Introducing the Final Report - D2.6

Athens

January 2008

Development of the Modules

The key terms for the modules, set out in the project proposal, were:

• Popularity (of the learning), judged by students.

• Relevance (of the learning area), judged by students.

• Scientific literacy, as set out by the underlying philosophy.

Popularity (meaning put forward in the PARSEL booklet)

Modules approach Popularity by stressing interest, (especially through the title and scenario),

• but also - through heavy student involvement plus a teacher stimulated, strong classroom climate,

• for the acquisition of scientific concepts.

Relevance (meaning put forward in the PARSEL booklet)

• Modules approach Relevance by using a context-based situation familiar to the students, for which students feel a meaningful need-to-know of the underlying science.

• This is enhanced by introducing the science ideas in a student-involved, enquiry learning approach and limited to a need-to-know limitation.

• Relevance is further enhanced by relating the acquired science to a meaningful socio-scientific decision making situation.

Underlying philosophy

Education through science, where such education

enhances scientific literacy by encompassing:• Cognitive learning (especially higher order);• Nature of science and the development of process

skills;• Personal development (involving attitudes,

aptitudes and communication abilities);• Social skills (involving cooperation/collaboration

skills and social values leading to socio-scientific decision making).

Underlying theory

• Activity Theory, in which the modules set out to meet a student need through stimulating motives (for meeting the need), based on action (for achieving the need) and supported by activities (to gain the cognition/skills related to the need).

• The learning is reinforced by reflection leading to further action.

The Module Design

• This is stipulated by the project partners as

• Frontpage (title, abstract, intended learning)• Material for Students (student activities)• Material for the teacher (guiding the teaching)• Assessment material (formative assessment)* Notes for the teacher (background notes, etc)

* optional

Three stage Model

• The modules set out to meet a 3 stage model geared to :

• Establishing relevance (stage 1)

• Acquiring science concepts and problem solving abilities (stage 2)

• Learning socio-scientific decision making skills while reinforcing the transference of the underlying science concepts to the everyday life situation.

Final PARSEL Report 2.6on Materials for Best Practice

The report gives details of :

1. Classification System by which to specify PARSEL modules.

2. Criteria form for checking modules relate to PARSEL ideas and format.

3. Review of the modules by partners.

4. Modules made available.

5. PARSEL model.

Classification System

1. Subject Area

2. Grade level

3. Anticipated teaching time

The classification system was used to group modules by considering the classification in the sequence 1 2 3

Biology Modules

Subject Grade level

lessons Title

1 Biology 7-9 4 Growing plants – Does the soil matter? 2 7-9 4 Can Lake Water Be Made Safe? 3 7-9 5 Preventing Holes in Teeth – are beliefs justified? 4 7-9 6 I love candy! And they keep telling me not to eat it! 5 9-10 4 Can court trust the polygraph? 6 9-10 6 Lara is pregnant

Chemistry Modules (up to grade 11)

7 Chemistry 5-6 2 Ways into the Microscopic World “What happens with the ice-blocks in my soft drink?”

8 5-6 2 Substances in Everyday Life “Where do the fizzy bubbles ‘in’ the fizzy tablets come from?”

9 7-9 3 A big problem for Magalhães (Magellan): Food preservation 10 7-9 4 Should we do more to save monuments from corrosion? 11 7-9 5 Should Zero Emission Cars be Made Compulsory – Is It

Feasible? 12 7-9 5-6 No smoke without a fire - (Un)Desirable Combustion 13 7-9 6 How Best to Maintain a Metal Bridge? 14 7-9 10 Junior Climatologists Required! “How can we avoid global

climate change? – Reflexions on Air Pollution, Tornados and Global Climate Change”

15 9-11 2 Milk - Keep refrigerated 16 9-11 3-4 Brushing up on chemistry 17 9-11 3-4 Bathing and bubbling with chemistry

Chemistry Modules(grades 10-12)

18 10-12 3 Salt – Might be good, might be bad, but certainly looks beautiful and adds to taste

19 10-12 4 Shampoo – is there truth behind the advertisement? 20 10-12 4 Which is the Best Fuel? 21 10-12 4 Are We Overusing Plastics? 22 10-12 4 Science in a Class of Its Own: Renewable Energy Sources “How

Can Expert Reports Lead Astray?” 23 10-12 4 Chemistry in a Class of its own: Building Blocks of Life “To

become fit and strong eat eggs all day long” – The Truth about Proteins in my Body

24 10-12 4 Waist Deep in Waste – Necessity or Irresponsibility? 25 10-12 5 Science in a Class of Its Own: Renewable Energy Sources “My

iPod works with energy from bull shit” 26 10-12 x Chemistry in a Class of its own: Building Blocks of Life “Do I

really want to become a chemist or a scientist?” 27 10-12 4 Do you need to know chemistry in order to be a good bones

surgeon? 28 10-12 4 Popcorn – a fat free snack 30 10-12 4 What is worse, cigarettes or narghile? 31 10-12 4 Which Soap is Best? 32 10-12 5 Should Vegetable Oil be used as a Fuel? 33 10-12 5-6 The gas we drink - Carbon dioxide in carbonated beverages

Mathematics Module

34 Mathematics 10-12 4-6 It wouldn’t do any harm to drive 60 km/h in a city instead of 50 km/h would it?

35 10-12 4-6 Can you plan an ideal Ad campaign for Rihanna’s new single? 36 10-12 4-6 Stop having sex – the world is overpopulated! 37 10-12 4-6 How much can you drink and be able to legally drive? 38 10-12 4-12 What is a fair insurance premium?

