Putting Research into Practice:the EPSE Project

Jenny Lewis CSSME

[Phil Scott; John Leach; Andy Hind; Jaume Ametller; all the teachers who worked

with us]

Alternative/everyday Conceptions

Learning Demand‘Communicative

Approach’

EPSEEvidence based Practice in Science Education

Research informed design, implementation and evaluation of teaching sequences

Analyse the learning demandAspects of school science tobe addressed

A simple model of an electric circuitwhich involves:

current as a flow of charge current as the means of energy

transfer current as being conserved the supply of energy as originating

in the electrical cell energy being transferred in

resistive elements of the circuit.

Students’ typical everydayviews:

Prior to teaching: ‘batteries run out’; ‘batteries go

flat’

‘electricity makes things work’

current, electricity, volts, power arethe same kind of thing

‘electricity/electric current flows’.

During/after teaching: ‘current gets used up’

current, charge, electricity, voltageare confused

battery provides a fixed/steadycurrent

have little experience of scientificmodels

Specify the teaching goals

• For example• to introduce, and support the development of, the

ideas that:– an electric current consists of a flow of charge.– the electric current has the job of transferring energy

• to draw attention to, and to emphasise, the ideas that:

– the electric current does not get used up– it is the energy which is transferred in resistances to

make things work.

4

Different kinds of teacher-student talk

5

PresentationQ&AI-R-E

DiscussingProbing

SupportingI-R-P-R-P-R…

Review

Presentation

‘lecture’

Focus on science view(Authoritative)

Taking account of pupils’ understanding(Dialogic)

InteractiveNon-interactive

Patterns of talk: plant nutrition sequence

Lesson 1Uses ‘What if ..’ scenarios and brainstorming to explore and make explicit students’ ideas about food.Interactive dialogic

Lesson 2Presents a simple explanation of photosynthesis for students to challenge through discussion of ‘I don’t believe it’ statements.Interactive dialogic [non-interactive dialogic]

Lesson 3Uses 3 practical activities to make the key science ideas more plausible:• Demonstration: gas + liquid can produce a solid • Investigation: does gas have mass?• Atomic Jigsaw: glucose from CO2 and H2OMixing non/interactive; dialogic/authoritative

Lesson 4Presentation and consolidation of the science explanation; revisiting the ‘What if’s..’Interactive authoritative

Lesson 5Explains the use of minerals from the soil; compares and contrasts animal and plant nutrition.Interactive authoritative

Did the students learn anything?

Did they learn more?

How did we know?

8

Evaluation of the learning outcomes

• Pre, post and delayed post test written questions with case study and control groups

• Responses were coded for:– correct or incorrect prediction (about the behaviour of

a simple circuit)

– the extent to which a scientific model was drawn upon in the explanation (‘no use of’ , ‘some or inconsistent use of’, ‘use of most aspects of’ the scientific model)

9

‘Case study’ and ‘Comparison group’: student explanations in the post-test

Sam

case group comparison group

Me

an

% r

es

po

ns

e

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

most of model

some of model

none of model

no response

Role and response of teachers

Writing the sequence

• Brief

• Teacher friendly language

• Signposting (the icons)

12

Teacher-student talkThe purpose of thetalk

How and When ithappens

Presenting You are introducing orreviewing new ideas relatingto the analogy and to thescientific model.

This may be through apresentation by you or bywhole-class discussion ledby you.

Discussing /probing

You are finding out about thepupils’ ideas andunderstandings relating tothe analogy and to thescientific model.

This may be through askingopen questions, ‘what do youthink?’ in whole-class orsmall group situations.

Supporting You are supporting thepupils as they talk about theirdeveloping ideas, using keyquestions and offeringappropriate responses to theirquestions.

This is likely to be achievedas the pupils are working onpaired or small groupactivities.

Carbon dioxide

?

Analysis of teacher talkQuadrat

T AI AN DI DN

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T2: Plant nutrition lesson 1

T2: lesson on enzymes

Lesson 1 as plannedApproach

T AI AN DI DN

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‘What if…?’Activity:Pupils makepredictionsabout plants indifferentconditions andexplain theirideas.

Discussion ofpupils ideasabout food

‘What if…?’revisited:pupils areinvited tomodify theirideas.

Explanation of thinking files andwhiteboards

Focus is on targetconceptsFocus is onmanagementFocus is on non-target knowledgeor ideas

Lesson 1 as taughtApproach

T AI AN DI DN

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Discussion ofpupils ideasabout food

Explanation ofthinkingfiles andwhiteboards

‘What if…?’activity:Pupils makepredictionsabout plants indifferentconditions andexplain theirideas.

Activity:The differencebetween whatanimals needand whatplants need

T1: Plant nutrition lesson 1

Putting it into practice

• Attitudes

• Understanding of the rationale

• Teaching as intended?

• How it felt at the time

• On reflection

1. Plant nutrition: from common sense to scientific views

2. Key concepts in genetics

3. The biological basis of behaviour

4. Explaining how electric circuits work

5. Voltage, energy and power in electric circuits

6. Force and motion

7. Light

8. Explaining change processes using a simple particle model of matter

9. Modelling matter: the nature of bond