science and technology units k-6 science and technology within cogs harry vassila curriculum...

Science and Technology Units

K-6 Science and Technologywithin COGs

Harry VassilaCurriculum Directorate


Workshop Overview

• Issues in teaching K–6 Science and Technology

• Teaching Science and Technology

• Progression of Science and Technology learning

• Linking teaching to assessment


Workshop materials

• Participants workbook

• Key information

• Evaluation form


Activity 1Questions about Science & Technology

• In this activity participants will have an opportunity to discuss issues that impact on their teaching of Science and Technology.

• Participants workbook page 1


Why does Science and Technology learning matter?

Scientifically and technologically capable students are:

interested in, and understand the world around them critical, innovative and enterprising able to identify questions, investigate and draw evidence-based

conclusions able to make informed decisions about scientific and technological

developments. make informed decisions about the environment, and their own

health and well-being

Science and technology makes an important contribution to the quality of life of Australia’s citizens. Science and Technology learning enables young people to be informed participants in the development of a fair and responsible society.


Continuum of Learning K-12

In science and technology students study

• K-6 Science and Technology

• Science 7-10 (+ stage 6 electives Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth & Enviro, Senior Science)

• Technology stage 4 (+ 5&6 electives Agriculture, Design and Technology, Food, Graphics, industrial, Textiles, info & software)

The processes of investigating and designing form the continuum of learning


•The foundation statements replace the stage statements in the Science and Technology K-6 Outcomes and Indicators document .(December 2005 NSW Board of Studies)

•Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus and Support Document 1991 (pages 1 to 7 and pages 19 to 31)

•Science and Technology K-6 Outcomes and Indicators 2000 NSW Board

of Studies (replacing pages 9 to 17 of syllabus)

•New Syllabus 2011 implementation

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus


K-6 Science and Technology Syllabus

• Investigating Scientifically

The Natural Environment • Living Things• Earth and its surroundings• Physical Phenomena

• Design and making

The Made Environment• Built environment• Products and services• Information and

communication

Using technology


The Science Process

Conduct trialsCarry out the experiment, observe, measure and record data

Form an hypothesis

From observations, ask a question or pose a problem.

Organise data, calculate, construct graphs Analyse data: identify patterns or trends and relationship between variables

Evaluate the experiment and the methods used

Evaluate the findings in relation to the hypothesis

Publish

Find out what is currently known.

Identify and analyse a problemIdentify variables

Use science knowledge to develop explanations for patterns, trend or relationships in data


The Technology Process

Identify a need or opportunity

Prepare final design representations

Establish success criteria

Identify resources

Analyse the needs

Evaluate similar solutions

Produce the solution

Reflect on the design process used

Use success criteria to evaluate the solution

Define the design task

Set milestones

Manage safety risks Identify, test and select techniques

Use success criteria to evaluate ideas and choose best options

Draw or model and refine ideas

Develop production skills


Activity 2 Science and Technology progression of learning

• In this activity participants will have the opportunity to become familiar with Science and Technology Foundation Statements, Syllabus Outcomes and Big ideas and to consider the progression of learning.

• Participants work book page 2• Science and Technology Key information


Continuum of Science and Technology learning

ES1

• Increasing capacity to apply the processes of investigating

scientifically and designing and making

• Increasing sophistication of conceptual understanding of

science and technology

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6


Progression in Science and Technology learning

• Progression of student learning in Science and Technology is most evident in the increasing levels of sophistication students bring to the process strands of Investigating scientifically and Designing and Making

• In Kindergarten the process is heavily scaffolded and largely teacher guided. By Year 6 students’ understanding of the processes should enable them to engage in and manage scientific investigations and develop design solutions more independently .

• The process strand is the learning focus of all COGs units of work.


What student learning matters most in Science and Technology?

• In Science and Technology we want students to become increasingly independent in their ability to think and work scientifically and technologically.

• Learning in Science and Technology emphasises first-hand experiences in the processes of investigating and designing and making. Assessment should also.