Physics Modules

39 Physics 7-9 1 The high-voltage bird 40 7-9 4 How Happy are You and Your Family with the Electricity Bill? 41 7-9 4 Boiling point as a matter of geography 42 7-9 4 Am I being Cheated in the Market Place? 43 10-12 2 How can I design a cellular phone that is safer to use? 44 10-12 4 Traffic Accident: who is to blame? 45 10-12 4 How should I heat my home ? 2 46 10-12 4-12 Would you have dropped the nuclear bomb?

Science Modules

48 Science 7-9 2 Champagne - how much can you afford? 49 7-9 2 Can I trust my Eyes? - How scientists observe 50 7-9 4 Which cleaning agent do we choose? 51 7-9 5-6 How can we avoid energy losses in our school? 52 7-12 3 Analysis of newspaper/ magazine news about socio-scientific

issues 53 7-12 3 Planning a Space Trip to Mars 54 9-12 3 How do scientists work? 55 9-12 4 Discussing and deciding about the impact of Genetic

Engineering in our community

Criteria FormThis was developed based on:

The Need which is required of Students (i) This need is expressed as the development of Responsible Citizenry.

Motives for Students to meet the Need. Motives are expressed as (i) Relevance and Popularity of Modules; (ii) Module Title/Layout; (iii) Enhancing Student Ownership.

Teacher Actions to Appropriately Guide Student Activities. Teacher Actions are expressed as:

(i) Ensuring Teacher ownership; (ii) Higher Order Cognitive Learning by Students; (iii) Student Acquisition of Nature of Science; (iv) Experimentation/modelling.

Reflection on Teacher Actions. Reflection is expressed as: (i) Student Assessment.

Reviews

• It was agreed that each module would be reviewed by a partner determined at the 3rd Meeting held in Lund, August 2007.

• The distributed list indicated the reviews against the criteria form as identified by the partner.

• It is proposed that the reviews are NOT put on the website and are not submitted to the European Commission. There was used to guide module development only.

Modules available

• The modules available are as given on the website.

• The intended total is 54, but this is not quite the case. Two partners have 7 modules and one partner has only 5.

• Other issues relate to subject distribution, agreeing range distribution and the number of lessons for which the module is intended.

PARSEL model (stages 1 and 2)

STAGE TEACHING - LEARNING APPROACH

EDUCATIONAL SKILLS BEING DEVELOPED

SCIENCE EDUCATION LEARNING

POPULARITY AND RELEVANCE

GROUNDED IN ACTIVITY THEORY

1.

Setting the

scene

Material presented

through a real life title

and scenario. The

scenario provides the

stimulus for the

subsequent learning

Recognition of the

link between the real

life situation and

science learning.

Introducing a

socio-scientific

learning area.

Stimulating

POPULARITY of

science teaching.

Showing NEEDS and

stimulating MOTIVATION

for learning.

2.

Inquiry-

based

Problem

Solving

Teacher guided,

Student-centred

material includes

Problem Solving,

Nature of Science

and/or Conceptual

Science Learning (and

consolidation of the

conceptual learning

through adequate

feedback -

assessment).

Development of :

1. Process Skills in a

specific setting.

2. Conceptual

acquisition.

3. Inter-personal,

Intra-personal and

Communication

skills in a specific

setting.

Detailing the

related science

conceptual learning

to be acquired

through inquiry

based,

experimentally

driven, problem

solving and

identified on a need

‘to-appreciate-the-

issue’ basis.

Enhancing

RELEVANCE related

to the student’s real life

and/or career.

Providing needed ACTION

through appropriate

ACTIVITIES.

PARSEL model (stage 3)

3.

(Socio- )

Scientific

Decision

Making

Teacher guided,

Student centred

material includes

reasoned (socio-)

scientific decision

making (and

consolidation of the

conceptual learning

through adequate

feedback –

assessment).

Development of :

1. Social/interpersona

l skills in a specific

setting.

2. Justified decision

making involving

conceptual science

and a variety of

relevant social

factors.

3. Intra-personal and

Communication

skills in a specific

setting.

Applying

conceptual science

to reasoned, (socio-

) scientific decision

making, related to

the issue.

Strengthening student

RELEVANCE and

enhancing

SCIENTIFIC

LITERACY.

Providing needed ACTION

through appropriate

ACTIVITIES and

REFLECTION.