Category: ESCI 310 Professionalism and Participation Blog

Thursday February 2 Assessing the Content and Quality of Students’ Questions Day 15 March 2

Types of assessment sources

  1. Assessing student’s questions.
  2. Inquiry “lab’ books’
  3. Porfolios
  4. Visual arts
  5. Anacdotal observations
  6. Transcipts of knowledge of building discussions
  7. Culminating projects

Examples: “Are there second earthquakes after the bigger earthquakes.?”

Natural Curiosity Page 42
  1. Assessing student’s questions.

The difference between direct instruction n and inquiry is that direct instruction assessment student’s answers, while inquiry assessment student’s questions.

Asking “How” questions are a deeper quality then “Do” questions because “Do” questions are often “yes/no” questions.

How do teachers refine/rephrase their questions in order to reframe questions to ask a more complicated question.

2. Inquiry ‘lab’ books (pp. 42-44)

Questions:

  • How are these different from ‘lab reports’?
  • Describe this kind of assessment & the teacher’s role.
  • How could you apply this in your assessment plans for your future teaching practice (i.e. pre-internship)?
  • Write directions for students to create their inquiry book. Suggest an outline/format…

Answers:

  • How are these different from ‘lab reports’?
  • initial questions, causal theories, observational sketches and diagrams,  reflections on experiments, notes on research from books, internet, sources, and guest speakers, notes and/or drawings from field experiences, new questions and theories and so on.
  • Describe this kind of assessment & the teacher’s role.
  • Formative assessment, Summative assessment, 
  • How could you apply this in your assessment plans for your future teaching practice (i.e. pre-internship)?
  • Formative assessment: have students write/draw questions, theories, results, reflections, and print photos, media articles from Newspaper or website, and teacher can record the discussion, help them write down the new questions and theories. 
  • The teacher’s role: Guidance, prompt, feedback. The inquiry lab book can provide teachers with a more complete picture of a student’s learning journey, and can support ongoing feedback, evaluation, and reflection.
  • Write directions for students to create their inquiry book. Suggest an outline/format…
  • Step 1: Thinking about the topic, and encourage students ask and write/draw their initial questions.
  • Step 2: Organizing a natural walk, and ask students write or draw their observation on their notebook.
  • Step 3: Conducting a group discussion, have students share their lab book to peers, and encourage them ask more new questions to each other, and write the new questions and theories.
  • Step 4: Create or find some pictures related to the topic and the questions, and find answers.
  • Step 5: Create the final draft and share the book or submit to teacher as the summative assessment.

3. Portfolios (pp. 42-44)

Questions:

  • How are portfolios different from ‘lab’ books?
  • What is the teacher’s role in student portfolio creation?
  • Describe this kind of assessment.
  • How could you apply this in your assessment plans for your future teaching practice (i.e. pre-internship)?
  • Write directions for students to create their portfolio

Answers:

  • More art-based
  • Lab books note books. Portfolio can be anything
  • Portfolios can be used in all subject areas
  • Teacher is a facilitator 
  • Open-end
  • Artistic 
  • Multimedia 
  • Teacher can keep their own portfolio of students work so they can look back at it
  • Teacher offers options/criteria (Checklist) and students create it
    • I.e., Have one assignment from math, one from english, one from science, etc. (Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences)
    • I.e., have your lowest math test and your highest math test, have one essay, one short story, one spelling test, etc.

4. Visual art (pp. 42-44)

Questions:

  • What are some benefits of visual art assessment products?
  • Why is encouraging diverse modes of expression important?
  • How could you apply this in your assessment plans for your future teaching practice (i.e. pre-internship)?
  • Write directions for students to create a visual representation of their learning in a certain context.