• Assessment of a student’s performance in Science and Technology focuses on the processes of investigating and designing and making, in the context of the relevant content strand.


COGs - Managing quality assessment in Science and Technology • It is not practical to effectively assess and provide feedback on

every aspect of process and content achievement of students during each Science and or technology task or unit.

• Within a particular Science and Technology task, it is more effective to explicitly focus assessment on:

– a significant component/s of the application of the process e.g. generating and developing design ideas or conducting scientific investigations

– the accuracy and depth of understandings about a clearly defined area of a content outcome e.g. characteristics of living things.

• Process knowledge and skills will be revisited regularly. Effective assessment will enable teachers to judge student’s progress toward the independent application of the processes by the end of Stage 3.


Planning for consistent assessment: the school planSchool planning involves:

• Reviewing the existing school plan in relation to Science and Technology syllabus standards

• Ensuring that the school plan effectively allocates all Science and Technology syllabus outcomes to stages and years

• Ensuring that for each stage there is a plan that:– establishes a progression of Science and Technology

learning throughout the stage so that;• all content strands are addressed at least once• the processes of designing and making and

investigating are built upon in each unit of work– identifies the focus of assessment in each reporting

period.


Planning for consistent assessment: the year cohort• Amongst the teachers for each year group decide at the

beginning of the year: – what needs to be taught and assessed for students to

progress toward the end of stage standards (see Foundation Statements and Outcomes)

– the focus of Science and Technology assessment and reporting for each semester/reporting period

– assessment information to be collected for the purposes of moderation and consistent judgement.

• Develop class programs and units of work that will allow you to collect the agreed assessment information, with a focus on investigating and designing and making tasks.

• Identify suitable times during each semester to moderate student achievement across the year-cohort-groups.

• Develop a plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.


Assessment planning tool


Planning for Assessment

• In this activity participants will identify the progression of Science and Technology learning demonstrated in the Curriculum planning framework for a stage

• Participants workbook page 3


Science and TechnologyK-6 Resources


Curriculum Support Website

The Curriculum Support Website hosts a variety of resources to assist teachers. They include • teaching ideas • links to resources • sample lesson plans• professional support article • Curriculum Support articles.

www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/scitech/index.htm


Policy websitehttps://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/


K-6 Science and TechnologySyllabus development

Time line

• Phase 1 Syllabus review (Feb – Dec 2007)

• Phase 2 Writing brief development (Jan – Aug 2008)

• Phase 3 Syllabus development (Aug 2008 – Dec 2009)

• Phase 4 Implementation (2011)

Timeline for the development of the Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus


Steps in the Syllabus Development Process DateSyllabus Review: Board Curriculum Committee established to monitor the

syllabus development processEstablished on 4 May 2007

Research including a literature review, a review of national and international practice

Completed October 2007

Evaluation of existing syllabus against criteria approved by the Board of Studies

Completed November 2007

Board endorsement of the broad directions for syllabus revision

Endorsed on 11 December 2007

Writing Brief Development: Draft writing brief and survey We are here (Term 1 2008) Consultation (6 weeks) From 28 April to 6 June 2008 Consultation report and amended draft writing brief to

Board of Studies16 September 2008

Final Writing Brief published on Board of Studies website October 2008

Syllabus Development: Draft syllabus and survey 19 December 2008 Consultation 6 weeks From 9 Feb 2009 to 20 March 2009 Consultation report and amended draft Syllabus to Board

of StudiesJune 2009

Development and approval of Support Materials By December 2009


Supporting SciTech in the primary classroom CD ROM

The professional support CD ROM provides:

• the Big Ideas, an expanded description of each Science and Technology syllabus outcome, suggesting the content that can be allocated to each stages

• support for schools to plan and implement effective Science and Technology teaching programs

• support for teachers to plan effective class programs• video sequences to illustrate a progression of learning

for the process strands of Investigating (Scientifically) and Designing and Making

• suggested assessment strategies.

Available at http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/

primary/scitech/prolearn/cdrom/index.htm


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science and technology units k-6 science and technology within cogs harry vassila curriculum...

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