Biology Education Student Teacher Seminar #1 Jan 16, 2009

• Eat and greet; share some experiences• School Report Card Data• Your Methods

– Lesson planning: objectives, assessments, activities– Learning about your learning– Ch 9 Designs for Learning

• Aligning Objectives and Assessments• General Timeline; Syllabus part VII, Permission Forms

Chapter 9 Designs for Learning

Pedagogical Content Knowledge(PCK)

• PCK is a teacher’s knowledge of how to help students understand specific subject matter.

• Key questions include:– What shall I do with my students to

help them understand this science concept?

– What materials are available to help me?

– What are my students likely to already know and what will be difficult for them to learn?

– How shall I best evaluate what my students have learned?

How would this help you teach about water on Mars?

Mini-Unit Design Process

Design Step 1: Brainstorming

• This should be a fast, free-flowing listing of terms, words, and phrases for the topic of your mini-unit. Work with a few peers to generate ideas.

• You might want to look at the Standards and/or Benchmarks to spark your brainstorming.

Design Step 2: Name Your Mini-unit

• This is way to give your unit focus-naming it helps.

• Some ideas from your peers include:– What’s Up with the Weather?– The Well Cell– Sensational Sediments– We are Family: Study of Periodicity– What if you had a volcano in your backyard?

Design Step 3: Identify Focus Questions

• Focus questions should help you define the heart of your unit or course. Two or three well designed questions will help your students draw upon prior knowledge and keep sight of the “big idea”.

• Focus questions should center around the “enduring understandings” that promote science literacy.

Design Step 4: Identify Intended Learning Outcomes

• Use your initial list of ideas to create a list of intended learning outcomes. Outcomes are statements of what you want students to know or be able to do.

• They are skills, concepts, and values you intend the students will learn.

• Write these as precise statement starting with a verb, that indicates what learners should be able to do to demonstrate their knowledge.

Design Step 5: Categorize Outcomes

• In this step, you will sort your outcomes into skill and nonskill categories.

• Here is an example of intended outcomes from an environmental unit categorized into nonskill and skill groups.

Environmental Problems in Our Community

Non-skill Outcomes Skill Outcomes respects the environment energy webs and food chains pollution knows how acids affect river water understands biodegradable

ability to analyze a sample of water can measure the pH of liquids can write equations for chemical processes

Design Step 6: Develop a Concept Map of the Unit

• Use the ideas developed by Novak and Gowin to develop a map of your mini-unit. You will probably revise this as you further develop the unit.

• The map is a tool for your planning and your student’s learning.

Share it with them. contain contain

linking words

combine

combine

generate own food via

contain

Foodchains

Consumers Decomposers

HerbivoresCarnivoresOmnivores

Organic Debris

Inorganic substances

Producers

Photosynthesis

Design Step 7: Write a Rationale

• At this stage you’ve worked with your unit enough so that you can write a rationale. How might this learning:– affect the students’ future?– contributes to societal issues?– reflects the spirit and

character of the scientific enterprise?

• See the samples in the text. Here is part of one rationale.

• The abilities, interests, needs, and talents of your students must also inform the rationale and emerging plans.

Science education in this modern world of highinformation availability must be an inquiry basedexercise. Science, itself, must be defined as a verb, anaction, and a method of looking at the world. Andwhen the world, with all of its uniqueness andexceptions to the “rules” is readily available throughthe Internet, simple memorization of facts canbecome useless. Student must use their brainpowerfor finding the threads that connect and related allthings. In this study of volcanoes, the Mt. St. Helen’sexample is used to show the power and themagnitude of a volcano; the devastation of all formsof life that occur following a blast. The lesson intentis to explore how a volcano affects more than justgeology of the area. The example is used to showhow life in a devastated area reforms and rejuvenates.

Design Step 8: Categorize Outcomes-Cognitions, Affects and Skills

• This step you will actually delay until after you have listed potential activities (step 9), and written lesson plans (step 10). You can then pull your outcomes from your lesson plans, and categorize them into four groups:

– Cognitions– Affects– Cognitive skills– Psychomotor skills

• You should, however, review the nature of these categories of outcomes before you go to the next two steps.

• Use the map on the next slide, and text material to write out one outcome for each category related to your mini-unit.

Summary of Learning Outcomes

Cognitions Concepts andpropositions

Affects Attitudes andfeelings

Cognitive Skills Cognitive abilitiesPsychomotor Skills Motor and laboratory

abilities

Design Step 9: Develop an Assessment Plan

• Assessment in your mini-unit should include:

– Daily Formative Assessments of various types (observing, listening, informal quiz, written quiz, lab work, project, etc.)

