Finding out learner ideas and skills by questioning and observing

Finding out learner ideas and skills by questioning and

observing

Teachers reported many examples of this happening in their comments. Some examples across stages and units are:

Learners’ ideas

I found this (TWLH) very useful in determining what students’ misconceptions were. (T19 SS; similar comments for mind maps T2; drawing T17)

… made a chart and followed up with a magazine hunt (two charts—move by themselves, something else makes them move). Ss added a picture for each chart. (1 Eng OTM)

Students experienced difficulty understanding the concept of a cutaway diagram, required much scaffolding—but produced excellent results. (3EC L1 emphasis in original)

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The examples are not exhaustive but illustrative.

At times teachers did indicate that there were difficulties determining students’ ideas, such as finding the TWLH chart difficult to use (Ts 4,18 SS), students’ limited vocabulary (T3: Wm Explore) and understanding of a cutaway diagram (T3: EC L1), but often there were additional comments that scaffolding overcame the problems (see above).

Learners’ skills

As each group had different results, drew up graph for comparison, students had excellent suggestions as to how investigation could be carried out for more consistent results across class. (T4: ASS Elab)

Recording individually was difficult. A lot of time spent on teaching how to write in data chart. Start to model data chart after Step 1. (T1: PP Eng)

6.92

Deciding on appropriate action based on learner ideas and

skills

Apart from actions to assist vocabulary development, the following are some selective examples that suggest the teacher varied the activity to assist learning (it is difficult to discern whether the teachers’ actions are ‘based on the learners’ existing ideas’ and, hence, the extracts are more problematic than in most other analyses):

Starlab dome was more effective to demonstrate science outcome (T4: Explain SS). Wrapped a large map around student to demonstrate night and day (T1: Explain SS). Used plasticene people to put onto globe (T1: Explain SS).

Devised a sheet that children completed about item from feely bag, used word wall to complete written parts (T4: Explore WM).

Added food dye to ice blocks for visual effect and motivation (T8: L4 MMat); Melted chocolate drops in sun, then refroze, then shattered. Sucked a chocolate drop to feel change (T11 L4 MMat).

Used diagrams of molecules to explain states (T1: L4 CD).

Large coloured textas used as energy packets, and ice cream containers, not hats, used with symbol of battery, and red tinsel on ice cream container to represent globe. Carried two textas at a time and dropped only 1 to show that some energy dissipated through transformation to another form—heat/light, some kept going around the circuit, therefore battery not flat/exhausted all at once (T1: EC).

I felt it helpful to cover aspects of static electricity so the children could gain greater understanding of the exchange of ‘electrons’. I did a bit of work via diagrams to help in their understanding about electrons. It is the electrons that move when an energy source is applied to a circuit. Much ‘free play’/experimentation time was given over the weeks as the children were given their own bag of equipment to keep (T17: EC).

6.93

Arranging for group and whole class discussions

The Primary Connections units expect all teachers to use cooperative groups for a range of purposes including discussion; it may be assumed that this occurred, and several teachers commented on the success of this strategy, although it was not universal. Examples of where teachers used whole class approaches are mentioned

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below. It usually was not stated that it was for discussion purposes (e.g., to clarify ideas and/or have students share ideas would be Harlen’s expectations), but rather to model procedures and related matters.

Some children had very little idea about mind mapping—modelled with whole class. (T11W SS).

We put out items that were not suitable as an evaluation task and this created a lot of discussion about suitable materials between classmates and the whole class. (T11: WM Elab)

Kids had trouble reading the procedural text. Kept asking teacher what to do. Teacher did steps one at a time with the whole class to overcome the difficulty children had doing this (T4: PA Explore).

6.10 Constructivist learner roles across

the units

In summary, there is evidence that all of these learner roles were present in the implementation of some units. On the basis of the extracts discussed in this chapter, there are indications that some roles were met with greater ease than others, while some were more difficult to discern. Of these learner roles, those requiring students to deal with ‘evidence’ were less apparent, and it is problematic how much emphasis teachers are placing on students providing ‘evidence’ for their thinking. It may be present in Primary Connections lessons, but it was not obvious in the teacher feedback comments. Also the application of ideas to new situations, while present in some classrooms, may need further clarification of the purpose of the Elaborate phase, so that more teachers are fully aware of the understandings they are helping students to use or apply in new contexts. Finally, ‘developing ‘bigger’ ideas from ‘smaller’ ones’ may have been incidental to teachers’ thinking, although there were some examples of it. There would appear to be some merit in suggesting teachers’ attention be drawn to these three learner roles.

On the basis of the 5E and the SIS analyses (the latter, in Chapter 10) judgements were made as to the presence of constructivist learner roles across all 16 units. An example of the resultant tables for the Spinning in space unit is in Appendix 6.1. Tables for each of the 16 units were prepared. Table 6.1 was prepared on the basis of the data in all 16 units; it indicates what these analyses suggest about the likely distribution of these roles (based on the content of teachers’ comments) across all 16 units.