Great Challenges and Great Opportunities in Science Education

1
Great Challenges and Great Opportunities in
Science Education

• Measuring and Developing
• 21st Century Competencies

2
Expectations for Learning are Changing

• The new context means new expectations. Most
  studies include
• Ability to communicate
• Adaptability to change
• Ability to work in teams
• Preparedness to solve problems
• Ability to analyse and conceptualise
• Ability to reflect on and improve performance
• Ability to manage oneself
• Ability to create, innovate and criticise
• Ability to engage in learning new things at all
  times
• Ability to cross specialist borders

3
The Need for More Powerful Teaching
4
What Do Expert Teachers Do?
5
Expectations for Learning are Changing

• The new context means new expectations. Most
  studies include
• Ability to communicate
• Adaptability to change
• Ability to work in teams
• Preparedness to solve problems
• Ability to analyse and conceptualise
• Ability to reflect on and improve performance
• Ability to manage oneself
• Ability to create, innovate and criticise
• Ability to engage in learning new things at all
  times
• Ability to cross specialist borders

6
NAEP, 8th and 12th Grade Science

• 1. What two gases make up most of the Earth's
  atmosphere? 
• A)  Hydrogen and oxygen
• B)  Hydrogen and nitrogen
• C)  Oxygen and carbon dioxide
• D)  Oxygen and nitrogen
• 2.   Is a hamburger an example of stored energy?
  Explain why or why not.__________________________
  __________ ____________________________________

7
Side Effects of High-Stakes Multiple-Choice
Testing on Teaching

• I have seen more students who can pass the
  test but cannot apply those skills to anything
  if its not in the test format. I have students
  who can do the test but cant look up words in a
  dictionary and understand the different
  meanings. As for higher quality teaching, Im
  not sure I would call it that. Because of the
  pressure for passing scores, more and more time
  is spent practicing the test and putting
  everything in the test format
• -- A Texas teacher

8
Ironic Effects of Poorly Designed High Stakes
Tests

• Greater emphasis on teaching to narrow tests may
  reduce the time in the curriculum devoted to more
  authentic, transferable learning.
• For example, studies have found that more
  attention to standardized test material and
  formats reduces time spent on projects, lab work,
  and written products.
• In addition, strong increases on high-stakes
  tests do not always translate into increases on
  other measures (e.g. Texas)

9
The Texas Miracle Achievement Gap Appears
Narrower
10
But the Stanford-9 Tests Show Little Gain and
Little Closing of the Gap (Mean Stanford Math
Scores by Race/Ethnicity)
11
In the U.S. under NCLB

• Every state has gained steeply on state tests,
  BUT
• Gains have slowed on the Natl Assessment of
  Educational Progress, and even dropped in 8th
  grade reading,
• U.S. scores and rankings dropped from 2003 to
  2006 in math and science on PISA a test
  measuring higher order thinking and performance
  skills.

12
U.S. Outcomes in International Perspective (8th
Grade PISA Results in OECD Nations, 2006)

• Science
• Finland
• Canada
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Australia
• Netherlands
• Korea
• Germany
• United Kingdom
• U.S. is 21 / 30 OECD nations
• 31 / 40 top nations

• Math
• Finland
• Korea
• Netherlands
• Switzerland
• Canada
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Belgium
• Australia
• U.S. is 25 / 30 OECD nations
• 35 / 40 top nations

13
Performance Assessments Can Help Measure 21st
Century Skills in Disciplinary and
Interdisciplinary Contexts

• Performance tasks that ask students to do or
  demonstrate something specific (e.g. design and
  conduct a science inquiry research a social
  science problem write a persuasive essay
  develop an engineering design)
• Student work samples that are scored
• based on common standards e.g. math
• solutions, genres of writing, art work
• Portfolios that collect evaluate work over time
• Exhibitions evaluated by outside jurors

