Talking a way to understanding in the

physics classroom

Phil Scott

Centre for Studies in Science and Mathematics Education, University of Leeds, UK.

Fysikermøtet 200511 - 14 August 2005   Rica Brakanes Hotel, Ulvik i Hardanger.

A view of learning: Vygotsky

Social

plane

Personal

plane

Internalisation: with restructuring

Language and other means of communication

Language as a tool for thinking

Implications: Teaching and learning

teacher is responsible for introducing physics ideas through the ongoing ‘performance’ on the social plane.

pupils must make sense of the new physics ideas in terms of their existing ‘everyday’ ways of thinking.

the ‘physics talk’ provides the tools for ‘physics thinking’

Implications: Teaching and learning

there may be differences between everyday and school physics ways of talking and thinking

teacher needs to explore any differences pupils need to practice the talk of physics for

themselves

A research project

To develop a tool for analysing teacher-student interactions in physics classrooms focussing on...classroom talk.

To explore implications of this analysis for planning and implementing physics teaching

The analytical framework

Aspects of Analysis

i. Focus 1. Teaching Purposes 2. Content

ii. Approach 3. Communicative approach

iii. Action 4. Patterns of Discourse 5. Teacher Interventions

Communicative approach

Presentation

Q&A

ProbingElaboratingSupporting

Review

Presentation

‘lecture’

Focus on science view(Authoritative)

Taking account of pupils’ understanding(Dialogic)

InteractiveNon-interactive

Let’s just ignore the sparks (1)

Teacher: Do you remember the electric bell?Students: Yes! [in chorus]

Teacher: OK! Did any of you notice, did any of you actually hold onto the bell after it had...been working? What did you notice?

Suzanne: Vibration

Teacher: Well, the arm vibrated, yes. Sound. What else did you notice?

Tom: It was loud.

Teacher: That's not quite what I'm getting at.

Let’s just ignore the sparks (2)

Teacher: Remember the bell. There's the bell [holding up a bell in front of the class]. You did the experiment. If you held onto this bit here where the wires were [indicating], did you notice anything there?

Jason: There were sparks there.

Teacher: Heat, did you notice some heat?Jason: There were sparks from there.

Teacher: There were?Jason: Sparks.Teacher: There were some sparks, yes. Let's just ignore the

sparks a minute...some heat. There was a little bit of heat there with that one.

Let’s just ignore the sparks

Teaching purpose

- developing the scientific story Communicative approach

- Interactive/authoritative Pattern of discourse

- I-R-E

- (Initiation/Response/Evaluation)

Other people are desperate to say (1)

Teacher: Solids are hard?Students: No, no. Soft! [together]

Teacher: Well, if you say ‘no’, put your hand up and tell me, give me an example, which would prove an exception to that...

Suzanne: Powder’s a solid, but you can crush it.

Teacher: Powder’s?Suzanne: …a solid but you can still crush it.

Teacher: Powders aren’t particularly hard, yes, if you’re talking about hard to the touch. Paul? [who has his hand up]

Paul: It’s…cos…it’s [the powder] got a gas in between, so it’s hard.

Other people are desperate to say (2)

Teacher: So you think that all solids are hard?Paul: Yeah.

Teacher: Other people are desperate to say that all solids aren’t hard. Martin?

Martin: Er…fabric’s soft.Students: Yeah…yeah…[lots of muttering]

Teacher: Wait. Just a minute. If you’re saying things, can you say it to the front, so that we can all share these ideas.

Other people are desperate to say

Teaching purpose

- Exploring students’ views Communicative approach

- Interactive/dialogic Pattern of discourse

- I-R-P-R-P-

- Initiation-Response-Prompt-Response-Prompt-

Patterns of discourse

I-R-E

I-R-P-R-P-R-P- Review

Presentation

‘lecture’

Focus on science view(Authoritative)

Taking account of pupils’ understanding(Dialogic)

InteractiveNon-interactive

Linking teaching to purpose

Purpose: to explore pupils’ everyday views

Communicative App: Interactive/dialogic

Pattern discourse: open chains of interaction

Purpose: to introduce a science concept

Communicative App: Interact/authoritative

Pattern discourse: triads/I-R-E

Teaching: changing rhythms to the communicative approach

Exploring students’ views[Interactive/dialogic]

Maintaining scientific story [Non-interactive/ authoritative]

Working on students’ views[Interactive/authoritative]

Physics: frightful but fun…

Angell, Guttersrud, Henriksen, Isnes (2004)Science Education

What happens in physics classrooms?

Some of the largest gaps (between teacher and students’ views) concern teaching methods: pupils would prefer more ‘emphasis on qualitative presentation, discussion (in class or smaller groups) of qualitative aspects of new concepts, and demonstrations to illustrate concepts’.

‘Physics lessons are dominated by chalk and talk instruction.’

The demands of dialogic talk

The teacher: is aware of, and recognises, the pupil’s

thinking understands the physics point of view is able to operate in the ‘gap’ between

everyday and physics views, recognising the differences: recognising the ‘conceptual terrain’.

listens, prompts, reviews, encourages…

Planning teachingThe purpose of thetalk

How and When ithappens

Presenting You are introducing orreviewing new ideas relatingto the analogy and to thescientific model.

This may be through apresentation by you or bywhole-class discussion ledby you.

Discussing /probing

You are finding out about thepupils’ ideas andunderstandings relating tothe analogy and to thescientific model.

This may be through askingopen questions, ‘what do youthink?’ in whole-class orsmall group situations.

Supporting You are supporting thepupils as they talk about theirdeveloping ideas, using keyquestions and offeringappropriate responses to theirquestions.

This is likely to be achievedas the pupils are working onpaired or small groupactivities.

Carbon dioxide

?

Lesson: as taught...as plannedLesson 2 as taught

ApproachT AI AN DI DN

01234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950

Current as flow of charge

Recap of big circuit

Recap ofanalogy

Predictingandmeasuringcurrentactivity

conservationof current

Units of current

Conservationof current inthe bigcircuit

Lesson 2 as plannedApproach

T AI AN DI DN

0123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354

Recap ofsupermarketanalogy

Predicting andmeasuringcurrent –conservationof current

Measuringcurrent

Conservationof current inthe big circuit

Focus is on targetconceptsFocus is onmanagementFocus is on non-target knowledgeor ideas

The importance of talk: key points

Talking and thinking are intimately connected The language of talk provides tools for

thinking Learning physics involves learning to talk

(and to think) physics Talking in a dialogic manner…thinking in a

dialogic manner (basic Vygotskian psychology)

Quality of talking…quality of thinking

If you are interested…

‘Meaning making in Secondary Science Classrooms’

Eduardo Mortimer and Phil Scott

Open University Press

2003