INQUIRY : The Science of Science Education

I have slacked off of blogging this summer but am back now,  and can do it from anywhere with my new smartphone!

Anyways,  I wanted to reflect on the inquiry project I did with my grade 8's last year. I was so gung-ho about it!

Getting started

I had the kids group up and sort individual straps of outcomes into groups and categorize them. This was a bit more of a production than I anticipated but it was their first time ever doing this so that was to be expected. So it took us 2 days to do it in a manner that allowed them to see it not as all 'water'.

Developing a plan

Students were already asking questions about the topics that caught their eye so the next step was easier for most.

I asked students to generate a couple questions regarding a category or outcome that interested them,  then research it.  I recommended that they also look into a demonstration and/or experiment that would help them and their classmates learn about that topic. I then received a written proposal.

Working it out

The next 3 weeks comprised of students doing research, gathering supplies to do experiments, and actually doing them.  This was awesome for me as the teacher because, in my opinion,  I was never a better facilitator of learning- probing and prompting to encourage deeper learning,  working with students to come up with questions that would apply to their experiment. It was awesome.

Wrapping it up

In the last week of school students prepared and shared a presentation with the class. These went well,  and the students were attentive to the presentations.

After the presentations I had a conversation with each student so they could assess their own learning. I was so proud that they were all very honest and willing to answer follow-up questions I had.

What I learned

This was awesome. I would like to do more full inquiry projects. With this group,  it would have been more successful if we had done similar activities throughout the year. As it was,  some kids had already mentally checked out. But even these kids were productive and Learned with a little more...  Help we will call it.

I would like to do this in my high school classroom this year but will probably hold off until I get to know my students and their needs. I would also be nervous about doing this in grade 10 science in the chemical and physics units because of the building that goes on from this course in the specialized courses in 11 and 12.

#EdCampWPG

What a cool experience! As a teacher who feels so isolated in Rural MB, it is great to be in a room with other educators who are learning together.  Also, it is so good to know that I a not alone in NOT knowing about everything that is out there.

Session 1 - iPads in the classroom

I find it so overwhelming to have technology tossed around without guidance.  It was cool to hear about how teachers in other schools are using iPads - not so much as tools for finding information but for documenting learning.  Discussion focused on different apps that people are using and what they are using it for.

Apps talked about: Edmondo, show me, aurasma, word lens

Other topics: scoop it, knowing what apps to use and how to use them

Lingering questions
What does using iPads actually look like in other people's classrooms?  How do you structure on task learning with so many other apps which are not on task?

Session 2: Flipped Classrooms

I love the idea of the flipped classroom, ever since I saw the TedTalks featuring the Khan Academy creator.  I feel like it is an invaluable tool, especially in my split PreCal classroom.  I'm interested in, again, what does this actually look like in the classes?

Things you can use:
- Live Scribe Pens ($129 for pen and book, can photocopy)
- Khan Academy, if not using videos then using modules

Lingering questions:
- who does it benefit in the classroom? Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation as a factor?

Restitution

Building intrinsic motivation for students to make cognitive decisions about their behavior.  That is the goal.  Hearing the discussions in this room has really given me perspective on what we need to do in order to be able to help students understand their role in decision making.

Starting point: What do you need?

Plan of action: how can you fulfill your needs? Can you do this in a way that allows you to still be productive? Can you do this in a way that does not interfere with other people's needs?

Follow up: Was that the best decision that I could have made?  Why or why not? What could I have done differently?

Books to check out:
Alvie Kohn - Punishment by Reward

Lingering question:
Would high school students take advantage of this system?

Session 3: Inquiry, Project based learning, and Debate

This was the conversation I was able to participate in the most.  It was great to hear so many people experiencing this type of learning in their classrooms.

The Science of Science Education

So I did, to an extent, follow my plan from last week with respect to my Grade 8 Science lessons, except that we didn't do the compare and contrast of the eye and camera.  Instead, we continued focusing on how our eyes work by playing around with glasses and lenses.  So, in order to tie this all together, we will be making concept maps tomorrow in our class so that the students can demonstrate an understanding of the connections between these different pieces of the Optics 'puzzle'.

Furthermore, I am excited to share that to wrap up the whole unit, I will NOT be doing a test.  This is the default assessment that I have used in my science classroom for the last year and a half.  Although I have complimented it with other assessments such as research and design projects, tests have been the focus and I would like nothing more than to try something different.  So I am!

How?  
Students main instruction will be to 'show me what they know' about optics.  I will be providing a number of options for students to choose from in order to do this, and a check list of the big ideas of this unit (taken from the curricular outcomes) so that all students are aware of what information must be included.

Examples of Options
1.  Poster (main points + connections described/illustrated)
2. Movie Maker Instructional Video (using pictures and/or videos with student voiceover) + worksheet
3. Research and Questions (find research being done that relates to our topic of study, explain the links between + create questions using blooms taxonomy) *this one is my personal favorite
4. Make a Test/unit booklet (using bloom's taxonomy) + answer key

The Science of Science Education

Although my love for science may surpass my love of mathematics, teaching it has always been a little bit more difficult for me.

