New Highschool Educational Standards for Natural Sciences in Germany

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NewHighschool Educational Standards for Natural
Sciencesin Germany
State Institute of Teacher Training and School
Development Department of In-Service Teacher
Training Faculty of Natural Sciences, Subject
Physics Hamburg, Germany

• Detlef Kaack
• Physics In-Service Teacher Training Hamburg
• GLOBE Translation Germany
• GLOBE Regional Coordination Hamburg

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The KMK is the German federalConference of the
Ministers of Education.As education strictly
is a matter of the individual states (Länder) of
the Federal Republic of Germany the KMK is the
only board that can achieve proposals for the 16
states that may be taken as a guideline for state
education laws. The KMK papers themselves do not
have law character.
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Overview

• Medium PISA Results -gt Shock
• Federal Initiatives
• Standards with competences
• New statecurricula

KMK
PISA
Germany
standards
competences
states
federal
shock
law
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Reactions to PISAAs a consequence of
disappointing results of the first PISA test for
German schools (only medium results and certain
fields with problems) there have been national
efforts to set common standards for school
education that ensure results that can be tested
and are apt to improve the skills of our young
graduates.
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Standards forMedium Level School
Education(5th to 10th grade, ages 10/11 to
15/16)The standards that now have been set up
are meant to be a basis for new curricula that
have to be designed by each of the 16 states
(Länder) of Germany. All programs and
initiatives (such as GLOBE) will have to show
that they contribute to achieving the goals of
these standards.The structure shows four
competencies.
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The four competencies

• Subject Literacy
• Gain of Knowledge
• Communication
• Reflection / Evaluation

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The four competencieswith descriptions

• Subject LiteracyTo know phenomena, expressions,
  principles, facts, rules and to be able to
  categorize them to basic concepts
• Gain of KnowledgeTo use experimental and other
  ways of inquiry as well as models
• CommunicationTo explore and exchange information
  appropriately according to subject and matter
• Reflection / EvaluationTo recognize and evaluate
  subject matters in different contexts

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The three Skill Levelswith descriptions

• Skill Level Ithe reproduction and application of
  simple subject facts and subject methods, the
  presentation of subject facts in a given way as
  well as the presentation of simple references
• Skill Level IIthe re-organization and transfer
  of more complex subject facts and subject
  methods, applying forms of communication that
  suit the situation, deliver given frames of
  evaluation and show simple references
• Skill Level IIIthe problem-oriented application
  and transfer of complex subject facts and subject
  methods, the selection of forms of communication
  suiting the situation, the setting up of
  references and the evaluation of subject matters

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Competencies on Skill Level I reproduction

• Subject LiteracyTo repeat knowledge To repeat
  data and information and simple physical facts
• Gain of KnowledgeTo describe subject methods To
  reconstruct and describe physical methods,
  especially experimental methods
• CommunicationTo work with given forms of
  presentation To present simple facts in written,
  oral, and other form (under guidance), ask
  subject related questions
• Reflection / EvaluationTo revise given
  Evaluations Name effects of physical perception,
  explain simple physical and technical contexts
  from a physical point of view

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Competencies on Skill Level II re-organization

• Subject LiteracyTo apply knowledge To apply
  physical knowledge to simple contexts, identify
  simple physical states of affairs and use these
  concepts, name analogies
• Gain of KnowledgeTo use subject methods To use
  strategies to solve problems, plan and do simple
  experiments, achieve knowledge following
  instructions
• CommunicationTo use suitable forms of
  presentation To present physical states of
  affairs in a structured way using the subjects
  terminology, giving reasons
• Reflection / EvaluationTo judge and comment
  given evaluations To show that physics uses
  certain aspects to analyze nature, to distinguish
  between the physical and the other components of
  an evaluation

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Competencies on Skill Level III transfer