Answers:

  • Helpful for younger students or english language learners who do not have the depth of vocabulary.
  • Can be used as an introduction to a particular topic or establish some background schema for the student. 
  • Drawings help illuminate a student’s perspective which allows the educator to see their attention to detail
  • Scope of expression in different ways of visual arts techniques
    • Inclusivity 
    • Openness 
    • Experiential knowledge 
  • Learning is important not necessarily  the way how it is expressed
  • However, not all students are comfortable expressing their ideas through art forms.
  • Pre internship:
  • – Cognitive maps
    • Drawings – coloring 
    • Illustrations 
    • Flow charts 
    • Visual cue cards
  • Direction
  • – It should tell a story (i.e. the growth cycle of an egg to chicken, or english context can you explain what is going on in the image).
    • Draw your beliefs and learnings. Your art piece should be unique to you and what you have learned/understand. 

5. Anecdotal observations (pp. 45-48)

Questions:

  • How might observations be documented?
  • Why is documentation important?
  • What kinds of information does anecdotal evidence provide?
  • How could you apply this in your assessment plans for your future teaching practice (i.e. pre-internship)?
  • Create a sample plan for documenting observations of student learning.

Questions:

Question 1 

  • Checklist
  • Jot notes
  • List of names and a key of symbolic representations

Question 2

  • If you document it you can keep that thought instead of that thought diminishing or being forgotten over time. 

Question 3

  • Real time feed back
  • Day to day evidence
  • Comprehension in class discussions

6. Transcripts of knowledge building discussions (pp. 49-50)

Questions:

  • How? Why? Then what? Outline a mode for analyzing transcripts of knowledge building discussions.
  • How could you apply this in your assessment plans for your future teaching practice (i.e. pre-internship)?

Answers:

How: 

  • Record and use speech-to-text
  • Or just use the recorded version

Why: 

  • to see how student ideas change over the course of an inquiry.
  • Shows shift and depth of understanding
  • Identify misconceptions and gaps
  • Shows engagement and how they express their ideas
  • How they interact with different ideas and perspectives
  • Contribution to the group’s knowledge
  • How they use other sources and explain their knowledge
  • When administering a running record
  • Flexibility of ideas – do they change their ideas based on the information from others?
  • Revisiting questions helps students apply critical thinking to their own learning, see their own progress and shows growth through the application of new information to their understanding

What: 

  • Great evidence for formative assessment for student, teacher and parent. 
  • Shows if students were on task or not 
  • Shows if students contributed

Mode: 

  • Use a printed copy, and highlight and make notes (according to a created system)

7. Culminating projects (pp. 51)

Questions:

  • What might these look like?
  • What kind of assessment is this?
  • How could you apply this in your assessment plans for your future teaching practice (i.e. pre-internship)?
  • Make a model / template project description (directions for students)

Answers:

  • Definition: Summarizes and communicates learning through sharing their understandings/answers with an audience. 
  • Examples: Constructions (biodomes), documentaries, murals/models, science fair, peer teaching between older and younger grades, writing a book, advocacy, presentations
  • Summative assessment (culminate = summative)
  • Great for end of unit assessment because it uses everything students have learned over the past weeks/months and can both provide closure and inspire new questions or knowledge building.
  • For principles of flight, students can design and create their own flying projects/mechanisms. Students would have time for trial and error.

-ESCI 310 Class, Day 15 – Inquiry & Assessment Part II

-Richelle 

What kinds of assessment practices support inquiry learning?
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ESCI 310 Day 13 Febuary 16

Dear journal,

All of the activities we’ve done as a class in these workshops are mock lessons which means there will things that will not go to plan. The main thing I realized that is that you need to be consistent, specifically in equipment.

Day 7 of workshops

Workshop 1

The first workshop in the class was on grade 7 Physical Science – Heat and Temperature. The experiment was about conductive heat. Which material conducts heat better? Wood, plastic, or metal? The experiments was suppose to show which material conducts heats better by showing which material melted butter faster. To figure this out my classmate put butter on dining utinsels. Then put the utinsels in a glass of hot water. It was suppose to show that metel was the best conductor, then plastic, and then wood. However the results of the experiment were that metal was the best but wood melted the butter faster then plastic. Someone pointed out that the metal and wood materials were spoons, while the plastic material was fork. The fork has less surface material which might hold the heat less and that there were spaces between the prongs which another classmate hypothesed that the spaces let the heat move escape. If we need spoons to put butter on, the results could have been different.

