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Teaching Scientific EnquiryObjectives:

To provide the department with some useful strategies for delivering Scientific Enquiry/Ideas and Evidence.

To work out a plan of action as a result of this meeting.

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Scientific Enquiry includes:

1. Ideas and Evidence

• Understanding the meaning of science.

• Understanding that scientific ideas need to be supported by evidence and new evidence may lead to scientists changing their ideas.

• How religious views, political intervention, complexity of ideas or poor communication channels can affect scientific developments.

• The importance of argument and controversy to test ideas.

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2. Enquiry skills

• Surveys and correlations.

• Identifying and classifying.

• Predictions with Scientific reasoning.

• Devising and carrying out fair tests.

• Analysis of results and devising conclusions.

• Evaluating the tests taking into consideration reliability, accuracy, improvements.

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Why teach Ideas and Evidence / Enquiry skills?

• helps to motivate students because it brings out the human aspects of science.

• Students are motivated by carrying out practical work which provides the evidence to ‘re-discover’ ideas.

• Teaching these skills explicitly helps to arm pupils with skills which can be applied to a variety of situations and in adult life.

• Improves thinking skills so that pupils become better learners.

• Greater proportion of test marks are derived from I & E. National tests show there is room for improvement.

• Much higher priority in KS4 2006 science POS.

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How can we teach Ideas & Evidence?

• Tell stories about scientists to bring in the human element.

• Devise spider diagram with a key question in the centre linking to evidence statements.

eg. Smoking is bad for you because ….evidence.

• Use evidence cards to explore what constitutes ‘Evidence’.

• I & E past questions (see ‘Improving pupil responses to exam questions’ sheet)

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Evidence cardsExercise is good for you

Exercise speeds up your heart rate

Exercise makes you breathe faster

People who exercise regularly have a lower

resting heart rate

Exercise strengthens the heart muscle

Overweight people are more likely to have

heart attacks

My games teacher says it is

Exercise makes you feel better

People who exercise daily live longer, on

averageMost athletics are slim

Joggers can suffer heart attacks when

they are running

People who exercise have greater muscle

mass

Exercise reduces your chances of heart

disease

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Evidence cardsThe Earth rotates on its axis

The Moon moves across the sky

It’s cold at nightDaylight hours are

shorter in the winter

Hong Kong has dawn 8 hours before the UK

It’s warmer at the equator than at the

poles

It takes 365 ¼ days for the Earth to orbit

the Sun

The Sun rises in the East and sets in the

West

Water goes down the plughole clockwise in

the Northern hemisphere but anti-

clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere

A day is 24 hours long

Stars move across the night sky in a

circular path

Some birds fly south in winter

On a midsummer’s day there are 12

hours of day and 12 hours of night

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Evidence cardsMatter is made of particles

Atoms have been seen very powerful

scanning tunnelling microscopes

Smoke particles move around in a random way when you watch

them under a microscope

Balloons will pop if they get too hot

Gases can be squashed into smaller

volumes

Most materials expand when heated

Balloons inflate when you blow air into them

You can see air particles in bright

sunlight

I’ve seen a picture of particles in my science

book

Air resistance increases when you go

faster

Salt dissolves in waterAll matter can be

separated into smaller bits

Sand is matter and sand is made of

particles

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How can we teach Enquiry Skills?

• Enquiries should be about something that students don’t know the answer to. Following rigid instructions in order to arrive at a desired result doesn’t develop enquiry skills.

• Using the large‘Enquiry posters’ to scaffold investigations helps to develop enquiry skills.

• Relate learning objectives to the Scientific Enquiry YTO’s rather than to knowledge and understanding.eg. LO: to recognise the difference between the reliability of evidence/results and accuracy of equipment

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Use the Enquiry cycle

• Ice in a beaker• Bungee!!

Next visit• Ice and butter• Tea bag rocket• Lavoissier’s work on burning

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Scientific enquiry

What do you think?

Why do you think that?

How could you find out?

Do you still think that

now?

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Put the Ice in a beaker!

Watch and write a sentence about what you see on the outside of the beaker.

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Where has the water come from?

What do you think?Write a sentence.

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Write a sentence or two.Try to use the key ideas.

Why do think that?

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What do other people think?

In the class?

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What do other people think?

Further afield?

L E A R N I N GI think that the water from the air around the jar has condensed on the jar.

The melted water has diffused through the jar.

The water vapour from the air has condensed on the jar

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Which idea do you think is correct?

Write a sentence to explain why.

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How could you find out?

Briefly decide on a plan to test your idea using the equipment that you can see in the lab.

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Do you still think the same?

Say why your idea has been proved or disproved.

What could you do differently?

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•Bungee!!

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• To ensure that all aspects are covered, map the skills into schemes of work using ‘Moving Forward with teaching scientific enquiry and intervention’ CD ROM.

• Be aware of ‘Procedural demands Vs. Conceptual demands’

• Scaffold investigations and use writing frames where appropriate.

L E A R N I N G

• Lessons 13-18 from Booster Kit pack

• The Little Giant book of Science ExperimentsISBN 0-8069-9715-X

• Faber book of science ISBN 0-5711-7901-0

• Concept Cartoons in Science Education ISBN 0-9527-5602-7

• Horrible Science - suffering scientists ISBN 0-439-01211-2

• Science for Public Understanding textbook. ISBN 0-435-65466-7

• Science Investigations on CD ROM ( Focus Ed.)

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What next?

Any other questions?

Discuss plans and agree action points.

Arrange review meeting to discuss progress.