– One end of unit Summative Assessment (performance task, project, or traditional test)

• Start with your initial ideas about assessment, then look ahead to Chapter 10 for more assessments ideas.

Student Feedback Form 1.During the mini-unit how satisfied were

you as a learner? ______very satisfied ______satisfied ______unsatisfied ______very unsatisfied

2.What could your teacher have done to

increase your satisfaction?

3.What were your favorite activities? Why?

4.What were your least favorite

activities? Why

Table 7.9. Student Feedback Form

Design Step 10: List Potential Activities

• Now that you have a framework for your mini-unit, you can do some exploring of science activities (use online and print resources), and then brainstorm with peers a list of potential activities. For web resources, check the section On the Web in The Art of Teaching Science text, or at the Art of Teaching Science online site.

Implementation & Revision

• Teach your mini-unit to a group of middle or high school students.

• If you can’t do this, present one lesson to a group of peers.

• In either case, video tape one lesson.

• Reflect on your mini-unit by using the feedback you obtained from students, and peers. A complete list of reflection questions is located in the text. One example is:– To what extent did students

attain the learning outcomes (objectives) of the unit?

• What revisions would you make in the unit?

Chapter 10 Assessing Active Science Learning

• Assessment is presented from three contexts: the classroom context, assessment at the national level and assessment at the international level. If you are looking for specific assessment strategies, then you’ll want to focus on the first part of the chapter. If you are interested in national and international assessments then the sections on these reports will be of interest. You will want to come back to this chapter from time-to-time to find examples of assessment strategies that you can integrate into your teaching plans.

Assessment at Classroom

Level

A Model Multiple Methods

Inquiry 8.1Designing

an Assessment Plan

Inquiry 8.2: Designing

Performance Tasks

Model of Assessment

• Where are you trying to go? -identify and communicate the learning and performance goals.

• Where are you now?-assess, or help the student to self-assess current levels of understanding.

• How can you get there?-help the student with strategies and skills to reach the goal.

Inquiry Activity 10.1: Developing an Assessment Plan

• Develop a plan for a mini-unit of teaching

• Include:– A diagnostic assessment

– 2-3 formative assessments

– A summative assessment

• What are the strengths of your plan?

Using materials in the lab (newspapers, toothpaste, modelingClay, sand, water, flour, glue) make a model of the pattern ofYou see in the rocks shown in the photograph. Write a briefStory explaining how you think the pattern in the rocks wasCreated.

Methods of Assessment

• Diagnostic• Formative• Summative

Formative Assessment: What effect would global

warming have on the range of Artic ice shown here?

Diagnostic Assessment

• Assessing students’ prior knowledge– T-charts

– Pictorials

– Drawings

– Concept Mapping

– ProbesHow could you use this graph as a diagnostic assessment method with a group of ninth-graders?

Examples: Diagnostic Methods

• Pre-assessment--used to find out student’s prior knowledge. Three methods are presented, including:

– The T-Chart– Pictorials & Drawings– Concept Maps

• How would these pre-assessment strategies help you in planning lessons and designing units of study?

What we have heard about ozone?

What questions we do we have about ozone?

It makes us burn up. It’s smog and it’s harmful to us. Makes the earth heat up. Air pollution can cause ozone It’s caused by chemicals in the air. It can be dangerous to people with breathing problems. There is good and bad ozone.

What causes ozone? How can we tell if there is ozone in the air? Is it different in the center of a city compared to the suburbs? What effect does it have on humans? Do cars cause it? What will happen if the ozone in the air is all gone?

The T-Chart: A Pre-Assessment Strategy. Here students in a small group work together to make a T-chart by answering the two questions at the the top of each column.

Formative Assessment

• Asking questions• Conferencing• Monitoring/observing• Alternative paper and pencil• Web-Based Formative

Assessments• Student Writing• Open-Ended Questions• Content-Specific Tasks• Science Journals

Formative assessment: Is it true that the green color in leaves masks other pigments? If so, why are some trees in this picture green, and others showing reds, browns, and yellows?

Examples: Formative Assessment

• Formative methods can involve direct interaction of the teacher with students, during class or nonclass time. Which of these methods would use, and why?– Observing Students

– Asking Questions

– Student Questions

– Conferencing

Interpersonal skill

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4

Active Listening

Staying on Task

Asking Questions

Contributing Ideas

Interpersonal Skill Observation Form

Summative Methods of Assessment

• Several formal methods are presented, including:– Traditional Paper-and-Pencil

Tests

– Traditional Short Answer

– Student Writing

– Open-Ended Questions

– Content-Specific Tasks

– Science Journals

– Written Reports or Multimedia Presentations

1. Some changes in the earth's surface areabrupt (such as earthquakes and volcaniceruptions) while other changes happenvery slowly (such as uplift and wearingdown of mountains).