Butter experiment

Workshop 2

Ramp experiment
Variables
My group’s hypothesis

Workshop 3

Adaptive Dimension – One of my classmates strands were on sound. There are many students who are deaf or are hard of hearing. She states that students who are deaf and hard of hearing can feel and see the pressure of sounds and vibrations.

Update: pea spouts have grown

It tasted good.

The celery has started to turn red.

My gummy bear from last week has expanded.

-Richelle

ESCI 310 Day 12 Febuary 14

Dear Journal,

Day 5 of workshops.

Today we only had one person present. Their out come was Grade 8 Life Science – Cells, Tissues, Organs, and Systems.

CS8.1 Analyze the characteristics of cells, and compare structural and functional characteristics of plant and animal cells.

(f)Model the processes of diffusion and osmosis to demonstrate how gases and water move into and out of plant and animal cells.
Osomosis vs Diffusion
Gummy bear going through osomosis
My predictions if this gummy is going to expand or dissolve

Note: The presenter showed osmosis and diffusion in three different ways. First with a teabag, second with a gummy bear, and lastly with a celery stick. When doing a demostration or experiment used a variety of examples.

– Richelle

ESCI 310 Day 10 Febuary 7

Dear Journal,

Today I presented my Science Curriculum Workshop. I was assigned grade3 Earth and Space Science: Expoling Soils. There were two outcomes:

ES3.1

Investigate the characteristics, including soil composition and ability to absorb water, of different types of soils in their environment. (SI)

ES3.2

Analyze the interdependence between soil and living things, including the importance of soil for individuals, society, and all components of the environment. (CP, DM)

I decided to just go with one outcome, ES 3.1, to make things simpler. I initially wanted to do with lesson plan #4 with the class. In lesson plan #4 the class was going to measure how fast/slow water moves through different soils, why the move that way, how must water drains through the soil in a fixed amount of time and how much water (volume) can soil hold until the water start dripping through.

Unfortunately I didn’t have the materials, budget to buy the materials or time to wait for the materials of come. Here’s the list of things I needed:

• Plastic cone(s)

• stand filter paper (5-6 per group)

• pitcher for water (1 per group)

• tablespoons and teaspoons

• Stopwatch

• sand (1-2 c per group)

• clay (1 c per group)

• pea gravel (1-2 c per group)

• soil (2 c per group)

• popsicle stick (for mixing soil)

• 100 ml beaker or graduated cylinder for catching & measuring water

• large plastic cups or pint-sized plastic tubs for mixing soils

Then so make it inquiry based I can have ask them to c

Then to make it inquiry based I would have ask them to predict how much water they think each types of soil would hold until it starts dripping. I would put their predictions on the board. Afterwards I would put the actual results also on the board. Then we would compare and discuss their predictions to the results.

And for the second next round I would ask them to predict how fast/slow they think 100ml of water would go though. I would put their predictions on the board. And again, afterwards I would put the actual results also on the board. Then we would compare and discuss their predictions to the results.

For the third round would be meausing how much water (volume) would go through in 30 sec, 60 secs, 90 secs and 120 secs. (for the workshop the time would be less: 10, secs, 20 secs, 30 secs) I would put their predictions on the board. And again, afterwards I would put the actual results also on the board. Then we would compare and discuss their predictions to the results.

Then for the last round I would give the class a group challenge. For example, I would give them sand and they would mix it with other soils to make the water flow slower. Then they would present why they chose x soil , x soil, etc and why they think x soils’ characteristics made water flow slower. I’d make it a competition, who ever has the slowest flow of water gets a prize.

