1. Why do teachers ask students to work together in groups?
Is group work useful in science/maths classrooms?
What makes a good discussion?
What problems have you encountered in group work?
What do you think are some good rules for working together?
Additional questions that you may find useful for stimulating the discussion:
Do you like working in a group? Why? Why not?
Is it easier to work in a group with your friends that with other people?
How do discussions go wrong?
What makes a person good to work in a group with?
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2. Think about the way you talk when you’re working in a group
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3. Are these useful rules for discussion?
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4. OUR GROUND RULES FOR TALK Discuss and decide on your group’s suggested ground rules for talk. Discuss and comment on these questions: Was the way your group talked a good example of people following these ground rules? What suggestions would you make to improve the quality of your group’s discussions?
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5. Ground rules for our class
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
To be inserted by the teacher based on Activity 2 and teacher’s further work on that and the principles of Exploratory Talk (see Teaching Notes). Maximum of 6 ground rules.
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6. Who does maths? Agricultural advisor: Civil engineer: Army officer:
Discuss and agree in your group:
- Which quote
comes from
whom?
- Do these people
use maths in their
jobs?
Explain the reasons for your answers!
Agricultural
advisor:
Civil engineer:
Army officer:
Operational
researcher:
Road manager:
Children’s nurse:
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7. Are nurses scientists? A D B E F C
“Nurses use scientific equipment, such as thermometers. That makes them scientists.”
“Nurses have to know about science, for example about disease and infections, but they do not do science.” A D
“Nursing is about caring for people. Science is about how things work, not about people.”
“Doctors are medical scientists, but nurses are only their helpers.” B E
“To help people get well, nurses have to solve problems by collecting evidence and testing ideas. That’s science.”
“Nurses cannot be scientists, as they work in hospital wards, and not in laboratories.” F C
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8. It’s not a quadrilateral
What’s this shape?
This shape has
all its sides the
same length and
all its angles
right angles
It’s a diamond, not a
square, because its
sides are slanting. A
It’s a rectangle
because all its angles
are right angles. B
It’s not a quadrilateral
because all its sides
are the same length. C
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9. Draw this quadrilateral?
Can you draw a quadrilateral that has all three of these properties?
It has exactly one
pair of sides that
are equal in length. X
It has exactly one
angle that is a
right angle. Y
It has exactly one
pair of sides that are
parallel to each other. Z
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10. Spot the metals
In science, we often classify things into groups. This table lists some properties of substances called metals, and substances called non-metals.
Properties of metals:
Properties of non-metals
Metals are usually solids with high melting temperatures.
Non-metals are usually gases at normal temperatures, or solids which can be melted quite easily.
A few metals are attracted to magnets
Non-metals are not attracted to magnets
All metals are good conductors of electricity.
Non-metals are usually good insulators of electricity.
The cards tell you about the following substances: Helium, Iron, Oxygen, Tellurium, Vanadium (and Carbon)
In your groups, see if you can agree which substances on the cards are metals. Make sure you all agree on the reasons for your group’s decisions.
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