Mind the Gap Workshop on Professional Development (PD) Day2
Participants:
Germany: Christoph Hammer, Götz Bieber, Tina Seidel, Katrin Lipowski, Manfred Prenzel, Matthias Stadler, Silke Rönnebeck.
Denmark: Jens Dolin, Ole Goldbeck, Brian Krogh Christensen, Robert Evans, Jesper Bruun
United Kingdom: Kathryn Thomson, Sibel Erduran, Bryan Berry.
Spain: Mari-Pilar Jimenez- Aleixandre, José Francisco Serallé Marzoa
Norway: Anders Isnes, Marit Dahl, Doris Jorde, Majken Korsager
Hungary: Monika Reti, Luca Szalay
France: Sylvain Laubé, Jerôme Godin, Jaques Vince, Rita Khanfour, Layal Malkoun, Andrée Tiberghien, Dominique Rojat, Nicolas Rosset
Subtitle: Presentation of MTG Work package 4
Argumentation and Communication.
Presenter [Sibel Erduran & Mari-Pilar Jimenez- Aleixandre & Andrée Tiberghien]
Presentation included the main aims of MTG Work package 4 argumentation and communication.
"WP4 will be taking available teacher resources developed in England for supporting argumentation in classrooms and professional development, and embedding these in inquiry based science teaching.
Sequences of lessons will be tried across languages and contexts. An argumentation package for teachers will be developed and will include resources for teachers (eg lesson plans and pupil materials) as well as snapshots of video to show examples of how communication and argumentation ideas may be implanted in science teaching."
Overview of the Spanish contribution
Mari-Pilar Jimenez- Aleixandre
Deliverables
• Resources: printed; booklet
• Resources: webpage
• Dissemination: summer group
• Teachers' focus group
• Presentation in the ESERA conference
Proposing ideas, testing these ideas against evidence, etc is a part of the scientific endeavor.
One of the basic competencies suggested by the EU (2006)
Producing a booklet for teachers as well as web based teaching sequences.
"Science activities for working with argumentation and use of evidence"
Three languages: English, Spanish, Galician
PDF from RODA web site
Summer course in Spain, 2009
Teacher focus groups
ESERA
Case: Fernandez
Phase 1 - proposal of questions
Phase 2 - working in groups and writing a research proposal, including equipment and budget
What are the difficulties associated to implementation of argumentation and IBST in science classrooms?
How can good ideas be implemented in other contexts?
The UK project
Sibel Erduran
Deliverables
• DVD-based video exemplars of the process of team, group, individual reflections.
• Example lessons resources.
• Report overview of the project including model of CPD.
Survey on teachers reflections about the gaps definition in the MTG project
1 What are the gaps important from your point of view?
2 What are the most important gaps to be filled?
3 How should we work to overcome these gaps?
The main gap that was identified by teachers where: the gap between teaching and learning. The process working with teachers was based the modeling of argumentation practices.
Bridging gaps in argumentation
Examples of using Toulmins model to bridge the gap between teaching and learning by asking questions like "how do you know that?, what is your evidence? etc."
Important aspects are to do the evaluation of the exercises. The main aim of the evaluation is to understand and use argumentation to give their claims validity.
Important issues to be aware of:
• Use the correct language and context in which the teachers are embedded in.
• Concentrating on areas of the gap that teachers are interested in.
• Range of resources to suit different lesson objectives for argument.
Working with teachers to produce a DVD
What did teachers think were the gaps that are important for their teaching and recommendations for bridging the gaps. What recommendations did they have for us?
England and Wales - has a curriculum component call "How science works". This is the context where one finds argumentation in the curriculum. (DfES, 2006)
They prioritized the gap between teaching and learning as most important
Modeling argumentation practice for teachers was necessary if we want them to implement it in their own teaching.
1 Identify a problem to investigate
2 Gather and evaluate data
3 Select and justify evidence
4 Communicating knowledge - presentation to peers and wider audiences
Need to use correct language with teachers.
