Swingers: Variables in Scientific Investigation - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 7
About This Presentation
Title:

Swingers: Variables in Scientific Investigation

Description:

'Swingers': Variables in Scientific Investigation. Sweet Briar College. VAST Teacher Workshop ... Student-Centered investigations allow the student to come up ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:141
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 8
Provided by: comp98
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Swingers: Variables in Scientific Investigation


1
SwingersVariables in Scientific Investigation
  • Sweet Briar College
  • VAST Teacher Workshop
  • Fall 2005

2
What does it mean to vary?
  • 1. Make a list of things that vary from day to
    day think of things that kids can relate to.
  • 2. Make a list of synonyms for the word vary.
  • 3. What is the opposite of vary? Can you
    think of things in life that do not vary?

3
Cause and Effect
  • Cause and effect concepts are difficult for kids
    to understand.
  • The relationship between dependent and
    independent variables is a cause/effect
    relationship.
  • Give some examples from your own experiences
  • I manipulate the Independent variable I am
    changing it. It is the cause.
  • The dependent variable is the resulting
    change. It is the effect.

4
Relationships / Predictions
  • Identifying relationships allows you to make
    predictions about unknown thats powerful stuff!
  • Describing the relationship in words can be
    challenging. Graphical representations are often
    easier to understand -- true for most people,
    even experienced scientists!
  • By teaching students to manipulate variables in
    an orderly fashion and to determine the resulting
    consequences, you are also giving them the tools
    they need to understand other parts of the
    experiment - like hypothesis, method, standard,
    discussion, and conclusion.

5
Investigation Swingers
  • Opportunity for Inquiry
  • Can be Open, Guided, Structured
  • Student-Centered investigations allow the student
    to come up with the question, the procedure and
    analysis
  • In a more guided approach the teacher will
    demonstrate more, providing the question or
    perhaps the method
  • In a structured approach, students will
    investigate the teachers question using a
    pre-described method
  • This experiment comes from Variables part of
    the Full Option Science System curriculum
    developed at the Lawrence Hall of Science

6
For this workstation, well take a middle of the
road approach
  • Make your swinger (a pendulum) using a piece of
    string and a penny as demonstrated (student
    choice within framework of what was provided by
    teacher, few instructions push students to engage
    in process early on in the investigation)
  • Invent an experiment to answer this question
    How many swings will the swinger make?
  • Question is framed in a vague sense so that the
    students will be engaged in molding the question
    while they create their own method
  • While creating the method, students will have to
    identify the variables. What are they? How
    many are there?

    Which of these variables can be controlled?

7
Swingers (cont.)
  • Testing the Variables
  • Choose one variable to test
  • Phrase your question
  • What is the effect of _____ on ______?
  • Identify the Independent Variable
  • What will be the Dependent Variable?
  • How will you record your data?
  • When were done Can we use our results to make a
    prediction about something that we have not
    tested?
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com