PGCE Science

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• PGCE Science
• Types of Enquiry

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The Process Circus - context

• By actively engaging in (12 activity stations)
  teachers begin to develop their own understanding
  of the process skills of enquiry-based science
  and are better able to develop these in the
  classroom. (Harlen, The Exploratorium)
• Describe scientific processes in terms of what
  one is doing when using process skills
• Foster group discussion/dialogue uncover and
  tease out ambiguities and differences of
  understanding.
• Harlen, W. (1998) Professional Development Tools
  for Inquiry-Based Science The Process Circus
  Developing the Process Skills of Inquiry-Based
  Science -. Available online at
  http//www.exploratorium.edu/ifi/activities/proces
  scircus/circusfulltext.html

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The Process Circus - Activities

• Work in 2s or 3s.
• Visit each of the 12 stations of activities in
  any order
• Carry out the activity described on the
  accompanying card.
• Identify the main (one or two) process skill(s)
  being used (you may identify more).
• Fill in the activity form add to the list if
  you wish.
• Which of these activities could be used to do
  fair testing and which would lead to other types
  of investigations?

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Station Station Station Station Station Station Station Station Station Station Station Station Station
Process Skill 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Process Skill Observing
Process Skill Hypothesizing
Process Skill Planning
Process Skill Interpreting
Process Skill Communicating
Process Skill
Process Skill
Process Skill
Process Skill
Process Skill

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Process Circus - Reflection

• Discussion
• what differences / similarities have arisen?
• - what extra skills have been identified?
• Refer to EYFS and NC documents to revise and
  refresh
• your understanding of skill progression
• For EACH skill
• Trace the progression from Early Years to KS2.
  What are the expectations? How does the skill
  become more complex?
• On SE, observe children using skills in practical
  work.

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Teachers Questions

• Discuss Harlen and Qualter (2009) Chapter 12
  Teachers and Childrens Questions
• What is the difference between productive and
  unproductive questions?
• What types of productive question are there and
  what is the purpose of each in encouraging
  childrens scientific enquiry?
• What reasons do Harlen Qualter (2009) give for
  the use of open person-centred questions rather
  than closed subject centred questions?

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Teachers questions - summary of types (Harlen
and Qualter 2009)

• Attention focusing
• Measuring and counting
• Comparison
• Action
• Problem posing
• These are called PRODUCTIVE questions because
  they stimulate productive activity.
• In the context of electricity, we will practise
  using productive questions from each of Harlens
  categories to stimulate elicitation enquiry.

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Writing and trialling productive questions

• In pairs, write a set of productive questions
  from each of Harlens categories to stimulate
  investigation of
• Try out your questions on another pair. You will
  be the teacher asking the questions and they
  the pupils.
• Swap roles so that the other pair can try out
  their questions also.
• Compare your pupil responses with what you
  expected. How were they the same, different?
• Record and be prepared to feedback your findings.
  

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Feedback - Writing and trialling productive
questions

• Discussion
• How were your 'pupil's ' responses the same /
  different to what you expected.? How might you
  explain this?
• What is the purpose of different types of
  questions in encouraging scientific enquiry?
• What are the implications from this activity for
  your planning in school?

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Childrens responses to teachers questions

• You can improve childrens responses by using the
  following strategies
• Pause, allow the children time to think.
• Prompt, to help them start their answer.
• Redirect, clarify or refocus, to make your
  question clear.
• Reflect on their answer to give them a chance to
  extend it.

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Effective teachers questions in science

• Employ a range of question forms.
• Link the question to a scientific outcome
• Scientific learning outcome question type
  effective question
• Offer questions and invite children to ask a
  range of questions in a variety of scientific
  contexts

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Outcomes of teacher questioning in science

• Effective questions can
• Direct children to worthwhile activities
• Cause children to reason, predict, hypothesise
• Uncover how children view a situation
• Indicate the level at which children are
  operating
• Disclose their understanding or misunderstanding
• Enable children to express ideas
• Expose childrens feelings about an idea

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PGCE Science

• Electricity

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Electricity - elicitation

• Draw a picture of what might be happening inside
  a conducting wire
• Do this individually, then swap with someone.
• What does the drawing show you about the drawers
  understanding of electricity?
• In what ways is this different from your own?
• Devise one or two questions you can ask the
  other person to elicit further ideas that will
  help you to understand better their level of
  knowledge.
• Ask the questions.
• Kibble, B. (1999) How do you picture
  electricity? Physics Education, 34 (4), pp.226-229

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Electricity NC KS1 KS2/EY

• Safety! Ref. Be Safe and Hampshire Guidelines
• Uses of electricity in everyday life
• Electrical circuits and their components
• Conductors and Insulators
• Use of switches to make components work
• Investigation simple circuits
• Use of symbols/diagrams to represent circuits
• Also look at the requirements of KS3 Sc4 to
  provide extension work

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Electricity- Developing complexity

• Trace the progression of ideas about electricity
  Key Stages 1-3
• Note target vocabulary levels 1-5.
• Progression implies progress, and progress
  suggests a journey. Conceptual progress might be
  considered to be a journey through a landscape of
  developing ideas and it is a journey travelled by
  learners. It is, of course, a lifelong journey
• (Kibble 2006 198).