Need to identify the gaps teachers think are worthwhile exploring
Resources are being developed to
Questions
How can we use this knowledge about argumentation to get a sustainable tool that teachers can use so it is not just a happening?
Keep development of the teaching material in the UK and Spain. Find a way to implement the ideas of argumentation into the models of SINUS and also keep on development into the deliverables of S-TEAM.
How do the people outside MTG look on the use of argumentation as a part of science teaching?
The new UK curriculums are applying for these kinds of working methods and very clear about the "way science works". It new to most science teachers and they need time and instruction to be familiar with the methods.
It is not just about science but how to bring in the issues about "How scientists work"?
We need to bring in the discussion about how scientists work today and get material to that to implement that in schools. There is not one scientific method.
The French project and contribution
Andrée Tiberghien
The French group has been working on a project with a webpage named Pegase. The Pegase webpage contains teaching material for teachers within several topics. The lessons are supported by the curriculum, video clips to show examples of how the lessons can be carried out.
Pegase website is aimed at French (and French-speaker) physics and chemistry teachers and trainers at secondary schools. This website has been designed through a long term collaborative process between physics teachers and science education researchers. Teacher can find complete teaching sequences, with fruitful comments and videos from teaching situations. For further information, more general resources are available in the "Professional Development" section. These resources are explicitly linked with teaching activities. They can be used by teachers' trainers.
The page is divided into to sections ; Teaching and PD.
This section proposes teaching sequences in agreement with the officialcurriculum. Each teaching sequence is structured into several parts, which consist of several activities. These activities can be proposed as such to students Comments for teachers associated to each activity are provided : Aim, Running the task, Knowledge, Students' behaviour (including videos) and Providing answers.
This section proposes general resources explicitly linked with teaching activities. However, these resources are useful for any activity. They are dealing with:
• Learning hypothesis
• Advices to manage classrooms
• Typical students' difficulties.
Subtitle: Presentation of MTG Work package 3
Scientific literacy and IBST
Presenter [Jens Dolin, Robert Evans, Jesper Bruun]
Presentation of how the scientific literacy could be mapped with visible by using the pajek program. The map is based on phrasing the sentences and categorizing them. The links are connected to videos of examples. By clicking on a link you can relate it to a string and further on to the video.
Do the maps correlate and show the descriptions and definitions from the policy documents (curriculum)?http://www1.ind.ku.dk/mtg/wp3/scientificliteracy/maps/1
Teachers use one page coherent add explanations of terms.
Comments:
Should we use PISA at all? It could be too controversial due to the fact that it is loved or hated and that might influence the process in a negative way.
The videos are supported by a box on the side with commentary; context and strings. Example:
Commentary
Background
In this session, they have been assigned to work in groups to make a decision about whether invest money on Mars Exploration project based on information they have been offered. in this clip, they are working in groups with different roles to play, such as time keeper, resource manager and recorder, etc.
Link to IBST
According to the Mind the Gap definition of what enquiry based science teaching means, the claims are that
* It is an authentic task for the students (IBST criterium i)
* The students are self-regulated in their discussion of the questions (IBST criterium iii)
* The students are discussing and commenuicating with each others on scientific problems (IBST criterium iv)
Context
Information about the school
Nørre G is located in the North West parts of Copenhagen. It is an International Baccalaureate school.
Information about the class
This particular class is an IB class, which means that teaching is in English. Some of the students have English as their first language, but the class is ethnically diverse.
Strings
A scientifically literate person uses scientific knowledge to explain scientific phenomen
A scientifically literate person understands the characteristic features of science as a form of human knowledge
The student can use models which qualitatively describe simple relationships in nature.
The videos might not be long enough to show what has been going on throughout the whole lesson. A solution to that is to use videos fast forwarded in some parts of the video and slow down in important parts. It could be too ambitious to link all strings to videos.
The purpose of the videos is to create an ICT platform where teachers can upload their own examples of practice in lessons. Like a "youtube" platform with discussions and contributions from teachers. Like an interactive dynamic forum. The function is both to illustrate and to be used for discussion of good practice.
