GCSE Science: Ideas about Science and Science Explanations

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• GCSE Science Ideas about Science and Science
  Explanations

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Equal assessment weighting

• Ideas about Science
• How science works

• Science explanations
• Breadth of study

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Implications

• GCSE Science equal assessment weighting of
  Science Explanations and Ideas about Science
• Links between modules
• within and across subject areas
• identifying links
• possibility of over-teaching
• implications for rotation teaching

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IaS3 Developing explanations

• P1 Earth in the Universe

B3 Life on Earth
Ideas about Science page 91 Activities AP1.5
to AP1.7, plus AP1.17, AP1.23, AP1.36 GCSE
Science book pages 66, 68-69, 80-81
Ideas about Science page 203 Activities
AB3.1, AB3.13, AB3.14, and AB3.26 to AB 3.28
GCSE Science book pages 184-187
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Exemplars of the links between Science
Explanations and Ideas about Science

• P2 Radiation and life
• B1 You and your genes

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P2 Radiation and life

• Ideas about Science
• Distinction between correlation and cause (IaS2)
  is introduced in Module C1 Air quality, e.g
  Activity AC1.20 When do hay fever symptoms
  appear? (the hay fever / ice cream activity).
• The big Idea about Science in Module P2 is risks
  and benefits, in the context of the
  electromagnetic spectrum.
• See for example Activity AP2.15 A safe place to
  live?
• Science Explanations
• Module P2 introduces the electromagnetic spectrum
  in terms of photons.
• The electromagnetic spectrum is taken up again in
  module P6 The wave model of radiation.

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B1 You and your genes

• Ideas about Science
• This module is the first introduction to ethical
  decision-making
• Big idea is outlining basic framework which can
  be used to discuss ethical decision-making
  throughout the course
• Decision-making throughout the course covers
  personal, socio-scientific and government policy
  examples.
• Science Explanations
• Inheritance is treated in terms of genes in B1
  You and your genes and DNA in the Additional
  Science module B5 Growth development

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C3 Food matters IaS6 Making decisions (personal,
cost/benefit analysis, government
regulation)
C2 Material choices IaS6 Making decisions
(cost/benefit analysis)
P2 Radiation and life IaS6 Making decisions
(personal ? society)
B5 Growth and development SE cell cycle,
mitosis/meiosis protein synthesis, stem
cells, meristems, gene switching plant growth
B1 You and your genes IaS6 Making decisions
(personal, frameworks)
B1 You and your genes SE variation,
fertilization, gene (dominant/recessive), gender,
asexual reproduction, cloning (stem cells)
B3 Life on Earth SE natural selection,
mutation, evolution
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Teaching and assessing Ideas about Science

• Put the information cards in order of
  persuasiveness.
• Be able to explain reasons for your order.
• Suggest other information you might like to have
  to increase your confidence in ranking a card.

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Teaching the nature of science

• If developing a scientifically literate
  populace, ... is to be an aim of science
  education, then teaching about the nature of
  science is not an indulgence but an
  essential act, fundamental to a contemporary
  science education.
• Osborne, J. (2002). In R. Boohan S. Amos
  (eds).
• Aspects of Teaching Secondary Science. p. 237.

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A view of scientific literacy?
Knowledge of Science Explanations
Knowledge of Ideas about Science
Skills critical thinking, development of
argument
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Teaching and assessment
Assessment of critical thinking, argument
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Case study - conclusions
Aspect of performance 2 4 6 8
a comparing opposing evidence and views Information is unselectively reported without taking any clear view about any course of action. Claims for a particular idea, development or course of action are reported without critical comment. Claims and arguments for and against are reported, but with little attempt to compare or evaluate them. Details of opposing views are evaluated and critically compared.
b conclusions and recom-mendations A conclusion is stated without reference to supporting evidence. A conclusion is based on evidence for one view only. Some limits or objections to the conclusion are acknowledged. Alternative conclusions are considered, showing awareness that different interpretations of evidence may be possible.
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Internal Assessment Guidance
Blackpool Secondary Science 2006-2007 for OCR C21 Science A produced by Blackpool Secondary Science

• Case study 20 24 marks
• Data analysis 13.3 16 marks

Damian Ainscough, Secondary Science Consultant
please send any ideas for addition/improvement
to damian.ainscough_at_blackpool.gov.uk With
thanks to Blackpool Science teachers and in
particular Katie Rawcliffe Bispham High School
an Arts College Mark Sergeant St Marys
Catholic College Doreen Chadwick Montgomery
High School a Language College
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A definition for Ideas about Science?

• The kinds of knowledge science produces.
• The methods used to get this knowledge and check
  its validity.
• The social processes of science that provide
  quality assurance of its outcomes.
• How science influences society and vice versa.

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Terminology
evidence
correlation
argument
outcome
cause
experimentation
creativity imagination
factor
observation
explanation
data
risk
ethics
reliability
model
scientific community
validity
decision making
variables
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A view of how science works?
REAL WORLD
Observation/ Experimentation
THEORY
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A view of how science works?
Confidence in explanation increases/decreases
REAL WORLD
EXPLANATION
Observation/ Experimentation
Reasoning/ Calculation
Negative / Positive evidence evidence
DATA
PREDICTION
Agree/Disagree
Adapted from Giere, R (1991). Understanding
Scientific Reasoning (3rd ed.). Fort Worth, TX
Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
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evidence
model
correlation
cause
creativity imagination
argument
Confidence in explanation increases/decreases
REAL WORLD
EXPLANATION
Observation/ Experimentation
Reasoning/ Calculation
Negative / Positive evidence evidence
risk
scientific community
outcome
factor
DATA
PREDICTION
decision making
reliability
Agree/Disagree
validity
variables
ethics