Partnering to Progress K-5 Science Alliance March 17, 2009 Blue Licks State Park Top of the Morning to Ya! Please help yourself to some refreshments and make sure you have signed in.

Group Norms Start and end on time Put cell phones on silent Be respectful of all comments Everyone participates Exercise the rule of “two feet” Come prepared for each meeting Keep side conversations to a minimum

February Review Floating & Sinking Review I and II Complete III Talk and Argument Ch. 5 Debrief Conceptual Change Ch. 3 Debrief States of Matter

Roadmap for Today Modeling & Representation Chapter 6 Debrief Conceptual Change Ch. 3 Debrief Talk & Argument States of Matter

Ready, Set, Science! Ch. 3 Debrief

Learning Targets I can categorize misconceptions by the type of conceptual change they require. I can use misconceptions types to inform instructional decisions.

Reciting interesting facts, especially about dinosaurs….and “knowing” a lot is helpful for playing Trivial Pursuit…it hardly constitutes knowing or understanding science. Powerful Learning pg. 156

Knowing vs. Understanding What’s the difference between knowing science and understanding science? What do our standards suggest we should strive for through our teaching? Complete the comparison frame for knowing and understanding. How would you explain conceptual change?

A and B are similar because they both ________________ A and B are different because A is __________, but B is ___________.

You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird... So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing -- that's what counts. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something. –Richard Feynman US educator & physicist ( )Richard Feynman

Curricular questions to ask yourself…. How do I organize instruction? How do I use misconceptions, prior knowledge and things that are problematic for students?

Begin with Misconceptions Activate, don’t ignore prior ideas. Realize that students have notions about how the world works that make sense to them, but does not agree with scientific explanations. Recognize that teaching for understanding requires conceptual knowledge that is organized in a schema, not unconnected knowledge. »Powerful Learning by Linda Darling-Hammond

Creating Conceptual Change Research has shown that a simple “confront-and-replace” model of science learning does not allow deep understanding of science content. (Strike & Posner, 1982) This only works about 5% of the time. (Chinn & Brewer, 2001) Real conceptual change requires that deeper reorganizations of knowledge occur.

Conceptual Change Using the section “Types of Conceptual Change” in Ready, Set, Science! (pp ),create a chart, diagram, or description to help you understand the difference between the 3 types of conceptual change.

Conceptual Change Working with a partner, categorize each misconception concerning properties of matter based on the type of conceptual change it may require. –What criteria did you use to decide which category a misconception might be placed? –How will this categorization help inform instructional decisions? –How will this improve student understanding? How did the teacher in the vignette use this knowledge to address misconceptions about the properties of gases and air pressure?

Take Home Message Instruction has to be adjusted when confronted with different levels of conceptual difficulty. Merely telling students the correct answer or having them read about it will seldom, if ever, help to develop deep conceptual understanding. Conceptual change requires time—some more than others.

How can we maximize opportunities to think, discuss and question?

Review chapter 4 in Active Learning Through Formative Assessment. Questions to consider while reviewing: –What is dialogic talk and what role should it play in the classroom? –What are some important ‘lessons learned’ about ensuring quality talk in the classroom? –What are some different/new techniques for improving and increasing the amount of quality talk in your classroom? –If dialogic talk is improved in the classroom, what might be some instructional implications?

Partners A and B Summary Select a partner. Identify yourself as Partner A or Partner B. At the signal, Partner A will talk to Partner B nonstop for one minute in a continuous flow of ideas about what they felt was important from this chapter. (If you get stuck, you may refer to the chapter.) Partner B must listen politely and say nothing. At the end of one minute, Partner A must finish his/her sentence and then stop talking. Now Partner A must remain silent, and Partner B will talk nonstop for one minute – but Partner B may NOT mention anything that Partner A has already talked about.

States of Matter

Learning Targets I can describe properties of each of the three states of matter. I can recognize that a gas is a form of matter, with both volume and mass.

Liquid Observe water in its liquid form. Brainstorm a list of all the properties of the water. How does this fit your operational definition of liquid that you developed last time? How is liquid water different from solid water and water vapor?

Floating Balloons Select the answer you feel matches your best thinking and write the letter in large print on an index card. Include your explanation on the back of the card. Form a group with everyone in the room who selected the same answer. Share explanations. Determine which explanation best synthesizes the group’s thinking to share with the whole group. Select the person with the most green on to be your spokesperson.

Station Info Station 1 – Pump it like Beckham! Station 2 – I’m feeling the pressure! Station 3 – Let there be gas! Station 4 – Solid or gas? Station 5 – Sublime crystals Station 6 – Having gas just makes me boil! Station 7 – Heavy breathing Station 8 – Plop, plop – oh what a relief! Station 9 – Rusty magic

Station Work With your partner(s), begin at any station. Once there, follow the directions for that station and complete the task in the time allotted. When time ends, rotate to the next station in numerical order Be prepared to discuss all the stations when complete.

March Madness Bracket You will be going through the 9 stations in groups of 2-3. Your partner(s) will be determined by the results of the ‘Bracket Draw’.

If, in some cataclysm, all scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generation of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words? I believe it is the atomic hypothesis (or atomic fact, or whatever you wish to call it) that all things are made of atoms — little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another. In that one sentence you will see an enormous amount of information about the world, if just a little imagination and thinking are applied. –Richard Feynman, Feynman Lectures on Physics, 1964

The important thing about the sun is that it shines. It is the center of the Solar System. It's hot. It sustains life. It gives us light. It gives us a tan. It gives us warmth. But the important thing about the sun is that it shines.

Reflection The important thing about a solid/liquid/gas is… ….. But the most important thing about a solid/liquid/gas is…

Making Thinking Visible: Modeling and Representation Chapter 6

Learning Targets I can identify key concepts about scientific models. I can explain the importance of developing student’s understanding of models in order to develop their understanding of the natural world.

Modeling and Representation Working with your table group, plan a 30 minute presentation for the non-P2P teachers in your school about the role of models and representations in developing student’s understanding of key scientific concepts. Include the following in your presentation: –Distinction between models and representations –Key concepts that students need to understand about models –Key ideas about symbolic representations (i.e., mathematics, data, scale models, diagrams, maps) Outline your presentation on chart paper to share with the whole group.

“Models are crucial to science teaching and learning, yet they can create unforeseen and overlooked challenges for students and teachers.” –John Eichinger, “Using Models Effectively,” Science and Children, April/May 2005

Roadmap for Today Modeling & Representation Chapter 6 Debrief Conceptual Change Ch. 3 Debrief Talk & Argument States of Matter

For Next Time Our next meeting will be April 14, Read Chapter 7 in Ready, Set, Science! and complete the reading guide.