Inquiry-Based Science Learning 2

8/13/2019 Inquiry-Based Science Learning 2

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Dr Joseph Shapira

Nov. 2013

Dr Joseph Shapira Inquiry-based science learning1

Inquiry-based Science learning

Clients view on the education system


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Challenges

Inputs

Physics is an elective topic in high-school

How to bring young students to choose physics

Outputs

How to train the student for 21stcentury skills

Process

How to change the rules of the process ( program, exams,

evaluation and control)

How to train and motivate teachers for IBL



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Challenges

The challenges facing the education system:

Physics has an image of a tough topic, suitable only for the most dedicated and mathematical talented

students. Most students opt for an easier, more amusing, subjects. It is argued that this image stems

from an outdated style of learning that does not suit both the salient nature of todays students and

abundance of information and attractive applications of science.

High school education has to prepare the student for meaningful, contributing and rewarding life. The

technology-rich society they grow into is striving to ever more sophisticated means and tools for

improving life and production processes. Inquisitive, rigor thinking, creativity and persistence are

qualities sought in the 21stcentury.

Teaching physics starts with observing the real world and deriving insights from experience. These

build up into a world picture. The introduction of the mathematical formulation to a young student

comes next. It is very instructive to read Einsteins biography. His great revelations came from

conceiving and image picture of actual physical scenario. Only then did he formulate it inmathematics.

Changing the theme of learning physics is an enormous challenge for the education system, and may

require a new breed of inquiry teachers and supporting communities.



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5

Worm up exercise

Dr Joseph Shapira Inquiry-based science learning


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Newtons cradle.


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One ball hits the row one ball comes out. Two for two.

Very elegant.

Does it exemplify Newtons law of Impulse-Momentum?How many equations do we have?


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Surprize?


Or did we learn broken knowledge and did not learn to analyze situation?

We were taught point mass, impulse and momentum before and after impact, but not the impact

process, elasticity and dynamics and did not acquire relevant intuition.

Conceptual acquaintance with a broad range of related phenomena builds intuition


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Where do I come from

During my professional life I studied/ developed/ participated in the development

of systems and technologies:

Microtron ( electron accelerator), Curved-profile cyclotron

Electromagnetic engineering, antennasand dynamic arrays

Radars and remote sensing systems

Electro optics systems

Cellular communications (CDMA the 3rdgeneration)

I trained and mentored generations of engineers and scientists

( and volleyball players too)I built research labs and development centers, started and managed High-tech

companies (including Qualcomm Israel)

During the last 3 years I study the physics education in Israel

Bottom-up and Top-down



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IIIII I IIIIII IIIIII (IIIIIIIII)

Producion line?

Manufactures cloans?Or develop creativity?

Who specifies the

objectives?

and the process?

10 Dr Joseph Shapira Inquiry-based science learning


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The education system

The education system is a huge enterprise, exceeding any industrial project and competing in scale and

complexity with the defense establishment.

Viewed as such:

The education system tends to define the product ( the qualifications of the graduate) according to

its own criteria, and lingers in adopting the requirements of the evolving market ( industry,

economy, etc.).

The education methodology leverages on a pedagogical success and structures the successful case

studies into a set of detailed procedures and quality criteria much like a manufacturing floor. The

teachers are the production engineers, the supervisors are the quality assurance engineers and the

curriculum is the process rules. This creates a built-in dichotomy between the manufacturing culture

and the problem-solving, inquisitive thinking and creativity expected from a graduate.

The complexity of the system does not lend itself to a fast comprehensive reform. Apart fro changes in the

syllabus and exam system, teachers need to go through a massive training in inquiry-based learning,

and inquiry-teachers communities need to develop. This is a bottom-up process, led by local leaders.



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Gaps

Israel has the potential to double the export; the missing

element is engineers (E.Yanay, chairman, Israel electronic Industriesassoc.)

The Technion is short of qualified candidates in order to maintain itsleading position in the world league. An additional preparatory year is

needed for most.

Israel economy, and well being of its citizens, depend on their suitable

education and life-long learning skills.

Status:

Only 6-9% graduate high-school with proper physics education

The majority of graduates need additional pre-academy education.



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Qualities and skills needed in the 21stcenturySelf-supported, contributor and self-content

ICT Information, Communication

Technology

Information media literate

Technological literacy

Cognitive skills Critical thinking

Creative thinking skills

Problem solving skillsInter-personal skills Communication skills

Collaboration skills

Cross-cultural skills

Leadership skills

Social skills

Self and task management Self-monitoring, self-directing

Accountability



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How to become a Star Engineer

Robert E. Kelley: How to be a Star Engineer, IEEE Spectrum, October 1999

Bell Laboratories won more Nobel prizes than all US

universities. All top graduates sought positions there.

However, only a few turned to be stars and contributed

significantly to Bell and to science.