14
Connecticut 9th / 10th Grade Science Assessment

• Acid Rain
• Student Materials
• Acid rain is a major environmental issue
  throughout Connecticut and much of the United
  States. Acid rain occurs when pollutants, such
  as sulfur dioxide from coal burning power plants
  and nitrogen oxides from car exhaust, combine
  with the moisture in the atmosphere to create
  sulfuric and nitric acids. Precipitation with a
  pH of 5.5 or lower is considered acid rain. Acid
  rain not only affects wildlife in rivers and
  lakes but also does tremendous damage to
  buildings and monuments made of stone. Millions
  of dollars are spent annually on cleaning and
  renovating these structures because of acid rain.
• Your Task
• Your town council is commissioning a new statue
  to be displayed downtown. You and your lab
  partner will conduct an experiment to investigate
  the effect of acid rain on various building
  materials in order to make a recommendation to
  the town council as to the best material to use
  for the statue. In your experiment, vinegar will
  simulate acid rain.
• You have been provided with the following
  materials and equipment. It may not be necessary
  to use all of the equipment that has been
  provided.
• Suggested materials
  Proposed building materials
• containers with lids limestone chips
• graduated cylinder marble chips
• vinegar (simulates acid rain) red sandstone
  chips
• pH paper/meter pea stone
• safety goggles
• access to a balance

15
Designing and Conducting Your Experiment

• 1. In your words, state the problem you are
  going to investigate. Write a hypothesis using
  an If then because statement that
  describes what you expect to find and why.
  Include a clear identification of the independent
  and dependent variables that will be studied.
• 2. Design an experiment to solve the problem.
  Your experimental design should match the
  statement of the problem and should be clearly
  described so that someone else could easily
  replicate your experiment. Include a control if
  appropriate and state which variables need to be
  held constant.
• 3. Review your design with your teacher before
  you begin your experiment.
• 4. Conduct your experiment. While conducting
  your experiment, take notes and organize your
  data into tables.

16
Communicating Your Findings

• Working on your own, summarize your investigation
  in a laboratory report that includes the
  following
• A statement of the problem you investigated. A
  hypothesis (If ... then because statement)
  that described what you expected to find and why.
  Include a clear identification of the
  independent and dependent variables.
• A description of the experiment you carried out.
  Your description should be clear and complete
  enough so that someone could easily replicate
  your experiment.
• Data from your experiment. Your data should be
  organized into tables, charts and/or graphs as
  appropriate.
• Your conclusions from the experiment. Your
  conclusions should be fully supported by your
  data and address your hypothesis.
• Discuss the reliability of your data and any
  factors that contribute to a lack of validity of
  your conclusions. Also, include ways that your
  experiment could be improved if you were to do it
  again.

17
Expectations for Learning are Changing

• The new context means new expectations. Most
  studies include
• Ability to communicate
• Adaptability to change
• Ability to work in teams
• Preparedness to solve problems
• Ability to analyse and conceptualise
• Ability to reflect on and improve performance
• Ability to manage oneself
• Ability to create, innovate and criticise
• Ability to engage in learning new things at all
  times
• Ability to cross specialist borders

18
Assessment in High-Achieving Systems

• Finland Local performance assessments with a
  national sample assessment in 2nd 9th grade. A
  college matriculation test is developed by
  teachers and professors and scored locally.
  Emphasis is on open-ended tasks that require
  reasoning, production, and reflection.
• Sweden Teachers design local performance
  assessments to evaluate syllabus goals each year.
  At 9th grade and above, they develop and score
  national exams in selected subjects with
  professors, and incorporate scores into their
  grades. Items are open-ended essays and problems,
  much like Finland, that emphasize reasoning and
  real-world problems.

19
Swedish Assessment Item, Year 5

• Carl bikes home from school at four oclock. It
  takes about a quarter of an hour. In the evening,
  hes going back to school because the class is
  having a party. The party starts at 6 oclock.
  Before the class party starts, Carl has to eat
  dinner. When he comes home, his grandmother
  calls, who is also his neighbor. She wants him to
  bring in her post before he bikes over to the
  class party. She also wants him to take her dog
  for a walk, then to come in and have a chat. What
  does Carl have time to do before the party
  begins?
• Write and describe below how you have
• reasoned.

20
Australia, Hong Kong

• Queensland Local performance assessments are
  developed and scored by teachers with approval by
  a regional panel and moderation of scores.
  Centrally-developed rich tasks can be used by
  schools.
• Victoria State tests at 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11-12th
  grades feature mostly essays and open-ended
  items, augmented by local classroom tasks that
  50 of score. All are developed and scored by
  teachers (with professors at upper grades).
• Hong Kongs new Territory-wide System Assessment
  (TSA) is developing an online bank of assessment
  tasks to enable schools to assess students and
  receive feedback on their performance on their
  own timeframes. The formal TSA assessments, which
  include both written and oral components, are
  given in grades 3, 6, and 9 and scored by
  teachers.