Of course for the work shop I only had 20 minutes so I would the second round and last round.

So since I didn’t have the resources of do this lesson plan I went with Lesson plan #1. Which was learning what was soil. Pretty much what made soil up. I gave the class some dirt. Then had them sorted them out. I didn’t have time to ask them the inquiry questions/guiding questions in the right order because I was the last to present and the person who presented before me took a lot of time and it was almost the end of the class.

The inquiry question was what the think soil was made up, then I would have wrote their answers on the board. Secondly I would read pages 1-13 from “Dirt” by Steve Tomecek. Thirdly, I would give them the dirt to sort and classify. Fourthly, I would tell them exactly what was in their dirt. Lastly I would end by showing them different examples of types of dirt and their composition. And we would go through their anwers and see if their asnwers appeared in any of the different types of dirt.

– Richelle

- What stories are highlighted through the SK science curriculum?
- How can inquiry frameworks inform instructional approaches for science education?

ESCI 310 Day 9 Febuary 2

Dear Journal,

Today was the second day of workshops. Since I missed the first workshop session I didn’t know what to expect. I will be honest with you until this week I did not understand the assignment. I read through the assignment description and nada. I asked my classmates BEFORE the first workshop started they also didn’t really know what we were suppose to do. But after watching a few of my classmates workshops I have a more clear understanding to what to do for the assignment.

  • Its pretty much explaining the context of your assigned science strand and Outcome.
  • Do an activity that has to deal with your outcome.
  • Connect it to the textbook, Natural Curiosity
  • Connect it to inquiry-based learning

Notes

NOTES:

Day 9

Hurang – Physical Science – Using Out Sense Grade 1 Overview of the outs comes and indicators – explain the outcomes/indicator (use the verbs)

Explain the Content

Use textbook

Use inquiry questions

Show how the activity uses inquiry and how it answers inquiry questions

How would you ##### the students this as you do the activity? Formative assessment

Resources

Liz Ordiz – Physical Science Liquids and Solids Grade 2

Chose one Outcomes, chose three indicators

Use I can statements….

Use Unit title – Liquids Matter, Solids Matter, and So do you (suggest to make cool unit titles)

Elicit prior knowledge

Explain that she would use 4 activites

150 minutes a week

#1 Introduce States of Matter

  • use guiding questions

#2 Show learns that luqiods take you the shape of their containers

#3 Show learns how atoms act in different states of matter (this is the activity we are doing for this workshop) (leader does an explanation drawing (solid) on the board, then asks one of the students to draw (liquid) explain) Solids atoms do not move, liquids atoms move.

#4 Churing `Ice cream (use the final activity as a summery of their learning. Putting their knowledge into action, see their knowledge in action)

Assessment – give them a homework that summarizes their learning

Loisa Lacheur Life Science – Animal Growth and Changes Grade 2

Introduce Outcomes (say out out)

Chose indicator a and b, explain how they will connect to activity

Use a video (only showed part of video “Animal Life Cycle” (in real setting we would watch the entire things)

For example use Frog life cycle, the butterfly cycle, cat, human

Use a lesson plan Intro/development Asks the adults name and offspring name e.g. Lion and Cub, Deer and fawn, Horse and foul

Activity #1 Parent and Offspring Sort and Math activity (this activity is elicit prior knowledge, since we didn’t research)

Activity #2

See how the grades build on each strand, progression. (usually)

Younger years usually focus on exploring (K and grade 1 are very introductory)

Connect to philosophy of inquiry (light the fire)

– Richelle

ESCI 310 Day 8 January 31

Dear Journal,

Today was the first day of workshops. Each of my classmates are assigned Strand from from the Science curriculum for example I have give Earth & Space Science from the Grade 3 curriculum. They are given 20 minutes to explain their strand. Unfortunately, I had work today and it overlapped my class. I’ve already emailed my Prof to inform them of my absence. I’ve also texted a friend to update my on what happen during the workshops. Life happens.

