I wanted to use this last post to tie in a few further ideas not specifically about the capability Gather and Interpret Data but that can be developed as the lessons progress.
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| Footprints -a great thing to photograph and get children talking about. In the background are moa nests. |
I love our New Zealand Curriculum. The front half is packed full of thinking that can be a part of what we are doing in science... All of the Vision components (p. 8) and Values (p. 10) can be reflected in activities based around students observing closely. If you move some of the activities outside, you can bring in an ecological aspect -where are all the bees or native birds?, as well as thinking innovatively or creatively. Schools are keen to develop the Key Competencies as well and children drawing and labelling diagrams (using language, symbols and text), learning how to infer (thinking) and back to ecological matters (participating and contributing) can all pop up. One matter is that sometimes we can tick off these ideas and believe Yup, I'm doing that, whereas I want to encourage you to be thinking about how you are deliberately developing, for example, the relating to others Key Competency. It's not just going to happen for some students but by using an observation activity in a group and being deliberate about the focus, things can happen! Okay guys, we're going to be looking at these minifigures as a group. I am going to give out roles to each of you. Who can tell me how we could act in a group. What should I as the teacher be looking for if you think you are being a valuable member of the group?
Just as an aside, the science capabilities are often seen as being similar to the Key Competencies.
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| I've no idea what I was doing either... I think I'm modelling "I'm thinking"! |
Which leads me nicely to the next idea: the kids! Let them bring in objects! Enable them to decide what a good observation looks like or to set out some criteria. If we want our students to improve their inference skills, then they need to know what a good inference might look like.
Get them to choose objects to observe or experiments to do. If you are doing experiments, then let them choose the 'where to next'. This can be difficult, especially if you are a bit of an OCD planner (yes, my hand is up!). Instead of planning all the activities, plan the initial ones and focus on what you are developing. Remember it's not about the content but the science capabilities! If your focus is observing closely from all angles or asking questions that can be investigated, what does it matter what the experiment is. After I have carried out the soda water and raisins experiment, I have no idea where children are going to go next! I always bring along some stuff just in case and usually I get it right or will scaffold what we could inquire about (for example, liquids, containers and objects) but I want it to be about their pursuing, not mine! I love it, that after six years in the job, I'm still surprised at what students notice or predict or want to try out with this experiment!
Tikanga
This year I am doing my dissertation on culturally responsive practice and am reading a lot of really interesting articles about the topic. What I want to say here is basically ask the question: How can I engage my Māori students? I'm thinking about topics, the way I teach, honouring te reo, and tikanga. It might mean not chucking out the soda water and raisins after the experiment, but watering the plants or adding to the compost. I might get the children to try and use as much te reo as I can when describing, for example shape and colour. If I was out observing the tui feeding off the flax flowers, I might search out some Māori stories about the tui for reading time. One great idea is using our local whānau. Take a walk out in your local bush and invite a kaumatua to share about what he notices and knows. There's lots that can be observed!
I do want to put here that I am not the expert here at all. I am keen to learn and understand further so that science can also have that cultural responsive aspect needed, promoting biculturalism and enabling and engaging our Māori students. I'm on a learning journey and happy to share my thoughts as long as you all recognise I'm a student too -I want to know how others do this as well!
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| Should we be worried about this amount of wood being washed ashore? Is it good for the creatures that normally live here? |
Last one! The Ministry of Education is very keen on schools developing their own curriculum. When I head into a new school, one of the questions I ask is How is the science here different to what I would find at another school? Regardless of rural vs town school, or the size of the school, it needs to have its own character. Are you close to a river? Then science should have some aspect wrapped up around the river, perhaps working with the local environmental council, the local marae, the local community, etc. And it should be different to a school that's on the coast. I'm not talking all of the science but at least some of it. I've been connecting with an EnviroSchools coordinator in Hawkes Bay who is doing fantastic work! They shared with me some of the things that the school is doing that blew me away -it's no going to be hard to find science contexts for these schools although getting the pedagogy and capabilities to sit alongside will take some work (that's why I'm here!). There are resource people everywhere willing to help!
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| Some student work that I'll be sharing next blog... I think... unless something else comes up in the meantime! |
One of the issues of science in schools is that many students talk about how they don't like science because it's full of writing. At the same time, reading and writing time (and maths too sometimes) can sometimes seem very disconnected to the topics. Many schools are starting to move towards integrating our topics and although I do have some hesitations about this, I think science can be an effective tool. I have again and again seen students who could be considered struggling in writing, scribing notes and jotting down ideas in science time. I've seen children not really understanding how to measure their lego car's progress and not making the connection back to how they were measuring in maths only a few hours ago. By utilising maths and writing skills with science, children seem to be more engaged and willing. I'm not talking about unnecessary writing, i.e. copy out the experiment that's printed on the board, but writing that they need to do! I want to share back my findings with the others so I better make sure my measurements are accurate... or that my observations and inferences are clear... I don't ever tend to ask students to write screeds but I do get them sharing their thinking with me (and often it can get quite long!). If I'm looking at Measurement in maths time, do some observations of objects with children estimating the dimensions and weight! The other side is reading time. If we want to see children creating great diagrams, then there needs to be examples. Pick articles that have diagrams the children can examine as well as the text to explore and discuss this genre of writing.
And that's it! Next time, I'm heading back to assessment and looking at diagrams that a school kindly allowed me to use -there'll even be a slides show! If you're still with me, thanks for reading these and I hope they have been really useful to you. They will slow down a little -I just really wanted to keep this series together.
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| I went through phase of being fascinated by the way the sea water drains around rocks -it always reminds me of comets and meteorites. I wonder if it's a similar effect? |
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