Biggest Questions:
- How can I make it as hands-on as possible?
- How can I foster critical thinking and scaffold connections between different concepts we have learnt?  And how much structure does this actually require?
- What should the kids be walking out of my classroom knowing?
- Where does assessment fit in?
- How can I make it applicable? (this is the easiest, in my opinion)

I feel like I have the answers to [most of] these questions, but it is sometimes overwhelming to look at all of this and take into account all the curricular outcomes.  For this reason I do wish I had one more year with my Grade 8 Science class, to make it just a bit more perfect.

Next week's lessons will include:

Monday - wrap up pinhole camera (Why is it important that you use the camera in a brightly lit area?) + how our eye works

Tuesday -  compare and contrast eye and camera

Wednesday - stations - given objects - how do they work and how does the lens affect the light (enabling it to work)?

Thursday - how lenses work???

Snow Daze Follow-Up

Today, as you may have guessed from the title, was another snow day.  One good thing that came out of this was that I got to test out my inquiry idea from yesterday!

How did it go, you may ask? Very well.  I was impressed by my students and their willingness to engage in an activity that was completely not for marks, simply for the sake of learning and sharing information.  Students looked into different topics from video games to sports' techniques and from animals to boy bands.  I had given the the kids a few examples of possible questions to start with, but they chose to come up with their own.  Students were informed that they must be able to provide some sort of evidence of their learning by lunch hour.

For the most part, the kids worked hard and produced a bouquet of evidence of learning.  Posters, powerpoints, videos and demonstrations!  It was really cool to learn more about my students, their interests and what inquiry might look like.

Moving forward, I would definitely do this again as it was a productive way for kids to spend the day.  With that said, anyone planning to do this will have to change it for the class they teach.  If it had been a different class, or even a different group of kids from my current class, this activity would have had to be more structured.

Snow Daze

This year has had a few days when buses have been canceled.  The weather has made the highways up above the Park to be pretty brutal.  Today, unfortunately, was one of those days. (I know what you're thinking, it's April 30th!).  And today, like our other snow days, I put on a movie for the grade 8's because there is really no sense in moving forward without about 60% of the class.

At the end of the day, we ended up playing a jeopardy quiz game as classes were shuffled around because out of town teachers left early due to road conditions.  This is what has led me to rethink the use of snow days.

1. Unfinished Business - If students have work that is incomplete for you (or any other class really), it only makes sense that this time is put to good use by getting work done.

2. Inquiry Days - This is what I might be trying tomorrow (weather-dependent).

Use the time to look into something interesting!  This can be done in groups or individually - totally up to the kids and what they will be investigating.  What will the day look like? (It really all depends on your schedule but it's really up to you).

     A. Getting Started - Kids can choose anything they are interested in. But this needs to have a little
          structure so they need to plan with the end in mind. 
          Questions for students to answer/define:

• What am I going to learn about today?
• What am I going to have at the end of the day to demonstrate my learning?
• How am I going to do this?
• What am I going to need to learn about this? (computer, supplies for testing ideas/building, etc.)

     B. Get'er Done - You may need some help in getting everything you need and supervising the kids as
          they go a million different directions.  But if you and the kids keep the material from part A on
          hand, this will help you redirect them if they get off-track/off-task.

     C. Put Yourself Out There - You need some drive to these projects or they will lose speed - "What's
          the point?"  These projects would not necessarily be for marks, as you are missing a number of
          kids (although I can definitely see how I would work this into the science curriculum).  I think that
          having some sort of sharing opportunity for the kids would be the best end result.  Kids teaching
          kids (and me).  That is what I am leaning toward - it will look different based on the end product
          that the kids choose.

Aboriginal Perspectives

As a (mostly) mathematics and science teacher, I have struggled a bit with authentic integration of Aboriginal perspectives into my classroom.  Today as I was driving home, I had a great brainwave while talking to a coworker.

7 Sacred Teachings in health class!

Since Spring Break, we have been looking at peer pressure and how to respond to it.  A big player in this which we haven't looked at is personal beliefs and morals.  What better way to do this than to consider all the aspects that can affect a person's decisions than through the 7 Sacred Teachings?

Step 1 (will be doing this tomorrow): 
Have students (in small groups) research the 7 teachings to find out what they are.  To keep track of what they find out, students will design a circle with the information - pictorially and/or verbally.

Step 2:
Option A - Students will relate the 7 Sacred Teachings to themselves.  They can articulate their thoughts in any form (media/written/pictorally) but must explain how each piece relates to them and which are more evident in a given scenario.
Option B - Students will choose 5 - 8 principle words which define their actions and beliefs.  Again, how this is articulated is up to the students, but they must explain why they have chosen that word and provide an example.

Suggested modes to demonstrate step 2:

• movie maker (include personal pictures with voice over)
• prezi
• song
• drawing (with blurbs)

Step 3:
Students will be asked to reflect on what they have completed in step 2.
Option A - write a reflection which looks at how these core principles would come into play when faced with a peer-pressure scenario
Option B -   for each of a number of scenarios, which of the core principles (personal or 7 Sacred Teachings) are coming into play (whether they are ignored or a key player in resisting peer pressure).

I'll keep you posted as I go!