Trust Projects
Dundee University - Rich Tasks for Teaching and Learning Science (Innovative Project)
Trust Projects - University of Dundee
‘A Curriculum for Excellence’ (ACfE) (Scottish Executive, 2007), is soon to be ‘rolled out’ in Scotland. It has identified four capacities: pupils to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. It is hoped that the environment in which pupils learn, their choice of learning and teaching approaches, and how their learning is organised will help them develop these four capacities. For many teachers ACfE is going to bring with it various challenges. This project is timely in that it will provide teacher professional development to help teachers meet some of these challenges in a creative and innovative way through the use of rich tasks.
Overview
The project model of teacher professional development is based on the ‘6 Rs’ - Resource, relevance, reflection, recognition, readiness and risk.
- Resource: pedagogic change is more likely if teachers can access (a) time to consider their practice, (b) other peoples’ experience and expertise in a timely manner, and (c) relevant equipment.
- Relevance: engaging teachers in a task that is directly relevant to their classroom promotes ownership of personal professional development very quickly, and this in turn informs the reality of their practice.
- Reflection: providing teachers with an opportunity to voice their thinking encourages consideration and review.
- Recognition: peer, parent and pupil recognition of change in teacher/classroom practice increased teacher confidence.
- Readiness: part of a spectrum of preparedness for professional evolution, readiness includes actively seeking change, as well as being prepared to implement initiatives. Readiness also requires an environment that is supportive of the innovation or implementation strategy.
- Risk: promoting the use of emerging technology encourages teachers to ensure The Rich Tasks are more than merely something by which students are assessed.
Aims
The aims of the project are to:
1. provide teacher professional development that will enable teachers to:
- encourage their pupils to develop an appetite for learning science through ‘rich tasks’ while promoting the development of the four capacities
- enhance the nature of pupil achievement
- improve standards of personal achievement
- promote learning science and scientific literacy.
2. encourage pupils (in the final two years or primary school) to:
- develop an appetite for learning science
- develop the four capacities by enhancing the nature of personal achievement in science and ICT through engagement with ‘rich tasks’
- become more informed, confident and articulate about science.
Programme
Project Outline
The project team have active and ongoing links with local authorities and their cluster schools. They will use these to invite two teachers from 6 schools to participate. The teachers will meet once a month. At the first meeting the project aims will be outlined, and the nature of the monthly twenty minute science ‘podcast’ will be co-designed and determined. At present we envisage each podcast focus to be on a particular science theme or issue. The podcast will be pupil driven, with teacher, scientist, and community support. The podcast could contain pupils research on commonly held alternative conceptions about the science theme or issue that the pupils (in the final two years of primary school) are learning about. It might contain pupil conducted interviews with different segments of the community on the topic/theme. It might contain some reporting of pupils’ work or explanations that address some of the alternative concepts/views. It will outline an issue for discussion online following the podcast. This discussion will be hosted online by the pupils/teacher at specified and agreed upon times. For child welfare reasons the discussion will only be open to the school-home community through a secured site. Eventually the podcast will be submitted to GLOW (the newly renamed Scottish Digital Network) which also maintains a secure site.
Though the podcast may appear to take centre stage, it is simply a vehicle, that provides a context for a rich task, to help teachers and pupils develop an appetite for learning science while developing the four capacities. By familiarising the pupils with the range of alternative conceptions and the scientists’ views, and then providing them with an opportunity to gather and share evidence, the project hopes to encourage pupils to become more confident science orators as pupils consider the role of evidence and develop skills to support argument in science.
Outcomes
The project will provide evidence of the following expected outcomes:
- Enhanced and varied pupil and teacher achievement in science by improving pedagogical knowledge through teacher professional development
- Sustainable mechanism for teachers to actively engage with the ACfE remit
- Improved pupils’ experience and enjoyment of science.
- Improved teacher confidence in their knowledge of science and communicating science within/outwith school, and their knowledge of ICT.
- Wider school community engagement with science. Engaging parents/families, scientists/HEI representatives and schools through sustainable use of ICT to communicate and share ideas.
Update
One of the innovative features of this project was the use of podcasts produced by the children to communicate the outcomes of their science work. Following on from this, the Trust is planning to develop a Continuing Professional Development Unit for this website to illustrate how podcasts can be made and used in primary schools.