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Electricity conceptual progression

• Progression isnt about simply learning more and
  more things. It is more about revising ideas in
  more depth, in extending the range of contexts in
  which ideas exist and about an increasing
  complexity both in the nature of concepts and
  also in the language used to describe them.
  Perhaps most significantly it is about
  articulating changes in ones thinking (Kibble
  2006 199).

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Electricity- examples of childrens work

• Explore the written examples taken from the
  Nuffield SPACE project. Assess where the children
  are at using the NC Levels as well as the
  attainment targets. What questions would you ask
  to help to move them on?

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Electricity examples of childrens ideas

• -there is more current in the wire leading up to
  the bulb than after
• -the flow is the same from both ends of the
  battery and clashes at the bulb
• -there is only flow in the supply wire, the other
  one is unnecessary
• (Osborne and Freyberg 1985)
• How might you handle each of these ideas?

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PRACTICAL electricity Illustrative /
Investigative Approaches

• In small groups carry out two practical tasks,
  one using the illustrative approach and the other
  the investigative approach.
• For each activity note the decisions
• you had to make and the Sc1 skills used.
• Compare and contrast the two approaches and
  discuss how each could be used in the primary
  classroom. Advantages? Disadvantages?
• Prepare group feed back.

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Illustrative - SUMMARY

• Involves direction by the teacher/workcard at
  every stage
• Directs or leads pupils to what is to be observed
• Tells the pupils what to do and how to do it
• Tells the pupils what equipment and measuring
  instruments to use
• Prescribes methods of recording and communication
• Specifies one route to the solution
• Involves all pupils arriving at the same
  conclusion which illustrates the idea or concept
  under study

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Investigative - SUMMARY

• Allows pupils to make their own observations
• Encourages pupils to make I think because
  statements which they can test
• Allows pupils to plan for themselves how the
  investigation is to proceed
• Allows pupils to work independently and make
  decisions what to change, what to measure or
  judge and what to keep the same
• Allows pupils to select the most appropriate
  instruments and apparatus for an activity
• Gives pupils the opportunity to decide which is
  the most appropriate means of recording and
  display
• Allows pupils to place their own interpretation
  on data
• Allows a variety of routes to a solution
• Encourages further questions for investigation

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Progression in understanding circuitsIllustrative
approach

• Work in pairs
• Collect the electricity sheet and predict which
  of these will make the bulb light up.
• Collect some wires, a bulb , a battery and a
  magnifier. Explore your equipment and use it to
  test your predictions. Explain your results to
  each other . What further questions do you need
  to ask to explore your understanding.
• You may need to use wire cutters and strippers
  to bare the end of the wires- take care.

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Investigative Approach

• Investigate which materials are conductors/
  insulators. Now using your knowledge of
  conductors, insulators and circuits make a
  battery holder, a bulb holder and switch using
  card, foil and paperclips. Make a circuit with
  your components. Try it with the buzzer and
  spinner.
• Explore the electricity resources. Investigate
  switches further. Can you organise the switches
  in your circuit so that the spinner and light
  work separately?
• What questions might you ask children to explore
  their understanding?
• How might you adapt these activities for the
  classroom?

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Electricity in Action

• http//www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Electricity
  -Lesson-Review-6082870/
• Note how the teacher is reflecting on her own
  practice
• How did she use elicitation to start the lesson?
• How did she move the children on? What questions
  did she ask?
• http//www.learningcircuits.co.uk

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Investigations and challenges

• Use the concept cartoons to elicit the ideas you
  might want to explore. Develop this into an
  investigation
• KS1 Read the Lighthouse Keepers Lunch. Could you
  design and make a lighthouse which works?
• KS2 Using your knowledge of electricity make a
  question and answer game.
• Make a steady hand game which buzzes when you
  touch the wire.

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Directed Tasks

• Complete the UCLES Audit on the LN. Follow the
  guidelines on the help sheet and remember to
  print off your summary results.
• Use the Confidence Audit and UCLES Audit to set
  yourself targets in science. You may be able to
  address some of these on SE.

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Bibliography

• Kibble, R. (2006) in Harlen (ed.) ASE Guide to
  Primary Science Education Hatfield ASE
• Kibble, R. (1999) How do you picture electricity?
  Physics Education 34 (4) pp.226-229
• Nuffield Primary Science (1993) In-Service Pack,
  London Collins
• http//www.crocodile-clips.com/index.htm for free
  software
• http//amasci.com/miscon/energ1.html for article
  electricity and energy

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Readings

• Reading Pack Note Ward et al. which talks about
  progression in science enquiry
• Read Harlen and Qualter Ed.5 Ch.7 and Ch.10
• Summarise in your own words, the link between
  process skills and conceptual development.