PARSEL Workshop on sharing existing ideas and TL materials

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PARSEL Workshop on sharing existing ideas and
T-L materials

• (For more popular and
• relevant science teaching).
• Jack Holbrook

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PARSEL objectives specific to T-L Materials

• Review styles of teaching approaches, materials
  or resources focussing on relevance of science
  education
• (with specific focus on context-oriented
  approaches and school-industry cooperation)
• as seen as promoting the objectives of the
  programme towards scientifically literate
  citizens, the popularity of science and enhancing
  students choice of career.

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What we are trying to do?

• We are trying to add to the richness of science
  education material within a country.
• Possibly we stimulate the creation of T-L
  materials, based on our exemplars styles (within
  the country in the future).
• We are NOT trying to change the curriculum
  although we may help the implementation of
  science teaching to better match the curriculum
  intentions).

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ICASE

• ICASE has been involved in developments towards
  scientific and technological literacy (STL) for a
  number of years, initially under the heading of
  Project 2000. It has developed T-L materials
  linked to this.
• I try to expand on the ideas impacting on the
  materials from STL and the nature of the T-L
  materials themselves. In so doing, I suggest
  criteria for collecting T-L Materials.

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Science v Science Education

• The Teaching of Science in school/university is
  not science, but science education
• (we badly name lessons in school as
  science).
• Science Education is part of Education (i.e. a
  social science).
• As such, science education is governed by all
  competences put forward for education e.g. nature
  of the subject, personal attributes (cognitive,
  attitudinal, developmental, communicative) and
  social (co-operational, social values).

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Science Education

• This is perceived as
• Education through science
• Not
• Education in Science, or
• Science through Education

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Meaning

• The ICASE definition of STL
• developing the ability to creatively utilise
  sound science knowledge in everyday life, or in a
  career, to solve problems, make decisions and
  hence improve the quality of life.

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Meaning

• Popularity seen as interesting, useful,
  meaningful, attainable, ideas transferable (i.e.
  applicable).
• Relevance seen as related to present/future
  life, student experiences, related to the
  society.
• (not really relevance to the curriculum)

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ICASE and Trends with respect to Education
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Innovative material related to the trends in
science education and to modern views of
scientific literacy.
Supplementary materials related to the teaching
of one lesson, or a number of lessons.

• Materials which guide the teaching direction and
  give emphasis to key teaching components.

The materials to be used by the teacher directly,
or modified to suit the specific situation.
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Suggested Types of Teaching-Learning Materials

• The materials are designed to target and support
  the teacher (suggestions given to the teacher
  thus allowing room for teacher ownership and
  adaptation). PREFERRED
• The material is course material for the student
  and as such gives the teacher the possibility to
  use as is (limited ownership).
• Resources which support the teaching to the
  extend seen appropriate by the teacher.

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Materials excluded

• The Curriculum no matter how detailed.
• A textbook.
• Ministry of Education guidelines (which relate to
  a specific curriculum).
• Individual worksheets, Experimental instructions,
  or Examination papers.
• Non-innovative materials.
• Academic papers

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Suggested Key Components of the T-L Materials
targetting the teacher

• The materials can be expected to
• Indicate the part of the curriculum covered.
• State the intended targets of learning (learning
  outcomes to be gained by students).
• Include a Teaching Approach (in as much detail as
  appropriate).
• Give Student Activities (which are designed to
  help the student achieve the learning intended).
• Include an assessment of whether the intentions
  have been achieved by some, or all the students.

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Possible Features of a PARSEL T-L Materials
Model (a) Relate to the Curriculum

• This may be through an introduction which
  specifies the topic, the skill(s) being taught
  and the type of activity. For example

SUBJECT Science for All Section or Chapter
Motion and our lives Competence Written
Communication Activity Homework Anticipated
time 20 minutes
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(b) State Learning Outcome(s) for lessons
(competences for a topic)
At the completion of this activity, students are
expected to be able to write an account on how
motion influences our daily lives by
organizing the thematic ideas
using correct and appropriate terms and
concepts
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(c) Suggest a Teaching Approach
The approach indicates the manner in which the
material is structured It is worth
seeing the John Gilbert article in IJSE on 4
different meanings attached to context
The PARSEL objectives (see description of work)
indicate a focus for innovative T-L material on
Context-oriented approaches
School-industry or school-society cooperation
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(d) Give Student Activities

• TeachingLearning Materials are expected to
  introduce a variety of student activities related
  to the intended learning (for an individual
  lesson within a module, there may be only one
  activity that is assessed).
• The activities may be designed to be undertaken
  by students, individually, or in small groups.