The stars were not standouts because of what they had in their

heads but because of how they used what they had. The

productivity mystery lay in learning how to transform theirtalents into high productivity--much like turning potential

energy into kinetic energy. Stars, we saw, are made, not born.



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Adapt the system to the 21stcentury

Laws of physics did not change during the last century

The reality surrounding us has changed:

Technology, an ingenious integration of physics laws, is everywhere

Science is technology and computational resource based

Everyday tools are complex

Useful occupation requires understanding, critical thinking and decision

making.

Solutions of well modeled questions are algorithmic and lend

themselves to automation.

Analysis of a complex scenario or system, or conception of such,

requires creativity that does not lend itself to automation, and

needs training.



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Adapt the pupil to the system or system to the pupil?

Teaching, cognition, discipline

1456- The print revolution

Human knowledge is captured and communicated linearly in

words, numbers and equations.

2000 The multimedia and cyber revolution (ongoing)

Direct access to the multi-sensing space ( whatsup, facebook,

instagram, youtube, variety of play stations, and robots)

Impatient students, needing immediate sensing challenge and

satisfaction. Multitasking

Self-assured, challenging authority

The teacher is not knowledge provider, rather organizer



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Einstein

III III II IIIIIIII II III I IIIII IIIIIIIExcerpt from Einstein's biography ( Walter Isakson, 2007):

At the age of 16 he attended a school that taught according to

Pestaluci, encouraging students to imagine and create a

mental picture of the problems, and build intuitions.

The visual understanding of concepts became a solid aspect

of Einsteins genius.This type of Gedanken experiments

became an emblem of his career

Observe, induce underlying models, deduce a mental picture

and examine consistency


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Science as a culture

Observation trying to identify the wires that pull the scenario

Analysis identifying the role of each wire

Integration ( hypothesis) trying to conceive a model of the scenario

Critical testing pulling, and tearing each wire to verify its role

sanity check of the model by comparison to similar scenarios

Look to the horizon search the limits to the validity of the model

Physics is a platform for science-culture education:

The surrounding environment provides familiar scenariosThe number of rules involved is small, the rules are simply formulated,

and exercising scientific inquiry is natural to the student.



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Babies are born with intuitive physics knowledge,Kristy van Marle, News Bureau, Univ. Missouri, Jan 24, 2012

I IIIII IIII I II IIIIIIIIII II IIIIIII II IIIIIIIII, II IIII II III IIIIIII I I IIII IIIIIII III IIIIIIIIIIIIII. III IIIIIII II II III IIIII.

I IIIIIII:

I I IIIII I III III IIIII, III IIIIIIII I III III

IIIIIIIII

I IIIIIIII III II IIII II IIIIIIII III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIII



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The teachers frustration

The teacher is challenged with transforming a generic, mathematically

formulated physical model into vivid, realistic, physical scenarios that he

was not trained to research and analyze.

Newtons models formulate relations between point masses. They arescalable and do not consider intrinsic characteristics of the bodies and

materials involved.

Any physical scenario involves multiple laws and depends on the bodies and

material parameters.

Inquiring and discussion of reality-derived examples enhances previouscognition and intuition derived from real life and past experience.

Imaginary example, avoiding reality consistency, disrupts the students world

picture



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Learning efficiency

Most of the class hours are dedicated to exercising imaginary

single-rule examples.

The objective is a skill

to solve a final exam problem in 20 minutes

Who needs this skill in the industry? In the academy?

Where is real scenario connection Where is a parametric assessment of the scenario?

Where is the validity range of the model?



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Did you know?

Graduation in 5 units physics is possible today

Without knowing what center of mass (gravity) is

Without knowing what moment is

how a swing operates

Without knowing harmonic motion

Without understanding why

a plate breaks when falling to the floor

a rubber ball swings back from the floor,

but a steel ball breaks it



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Exciting, interactive, authentic teaching

Reality-related and

emotionally exciting

scenario.


This is an example from a teaching book in the HighTechHigh system an educational system k-12 in San Diego,

US, that educates through PBL Project-Based Learning, harvesting an impressive success over the past 12

years almost 100% of graduates accepted to colleges.

A child remembers the laws of the pendulum much better when linked to an exciting scenario he has a personal

appeal to.


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Authentic, interactive exciting

How not to do

An instruction on the exam file:

Pay attention! Do not bother if the numeric solution you

arrived at is far from the reality this is only an examquestion!

What is the insight the student is going to attain?

Dr Joseph Shapira Inquiry-based sciencelearning24

Riddle-solving smarts the mind, but leaves nothing for the next riddlePhysical research is based on previous layers of knowledge ,

feeds the next research, and creates expertise


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CDIO-

Conceive, Design, Implement, OperateMIT the leading technical university, launched an engineering training

model CDIO, back in 2000. Having recognized the gap between

modern engineering challenges and practices and the traditional

method of education, it conceived and applied a system by which

student groups are assigned to an ambitious project early in their

curriculum, and follow it through the years to graduation.

The formal tutorials are all related to the theme.

