© 2015 The University of Waikato | The Science Learning Hub and the science capabilities Barbara Ryan 10

© 2015 The University of Waikato | www.sciencelearn.org.nz

The ScienceLearning Hub

and the science capabilities

Barbara Ryan

10 June 2015

@NZScienceLearn

www.sciencelearn.org.nz

http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/


What is the Science Learning Hub?

A trustworthy online resource – produced by educators and scientists

Based on world-class New Zealand science research

Supported by learning activities, information about the key science ideas and concepts, multimedia tools and other resources

Written for New Zealand teachers and aimed at students in years 2–10



Contexts Science stories

Science capabilities

Gather and interpret data

Use evidence

Critique evidence

Interpret representations

Engage with science

Students (citizens) need to be ready, willing and able to use their science knowledge. The Nature of Science (NoS) can be used to change teaching and learning to help achieve the citizenship purpose. Based on the NoS

strand, five foundational science capabilities have been identified.

http://scienceonline.tki.org.nz/Introducing-five-science-capabilities



Learners make careful observations and differentiate between observation and inference.

Interpreting data involves making meaning from observations. A conclusion you draw from observations is called an inference. To help students differentiate between observation and inference, ask these questions:


• Is it something we can see, hear, smell, touch or taste? Is it measurable?

• What did you see? (observation)• What might that mean? (inference)


The Noisy Reef

http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/The-Noisy-Reef© 2015 The University of Waikato | www.sciencelearn.org.nz

http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/The-Noisy-Reef




Learning activity


What observation was already made before the project started?

What assumption (inference) was made based on this observation?

What questions could we ask to investigate the inference?


Attracting fish to reefs



Learning Activity

Crab larvae find their way to a reef from the open sea

Crab larvae use the sounds from the reef to navigate to the reef

Do crab larvae actually use sound? Do they hear reef sound from where they are in the ocean?


What observation was already made before the project started?

What assumption (inference) was made based on this observation?

What questions could we ask to investigate the inference?


Helping students to become scientifically literate

Giving opportunities to students to think critically about investigations (including real science investigations) if they are to progressively develop a ‘feel’ for their complexity and their processes of logical argument.

Insights about logical processes of investigation and argument support students on their journey to becoming scientifically literate – that is, able to participate as critical, informed and responsible citizens in a society in which science plays a significant role. (This is the purpose of science in the NZC.)



In science, explanations need to be supported by evidence that is based on observation of the natural world.

Ask questions like:

•How do you know that?

•What makes you think so?

•How could you check that?

•So an example of this would be …?

•Can you think of an example where this wouldn’t work?





Using a hands-on activity where students explore water density

Adapt the student activity to highlight the supporting of ideas with evidence:

•Get students to put eggs into containers of tap water.

•Get students to respond to statements – using evidence to support their answer.

•Eggs sink in water. True or false?

•Eggs always sink in water. True or false?

•Produce salted water (previously prepared as per instructions in student activity).

•Students put eggs into salted water. Answer statements again – using evidence to support their answer




• We only need to produce one piece of evidence to disprove a theory, e.g., although eggs sink in tap water, they don’t sink in salt water, so the statement ‘Eggs always sink in water’ is false. Science knowledge is tentative – it can change if new (disconfirming) evidence is found.

• Develop a questioning, sceptical disposition towards all empirical evidence.

• Developing an appreciation of what counts as evidence in science supports students to become scientifically literate, i.e. to participate as critical, informed and responsible citizens in a society in which science plays a significant role. (This is the purpose of science in the NZC).



• How sure are you of your results?

• How did you get the data? What were the possible shortcomings of this method?

• How could you check your findings?

• How many times was the experiment repeated?

• How were the measurements taken and recorded? How confident are you that the measurements are accurate?

• Did these results surprise you? What were you expecting to find out?

• Would these results always be true?


Evaluating trustworthiness of data


Butterfly transects – a citizen science project



How reliable do you think data collected in this way is likely to be?

• People might incorrectly identify butterflies.

• They might not accurately record what they see.

• They might get distracted and not notice many butterflies.

• They might not always go out at the same time or walk the same route.

However, if a large number of people participate, there will be a lot of data, and this will make it more reliable.



What does the activity do to try and make sure it gets ‘good’ data?

It provides clear protocols to follow, for example:

•it tells walkers to imagine a particular sized box around them when they walk and to only count butterflies in that area

•transects are only carried out on clear days in certain months.



If you were going to participate in the butterfly transects, what

would you do to ensure the data you provide is as good as

it can be?

• Learn to identify common butterflies correctly.

• Get a good butterfly identification chart.

• Know what species you are likely to see.

• Record accurately and methodically.



Helping students become scientifically literate

• Students realise that quality research is dependent on carefully collected data.

• Students recognise that large data sets are likely to be more reliable than small sets

• Developing an appreciation of how evidence in science is generated supports students to become scientifically literate, i.e. to participate as critical, informed and responsible citizens in a society in which science plays a significant role. (This is the purpose of science in the NZC.)



Scientists represent their ideas in a variety of ways, including models, graphs, charts, diagrams and written texts.



Ask questions like these

• What does this representation tell us?

• What is left out?

• How does this representation get the message across?

• Why is it presented in this particular way?


Using electronic models to convey complex science ideas in easily

understood ways

http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Toxins/Sci-Media/Interactives/Bioaccumulation-in-the-sea


Ask students questions like these

• What biological ideas does the model illustrate?

• Explain how the model communicates:• what eats what• the presence and amount of the toxin • the differences in overall toxin accumulation.

• Use this knowledge of how the model works to explain which species would seem to be most at risk from bioaccumulation of this toxin?

• How does this model simplify the idea of bioaccumulation so it can be more easily understood?

• What sort of information would scientists need to gather before they could build a model such as this one?

• How would scientists represent this work to an audience of their peers?



• Students understand the role that modelling can play conveying science explanations.

• Students describe the specific communication strategies built into the interactive model.

• Students appreciate that, even though the model is very simple, it conveys complex science ideas.


This capability requires students to use the other capabilities to engage with

science in real-life contexts. It involves students taking an interest in science

issues, participating in discussions about science and, at times, taking action.


The Rena example


Ask why scientists might want to quickly find out about marine life in the area where the ship was grounded.

While they watch the video, ask the students to pay attention to the types of data that were collected.

Rapid response to the Rena


The Rena example

Ask why scientists might want to quickly find out about marine life in the area where the ship was grounded.

While they watch the video, ask the students to pay attention to the types of data that were collected.

Scientists wanted baseline data so they could get a sense of consequences of the oil spill to the ecosystem.

Photographs and video, samples of sea life, general descriptions and notes including records of key species present and their distribution.



To understand what the response team was doing and why helps students to become scientifically literate,

i.e. to participate as critical, informed and responsible citizens in a society in which science

plays a significant role. (This is the purpose of science in the NZC).


For more in-depth explanations of the science capabilities and examples of how to develop them,

see TKIhttp://scienceonline.tki.org.nz/Introducing-five-science-capabilities


Nature of Science – a key component of scientific literacy

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© 2015 The University of Waikato | The Science Learning Hub and the science capabilities Barbara Ryan 10