Effective Science Teaching MIRACLE OF PISA

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Effective Science Teaching MIRACLE OF PISA
Behind the Finnish Success 10.-12.9.2008,
Helsinki, Finland    

• Jari LavonenProfessor of Physics and Chemistry
  Education, Department of Applied Sciences of
  Education, University of Helsinki, Finland

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Structure of the presentation

• Some PISA 2006 Scientific Literacy Assessment
  data
• How Finns learn science?
• Comprehensive school
• National Framework Curriculum
• Science textbooks
• Science teacher education
• How science is taught in Finland
• Effective Science Teaching

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PISA 2006 Scientific Literacy Assessment Some
Examples of the Data
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Framework for PISA 2006 Scientific Literacy
Assessment

• The PISA 2006 assessment emphasises science
  competencies, defined in terms of an
  individuals
• Scientific knowledge and use of that knowledge
  to
• identify scientific issues,
• explain scientific phenomena, and
• draw evidence-based conclusions about
  science-related issues
• Competences allow life-long-learning
• Willingness to engage with science-related issues

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ACID RAIN - Question 2 (S485Q02)
Below is a photo of statues called Caryatids that
were built on the Acropolis in Athens more than
2500 years ago. The statues are made of a type of
rock called marble. Marble is composed of calcium
carbonate
In 1980, the original statues were transferred
inside the museum of the Acropolis and were
replaced by replicas. The original statues were
being eaten away by acid rain. Normal rain is
slightly acidic because it has absorbed some
carbon dioxide from the air. Acid rain is more
acidic than normal rain because it has absorbed
gases like sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides as
well. Where do these sulphur oxides and nitrogen
oxides in the air come from?
Question type Open-constructed
response Competency Explaining phenomena
scientifically Knowledge category Physical
systems (knowledge of science) Application area
Hazards Setting Social Difficulty level (1
6) 3 (This six point relative difficulty scale
of items is estimated by considering the
proportion of test takers getting each question
correct.)
burning fossil fuels such as oil and coal
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Students PISA scores in different competence
categories and knowledge areas
OECD Average
Identifying scientific issues
Explaining scientific phenomena
Drawing evidence-based conclusions about
science-related issues
Knowledge about science
Earth and Space
Living systems
450
500
550
600 PISA score
PISA scores are calculated through IRT modelling

• 70 score ?
• one proficiency level

Level 3 requires students to select facts and
knowledge to explain phenomena and apply simple
models or inquiry strategies.Level 2 requires
students to engage in direct reasoning and make
literal interpretations.
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Country percentile scores compared to the OECD
average percentile scores in PISA 2006 science
scale

90
70
50

• One proficiency level
• 70 score ?

30
UK
Difference to OECD average in PISA score
10
OECD
Average
10
-
-
30
-
50
5 Percentile
10
25
75
90
95
In Finland the low achieving pupils are not so
weak than in other OECD countries High
achieving are also good
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Variation in student performance in Science
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Switzerland
Luxembourg
United States
New Zealand
Czech Republic
United Kingdom
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Variation in student performance in Science
Variation of performance between schools
Variation of performance within schools
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Switzerland
Luxembourg
10
Variation in student performance in Science
120
100
80
60
Variation of performance within schools
40
Variation of performance between schools
20
0
Italy
Korea
Spain
Japan
Turkey
Greece
Mexico
Ireland
Poland
Austria
Iceland
Canada
Finland
Belgium
Sweden
Norway
Portugal
Hungary
Denmark
Germany
Australia
Switzerland
Netherlands
Luxembourg
New Zealand
United States
Czech Republic
Slovak Republic
United Kingdom
In some countries, most of the variation lies
between schools.
In some countries, schools are rather similar.
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Students interest to learn about science topics.

• In addition to interest questions
• Student enjoyment of science learning
• Instrumental motivation (further studies, science
  related occupation)
• Value of Science (personal, general)
• Out of school activities
• Students self-efficacy
• Students self-concept

Human biology
Topics in astronomy
Topics in physics
Topics in chemistry
The biology of plants
Topics in geology
What is required for scientific explanations
Ways scientists design experiments
High
Medium
Low
No
High
Medium
Low
No
Interest
Interest
Interest
Interest
Interest
Interest
Interest
Interest
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Structure of Finnish Education
General National Objectives and Education policy
National Core Curriculum
Local curriculum
Learning materials
Teacher training
(municipalities,
(pre
-
service and
(publishing
houses)
schools)
In
-
service)
Science teaching
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Main cornerstones of the education policy(can be
found in policy documents)

• Common, consistent and long-term policy
• A broad commitment to a vision of a
  knowledge-based-society
• Educational equality comprehensive school free
  of charge to all, including books, meals,
  transport and health care well-organized and
  effective special education.
• According to PISA School Questionnaire data -
  97 of the schools are public schools and 99 of
  the funding came from the government (OECD
  83). - 64 (33) of the schools reported that
  students were not grouped by ability into
  different classes in any subject

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Main cornerstones of the education policy

• Devolution of decision power and responsibility
  at the local level local authorities plan
  local curriculum organise general assessment
  and use this data for evaluating educational
  policy a headmaster works as a pedagogical
  director.
• The culture of trust no inspectors, no
  national exams
• According to PISA School Questionnaire data
  - in 65 of the schools a principal teacher
  formulates the school budget (53)- in 97 of
  the school, principal teacher and teachers are
  responsible for disciplinary and assessment
  policy (77)

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Allocation of science subjects to grades in
comprehensive school
Grade

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Student
s
7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

age


S
cience
Integrated

environmental
Integrated

Separate


Separate


subjects

and natural studies
Biology and
Biology
1.2 hours

Biology
23 course
s

geography

Geography
1.2 hours

Geography
22
1.5 hours/week/ year

course
s

Physics
1.2 hours



Physics

17 course
s

Chemistry
1.2 hours

Integrated

Chemistry
14 course
s

/week/year

Altogether 9 hours
/week/4year

Physics and
Health education

2.25 hours/week/year

chemistry

Health education



1 hours
/week/

1 hours
/week/year

year


Compulsory/

C

CO

O

Optional


There were in 49.9 of the classes less than 20
students and in 47.4 of the classes there were
21 25 students.