As of today, universities in 31 countries have adopted the model.

The Technion is considering respective changes in its curriculum.



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Inquiry or ResearchA student research work is termed inquiry to differentiate from scientific

research. An inquiry is a learning process. The student is challenged to

expand his knowledge base in related areas, acquire science culture and

skills. An inquiry has to be mentored, planned and bounded.

Inquiry ( by a student) Research ( by ascientist)

Objectives Acquaintance with science culture

Acquire science skills and practices

Govern a broad science area

A comprehension achievement

Scientific explorations

Benefit Value to the student ( and mentor) Value to science

Evaluation Inquiry process

Acquired knowledge and skill

Scientific achievement

Scientific achievement



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Interim exercise

An inquiry question: who jumps higher?

(on one foot or two?)

( This is not a simple one. Just watch basketball).How much will the following influence the inquiry:

The personal experience and intuitive feeling?

The motivation to study a n exciting activity?

The social challenge, when a group is addressed?



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Analysis of complex systems/ scenarios


Topology

Top Down

Bottom Up

ReverseForward

Causl/ logical axis

Structural axis

How does it work

How is it built


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Analysis of complex systems 2

Complex systems are not transparent. They are exposed in

their output/ outcome, and in their inputs/ causes.

The study of the system is penetration of the core:

The topology connecting the cause and the results, and thecomponents and the whole.

Study axes:

Causal/ logical

Output/observed scenario Input/cause/governing rulesStructural/geometrical

Observed structure/scenario building blocks



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Analysis tools

Models searching for relevant rules and analogies for

conceiving a system model

Experiments/measurements for validation and calibration of

the modelEstimation

Things should be made as simple as possible,but not any simpler. Albert Einstein

The accuracy of the model should suit its impact on the system.Topology is built by hierarching and chaining dominant interactions

Measurements validate and calibrate partial and overall model



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Example structure for an inquiry process

Why is the sky blue( ) The configuration Sun Earth, the spherical, radially dilluted

atmosphere.

( ) The (almost) omnidirectionality of bluish light, everywhere, reddish

in the direction of the Sun in Sunrise and set. Conclusion: scattering.Question what is the scatterer?

( ) Hypothise dust particles? Air?

( ) (From literature) Tindel: particle scattering. Rayleigh: obeys (a/)4.

Einstein: molecules act as dipoles.

( ) Why do we not see far way mountains in Red? (if the blue is strippedoff, we should see red). The scattering is only high above the

mountains?

( ) Scattering only when the density of scatterers is very sparse. Denser

distribution renders a dielectric media.



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Home exercise

What is the color of the sea?


Does it depend on depth? Angle of the Sun? viewing angle?Wind? Brightness of the sky?


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Children are not afraid of physics


If we do not frighten them with equations and unfamiliar math,

And do not suppress their natural intuition.

Their world is physical

Children love challenges, especially when socially involvedChildren love sport activities

Children love technology and its manipulation

Children are creative and achievement oriented

Children need leadership and mentoring in these activities

We need creative teachers that are leaders/mentors for these

In elementary, mid and high school, and community

And we are bound to enjoy curious, motivated physics students


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Teachers communities

The concept of teachers communities is spoken in the pedagogical

community,

Its implementation does not have a marvelous record.

Why teachers communities?

The role of a teacher as a curiosity, creativity and critical thinking exciterand empowerer, and knowledge organizer, and as a bridge to the world

of science and technology is creative and demanding more than that

of an average engineer or scientist.

Yet, the teacher does not have a structured frame for communicating,

updating, debating, peer reflection as the engineer and scientist have.

A science-oriented peer community is needed to revive and maintain the

teachers striving for excellence.



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ACHERET center

A regional center of physics teachers leading Inquiry-Based Learning.

Active since 2006.

Creator and manager Moshe reich, Academic manager Dr Amos Cohen.

All physics students involved in IBL. Senior engineers volunteer tosupport mentoring. A weekly workshop reviews the inquiries and

enjoys current lectures on physics and technology.

Archimedes point is a novel inquiry-teachers training center,

accommodating students countrywide.



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Mentors workshops



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Interactive inquiries



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Achievements

240 high school students learning physics ( 20%, compare to 6%

countrywide).

37% of them conducing 5 units Inquiries ( 8 times over country average).

Average physics score above 85, Inquiry score above 95.

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Self built air tunnel for inqiring

Magnus effect

Vortex in inquiring Tornado



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Inquiry reports 2012/13



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2013 inquiry reports

Experiments in interferometry in optics and in sound

Light absorption in materials

Influence of the topography and overlay on the geo-electric field.

The secrets of the Tornado the parameters of vortex flow in a cylindrical vessel.

The pulsing dwarf star

The Levitron

Optical and sound tunneling

Holographic microscopy

Non-Newtonian liquids

Super-cavitation

On Magnus effect

Satellites constellation

Insects flight.



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Inquiry-Based Science Learning 2

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