• The activities (for example) may be
• Inquiry-based cognitive activities.
• Experimental activities utilising process
  skills.
• Simulation/visualisation activities.
• Creative, initiative stimulating activities.
• Cooperative learning activities.
• Activities promoting communicative abilities.
• Decision making, socio-scientific discussions.

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(e) Including Assessment (feedback)

• This is expected to be a crucial part of
  Teaching-Learning Materials assessing across the
  educational goals.
• Emphasis is expected on formative
  assessment methods to maximise teaching time,
  assess non cognitive attributes and to provide
  diagnostic support.

• Methods may include
• Oral questioning/presentations
• Observational (related to an individual or
  group)
• Written records, plans, reports, etc.

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A Simple Assessment Technique

• Any method used for assessment of students in
  the class, during the teaching, must be simple
  and not time-consuming (preference for being part
  of the teaching-learning situation).
• In the examples of Teaching-Learning materials, a
  3 point system is shown. This covers assessment
  based on
• (all assessments are determined by the
  teacher, based on the teachers own standards)

- achieved the learning for the lesson
(vv) - partially achieved the learning
(v) - has not achieved the learning
(x)
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INNOVATIVE TEACHING/LEARNING MATERIAL

• What to look for ?
• Innovative material which enhances the
  popularity and relevance of science teaching for
  scientific literacy (what PARSEL is about !)
  through its
• Design of Material
• Underlying Philosophy
• Relevance of context (content)
• Teaching Approach
• We should only include materials meeting our
  standards related to these criteria

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The ICASE approach used to identify exemplary STL
Materials (covering a series of lessons)

• Does the material
• Start from a concern, or issue in society ?
• Clearly promote learning within the intended
  curriculum ?
• Include strong student participatory components?
• Present an interesting and relevant challenge to
  students ?
• Clearly identify the learning to be promoted how
  student tasks are related to this and how to
  determine whether the learning has been achieved ?

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Suitability of the Concern or Issue

• Stage 1a. Is the issue or concern perceived to
  be relevant to the students (as perceived by the
  student and which relates to the curriculum) ?
• Stage 1b. Is the concern/issue presented through
  an interesting scenario (case study) to introduce
  the situation, and from this, does it derive a
  range of student tasks to investigate the
  issue/concern (over a number of lessons) ?

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• Stage 2 Identifying Learning Outcomes enhancing
  scientific literacy in a sufficiently wide sense
  e.g.
• At least one learning outcome related to Social
  Values Education (probably through
  socio-scientific decision making)
• At least one learning outcome for Science
  Conceptual learning (preferably higher order)
• At least one learning outcome for Science Process
  Skills (aspects of problem solving i.e. planning,
  experimenting, predicting )
• At least one learning outcome for
  Personal/interpersonal skills (communication,
  initiative, safe working, cooperation,
  leadership)?

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Stage 3 Does the material

• Suggest teaching strategies to promote student
  participation and to achieve the learning
  outcomes ?
• Develop student tasks that relate to the learning
  outcomes (covering all outcomes) ?
• Indicate how each of the outcomes are to be
  assessed to show the learning being achieved?

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Stage 4 Does the material

• add extra information that could be useful for
  the teacher e.g.
• Background notes
• Student worksheets/handouts
• Internet references ?

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Examples

• Some possible examples
• of T-L materials
• suitable for PARSEL

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Can we get rid of Malaria ?
A Unit under the Title
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The Scenario given

• Mangalore city, in particular, and South Canara
  district of Karnataka in general, is one of the
  most literate, well-informed and resourceful
  regions of India. The prosperity of the region is
  closely linked with the health of the population.
  Unless people continue to enjoy good health, this
  prosperity cannot be maintained.
• Over the last 7-8 years, malaria has made major
  inroads in the region. Numerous reasons are
  attributed to this, e.g. construction work,
  migrant labour, etc. The city will face serious
  problems in the future if malaria is not brought
  under control immediately. Perhaps students can
  play a significant role in the process of
  eliminating malaria. But how ?

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Another Example of T-L Material as a Unit

• ARE WE OVERUSING PLASTICS?

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The Scenario given

• It is almost as if plastics have become an
  integral part of our lives. They have been put
  to every possible and conceivable use from house
  doors to car parts, from clothes to various types
  of containers and bags. They have slowly replaced
  materials like metals, glass, wood, etc. This is
  especially true of packaging of materials used in
  our daily life, in which various types of
  plastics are used extensively.

