Alternatives to Biology, Chemistry and Physics

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Alternatives to Biology, Chemistry and Physics

• Cliff Rothenberg
• Curriculum and Assessment Officer
• Science
• cliffr_at_ssabsa.sa.gov.au

CONASTA July 2005
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ROLE of SSABSA

• Curriculum Agency
• Assessment Agency
• Statutory Authority, not a BOS
• Certificate of Education in SA (SACE), NT (NTCE)
  and SE Asia (SAM)
• Stage 1 (Year 11)
• Stage 2 (Year 12)

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SA Certificate of Education

• Certificate of completion
• Stage 1
• framework curriculum statements
• assessment is school-based
• moderation by assessment plans
• Stage 2
• mixture of frameworks and prescriptive statements
• assessment is mixture of external and internal
  components

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Alternatives in SA

• HESS Restricted
• Contemporary Issues and Science
• VET subjects
• Conservation and Land Management
• Laboratory Operations
• Seafood Operations
• HESS General
• Extension Studies
• Psychology

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Enrolment Data
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Curriculum Statements

• Intention is to provide for teachers
• a coherent
• document for teaching and learning
• a coherent
• framework for assessment

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Curriculum Statements

• Coherence comes from getting meaning from one
  part by referring to another e.g.
• rationale
• learning outcomes
• assessment components
• criteria for judging performance

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Contemporary Issues and Science

• HESS Restricted

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Rationale

• contemporary issues have both been informed by
  and been shaped by the development of scientific
  theory and ideas.
• links between branches of science and between
  science and other disciplines.
• questioning approach, reflection and critical
  analysis.

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Strands for Science (4)

• Common for all science curriculum statements
• Acquiring Knowledge of --------
• Understanding and Problem-solving in --------
• Using Knowledge of ---------
• Communicating Knowledge of --------

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Learning Outcomes

• At the end of this program students should be
  able to
• design and conduct investigations to test a
  scientific hypothesis
• search for, and select, relevant scientific
  information from a variety of sources
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of
  scientific concepts and how science is shaped by
  contemporary issues

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Learning Outcomes

• At the end of this program students should be
  able to
• critically analyse and evaluate scientific
  information and procedures
• think creatively to develop possible solutions to
  a variety of scientific problems

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Learning Outcomes

• At the end of this program students should be
  able to
• apply knowledge and understanding of science to
  contemporary issues, taking into account the
  relevant social, historical, and environmental
  contexts
• select and use, individually and collaboratively,
  appropriate modes of communication to articulate
  information.

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Links to Learning Outcomes

• Strands
• Acquiring Knowledge
• Understanding and Problem-solving
• Using Knowledge
• Communicating Knowledge

• Learning Outcomes
• design investigations
• obtain information
• knowledge and understanding
• critical analysis and evaluation
• think creatively to develop solutions
• 6. informed decision making
• 7. communicate ideas and
• reasoning

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Structure and Organisation

• Framework curriculum statement and teachers are
  asked to design a teaching program that
  incorporates one or more unifying themes that
  leads to student being involved in an issue or
  issue study
• Reinforce ideas and concepts from other learning
  areas or subjects

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Issues

• a proposition of relevance to current and
  future society on which people hold a range of
  opinions.

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Theme Example

• Australia in 2050
• Climate change
• Space travel and exploration
• Communication technology
• Land management
• Water resource management
• Population
• Science in sports
• Society and drugs

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Topics

• Unifying theme to develop
• Four to six topics
• 15 to 25 hours programmed time
• Contemporary issue
• or
• Basis for a number of contemporary issues

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Teaching Programs

• Key ideas
• are
• what students should know and understand
• concepts, notions, thoughts or images

• Intended student learning
• describes what
• students should be able to do
• verbs

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Curriculum Coherence

• Collaborative Presentation an issue study with a
  scientific context that involves
• collaboration (7), communication (7), and
  reflection (6)
• Practical Investigation a scientific practical
  investigation that incorporates
• design skills (1), reporting (7), and evaluation
  (4)

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Curriculum Coherence

• Individual Study an issue study that involves
• research (2), analysis (6), and communication
  (7)
• Portfolio contains a variety of tasks that
  involves
• knowledge and understanding (3), application
  (4), and evaluation (5)

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Stage 2 Assessment
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Stage 2 Psychology

• HESS General

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Curriculum Development

• Community initiative and Board directive
  (enrolment data)
• Curriculum Working Party
• International and national curriculum search
• Initial discussion
• Draft for community consultation

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Writing

• Document based on modern learning theory
• Time to explore
• Internal links
• Collaboration
• Personal relevance and contextual
• Accreditation HESS General

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Rationale

• Each of us is, in some respects, like everyone
  else, like some other people and like no-one
  else.
• systematic study of behaviour, the processes
  that underlie it, and the factors that influence
  it.
• Psychology sits at the crossroads between the
  life sciences and the humanities.