Taking a position from MtG on what we mean by scientific literacy. From this we present good practice to illuminate these ideas.
What does it mean to be a science teacher and also consider the fact that your curriculum aims at creating scientifically literate citizens?
The function of the maps is not entirely understood at this point in time.
Subtitle: ICT tools
Presenter [Jaques Vince, Andrée Tiberghien, Sylvain Laubé]
IBST potential of a web-based resource: criteria, resource IBST - quality evaluation. ICT presentation - evaluation sheet for IBST found in IT resources.http://www.inrp.fr/pegase-en/
A presentation of Pegase and how to use it. How can web-based resources be used as IBST? The group present a analytic tool used to analyze and evaluate the (resource) webpage or program used. The analyze should help to visualize what parts of IBST that can be address by the resource.
The point is to use this tool to analyze any kind of tools and locate the ISBT in different parts.
Subtitle: Dissemination of National PD
Norway
Use the webpage naturfag.no to build up a database containing high quality teaching materials for teachers. The future job is to structure and connect the material to the Norwegian curriculum. a very successful web site. We want to support the materials developed and increase the pedagogical comments on the developed materials.
Network possibilities to use already existing networks to develop the SINUS idea. Materials developed will be used to trigger the discussions.
The challenge is to reach out to schools and get things started
Denmark
Ideas from Pegase and IBST from the MTG network can be evaluated in Denmark. They will develop the use of video material. How they can use this in future perspective of PD. Denmark have been struggling with the video usage. Looking at how others have been integrating video into their pedagogical offerings to teachers has been useful. Broadened perspectives of IBST. Teacher education for the future - how to not just perpetuate old ideas.
Hungary
Found the material from SINUS and some of the modules. Translate them into Hungarian. Teachers Hungarian organization is weak and need to be strengthen. Also a more centralized system of PD. They also see the possibilities of using the concept maps to visualize the curriculum aims when creating new curriculums (grade 6-12). idea of creating a learning environment is important. TPD and role teacher training organizations in all countries. Science learning centers would be a great thing to start in Hungary. Liked the concept maps and are working on a new curriculum for grades 6-12 so this is helpful. Video is also helpful for demonstrating the ideas of IBST.
United Kingdom
Trying to centralize the system because today it is very decentralized. IBST is much more about attitudes that need to be changed. Create motivation for long-life learning among teachers (and students). Synthesize all experience in a common knowledge bank that can be distributed to teachers. Like a kid in a sweetshop because there are so many different offerings for TPD in the United Kingdom. Teachers must have an attitude towards wanting to learn and make changes. Taken examples of how to use ideas in TPD.
France
Help teachers to strengthen their work. Use online materials in their teaching. Use PD to develop IBST in service training. Need to develop in-service teacher training. On-line resources - help them find them. Try to reduce the gap between the real life and examples teachers tend to use in classrooms.
Spain
Starting with a small group of teachers and hopefully spreading results to other parts of Spain. Will use some of the resources discussed here with ideas from SINUS in some of these courses. Will need to translate. Need web based resources for teachers.
Germany
Every country has to take what they think is fruitful for their own country. It is important to share knowledge and communication of good examples. It is necessary to know what is going on in other countries. What are the important stakeholders and how do we get them with us in the development process. Integrate PD model in the regular system, we have to take care of the good things we have but also see possibilities to make some changes.
SINUS has been successful in their country and happy that others are interested. Good to see how SINUS is being discussed. Also good to learn about other good examples of TPD in other European countries. Also how important the stakeholders have been in the discussions.
Dissemination - everyone should be on board; ministries, science educators, etc. all those who have a driving energy to make change.
Collective learning processes of teachers - how to bring this into a system for other teachers to learn and share with each other?
SINUS now going over to the federal states - how to make sure that this model is integrated into the country systems.
Conclusion - great to have so many people here to share their views.
Thanks to all who organized the meeting.
We were welcomed to Hungary to the next seminar of Mind the Gap!