But what happens to all the plastic materials
once they have outlived their usefulness? How do
we dispose of them in the home, or in school?
What happens to plastics after they are thrown on
rubbish dumps along with household garbage, or
simply thrown out on the streets by people who
don't care? SHOULD WE CUT DOWN ON THE USE OF
PLASTICS ?
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OPTICAL ILLUSIONS IS WHAT WE SEE WHAT WE GET?
The Last Example of a Unit
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Say aloud the ink colour of each word. How
quickly can you do it? Did you manage to complete
the task without slowing down ?
Is the red dot above on the near or the far
corner? Stare at it for a while what happens?
Nine people are hidden in the image on the left.
Can you see them?
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• One Example of T-L material
• at the Level of a Single Lesson

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Unit SOLIDS, LIQUIDS AND GASES Topic
Basic structure of matter,
concept of atom Learning skills Intellectual
Types of Activity Description of experiments and
homeworkTime 1 period
for classwork

• Activity Learning Outcomes
• At the end of this activity, involving one lesson
  and follow-up homework, the students are expected
  to be able to
• (from the lesson)
• (a) explain, with reference to inter particle
  space, that solids have a definite shape and
  volume, whereas liquid have definite volume, but
  take up the shape of the container and that the
  volume of a gas depends on the pressure and
  temperature (gases having no definite shape)
• (b) explain that increasing or decreasing the
  energy associated with particles, by raising/
  lowering the temperature, gives rise to changes
  in state from solids to liquids, liquids to
  gases, or vice versa
• (c) state that compounds are made up of
  molecules
• (for homework)
• (d) give examples of 2 solid compounds and 2
  gaseous elements
• (e) associate the particles in compounds and
  elements with the terms atoms and/or molecules.

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Suggested Teaching Approach

• Before the class, the teacher can
• check, by asking questions orally, students are
  familiar with elements and compounds and can
  explain differences between them
• ask student, per group, to bring to the class a
  rubber ball, marble, plastic syringe and a rubber
  band.
• During the activity, the teacher can
• begin with a set induction using common and
  practical experience of the learners to initiate
  the debate over evidence for the existence of
  particles in matter
• supply a small piece of chalk to each group of
  student to add to the materials brought by the
  students and guide the students to undertake the
  classwork given in the worksheet.

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Student Worksheet

• Carry out the experiments given below. Describe
  the experiments and include answers to the
  questions given.
• Observe what happens when you put pressure to the
  rubber ball and then release the pressure.
  Observe what happens if you try this with a
  marble.
• Draw some water or oil into a syringe. Put your
  left thumb over the opening where we fit the
  needle. Now gently press the piston of the
  syringe until it is not possible to push it
  further. Observe how far the piston moves.
• Take some air into the syringe in place of the
  water/oil and repeat the experiment.
• Pull on the rubber band (dont break it) and then
  release the pressure (dont let go of the band).
  Observe what happens to the rubber band.
• Break a piece of chalk continuously (for ever !!)
  and observe the result.

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Suggested Homework

• Record the following in your workbook
• Give 2 examples of compounds which are solids.
• Give 2 examples of elements which are gases.
• Use your examples to explain what happens when
  each of the chosen compounds are heated for some
  time.
• Use your examples to explain what happens when
  each of the chosen elements are extensively
  cooled.
• (In answering items 3 and 4, make sure you
  include the word molecule or element in each
  explanation and be careful that you use these
  words correctly)

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Assessment based on Learning Outcomes.

• Assessment for intellectual skills in the
  classwork can be from the written work based on
  the following
• Relationship between physical states and
  inter-particle space Explanation of melting
  and boiling Chalk is made up of molecules.
• vv Can (a) explain/draw a diagram showing inter
  particle space (b) explain melting and boiling
  in terms of particle energy. Recognises (c) that
  chalk cannot be broken indefinitely.
• v Can (a) partially explain/draw a diagram
  showing inter particle space (b) explain
  partially melting and boiling.
• Recognises (c) chalk cannot be broken
  indefinitely but cannot express this well in
  writing.
• X Cannot (a) explain/draw a diagram (b)
  explain melting/ boiling. Unsure (c) whether
  chalk can be broken indefinitely.

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Assessment of Intellectual Ability from the
Homework

• Give examples of compounds and elements. Explain
  change of state in compounds and elements.
• vv Can (d) give 2 examples of solid compounds
  and 2 examples of gaseous elements.
• Can (e) explain the predicted observations
  for each compound and element given
• v Can (d) give some examples, but not 2,
  examples of each meeting the criteria.
• Can (e) explain partially the predicted
  observations
• X Unable (d) to give examples for solid
  compounds or gaseous elements. Cannot (e) explain
  or show the relationship between temperature
  change and state of matter.