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Rationale

• the skills learned through the study of
  psychology are parallel to those learned in other
  science subjects how to be a critical consumer
  of information, how to apply knowledge to real
  world situations, .

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Strands

• Acquiring Knowledge
• Understanding and Problem-solving
• Using Knowledge
• Communicating Knowledge

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Learning Outcomes

• 1. describe the factors that cause psychological
  differences and similarities between people and
  give examples of how these factors affect the
  behaviour of self, others, and groups

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Learning Outcomes

• 2. search for, evaluate, and organise
  psychological information and use language
  effectively to communicate key ideas,
  understandings, processes, and values in a range
  of contexts

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Learning Outcomes

• 3. demonstrate an understanding of ethical
  research by designing, undertaking, and
  evaluating guided investigations

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Learning Outcomes

• 4. make informed decisions about issues, events,
  and situations in society by applying relevant
  psychological principles and ethics

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Learning Outcomes

• 5. demonstrate critical reflection, analysis,
  and organisation in the application of
  psychological principles, taking into account
  ethical considerations

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Learning Outcomes

• 6. analyse the behaviours of self, other
  individuals, and groups of people in different
  contexts in a way that recognises the values of
  independence and interdependence

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Learning Outcomes

• 7. undertake a variety of roles while working as
  a member of a team to achieve individual and
  shared goals.

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Structure and Organisation

• Statement contains topics
• Small in number with an in-depth focus
• In-built flexibility (prescribed content is
  minimal)
• Aspects (4)
• Illustrate different levels of explanation used
  in Psychology (4)

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Aspects (4)

• In each topic
• Knowledge and understanding
• Application to social issues and/or personal
  growth
• Methods of investigation
• Ethical issues

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Levels of Explanation (4)

• Biological
• Basic processes
• Person
• Socio-cultural

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Framework (two dimensions)

• Aspects (4)

Levels (4)
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Each Topic

• Aspects (4)

Level (1)
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Biology Curriculum
DNA
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Levels of Explanation

• Biological level
• Focuses on biological and chemical processes
• Study of aggressive behaviour
• Role of hormones
• Drugs
• Nerve damage

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Levels of Explanation

• Basic processes level
• Focuses on psychological processes that are very
  widespread in humans learning and cognition
• Study of aggressive behaviour
• Emotions
• Cognitions
• that preceded the aggressive behaviour

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Levels of Explanation

• Person level
• Focuses on individual differences in behaviour
• Study of aggressive behaviour
• Personality type
• Intelligence quotient

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Levels of Explanation

• Socio-cultural level
• Focuses on the influence other people exert on
  behaviour behaviour in social and cultural
  contexts
• Study of aggressive behaviour
• Role of onlookers
• Cultural influence

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Human Behaviour

• Biological factors
• Brain activity
• Drug effects
• Basic Processes
• Attention
• Perception
• Word finding
• Person characteristics
• Intelligence
• Personality
• Social and cultural context
• Audience number and identity
• Social meaning of interaction

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Topics

• Overview statement
• Level(s) of explanation
• Aspects
• Key ideas (2 4)
• Areas of learning
• Suggested at Stage 1
• Mandatory at Stage 2

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Topics and Levels
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AssessmentandModeration
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Stage 2 Assessment
LO 5 is common (application)
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Stage 2 Assessment
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Stage 2 Assessment
Central Moderation Statistical Moderation
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Research ProgramsinPsychology
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Research Programs

• Password protected
• SSABSA-approved (choice of 8)
• Contain a number of related activities for the
  class to undertake
• Class collects quantitative and qualitative data
• Students then pose a question or hypothesis and
  use relevant data to write an investigation
  report.

