Assessment 1 - Written planning for scientific inquiry skills

Weighting: 50%
Due: Week 6

Task Description

Inquiry is foundational for children’s learning in science and begins with young children as they play and interact with others within their everyday environment. From a very early age and as part of everyday experiences such as playing in the sandpit, pouring water into a cup or poking things with a stick, children engage in experiences that build scientific understandings. While children are naturally interested in phenomena in their world, adults support this inquiry as they pose questions and support children to make predictions (DEEWR, 2009).

As articulated in The Australian Curriculum (AC): Science (v8), science inquiry is “identifying and posing questions; planning, conducting and reflecting on investigations; processing, analysing and interpreting evidence; and communicating findings. The choice of the approach taken will depend on the context (science as a human endeavour) and subject of the investigation (science understanding)”. In AC v.9; “Science investigations are activities in which ideas, predictions or hypotheses are tested and conclusions are drawn in response to a question or problem. They can involve a range of activities including experimental testing, field work, locating and using information sources, conducting surveys, and using modelling and simulations. The choice of the approach taken will depend on the context and aims of the investigation.”

As articulated in the Early years Learning Framework (EYLF) outcome 4; children are confident and involved learners which is evident when children: are curious and enthusiastic participants in their learning; and use play to investigate, imagine and explore ideas.

In this assessment task, you will design one inquiry activity for children. It is expected that this activity will be at a standard suitable for use on placement.

For early childhood students:

You will do one for either babies, toddlers, or pre-kindergarten, or Grade F – 2.

Primary students:

You will do one for either Grade F-2, Grades 3-4 or Grades 5-6.

This task includes a number of steps:

1. Select a concept for investigation (you will draw on the Australian Curriculum and / or the EYLF as appropriate for advice on suitable scientific concepts).

2. Research this concept so that you build your personal understanding of this concept. This understanding will help to inform the design of your inquiry. You will be required to synthesise this research and submit it as part of the assignment task. This will be used as a preface for your documentation (background research). It is a component that another person could read to inform the teaching of that particular concept.

3. Drawing on your understanding of children, including their interests, design an inquiry for children that uses inquiry methods to help students engage with the selected scientific concept. It is anticipated that the inquiry will comprise a number of learning experiences (minimum of 3) and will address the process in the Australian Curriculum and / or EYLF. The first experience is often an engagement in the concept, the second one could be a scientific investigation (a fair test) or observations, and the third one may be an application and discussing their understanding of the new concept with others. It is important that student teachers make use of the stages of Inquiry as described by the Australian Curriculum;

a) Questioning and predicting: Consider how to introduce the inquiry – So, what will be the stimulus? How will you get children interested? Given the importance of generating questions to support children’s inquiry, as part of your planning, you need to generate questions that might support the inquiry process. Plan to use student questions to guide student explanations and hypothesis - i.e., theories. Students may use those theories to make predictions about the world.

b) Planning: Identify how you could plan for the children’s inquiry and how to conduct this inquiry. Will you provide stimulus such as objects? You will need to ensure that this aligns with how this is explained in the sequence of the Australian Curriculum and / or EYLF. Plan to test student predictions about the world, as based on their current explanations.

c) Processing and analysing data and information: Consider how the children will process and analyse any data. For example, will they record the data in a simple table? How will you collect their observations? What guiding questions might you ask? Prepare to have students make evidence-based conclusions on the results of their experiments.

d) Comparing: Consider how children might compare their data with others. Consider how to scaffold students in making their scientific research a point of comparison and consideration among themselves, much like real scientists must do.

e) Communicating: Consider how children will communicate their findings, to each other, yourself, their parents, and perhaps the wider community.

4. Explicitly consider strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement, for example physical disability or impairment, learning difficulties, learning styles, culture, gender, and gifted and talented students.

5. Provide a conclusion and reflection on how this inquiry activity will help children develop sound scientific inquiry skills.

There is a 1500 word limit maximum for this assignment, not including cover page, references, bibliography, footnotes, or appendixes

● Synthesis of selected concept drawn from evidence-based research and application of knowledge of the concept to the design of the inquiry.

● Evidence of knowledge of ways children learn in the design of the inquiry.

● Design of learning experiences explicitly linked to the Australian Curriculum and /or EYLF process of inquiry.

● Explicit engagement techniques employed for introducing the inquiry.

● Clear and coherent learning experiences presented, including application of the scientific content.

● Effective use of the essential practices of scientific inquiry used, including; Questioning and predicting, Planning and conducting, Processing and analysing data and information, Evaluating and Communicating results.

