Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Part (i):
Skamp references Goodrem by stating, Primary students enjoy science when
it is student centred and there is a focus on investigation (Skamp, 1998). The
investigation process being carried out in the Early Stage One classroom at St
Josephs Alstonville is on a sustainable project. The use of the PREP, (Play,
Research, Exploration and Practice) as explained by Phethean (2008),
prepared the students to investigate, design and build a sustainable project. It
is beneficial in the classroom environment to carry out the investigation
process as the assistance the children need is readily available to them as
well as possible resources they may require. The students in our group
aspired to design a sustainable chicken farm based on one students drawing
of a chicken farm in the initial first lesson relating to sustainability. In order to
design and build a sustainable chicken farm, the students had to first explore
which materials would be best suited for building the farm and the many
components of the farm. This project is significant in the classroom because it
encourages the children to explore and question what they already know to
make it better for the environment.
In order for this design to become a success, the students have to first test
the materials to determine which materials are best suited. Helping the
children focus on a specific material and the importance of its properties will
assist them to transfer this knowledge to other situations in the future
(Saunderson, 2000). By listing different materials and labelling their pros and
cons, we made a list of materials that would possible be used in the fair test.
Through guidance, the children decided to test what materials would be best
suited for a water tank. Many ideas fluttered about including, cardboard,
plastic and tin. After a discussion about a fair test, we discussed variables and
which ones we would need to change and keep the same. The children said
the amount of water needed be remain the same and the materials needed to
change. After a fair test, involving the same amount of water, paper and the
materials, the children determined that the tin held the water the best and
didnt leak or spill. By having an input in the planning process, I was able to
guide the students through the fair test, which allowed some room for
exploration for the students, this was crucial because children need to
Tanisha Walker
21971530
Science Assignment 2
2
facilitate their own learning as much as possible and by giving them the
opportunity to plan and carry out this fair test, they were able to have an input
into their on learning. By giving the children guidance, they were easily able to
understand the purpose of the test and perform the test the best way possible.
I believe I allowed the children to explore the test and investigation process,
however, I was able to help keep the children on track by asking questions
relating to the test that the children understood. According to Joyce et al,
2005, Experience tells us that children are not always able to discuss
controlling variables and they often forget the process involved when setting
up a fair test. I had to remind students of the process involved with the fair
test multiple times, however they were still engaged and interested in
revealing the outcome. And by understanding that the fair test is significant, it
kept the children interested in the test by only changing one factor at a time
while keeping all other conditions the same (Science Buddies, 2002). This
allows the students to make sound predictions and determine the outcome.
Refer to the appendix for the fair test report and planning.
It is crucial for a child to explore and have some control over their own
learning. The investigating process was enjoyable for the children and
although some predicted the correct outcome, others were surprised by the
results. At the end of the fair test, all students agreed the tin was best suited
for the water tank because the other materials simply did not hold the water
like they had predicted. I agree with Phethean (2008), when he states that
play helps a childs interest in science, it helps them to work with each other to
resolve issues and develop a childs creativity and use of their imagination.
Throughout the fair test, some children grasped the concepts more so than
others, and were able to detail reasons why certain materials were less likely
to work than others. For example, one students suggested that cardboard
wouldnt be a very good material because it would just soak up the water and
wouldnt hold it. Whereas another student believe that the cardboard box
would hold more water. Where she was correct, however in the end it ended
up soaking it up. By the end of the fair test, the children understood the
Tanisha Walker
21971530
Science Assignment 2
3
properties of the materials and why certain materials would be better for
certain uses.
Linking the childrens investigation to the New South Wales Science Syllabus
(2014), there are two outcomes that would be addressed throughout the
investigation process. They are:
Explores
their
immediate
surroundings
by
questioning,
21971530
Science Assignment 2
4
home and change their home life and make it better for the environment
especially regarding waste, water and energy. I found the facilitation of this
project to be very rewarding and I believe our group was able to engage and
interest the students throughout the whole process, which enabled us to
design and produce a quality sustainable chicken farm.