• Subject LiteracyTo transfer and combine
  knowledge To apply knowledge to partly unknown
  contexts, select suitable states of affairs
• Gain of KnowledgeProblem-related selection and
  application of subject methods To select and
  apply different suitable strategies, also do
  simple experiments and use mathematical methods
  in combination - to achieve knowledge
  independently
• CommunicationTo select and use forms of
  presentation To select, apply and evaluate forms
  of presentation to meet the needs of the
  addressed group, to discuss selected aspects on a
  suitable level
• Reflection / EvaluationTo do independent
  evaluations To evaluate the meaning of physical
  literacy, to use physical knowledge as a basis
  for the evaluation of physical facts, classify
  phenomena in a framework of physical contexts

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An example of a problem

• A solar cell

• Materials flashlight, ammeter, voltmeter,
  cables, solar cell, electric motor
• Plan an experiment where the light of a
  flashlight is used to operate an electric motor.
  Draw the diagram showing the flow of energy,
  start with the battery. Draw the setup of the
  experiment.
• Do the experiment and determine the energy
  emitted by the battery every second.
• Determine the energy that is emitted from the
  irradiated solar cell per second.
• Calculate the energetic efficiency of the energy
  transport between battery and solar cell for this
  running experiment.

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Frame of Expectations

• A solar cell

• Plan an experiment where the light of a
  flashlight is used to operate an electric motor.
  Draw the diagram showing the flow of energy,
  start with the battery. Draw the setup of the
  experiment.
• The experiment will be designed and a protocol
  will be written.
• An energy flow scheme will be drawn, see one
  possibility below
• Battery -gt lamp -gt solar cell -gt electric
  motor -gt
• electric energy light electric energy motion
  energy (kinetic energy)

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Frame of Expectations

• A solar cell

• 2. Do the experiment and determine the energy
  emitted by the battery every second.
• The experiment will be done. From the measured
  Amps and Volts the power and the transferred
  energy per second is determined.

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Frame of Expectations

• A solar cell

• 3. Determine the energy that is emitted from the
  irradiated solar cell per second.
• The experiment will be done. From the measured
  Amps and Volts the power and the transferred
  energy per second is determined.

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Frame of Expectations

• A solar cell

• 4. Calculate the energetic efficiency of the
  energy transport between battery and solar cell
  for this running experiment.
• The energy efficiency is calculated.

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Example from theGLOBE 2002 ATM protocol

• Questions for Further Discussion
• Do cloud patterns change during the year? How?
• Does the amount of cloud cover affect the local
  temperature?
• How reliable are local weather forecasts based on
  cloud type observations alone? Can they be
  improved by using other GLOBE measurements?
• Do cloud conditions and phenomena that block our
  view of the sky influence the types of vegetation
  and soil in our area? If so, how?
• How do our cloud observations compare with
  satellite images of clouds?
• How do clouds influence air temperature?

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Now we can determine Competency and Skill Level
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GLOBE can teach how to communicate on different
levels to school mates, parents, public
media Oral presentations, posters, graphs,
electronic data displays, written texts,
Internet, e-mail etc.
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GLOBE can teach to reproduce knowledge that is
given in the teachers guides as a basis for the
measurement protocols.
Higher Skill Levels are not supported very much.
Earth science at school will help here.
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Notemphasizedyet...
The main element of GLOBE is executing given
experiments / measurements. This serves
Competency 2 on Skill Level I.
Applying these given concepts to other cases or
using them to achieve further knowledge or solve
new problems could be supported in a better way.
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?
Could be supported better!
The understanding of given explanations and
reflections of natural processes are part of the
program.
The reflection and evaluation of observed
phenomena and possible consequences as well as
modeling climate and ecosystems have not been the
central interest of GLOBE yet.
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GLOBE could even do more to support modern school
education.
New elements would have to be supported. This way
it could be proven that GLOBE can improve
education in the way the new standards require it.
GLOBE today serves several standards very well
and with this it is a modern element for school
education that can fill existing gaps!
!
?
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GLOBE Earth Science
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Further Information (in German)

• Conference of Ministers of Education
  Germanywww.kmk.org
• Physics for schoolswww.schul-physik.de
• Earth Science for schools / GLOBEwww.schulgeologi
  e.de
• State Institute of Teacher Training and School
  Development, Hamburgwww.li-hamburg.de