PMSS 2015Continuing Professional Learning Program

Session 6:Let’s talk about time!

Facilitators

Sophia McLean: Professional Learning Manager

Louise Rostron: Professional Learning Consultant

Workshop purpose

You are here to experience and understand some processes that are effective in assisting teachers to challenge their assumptions about the time required for science, examine the ways time is prioritised in a typical school term, and to explore ways to overcome the “time” issues of teaching and learning science.

Workshop outline (90 minutes)

INTRO: Purpose, outline, outcomes(5 mins)

ENGAGE: To estimate the time required for a science unit of work(15 mins)

EXPLORE: To explore the ways time is actually used in a typical school week(20 mins)

EXPLAIN: Understand the recommended time for successfully teaching(15 mins) science and the time required based on researchELABORATE: Examine and make recommendations about the ways time can be (25 mins) used more efficiently

EVALUATE: Make judgements about the use of processes examining “time”(10 mins) Summarise, reflect and evaluate

Outcomes

On completion of this module participants will understand:

• their assumptions about the time required for an inquiry approach to science teaching and learning

• processes for assessing and analysing time usage in a typical school term

• the time students require to learn science concepts and to build science inquiry skills

• and challenge their thinking about less effective methods of teaching science

• the basis of making decisions about effective teaching and learning of science

ENGAGEContinuing Professional Learning Program

Loss function

Participate in the loss function process to produce a consensus about the amount of time required for students to successfully complete an “inquiry science” unit of work based on one key concept (AC Science Understanding) over the period of one term.

EXPLOREContinuing Professional Learning Program

Radar chart – Prescription/Flexibility

Use a radar chart to estimate, based on your experience, the ways time is used in a typical primary school week. How prescriptive or howflexible is each time usage segment of the radar chart?

EXPLAINContinuing Professional Learning Program

Time for science per term

• Remove weeks 1 and 10

• Allow 8 weeks per term

• Estimate the time per term available for science:

8 weeks X ? Hours = ? Hours per term

My estimate is ______________________________

What does the research say about PrimaryConnections?(Implications for teachers, from the Skamp Report 2012)

• Trial teachers (206 provided feedback over more than 6 years) say that the system and school requirements can still be met while implementing PrimaryConnections units.

• PC unit context can be used as the basis for literacy learning, and multi-modal representations to build deep learning, as well as ICTs.

• On average it takes 7-10 hours to implement a PC unit.

• When using multiple PC units (at least 2), students bring their learning from previous units and build on their knowledge and skills – ie there is retention of knowledge and skills acquisition

ACARA time recommendations

Generally it is accepted that the time required for science in primary school is…………………..1 ½ to 2 ½ hours per week!

ELABORATEContinuing Professional Learning Program

To find extra time for science

1. Re-visit your radar chart and start to evaluate it2. Examine the prescription/flexibility marks on the chart 3. Ask the following questions:

• Are these hours mandatory?• Is there room for efficiency?• What are the highest priorities?• Where can we adjust and improve time allocation?• Where is the time wastage?• What do we need to change to access more time for science?

Our recommendation is_______________________________

EVALUATEContinuing Professional Learning Program

Beliefs continuum- a collaborative learning strategy

An experience such as this (examining time) is valuable for teachers.

____________________________________________________________________Agree Disagree

Evaluate

• How has your thinking changed?

• Moments of truth

• Valley of Despair

• Improvements?