Dr Christopher Thompson - Faculty of Science, Monash University - Innovative approach to improve...
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Science The IDEA Experiments: An Interdisciplinary Template for Inquiry- Oriented Learning Activities in Science. Chris Thompson & Gerry Rayner Faculty of Science, Monash University
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Dr Christopher Thompson delivered the presentation at the 2014 STEM Conference. The STEM Education Conference in 2014 looked not only at some of the key advantages and critical gaps in STEM education but also explore the policy and strategy settings that can enable participation and quality learning of STEM. For more information about the event, please visit: http://bit.ly/STEMConf2014
Transcript of Dr Christopher Thompson - Faculty of Science, Monash University - Innovative approach to improve...
Science
The IDEA Experiments: An
Interdisciplinary Template for Inquiry-
Oriented Learning Activities in Science.
Chris Thompson & Gerry Rayner
Faculty of Science, Monash University
Our Journey – The IDEA Experiments
2012
Mood For Change
What We Did & How We Did It
Getting People On Board
2013
Student Perceptions
The IDEAs are Spreading
2014
OLT Extension Grant
2
Mood For Change
Why change anything?
Changes in Secondary
Education
Australian Curriculum
F-12
Changes in Tertiary
Education
The LTAS project
Threshold Learning
Outcomes (TLOs)
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Mood For Change
Why change anything?
Changes in Secondary
Education
Australian Curriculum
F-12
Changes in Tertiary
Education
The LTAS project
Threshold Learning
Outcomes (TLOs)
4
Mood For Change
TLOs have been drafted for most disciplines.
Take these chemistry TLOs for example:
Do these things REALLY take place in a teaching lab??
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What We Did and How We Did It:
The IDEA Experiments
Nothing new about inquiry-oriented learning (IOL).
Yet it does not flourish in the tertiary classroom!
Excuses include:
Class size (> 1000 students), cost, waste of time (!)
Falling behind our colleagues in the secondary sector …
Biology/Chemistry/Physics came together to do something
about it.
What We Did and
How We Did It:
The IDEA
Experiments
(A template)
Answer
The IDEA Experiments
Inquiry
Design Explore
?
Here’s what our Monash
Science Teaching Associates
think as a group (n ~ 48)
Getting people on board: TAs
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We asked ~50 teaching associates from biology,
chemistry and physics what they thought:
should feature in a laboratory program, and
actually feature in the current laboratory
program.
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Does it work?
We definitely think so!
Is it easy to set up?
Design
Demonstrators
Are my colleagues on board?
Yes, and the IDEAS are
spreading.
Higher year levels
Beyond our Faculty
The IDEA Experiments
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“Did you enjoy this practical?”
• 72 % - yes, 18 % - no
Some of the reasoning from students who did not enjoy the
experiment is exemplified by the following comments:
“I did not like the lack of guidance.”
“There was not enough guidance - didn't know what I was
trying to accomplish at the end.”
“Was pretty lost at first.”
“It was a bit harder and there wasn't as much guidance.”
“Too open ended not much guidance.”
Student Perspectives
12
“What did you think was the main lesson to be learnt from
this practical?”:
"How to work as a scientist without any knowledge of (a)
substance and determine it through experimentation"
"Experimenters face a great deal of challenges when they
are trying to find out something unknown. Even when they
take all necessary precautions, they still may be faced with
errors."
"The issues and situations a chemist could experience in
the field."
Student Perspectives
It’s Not a Revolution!
Using ‘inquiry’ in the classroom does not necessarily mean
completely changing everything you do!
Herron’s Hierachy of Inquiry (1971!)
An OLT Extension Grant!
Aim: Maintain the momentum of Prof Les Kirkup’s IOL
Fellowship by generating the changes required for
genuine inquiry - from design to the teaching coalface.
Deliverables
1. IOL workshops – Roadtrip!
La Trobe, Fed Uni, UTas, Deakin
Target audience TAs / demonstrators
2. An IOL forum
3. An IOL Best Practice booklet
1. IOL Workshops
Hands-on workshops for academics and TAs
The growth of a community of practice.
1. IOL Workshops
Some interesting insights …
“What do you think is done best in the current practical
program?”
1. IOL Workshops
Some interesting insights …
“What is done worst in the current practical program?”
1. IOL Workshops
Some interesting insights …
“What does the term inquiry mean to you?”
2. IOL Forum
Keynote Presentation from OLT Fellow Prof Les Kirkup
A summary of our experiences via the IOL workshops
Six vignettes – 20 minute presentations showcasing what
people are doing in their classrooms
~100 delegates from 15 different institutions
Two vignettes from secondary teachers … we need to get
moving!
3. IOL Good Practice Booklet
Designed to be a resourse for
people wanting to jump in the
deep end.
Transform stale old recipe pracs
into active-learning classes.
Trade secrets
Exemplars from practictioners
Honest, reflective accounts of
how these developments
actually went.
Research?
Perceptions of inquiry.
Student vs demonstrators vs academic staff – intriguing!
What’s missing?
Is IOL really effective in enhancing students’ scientific
literacy?
Do students really gain the higher order skills through
embedding and scaffolding IOL in science degrees?
How to measure this?
