Chapter 11: Generating & Testing Hypotheses

Students’ practice of generating and testing hypotheses is a helpful learning strategy in all content areas because it requires the learner to engage in higher order thinking. Technology allows students to focus their time interpreting data (as opposed to gathering it), thereby greatly enhancing the process. One technology tool that does this are Data Collection Tools. Once the student has researched a problem and formed a hypothesis, they can be used to collect data that either confirms or denies them. While most hypothesis forming and data collection strategies seem to be geared towards the science classroom, such applications can also be implemented in the language arts classroom and in the library. One novel that our 8th grade language arts classes read every year is The Outsiders, a story that centers on gang activity and social conflict. During the novel unit, students can form hypotheses about gangs--why they are formed, why someone would want to join one, and about the existence of gangs in the community. Data collection tools, such as Survey Monkey, can then be used to gather data from peers and local law enforcement officials. Once the data has been collected, students can examine it and use it to confirm or deny their hypotheses. In the library, I can use data collection tools to find circulation information (such as the most checked out book, the oldest book, etc.) and have students form hypotheses about the answer.
A second technology tool that allows students to practice generating and testing hypotheses is Web Resources. There is a vast array of interactive games and simulations available that allow students to form hypotheses about situations and then see the outcome in the virtual world. Making History is a strategy game that engages students in the events leading up to World War II. This would be a fabulous way for students to gain a deeper understanding of the Holocaust, a unit that is taught in 8th grade language arts concurrent with their reading of Night. Such a simulation game could be implemented as part of any historical fiction novel unit. When our 7th graders read The Watsons Go to Birmingham, such a resource could be used to immerse them in the South during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. Simulation games draw the learner directly into the action and allow them to become key players in historical events and hypothetical situations; as a result, students are able to see why certain decisions were made and what the ramifications of different decisions are. Our “digital natives” already have a strong gaming and virtual background; web resources allow them to engage in something that they find entertaining while they develop important higher order thinking skills.