2. The earth's surface is shaped in part bythe motion of water and wind over verylong times, which act to level mountainranges

These are two Earth Science outcomes from theBenchmarks for Scientific Literacy for middle andhigh school students. Create a formal assessment foreach outcome selecting a different formal method foreach from the list to the left. Consult the Art ofTeaching Science for details on each method, pp.307-308

Inquiry 10.2: Designing Performance Assessment Tasks and Rubrics

• In this inquiry you are going to design a performance task that would assess student understanding of a big idea or concept. Select big ideas/concepts from the Standards and the Benchmarks. Using these statements, you will be asked to create a performance task that will assess learners on the idea.

• An example of a performance task is shown here.

Performance Task:The Paper Tower Project

In this assessment, the teacher is interestedin finding out how well teams can worktogether to solve a problem and explainwhat they have built and the rationale fortheir design. Each team is given a sheet ofpaper measuring 8.5 x 11 inches, scissors,and 50 cm of masking tape. The studentsare told that the task is to build the tallestfreestanding tower using one sheet of paper.They will be given 30 minutes to completethe task. The masking tape can only be usedto connect pieces of paper; it cannot be usedto fasten the tower to a desk or otherstructure. When the towers are built, eachteam must present its tower to the class andexplain the rationale for the structure design.The other groups of students are given arubric (see Table 8.4 in the Art of TeachingScience), which they will use to assess thepresenting team. The teacher also completesa rubric.

Paper Tower Assessment Project

Science teacher-education students collaborating onThe paper tower project.

Rubric for paper tower CATEGORY

4

3

2

1

Plan Plan is neat with clear measurements and labeling for all components.

Plan is neat with clear measurements and labeling for most components.

Plan provides clear measurements and labeling for most components.

Plan does not show measurements clearly or is otherwise inadequately labeled.

Function Structure functions extraordinarily well, holding up under atypical stresses.

Structure functions well, holding up under typical stresses.

Structure functions pretty well, but deteriorates under typical stresses.

Fatal flaws in function with complete failure under typical stresses.

Construction -Materials

Appropriate materials were selected and creatively modified in ways that made them even better.

Appropriate materials were selected and there was an attempt at creative modification to make them even better.

Appropriate materials were selected.

Inappropriate materials were selected and contributed to a product that performed poorly.

Construction - Care Taken

Great care taken in construction process so that the structure is neat, attractive and follows plans accurately.

Construction was careful and accurate for the most part, but 1-2 details could have been refined for a more attractive product.

Construction accurately followed the plans, but 3-4 details could have been refined for a more attractive product.

Construction appears careless or haphazard. Many details need refinement for a strong or attractive product.

Rubric Design

• Rubistar

• Use Rubistar to design rubrics for:– Building a structure

– A lab report

– Science fair project

– Scientific drawings

– Group projects

– Essay writing

– Research report

Portfolios

• Study the sample portfolio provided in the Science Teacher Gazette of this chapter, and use it as a model to develop a portfolio based on your mini-unit, or a chapter from a middle or high school science textbook.

Zoology Portfolio Overview

For the zoology unit you will be required to develop a portfolio. This portfolio is a collection of your work that shows what you have learned during this unit on animal biology. The portfolio allows you to demonstrate your maturity as an independent learner who is willing and able to pursue some personal learning interests. It will also provide a format in which you will organize some lab and activity work, which we do during class time. Your portfolio should be organized in either a small three-ring binder, or a three-clasp folder with divided sections.

This is the introductory material excerpted from a complete Zoology portfolio (See Table 8.6 in the Art of Teaching Science. The portfolio is the major organizing tool used by the teacher not only to assess the students, but to describe the syllabus of a unit on zoology in a biology course. The portfolio is a creative approach to assessment, and puts greater responsibility on the part of the students to organize their work, be involved in small group and individual work, and make decisions about the activities they choose.

Assessment at the National Level

• The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a federally mandated organization that administers assessments to measure educational progress in science, and other content areas.

• Review the material on NAEP in the Art of Teaching Science (pp. 311-320).

• How can the NAEP contribute to the improvement of education in U.S. school districts?

Long-Term Trends in Science

• Find out how the following have changed over time based on NAEP results (science):

• Achievement• Age• Race/Ethnicity• Gender• Parental Education Level and

achievement• Type of School• Science Curriculum• Attitudes

Trends in Average Scale Scores for the Nation in Science

International Assessments

• The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) has conducted comparative studies since the 1960s. Known as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), students in more than 40 nations at the fourth, eighth and final year of high school have been tested.

• PISA--Program for International Student Assessment

• ROSE--Relevance of Science Education