Science is all about making sense of the world around us. NGSS calls for students to engage in sensemaking as they explore scientific phenomena. This can be scaffolded in various ways, but students are ultimately responsible for applying what they’ve learned to explain “how” or “why” something is happening in a novel phenomena. In this blog post, we will discuss what sensemaking is and how you can scaffold this process in your classroom!
Sensemaking
NGSS defines sensemaking as “the process of connecting one’s own ideas, abilities, and experiences together to address the uncertainty presented by the phenomenon—to figure out why the phenomenon occurs, to propose possible mechanisms or solutions, to ask further probing questions, etc.” This is an essential skill for students to develop, as it allows them to move from simply representing scientific knowledge to explaining why or how it works in new situations.
Achieve is a non-profit that maintains the integrity of the NGSS. In their paper on Assessing Three-Dimensional Performance: Sensemaking, they outline that when students make sense of phenomena and problems, they demonstrate that they deeply understand the three dimensions, as well as how and when they can be used to figure out something in the world around them.
Representing vs. Sensemaking
Before we look into sensemaking, it’s helpful to see examples of things that are NOT sensemaking but are instead asking students to represent their knowledge in a model. Let’s dive into an example to understand the difference between sensemaking and representing.
In this specific case, we see a phenomenon that students have more than likely discussed before, and they are asked to draw an image that students have more than likely seen before.
They have been asked to represent the idea of heat/particle motion/phase change.
This specific question uses a phenomenon that students more than likely have not discussed before. They were asked to use modeling to explain the DCI and CCC.
In this case, students are making sense of the phenomenon (indeed, this is sensemaking)
Sensemaking impacts students’ experiences with science by moving from representing science knowledge to explaining the WHY or HOW of new situations.
The main difference between these two questions is that the first is mere practice, while the second focuses on novelty, application, and mastery.
This difference is essential because this is what real scientists do! When scientists observe a new phenomenon, they are not merely representing what they see; they are trying to figure out why it’s happening and how it works.
Scaffolding
Now that we know the importance of sensemaking let’s discuss how we can scaffold this process in our classrooms. There are many ways to scaffold sensemaking in the classroom.
- Provide students with a structure for their investigations. For example, you might give them a set of representation questions to answer and allow them to create a template for their data collection.
- You can also provide opportunities for students to share their ideas with each other and then build on those ideas. This can be done through whole-class discussions, small groups, or even pairs.
- Another way to scaffold sensemaking is to provide sentence starters or graphic organizers to help them organize their thoughts.
- Finally, you can also provide students with guidance and feedback as they are engaged in sensemaking. This might involve modeling your thinking aloud as you make sense of a phenomenon.
No matter how you choose to scaffold sensemaking in your classroom, it is important that students are ultimately responsible for putting the pieces together. This will help them to develop a deep understanding of NGSS concepts and prepare them to think like scientists.
Conclusion
Sensemaking is a critical skill for students to develop to become successful scientific thinkers. By scaffolding this process, you can support your students as they learn to make sense of the world around them! You can also read our article on Scaffolding The NGSS With The K-12 Progressions.