The open investigation that the children carried out allowed them to control
their own learning experiences but asking questions about a problem and
investigating ways to answer them.
Tanisha Walker
21971530
Science Assignment 2
5
but in the final product, didnt exactly put them on display. This was an area
where us as mentors could have had a little bit of input to encourage the idea
further.
Within saying that, I would take my experiences I encounter in the small group
and use them as a future-planning tool for a whole class task. The way my
group followed each stage in the process allowed for a engaging, insightful
and quality project. In the classroom environment with a whole class input, I
would ensure all stages of the process are examined correctly to minimise the
time spent off topic. The step-by-step process worked really well and requires
students to use an authentic process of design and production that is relevant
and is used beyond the classroom (DEC, 2011). I would use this task to
encourage students to learn and research and finally produce an object that
they may use at home or outside of the classroom. The way the workshops
were delivered were a vital part in the learning process of the students. The
students were able to reflect on their learning at the end of each workshops
and I think that is crucial for students that age. They were able to draw
pictures and write about their experiences in each workshop. I believe the
Young Scientist Diaries would be fantastic for a whole class approach as it
poses great possibilities for a learner to articulate his thinking and hence
construct meaning from the concepts and information that he faces. I would
be using these hands on experiences of teaching science as a whole class
approach.
The sustainable project would address the following Early Stage One
outcome:
Demonstrates a willingness to engage responsibly with local, national
and global issues relevant to their lives, and to shaping sustainable futures
ST1-2VA. (BOS, 2014)
It would address it by giving students the opportunity to engage in
environment issues that need to be addressed and encourage them to
investigate and design ways in order to fix those issues. For example, in the
project my group undertook, the students included sustainable energy use,
water conservation as well as recycling to help ensure the sustainable future
Tanisha Walker
21971530
Science Assignment 2
6
of the environment. The project would encourage students and interest them
in the issues faced in the environment today and by giving them the chance to
facilitate their own learning, they would be more likely to participate and have
some sort of input. By having the previous workshops leading up to the
project design and investigation process, the students would have gathered
some valuable background information allowing them to apply it to the project.
By making the project and the learning experience leading up to it fun, the
children naturally displayed a willingness to engage in such issues. Overall
the project was a success and would have adequately met the above desired
outcome.
BOS. (2013). NSW Syllabuses for the Australian Curriculum. 2014, from
Tanisha Walker
21971530
Science Assignment 2
7
http://syllabus.bos.nsw.edu.au/science/sciencek10/outcomes/outcomes-detail/outcomes-content/513/
Communities,
N.
D.
o.
E.
a.
(2014).
Technology
Process.
from
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/designproduce/tec
h_process.htm
Hackling, M. (2005). Working scientifically: Implementing and assessing open
investigation work in science. A resource book for teachers . Western
Australia: Department of Education and Training. Retrieved from http://
www.eddept.wa.edu.au/science/teach/workingscientificallyrevised.pdf
Haury, D., & Rillero, P. (1994). Perspectives of Hands-On Science Teaching.
from
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/science/eric/eri
c-2.htm
Hess,
K.
(2002).
Variables
for
Beginners.
from
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fairprojects/project_experiment_fair_test.shtml
Joyce, C., Hipkins, R., & Macleod, C. (2005). Scientific Reasoning. We need
to get some dots! Primary Science Review, 89, 11-13.
Ong, R. Role of reflection in student learning: a study of its effectiveness in
complementing
problem-based
learning
environments.
from
http://www.myrp.sg/ced/research/papers/role_of_reflection_in_student_
learning.pdf
Phethean, K. (2008). When are you too old to play in science? Primary
Science 105, 12-15.
Saunderson, M. (2000). Whats in a bubble? Australian Science Teachers
Association. Science Activities. 3 (16), 20-26.
Skamp, K. (1998). Teaching Primary Science Constructively (3 ed.).
Melbourne: Cenage Learning.
Investigation Report.
Original Idea.
Tanisha Walker
Design Statement.
21971530
Science Assignment 2
Tanisha Walker
Fair Test.
Results.
Final Product.
21971530
Science Assignment 2