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Research Programs

• Simulated science for ethical and safety reasons
• Methodology has been checked by a panel to ensure
  student safety
• Need to explain to students the reasoning behind
  the mandatory method
• A research program is not an investigation

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Research Programs

• Consists of three types of investigation design
• Experimental
• Quantitative observational
• Qualitative

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Research Programs

• Uses three methods of assessing responses
• Objective quantitative
• Subjective quantitative
• Qualitative

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Research Programs
Investigation Design Type
Methods of Assessment
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Collaborative Investigations

• Criteria for judging performance
• Proposal development and data analysis (group of
  students)
• collaboration
• responsibility
• reliability
• productivity
• NB proposal is not assessed but feedback and/or a
  new proposal is given before individuals write
  report

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Collaborative Investigations

• Report writing (each student)
• presentation
• explain how data used
• organise and present data
• interpretation
• interpret patterns
• discuss sample size
• evaluation
• identify strengths and weaknesses
• discuss ethics
• communication
• 1000 words

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Individual Investigations

• Criteria for judging performance
• Proposal development and data analysis now done
  by individual students
• investigation skills
• construction of question or hypothesis
• use of data to address question

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Individual Investigations

• Report writing (each student)
• presentation
• explain how data used
• organise and present data
• interpretation
• interpret patterns
• discuss sample size
• evaluation
• identify strengths and weaknesses
• discuss ethics
• communication
• 1500 words

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Extension Studies

• HESS General
• Group 1 or Group 2

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Rationale

• . designed to enable students to pursue a
  particular interest by developing an idea, a
  skill, or a question that becomes the point of
  departure for an investigation .
• interdisciplinary or in-depth study
• involves selecting, synthesising, and reflecting
  on information

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Strands

• Ways of Knowing
• what constitutes knowledge and ways of knowing
  and learning
• Research Process
• the investigation process which is open,
  flexible, adaptive qualitative or quantitative
• Individual Development
• personal growth

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Learning Outcomes

• discuss and develop an idea, a skill, or a
  question for investigation
• demonstrate skills in negotiating, planning, and
  organising learning activities
• use multiple sources of information to develop
  critical knowledge and understanding of an idea,
  a skill, or a question

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Learning Outcomes

• explore an idea, a skill, or a question from a
  range of perspectives (e.g. social, scientific,
  cultural, historical, and political)
• work independently and interdependently to
  investigate an idea, a skill, or a question

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Learning Outcomes

• apply logical, critical, and innovative reasoning
  to a problem from their area of investigation
• discuss, communicate to the wider community, and
  critically reflect on, their learning.

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Structure and Organisation

• Varied approach
• Students must be involved in designing their own
  investigation
• Program drawn up by the student, supported by
• contact teacher
• mentor (where applicable)
• Program submitted for feedback and approval

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Scope or Content

• Defined by student
• Students
• propose investigation
• nominate key ideas or areas of study
• negotiate how then do undertake
• present the outcome to an audience
• critically reflect on the outcome

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Scope

• The student investigation is developed from an
  idea, a skill, or a question
• across other subjects (breadth)
• or
• within existing subject (depth)
• but must be substantially different from any
  existing SSABSA curriculum
• Classification as Group 1 or 2

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AssessmentandModeration
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Stage 2 Assessment
LO 4 is common (explore from a range of
perspectives)
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Curriculum Coherence

• Investigation Proposal two parts proposal and
  discussion
• Proposal 10
• exploration (1), skills of inquiry (2), planning
  (3), and quality of proposal (4)
• Discussion 10
• clarity (7), quality of research and learning
  (1), and quality of advocacy (7)

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Curriculum Coherence

• Folio two parts, discussion and research
  evidence
• Discussion
• depth of understanding (3), skills of inquiry
  (3, 4, 5, 6), communication (7) and reflection
  (6)
• Research evidence
• organisation (2), skills of inquiry (3, 4),
  problem-solving (6), working independently and
  interdependently (5), and documentation (5)

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Curriculum Coherence

• Investigation Final Outcome three parts,
  exhibition (30), discussion (5) and personal
  evaluation
• Exhibition
• quality of exhibition (4), validity of the
  findings (6), and responsibility (5)
• Discussion
• quality of discussion (7), quality of advocacy
  (7),
• Personal evaluation
• reflection (7), understanding and
  communication (7)

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Stage 2 Assessment
External (assessed by SSABSA)
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Snakes Katherine area

• Interviews, surveys, books, Internet
• snake demonstrations at community events
• Wrote booklet about snakes
• identification
• legal protection for snakes
• snakebite first aid
• evolution of snakes
• cultural importance of snakes to Aboriginal
  culture
• environmental importance
• Work recognised by an expert

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UHF Hobby

• owned and operated a computer retail and repair
  business for three years
• Cisco qualifications
• researched how data is communicated over large
  distances using UHF
• investigated how digital data works and how to
  convert a digital signal into analogue
• produced a written report and a modem that
  interfaces with a computer and UHF CB radio.

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Support Materials

• Illustrative Programs
• Teaching and Learning Strategies
• Assessment Plans
• Assessment Exemplars

• Annotated Work Samples
• Performance Standards
• Resources
• Bibliography

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