Teaching

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• Teaching
• Ideas about Science to Foundation level
  students

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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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Strategies for teaching Ideas about Science
1 Have clear Ideas about Science (IaS)
objectives in mind when teaching.
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For example

• IaS3 Developing explanations
• IB3.2 Follow the evidence
• AB3.1 Follow the evidence

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IaS 3 Developing explanations

• Scientific explanations are tested by comparing
  them with data from observations or experiments.
• Recognise that an observation that agrees with
  an explanation increases confidence in the
  explanation, but does not prove it is correct.
• An observation that disagrees with a prediction
  (derived from an explanation) indicates that
  either the observation or the prediction is
  wrong, and that this may decrease our confidence
  in the explanation.

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Strategies for teaching Ideas about Science
1 Have clear Ideas about Science (IaS)
objectives when teaching. 2 Keep the context
simple. Use only some of the stimulus material
provided if this enables you to focus on the
specific point you want to teach. 3 Use
everyday science-related contexts, e.g. current
media stories 4 Use everyday non-science contexts
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Stepping stones
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Helping students understand Ideas about Science

• Pace
• Schemes of Work are only a guide. Adjust the
  teaching time to suit your students. You do not
  have to follow every detail of the Schemes of
  Work.
• Literacy
• OUP publications offer differentiated texts and
  activities
• Even so, teachers need to help students develop
  skills for interrogating text

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Interrogating text

• Determining how scientific texts are to be taken
  involves determining, for example, when something
  is an inference, a hypothesis, a conclusion, or
  an assumption when something is an asserted
  truth, an expressed doubt, or a proffered
  conjecture when something is evidence for a
  claim, a justification for an action, or a stated
  fact to be explained.
• If these general meanings are missed, then the
  reader ..has failed to grasp the scientific
  meaning beyond the surface content level.
• Norris and Phillips, 2003

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Key language for Developing Explanations
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Introducing key language for IaS 3 Developing
Explanations

• Is Mr Briggs guilty of speeding?
• Sunday, March 7th, was a cold, sunny day. At
  11.36am Mr Briggs was observed driving along
  Water Street. A speed camera measured his speed
  at 36mph. This is 6mph above the speed limit. Mr
  Briggs denies that he was speeding.

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• Is Mr Briggs guilty of speeding?
• Sunday, March 7th, was a cold, sunny day. At
  11.36am Mr Briggs was observed driving along
  Water Street. A speed camera measured his speed
  at 36mph. This is 6mph above the speed limit. Mr
  Briggs denies that he was speeding.
• - A fact?

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• Is Mr Briggs guilty of speeding?
• Sunday, March 7th, was a cold, sunny day. At
  11.36am Mr Briggs was observed driving along
  Water Street. A speed camera measured his speed
  at 36mph. This is 6mph above the speed limit. Mr
  Briggs denies that he was speeding.
• - A piece of evidence?

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• Is Mr Briggs guilty of speeding?
• Sunday, March 7th, was a cold, sunny day. At
  11.36am Mr Briggs was observed driving along
  Water Street. A speed camera measured his speed
  at 36mph. This is 6mph above the speed limit. Mr
  Briggs denies that he was speeding.
• - fact not linked to the question?

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Skills assessment

• Case Study
• First - help students develop relevant skills
  knowledge
• selecting relevant sources
• analysing evidence and argument
• drawing their own conclusions
• presenting data and explanations
• using key language for Ideas about Science
• Then - introduce the Case Study task
• clearly focused title
• student criteria/checklist
• provide some stimulus material (simple practical
  as well as magazine/newspaper/TV report)
• use range of presentation styles where
  motivational (need exemplars, e.g. poster)

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Skills assessment

• Data Analysis
• First - help students develop relevant skills
  knowledge
• an understanding of concepts such as best
  estimate, significance, reliability, validity
• skills in processing and presenting data (e.g.
  drawing and interpreting graphs)
• skills in drawing conclusions and evaluating the
  level of confidence that can be placed in them
• Then - introduce the Case Study task
• measurements procedure and results appropriate to
  your students range of abilities
• student criteria/checklist

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Discursive teaching

• Students liked discussing contentious ethical
  issues, and seeing how science impacts on
  everyday life.
• The greatest challenge has been allowing more
  discussion, and weaning students off the right
  answer.

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Helping students understand Ideas about Science
a summary

• Pace
• Schemes of Work are only a guide. Adjust the
  teaching time to suit your students.
• Literacy
• Help students develop skills for interrogating
  text (See National Strategy, Learning skills for
  science)
• Critical thinking, argumentation, evaluation
• structure the analysis of arguments
• structure the introduction of key vocabulary
• set small and achievable objectives
• Ideas about Science develop over the whole course
• objectives planning
• departmental communication