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Overall Learning Record for Intellectual Skill
(kept by the teacher)

• Should the teacher wish to record an overall mark
  for intellectual skill in the record book for
  each student, based on the lesson and homework
  assessments (a-e), then the following can be
  taken as a guide
• If the number of ticks (v) is 8 or 10 then the
  teacher records vv
  4 or 7 then the teacher records
  v
• less
  than 4 then the teacher records x.

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Notes for the Teacher

• The expected answers to the questions in the
  student worksheet
• The rubber ball has significant inter particle
  space and this space can be compressed by the use
  of an external force. However the marble
  possesses little inter particle space and as
  particles cannot be compressed, the marble
  retains its shape.
• Inter particle space can be compressed. However
  the inter-particle space is only large in the
  case of gases. The piston can be pushed down when
  there is air in the syringe because air is
  gaseous, but the piston cannot be moved in the
  case of water or oil.
• This experiment can be explained based on the
  particle idea of matter. When the rubber band is
  stretched the inter-particle space is increased.
  This can occur because the external force
  applied. When the pressure is released the
  particle attraction brings the particles closer
  together and the rubber band retains it original
  shape.
• No, a piece of chalk cannot be broken forever.
  While it can be broken further than in the class
  with the aid of cutting instruments and the use
  of a microscope, there will always come a time
  when the smallest particle cannot be broken and
  the substance can be called chalk.

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Examples of T-L Materials Displayed

• As a module
• Can we get rid of malaria?
• Optical Illusions is what you see, what you get?
• Shampoo is there truth behind the advertising?
• As a single lesson
• Solids, liquids and gases
• Forces and motion
• Theory, theory whos got the theory ?
• Other material (not seen as having sufficiently
  diverse goals)
• Forensics in the classroom
• Environment, Ethics and Action
• Shampoo, Soy Sauce and the Princes Pendant

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Classifying Materials

• Where on the spectrum does the material fit?
• To what degree is it felt there is potential
  for teachers to take ownership of the material
  and hence the teacher is able to use the
  material as if it were their own ?
• Potential for
  Potential for
• Teacher 1 2 3 4 5
  Teacher
  
• ownership low
  ownership high
• At what level will we accept the material for
  PARSEL ?

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Additional classification

• Material
  Material
• single 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  multi-
• lesson
  lessons
• Number refers to number of lessons covered
• can be more than 10, but translation could
  then become a problem

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Criteria check

• Design
• Has adequate descriptor Yes/No
• Has suitable competences/LOs Yes/No
• Has suggested teaching guide Yes/No
• Has suggested student activities Yes/No
• Has suitable assessment strategy Yes/No
• All need to be checked as YES

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Criteria check

• Philosophy
• SL geared to
  SL geared to responsible
• understanding 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  citizenry
• science/technology
• Scientific in terms
  Educational in terms of
• knowledge, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 PS,
  creative thinking,
• theories, laws
  reasoning, DM
• 
  
• Suggested cut-off score 5/10 for each criteria
  (partner decision)

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Criteria check

• Philosophy continued
• Scientific patterns and
  Educational in
• big ideas 1 2 3 4 5 6
  7 8 9 10 in terms of
• 
  cognitive,
  
• 
  personal/social
• Science seen as
  Stressing NOS
• Informational truths, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
  10
• Society independent,
• Fact leading to theories
• leading to laws

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Criteria check

• Relevance
• Curriculum content
  Socially relevant
• Relevance 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  9 10 reason for gaining
• (fundamental to complex)
  conceptual science
• Content sequenced
  Context initiated
• 1 2 3 4
  5 6 7 8 9 10 (content on need to
• 
  know)

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Criteria check

• Teaching Approach
• Experimentation as
  Experimentation as
• verification of theories/ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
  10 part of inquiry
• Student learning to the
  Student ownership
• test 1 2 3 4 5
  6 7 8 910 thru participation
• Title put forward as
  Title societal
• Scientific (concept map) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  with scenario and
• 
  teaching/learning
• 
  map

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How many materials ?

• Obviously the more we have for the
  classification stage, the merrier !!
• The target is 50 i.e. 6 per partner.
• These materials need to be in English (plus the
  actual language).
• The materials can come from any source (e.g. the
  internet) and any country.

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When ?

• We need the materials for the next meeting (we
  can have more materials later).
• Preferably we need the materials in electronic
  format.
• If the material does not meet all criteria, it
  can still be submitted (decision on whether to
  amend can come later)

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Thank you for your attention