Effective science teaching methods: outdoor field investigations and classroom technology

This research document addresses the question of which teaching method is more effective: Field investigations or classroom technology? It also examines which method the students prefer. Literature supporting both methods is presented along with roadblocks to implementing both. An eighth grade science class in a rural Minnesota school was divided into two groups. Group A learned about weathering through a field investigation and Group B learned about weathering through an Interactive Whiteboard lesson. Data was collected through a pre- and post-test, and then analyzed to see if either teaching method had a statistically significant impact on student achievement. Both methods were found to have a positive influence on student learning. However, students did prefer to learn through the field investigation