Developing the Capabilities to Interact with Science: Session 2

Developing the Capabilities to Interact with Science: Session 2

Maeroa School Aim: To develop 2 big inquiry questions for our 2016 science planning (Term 2 & term 4)

Summary of Workshop

Ø  Recap

Ø  How did the homework go?

Ø  Hands on, minds on

Ø  Assessment

Ø  Pulling it together

Capabilities

·         Gather and interpret data:

o    Observe

o    Infer

o    Think about what they can see

·         Use Evidence

o    Push students to justify

o    Show proof

·         Critique Evidence

o    Explain what you are thinking

o    Understand about fair testing

§  Variables

§  Controls

·         Interpret Representations

·         Engage with Science

Science observation statements – I wonder… It think… What if… I noticed…

Possibly – I infer… I predict… (Depending on context)

Students need to see the links between these sentences (Making connections) – Transfer of knowledge

Students need to put their science lens on to utilise these statements to their full scientific potential.

In the classroom:

Environment boxes – labelled to their location or have them blank – can you guess where I have been?

Jars from different beaches full of sand, shells, rubbish – anything you find

Activity 1: Observing:

-          Fold paper into quarters

-          Observe an item and record down an observation

-          Like scattagories – try and make unique observations – if someone has the same as you cross it off (the downside of this is students miss the obvious observations because they are trying to come up with unusual ones)

-          To avoid this set the challenge of who can make the most observations

-          Make observations that it’s not – “It’s not purple, it’s not round etc…”

Choose specific words – What’s heavy? -  A dragonfly is heavy compared to a grain a sand

Now you decide what you think the objects are – using evidence

Students can start thinking about stories. What has happened here? What has made it like this?

I think… I notice… I wonder….

If students do make an inference say to them “What makes you think this? What are the clues that made you think this?”

This activity helps to:

-          Develop awe and curiosity

-          Deepen thinking

-          Ask questions

-          Engage in discussion

-          Developing oral language/scientific language

-          Put on a science lens

-           

Activity 2, 3 & 4:

-          Blowing bubbles

-          Solar Eclipse glasses

-          Circuit sound maker – Energy stick

-          Kinetic sand

-          Water resistant sand

o    Asking questions “How do you know that’s not normal sand?”

o    Draw what is happening

o    Describe what it is doing

o    How is this happening?

o    Show me your understanding

o    Draw a diagram

-          Water balloon inside a balloon (ARB)

o    Lots of opportunities for wonderings

§  I wonder what different liquids would do

§  I wonder if the temperature would change the flight path

§  I wonder if you prepare it and wait a day if this would change the flight path

“Can you show me the phases of the moon, if the moon was a cube” – This is checking the understanding of phases

Assessment

What’s important?

v  Be clear about the purpose – formative or summative?

v  Make sure it’s manageable

v  Assessment focus needs to be deep enough to track progress over time or you need to change the focus (e.g. generating and critiquing explanations)

My notes:

-          Keep anecdotal notes

-          Is the knowledge/assessment transferable to other context

-          Use the capabilities to form assessments

What counts as evidence?

-          Will you set up specific assessment activities or will you collect evidence as students display it?

-          Will you use formal test?

-          How will you manage the collection of data?

My notes:

-          A critique group used to give effective feedback and feedforward

o    The feedback needs to be specific and constructive

-          If the feedback is specific enough you can break the big task into smaller chunks

-          Student’s need to see the relevance in creating 6 drafts

-          Is what you are asking the students to do fit for a purpose?

What might progress look like?

-          Problematic because progress is unlikely to be linear and context and working in groups are important considerations

-          However if you do want to design some sort of framework we suggest trialling your draft criteria and be prepared to adapt them

Monitoring Sheet for Assessment:

-          Components

-          Attributes

-          Changes

-          Descriptive language

-          Topic specific words

-          Scientific language

Developing children’s capabilities to interact with science

-          Content knowledge

-          A way of knowing

-          Skills

Interests:

Overarching should be the nature of science

-           Planet Earth and Beyond

-          Interacting systems

-          Astronomical systems

-          Life processes

Body systems – improving the performance of an athlete – forces and motion (Olympic link in)

Waves (NZ Coastlines)