiences, utilizing a constructivist approach, using collaborative learning strategies, emphasizing both hands-on and minds-on activities, formative assessment, and use of new methods in summative evaluation. To identify the strategies for its implementation, the views of ten volunteer science teachers working in Junior Highs in Tehran were sought in a number of workshops. The result was initially a set of 30 strategies which were reduced to 12 considering their ease of utility and effectiveness. It is suggested that the model be experimentally used in a number of Junior High schools for a period of one year to ascertain its generalizability.