● Clear plans for encouraging, and employing, student lead questions as part of the inquiry teaching plan.

● Evidence of awareness of Science as a Human Endeavour, and pedagogical practices that support student development of this key strand.

● Identification of strategies to support inclusive student participation.

● As part of a critical appraisal, provide a conclusion and justification on how this approach to learning and teaching could make a positive impact on the learners

● Effective, scholarly and professional communication in accordance with accepted academic conventions APA 7th.

Children have alternate conceptions or misconceptions about the scientific world. As children think about what they do and see, they build understandings of how objects and events work. Also contributing to the development of understandings about the scientific world are the interactions that children have with others, including other children and adults. The building of these ideas can often result in misconceptions about how the world works, including about scientific concepts.

Part A: Through research, select a scientific concept taught in one of the Understanding strands of the Australian Curriculum. This cannot be the same concept chosen in Assessment Task 1 and must be from a different Science Understanding strand than selected in Assessment Task 1 if applicable. Unfortunately, science concepts are often misunderstood or poorly understood. You will receive support to identify common misconceptions. Misconceptions can often be found in the media or during conversations with children.

Identify a learner context you will be working within: Either Foundation to Year 2 or Year 3 to Year 6. Note: early childhood students MUST select F-2, primary students can choose either F-2 OR 3-6. Identify the Year level and the science concept from the appropriate curriculum.

Identify previous interactions that may have contributed to the possible misconception. This might include explanations to questions or sayings that we commonly use. For example, adults may tell children that the sun has gone to bed. Using the Australian Curriculum (and where appropriate, the Early Years Learning Framework), identify the prior knowledge of the two years prior that children have developed or should have developed. The table below explains this in more detail.

Chosen Curriculum Selection of previous years to investigate prior knowledge

Foundation EYLF

Year 1 You would examine the EYLF and Foundation

Year 2 Foundation and Year 1

Year 3 Years 1 and 2

Year 4 Years 2 and 3

Year 5 Years 3 and 4

Year 6 Years 4 and 5

Design a diagnostic tool to critically analyse the understanding that these learners have about your selected concept. Included in your tool will be questions that enable you to find out about children’s understanding. As part of developing the questions, you will need to consider the concept.

This concept needs to be researched and this research submitted as part of your assessment task. What does the concept mean? Where might the children use this concept? How will children show you what they understand about the concept?

The diagnostic tool simply means ‘how will you find out’ about children’s understanding of the particular concept. While you are asked to use questions as part of your investigation, it may involve observing children engage with a particular concept insitu. Therefore, as part of your planning consider what children might be doing to show you that they understand the concept. Additionally, it may involve the collection of drawing, classwork or even overhearing children’s discussions. Think carefully about the artefacts that might be used to obtain information about the knowledge children have about the concept.

Part B Challenging Misconception: Drawing on the Australian Curriculum, develop a learning sequence that works to correct the possible misconception that you have examined in Part A.

The pedagogy used in your learning sequence must be linked to current research on effective teaching and learning practice. Additionally, the way you approach your planning needs to align with what you know about the cognitive and language characteristics of the learners in the chosen age group. You need to articulate how the sequence of learning evidences knowledge of research on how children learn in order to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.

As part of the learning sequence, use ICTs to support children’s concept development. You need to include a range of teaching strategies that reflect the pedagogical approach to support concept development in science.

Part C: Communicating what you have identified about the misconceptions. This section of the assignment requires that you outline how you would report your findings to children/students and parents/carers.

There is a 1500 word limit maximum for this assignment, not including cover page, references, bibliography, footnotes, or appendixes.

• Explicit identification and thorough research of a scientific concept.
• Explicit identification and thorough research of learner context and curriculum level.
• Comprehensive diagnostic assessment tool developed to analyse the understandings that learners may have about the selected concept.
• Deep knowledge and understanding of the correct scientific concept.
• Explicit connections between the misconception and the current scientific concept, and how the misconception can be helpful in empowering students to create more developed understandings
• Development of a learning sequence based on contemporary research on effective learning and teaching practice including appropriate use of ICTs to support the development of the accepted scientific concept.
• Articulation of how the learning sequence demonstrates knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn.
• Discussion on the physical, social, and intellectual development and characteristics of students, and the implications for learning and teaching.
• Articulation about how learning outcomes might be communicated with stakeholders.
• Effective, scholarly and professional communication in accordance with accepted academic conventions APA 7th.