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General Aims in the Core Curriculum

• learning depends on the learner's previously
  constructed knowledge, motivation, and
  learning is an active and goal-oriented
  process collective problem-solving
  Learning is situational,

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Nature of a teaching/learning process in Finnish
national science curriculum

• The purpose of science education is to help the
  students (i) to perceive the nature of
  science(ii) to learn new concepts, principles,
  and models (iii) to develop skills in
  experimental work and (iv) cooperation and (v)
  to stimulate the students to study science
  (interest).
• the role of a teacher is emphasised in the
  process.

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Examples of goals for learning scientific method

• The pupils will learn in physics and chemistry
• - scientific skills, such as the formulation of
  questions ,
• - to process, present and interpret results,
• - to carry out simple scientific experiments
• -

Examples of contents of physical systems

• - natural structures and proportions (grades 7
  9),
• - motion and forces, models of uniform and
  uniformly accelerating motion (grades 7 9) ,

• The OECD definition of scientific literacy fits
  well with the goals and contents for science
  education in Finland

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Teacher Education Development Programme (2002)
The teacher education programmes should help
students to acquire

• high-level subject knowledge and pedagogical
  content knowledge, and knowledge about nature of
  knowledge,
• academic skills, like research skills skills to
  use pedagogically Information and Communication
  Technology, skills needed in processes of
  developing a curricula,
• social skills, like communication skills skill
  to cooperate with other teachers,
• knowledge about school as an institute and its
  connections to the society (school community and
  partners, local contexts and stakeholders),
• moral knowledge and skills, like social and moral
  code of the teaching profession,
• skills needed in developing ones own teaching
  and the teaching profession.

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A subject teacher

• typically teaches at grades 7 to 12 (ages 13 to
  19)
• is qualified for teaching positions in all kinds
  of schools in his or her major or minor subject
• teaches typically one major and one minor
  subjects (e.g. math and physics)

A primary school teacher

• teaches at grades 1 to 6 (ages 7 to 13)
• teaches typically all 13 subjects

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Structure of the master degree of a subject
teacher 3 2 years
180
160
140
120
100
points
80
Study
60
40
20
0
Major Subject
Minor Subject
Pedagogical
Communication
studies
and language
studies
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Content of the pedagogical studies60 ECTS
credits equal to one study year

• Education (20 )
• Psychology
• Special needs education
• Social, historical and philosophic grounds
• Subject pedagogy/didactics/PCK (50 )
• Organisation of education national and local
  level, Science curriculum,
• Science learning, teaching methods, motivation,
  evaluation, use of ICT,
• Educational research and pedagogical thesis
• Teaching practice (30 )

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Special courses at the Master level

• Concepts and structures of physics I Classical
  Physics
• Concepts and structures of physics II Modern
  physics
• History and philosophy of physics
• Structures and processes of school physics
• Experimentation in school laboratory
• Physics teachers' Master thesis seminar
• Concepts and structures of physics The structure
  and methods of physics are discussed. The
  viewpoint is how the physics' knowledge structure
  guides the solutions of physics teaching. Special
  attention is paid on the interplay of theory and
  experiments. The practical goal of the course is
  to develop the physical way of thinking and such
  a viewpoint to physics that directs the planning
  of teaching.

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Teaching Methods in Science Education in Finland

• Norris et al. (1996) observed science lessons and
  interviewed teachers and students in 50 lower and
  upper secondary schools. They conclude that
• teachers were pedagogically conservative,
• a lot of practical work.
• Simola (2005) behaviour of a teacher is supported
  by social trust and teachers high professional
  academic status.

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According to PISA 2006 Student questionnaire
Activities dealing with practical work
Students are asked to draw conclusionsfrom their
experiments
Students do experiments by followingthe
instructions of the teacher
Students spend time in thelaboratory doing
experiments
Students are allowed to design their own
experiments
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Students (nStudent 3626) evaluations of how
often teaching methods are used in science
classroom (means)
Teacher presents new material
1 never
Teacher presents/ solves problems
2 rarely (1-4 times a term)
Practical work in small groups
Reading a textbook
Teacher presenting demonstrations
3 sometimes (2-4 times a month)
Teacher leads discussion
Work with tasks individually
4 often (2-3 times a week)
Work with tasks in small groups
Project work in small groups
5 daily
Teacher uses students' ideas
Teacher presenting network presentations
Making network presentations
Discussion in small groups
Learning by writing essay, referats
Visit to industry, site visit
Reading an encyclopedia or a web page
An expert visit our lesson
Visit to science centre or museum
0
1
2
3
4
5
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Summary
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Effective Science Teaching

• Education policy
• Educational equality
• Devolution of decision power and responsibilities
  at the local level Teacher is an expert in
  planning, implementing and evaluating science
  teaching and learning
• Trust and respect
• Science in comprehensive school
• Goals for science education and textbooks
• Role of science teacher in the classroom
  organisation of active learning
• Teachers and teacher education
• All teachers have 5 year university education
• Teachers are experts in the subject matter and
  are respected

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Thank you!