Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head Teachers Science Unit Curriculum Directorate

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Curriculum Leadership
• For
• Head Teachers
• And
• Aspiring Head Teachers

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• The Science Unit Curriculum Directorate
• Glen Sawle
• Manager Science Unit
• Ric Morante
• Senior Curriculum Adviser 7-12
• Harry Vassila
• Senior Curriculum Adviser K-6

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• There is a difference between learning for
  memorisation and learning for understanding

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Students come into our classrooms with a range of
  existing ideas or conceptions of the physical
  world. They are not empty vessels waiting to be
  filled

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• What preconceived ideas do students bring to the
  learning situation?
• Where have they gathered the information from to
  lead to these preconceived ideas and conceptions

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Why did they build the Great Wall of China?

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Many of these conceptions differ in important
  ways from the view of the world scientists have
  constructed.
• (Many of these alternative or naïve conceptions
  are similar to views scientists held in previous
  eras)

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• When presented with an idea that differs from
  their current conception They may
• Accept the new idea and reject the old
• Accept the new idea but retain the old for use in
  some circumstances
• Form a hybrid conception
• Reject the new idea

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• The knowledge of the learner can assist or it can
  interfere with learning
• Learning involves the construction of meaning
• Meanings constructed by students may be different
  to those intended in the learning opportunity

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• What is primary role of the teacher?

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• In the constructivists view of learning the role
  of the teachers is
• Stimulator of curiosity
• Challenger of ideas
• Resource person
• Senior co-investigator
• discussant

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Content vs Concept
• It is all too easy to fall into the trap of
  teaching content disguised as concept
• This leads to students being able to approximate
  understanding without having any real
  understanding

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Learning for understanding
• Learning for memorisation

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Science Years 7 10 Syllabus

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• The Objectives define in broad terms the
  associated
• Prescribed Focus Areas (PFAs) knowledge and
  understanding
• Domain Knowledge and Understanding
• Domain Skills in working scientifically
• Domain Values and Attitudes

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Syllabus outcomes define the intended results of
  teaching
• They are defined in terms of the intended results
  of student learning
• at the end of Stage 4
• and
• at the end of Stage 5
• P12-13

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Indicative Hours
• Essential content 400 hr (DET Schools 500 hr)
• Additional content
• not mandatory
• suggested only
• not pre-requisite for following stages

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Syllabus Requirements
• Address all essential content (p 23)
• Contexts (p 16)
• Practical experiences (p 21)
• Student Research Project (p 22)

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• PFA Content
• all PFAs must be addressed each year
• each unit must address at least one PFA
• Teachers select appropriate essential content to
  achieve the relevant Stage 4 or Stage 5 Outcome

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• PFA Outcomes
• Stage 4
• 4.2 A student uses examples to illustrate how
  models, theories and laws contribute to an
  understanding of phenomena
• Stage 5
• 5.2 A student describes the processes that are
  applied to test and validate models, theories and
  laws

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• PFA Content

4/5.2 Students learn about the nature and practice of science Students learn to
4/5.2 Students learn about the nature and practice of science d) describe how an idea can gain acceptance in the scientific community as either theory or law
4/5.2 Students learn about the nature and practice of science e) use examples which show that scientists isolate a set of observations, identify trends and patterns and construct hypotheses or models to explain these
4/5.2 Students learn about the nature and practice of science f) give examples that demonstrate the benefits and limitations of using models
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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Skills Content
• The essential content reflects the skills that
  students should be able to demonstrate by the end
  of stage 5
• Teachers select appropriate essential content to
  achieve the relevant Stage 4 or Stage 5

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• 4.17 A student evaluates the relevance of data
  and information

4/5.17 Students learn about processing information Students learn to
4/5.17 Students learn about processing information a) collate information from a number of sources
4/5.17 Students learn about processing information b) distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information
4/5.17 Students learn about processing information c) check the reliability of gathered data and information by comparing them with observations or information from other sources
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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Knowledge and Understanding Content
• addressed within the appropriate stage
• Grouped as
• Models, Theories and Laws Structures and Systems
• Interactions
• Additional Content
• can be addressed in either stage
• not mandatory

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate
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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Cross-curriculum content areas
• Information and Communication Technologies
• Work, Employment and Enterprise
• Aboriginal and Indigenous
• Civics and Citizenship
• Environment
• Gender
• Key Competencies
• Literacy
• Numeracy

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Example ICT of cross-curriculum content

4/5.18 presenting information e) use drawings, diagrams, graphs, tables, databases, spreadsheets and flow charts to show relationships and present information.
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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate

• Science Stage 6

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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate
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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate
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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate
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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate
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Curriculum Leadership Workshop for Science Head
TeachersScience Unit Curriculum Directorate