21
High School Biology Exam, Victoria, Australia

• 3. When scientists design drugs against
  infectious agents, the term designed drug is
  often used.
• A. Explain what is meant by this term.
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  ____________________________
• Scientists aim to develop a drug against a
  particular virus that infects humans. The virus
  has a protein coat and different parts of the
  coat play different roles in the infective cycle.
  Some sites assist in the attachment of the virus
  to a host cell others are important in the
  release from a host cell. The structure is
  represented in the following diagram
• The virus reproduces by attaching itself to the
• surface of a host cell and injecting its DNA into
  the host
• cell. The viral DNA then uses the components of
  host cell
• to reproduce its parts and hundreds of new
  viruses bud off
• from the host cell. Ultimately the host cell
  dies.

22
Analysis and Application of Knowledge

• B. Design a drug that will be effective against
  this virus. In your answer outline the important
  aspects you would need to consider. Outline how
  your drug would prevent continuation of the cycle
  of reproduction of the virus particle. Use
  diagrams in your answer. Space for diagrams is
  provided on the next page. _______________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  _______________________

23
Design and Scientific Inquiry

• Before a drug is used on humans, it is usually
  tested on animals. In this case, the virus under
  investigation also infects mice.
• C. Design an experiment, using mice, to test the
  effectiveness of the drug you have designed.
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
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  __________________________________________________
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  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________

24
School-Based Coursework Assessment Victoria,
Australia

• In Unit 3 Biology, students are assessed on 6
  pieces of work related the 3 outcomes specified
  in the syllabus.
• Outcome 1 3 practical tasks, one on plant
  animal cells, another on enzymes, and a third on
  membranes.
• Outcome 2 2 practical activities related to
  maintaining a stable internal environment, one
  for animals, one for plants
• Outcome 3 A research report / presentation on
  characteristics of pathogenic organisms and
  mechanisms by which organisms can defend against
  disease.

25
A Rich TaskScience and Ethics Confer

• Students must identify, explore and make
  judgments on a biotechnological process to which
  there are ethical dimensions. Students identify
  scientific techniques used as well as significant
  recent contributions to the field. They will also
  research frameworks of ethical principles for
  coming to terms with an identified ethical issue
  or question. Using this information they prepare
  pre-conference materials for an international
  conference that will feature selected speakers
  who are leading lights in their respective
  fields.
• In order to do this students must choose and
  explore an area of biotechnology where there are
  ethical issues under consideration and undertake
  laboratory activities that help them understand
  some of the laboratory practices. This enables
  them to
• a) Provide a written explanation of the
  fundamental technological differences in some of
  the techniques used, or of potential use, in this
  area (included in the pre-conference package for
  delegates who are not necessarily experts in this
  area).
• b) Consider the range of ethical issues raised in
  regard to this areas purposes and actions, and
  scientific techniques and principles and present
  a deep analysis of an ethical issue about which
  there is a debate in terms of an ethical
  framework.
• c) Select six real-life people who have made
  relevant contributions to this area and write a
  150-200 word précis about each one indicating
  his/her contribution, as well as a letter of
  invitation to one of them.

26
Applications of knowledge and skills assessed in
Science and Ethics Confer

• This assessment measures
• research and analytic skills
• laboratory practices
• understanding biological and chemical structures
  and systems, nomenclature and notations
• organizing, arranging, sifting through, and
  making sense of ideas
• communicating using formal correspondence
• précis writing with a purpose
• understanding ethical issues and principles
• time management

27
Potential Sources of Student, Teacher, and System
Learning from Assessment Systems

• Curriculum-embedded tasks requiring reasoning and
  performance may ensure that higher-order skills
  are taught and practiced
• Centrally-developed tasks that are rich,
  generative, and evaluate application of knowledge
  may help equalize learning opportunities for
  students
• Teacher engagement in developing and scoring
  tasks with guidance and moderation support
  teacher learning
• Connection of tasks to standards, curriculum
  frameworks, or syllabi can support curriculum
  clarity
• System learning can occur through examination of
  practice by accreditors, sharing of practice
  across sites (electronically as well as
  face-to-face), and aggregation of results and
  student work exemplars