– Richelle 

- What stories are highlighted through the SK science curriculum?
- How can inquiry frameworks inform instructional approaches for science education?

ESCI 310 Day 7 January 26

Dear Journal,

Today the weather conditions were terrible. So terrible that the prof decided that we would have our class on Zoom. Cue pandemic flashbacks.

During class we discussed more about Branch III, specifically on how everything is related and how to engage in interdisciplinary lenses. So pretty much integrated learning. As a class we create a Jamboard. We were grouped into 3-4 peoples. We were then put into small breakout groups. Each group was assigned a grade and each person in that grouped was assigned a science strand. My group was assigned grade 3. I was assigned Earth & Space Science strand and my outcome was about exploring soil. My other two classmates were assigned Life Science and their outcome was about Plant Growth and change. My last classmate was assigned Physical Science and their outcome was Magnestism and Static Electricty. In our breakout session we discussed how out strands connection, how they might connect to other subjects (cross-curricular), and created board inquiry questions could aid in students centered-learning.

We also started to learn more about Branch IV – Reciprocity. So fat, I understand that it about having contributing and receiving relationship with everyone and that included beyond human living beings.

The role of the educator is to encourage students’ curiosity and to help students developed their ability to be curious. This chart in Natural Curiosity on page 30 lists 10 ways educators can encourage student curiosity.

Help students connect a topic to their livesProvide oppunitunites for students to observe natural phenomena
Engage students outsidePay attention to spontaneous questions
Elicit prior knowledgeProvide hands-on experience
Read togetherStart with simple questions
Provide opportunities for students to build community in their own way Revisit related questions or topics from previous inquiries
Table 5: Cultivating Curiosity

Anderson, D., Comay, J. & Chiarotto, L. (2017). Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition – A resource for educators: The Importance of Indigenous Perspectives in Children’s Environmental Inquiry. https://www.naturalcuriosity.ca/englishbook
ISBN: 978-0-7727-2643-8 (print) OR 978-0-7727-2644-5 (Electronic)

This wheel on page 34 from Natural Curiosity lists out an educator’s role while using Inquiry-based Learning.

Figure 3: The Educator’s Role in an Inquiry-based Leaning Environment

Anderson, D., Comay, J. & Chiarotto, L. (2017). Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition – A resource for educators: The Importance of Indigenous Perspectives in Children’s Environmental Inquiry. https://www.naturalcuriosity.ca/englishbook
ISBN: 978-0-7727-2643-8 (print) OR 978-0-7727-2644-5 (Electronic)
Course Inquiry Questions:
- What is the role of the educator throughout inquiry learning processes?

– Richelle

ESCI 310 Day 6 January 24

Dear Jounal,

Other Notes on Inquiry Process

Anderson, D., Comay, J. & Chiarotto, L. (2017). Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition – A resource for educators: The Importance of Indigenous Perspectives in Children’s Environmental Inquiry. https://www.naturalcuriosity.ca/englishbook
ISBN: 978-0-7727-2643-8 (print) OR 978-0-7727-2644-5 (Electronic)
  • Not teacher centered. Its about decentralization.
  • But teachers can still guide and facilitate students
  • It welcomes complexity and ambiguity

Inquiry through story, what inquiry philosophies/ principles does this story remind you of?

A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel
  • Accessing multiple perspectives
  • Allows multiple interpretation
  • Notice the stories that are in the world, around us, everywhere
  • Human non-interference; respecting more-than-home relatives
  • Multiples entry points for curiosity, interest, light the fire, engagement wonder, discovery/uncovering
  • Interdisciplinary – integrated/everything is interconnected, we are all related
  • Experiential – contextual, knowing-in-place (Branch III)
  • Importance of relationship (Branch IV), spirituality of these relationship
    • Lived experiences – each animals had a lived experience with the rock
Course Inquiry Questions: 
- How can inquiry pedagogies guide science learning?

– Richelle