Contextbased education

1
Context-based education

• Dr John Oversby
• Institute of Education
• The University of Reading, UK

2
Overview

• Features and constraints
• Claims
• Research evidence
• What next?

3
Features and constraints

• Bolt-on or context initiated programmes
• STS infusion into science course
• Science infusion into STS course
• Constraint of academic validation
• Constraint of academic expert knowledge
• Constraint of methods of teaching and learning
• Constraints of valid and reliable methods of
  assessment

4
Context-based courses in chemistry

• School-based examples
• Salters approach (York)
• ChemCom (ACS)
• University-based
• Chemistry in Context (ACS)
• ChemConnections (ChemLinks Coalition)

5
School courses

• Salters approach (York)
• Built on e.g. food, clothing, transport
• Building materials relates to chemical structure
• How to include Periodic Table was great
  challenge!
• 16 course Colour by design through work of
  art restorers and dye manufacturers
• ChemCom approach (ACS) (16)
• water supplies,food and health contexts
• leaves out orbitals, kinetics and equilibrium
  constant calculations. Knowledge is on a
  need-to-know basis.

6
University courses

• Chemistry in Context
• Similar to school-based ChemCom
• ChemConnections modular course
• separate traditional and STS courses
• Earth, Air, Fire and Air looks at car airbags
  and includes gas laws, kinetic theory and
  chemical calculations.

7
Claims

• Increased motivation
• Increased subject knowledge
• Increased transferable skills

8
Research evidence for increased motivation

• Ramsden (1992 and 1997) on Salters (14)
• Students cited practical work more enjoyable in
  traditional lessons
• Students on Salters cited a wide range of
  activities and relation to everyday life
• Salters seemed to have no effect on career
  choice!
• Key (1998)
• Students are required to visit a local chemistry
  industry
• More positive view of industry and less
  stereotypical.

9
Research evidence for increased subject knowledge

• Barker and Millar (2000)
• No significant differences between traditional
  and Salters
• Ramsden (1997) and Barber (2000)
• No significant differences between traditional
  and Salters
• Gutwill-Wise (2001) ChemConnections
• Context-based is better than traditional

10
Other research evidence

• Transferable skills have not been investigated
• Teachers Professional Development has not been
  well investigated
• Dlami, Lubben Campbell (1994) in Swaziland
  teachers move from initial reluctance to pride of
  ownership in project.
• Borgford (1995) Salters significant change in
  teachers practice based on guidance materials
• Tal et al (2001) changes in teachers practice
  in Israel

11
What next

• Need for more research on areas mentioned
• Need for Professional Development in teaching
  methods

12
Assessment

• External
• Self-assessment

13
External assessment

• UK Royal Society of Chemistry assessed entry
  subject knowledge for undergraduate courses.
• Questions were very traditional
• Unlikely to have rapid change in assessment
  practices.

14
Self assessment

• Cognitive assessment
• Analytical or in context
• Effectively recall or higher level thinking
• Process assessment e.g. investigation
• Affective assessment
• What counts as affective
• Reliability and validity
• Accreditation
• Metacognition

15
Affective self assessment what counts?

• Confidence
• Seeker of help
• Commitment to task completion
• Brain-storming methods in an open way
• Respect for the views of others

• Commitment to group progress in contrast to
  individual progress
• Commitment to ideas from outside science e.g.
  political
• Self-esteem
• Anxiety

16
Affective self assessment reliability and
validity

• Need to generate success criteria and come to
  common conclusions about required evidence
• Need to explain elements of self-assessment to
  demonstrate validity
• Comparison of a variety of elements to
  triangulate evidence to increase reliability

17
Affective self assessment - accreditation

• Output must count for something in award
• Output must be open to moderation
• Relationship between self assessment and credit
  value must be transparent and as objective as
  possible

18
Affective self assessment - metacognition

• Formative evaluation of both cognitive and
  affective should have a synergistic effect in a
  feedback loop.
• Danger of negative feedback!
• Can promote reflective thinking in a wide variety
  of respects.
• Example of spreadsheet self-assessment to be
  provided here in the lecture