Inquiry-based teaching in Life Science by gaia https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb European Schoolnet Academy en-us 2018-03-22 09:24:25 UTC 2023-07-03 07:56:29 UTC hello@padlet.com HI EVERYBODY! gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244889002 My name's Gaia, I'm... years old, and I've got a 6 years son.
I work as an English and ICT teacher in an Italian Primary School. This is my 18th year as a teacher and I sometimes feel tired. But.... everytime I feel really, really tired... suddenly I find a new online course, a new occasion of sharing and learning something completely different and interesting and intriguing... So this is the reason why I'm here: to learn something new and to find colleagues form all over the world to share ideas, materials and hints.
Enjoy your course 

]]> 2018-03-22 09:26:48 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244889002 INTRODUCTION MY ENTRY ON PADLET gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244894478 In primary school, inquiry is the daily prompt to lessons and new contents. Pupils are driven by their natural curiosity about the world and the relations and they are involved in this inquiry process as a vital part of their development. This becomes concretely evident in teaching science. Somehow, primary school is an enormous Science lab in which kids are continuously involved in finding and practicing something new and intriguing....
Inquiring is the main way leading to problem posing and problem solving, even if pupils are often more interested in the object of their punctual observations (insects, animals, growing plants...) than in the process. 
Making them reflect on the process is the teacher's work, to systematize their spontaneous discoveries in an epistemological correct syllabus of contents.]]> 2018-03-22 09:45:35 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244894478 1.1 FRUIT PREPARATION: MY ENTRY ON PADLET gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244898263 FRUIT PREPARATION OBSERVATION
1) Fruit preparation in jar A changed:
colour (from dark red to grey),
volume (it splitted from the jar)
consistence (some bubbles are visible on the surface, sign of gas development)
Possible hypothesis: different composition of fruit preparation in jar A compared to jar B (less sugars or not added sugars in A);
different ways of preparation (jar A could be not pasteurized);
presence of preservatives in jar B and not in jar A;
different conservation during the week after the opening of the jars.]]> 2018-03-22 09:58:10 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244898263 1.2 FROM THE SITUATION TO THE HYPOTHESIS gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244899395 In the preparation A there are only natural sugars and not added sugars; so the preparation is more sensible to oxydation when open.]]> 2018-03-22 10:02:14 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244899395 1.3 EXPERIMENT RESULTS gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244921154 This is the protocol of the experiment I held in my class as part of a CLIL project about "easy chemistry" (3rd grade)
1) Add 50 g. of yeast to 150 ml of water and stir well
2) put 20 ml of water and yeast in each tube;
3) add sugar to each yeast in this proportion:
tube 1: 0 gr sugar
tube 2: 1 gr sugar
tube 3: 2 gr sugar
tube 4: 4 gr sugar
tube 5: 8 gr sugar
Cover each tube with a balloon.
Label the tubes indicating the amount of sugar you put in it.
Observation: after one hour, the first balloon didn't inflate. The other 4 balloons inflated in different ways. 
The fifth balloon fully inflated.

Conclusions: in absence of sugar, the yeast doesn't develop gas.

The quantity of sugar affects the inflation of the balloons.]]> 2018-03-22 11:13:22 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244921154 1.4 INQUIRY PATH STEPS gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244922174 My experiment was quite similar to the example, but more "rudimentary" in materials and organization. I pointed on pupils' autonomy and group observation.]]> 2018-03-22 11:16:53 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244922174 1.5 SELF-REFLECTION TOOL gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244923436 THE TOOL]]> 2018-03-22 11:20:55 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244923436 1.5 SELF-REFLECTION TOOL gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244923721 MY PADLET REFLECTION
Going through the self-reflection protocol, I had the chance to point on different aspects of the process and on how to conduct Science experiments in class, specially with young children, that areoften interested more in the results than in the process.]]> 2018-03-22 11:21:50 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244923721 MY TEACHING CONTEST gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244986702 As I said, I teach English and ICT in a primary school near Milan, Italy.
I have two 3rd grades (8-9 years old) and one 5th grade (10-11 years old). All my classes are of 24 pupils, with at least 50% girls.
There are also some pupils form different Countries: China, Albania, Caribbean Islands, Ecuador, Romania, Argentina and Peru.
Italian is the mother language for the 75% of my pupils and a L2 for the remaining 25% ; English is often the third language.


]]> 2018-03-22 13:43:18 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244986702 2.1WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO REFLECT ON OUR IMPLEMENTATION) gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244997942 "Did the activity encourage you to ask questions?"
This is the leading question driving all our daily activities in primary school. Asking questions, being curious, is a natural condition for 5-10 years old pupils. The whole learning-teaching process twists around pupils' curiosity and willing to know. Classroom situations and observations; real life experience; the natural world: everything is occasion to raise questions in pupils' mind, and questions need to find an answer. The teachers' work is to maintain fresh this curiosity and drive it to a systematic knowledge of contents. 
Reflecting on our implementations goes exactly on the way of passing from informal observation and registration of events to a scientifically correct approach to inquiry end experiments in class]]> 2018-03-22 14:01:33 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/244997942 2.3 ANALYSIS OF CLASSROOM IMPLEMENTATION - 2ND EXAMPLE gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247451463 1) By connecting an intriguing question to pupils' daily life. Curiosity is the first step
2) Materials can be poor, recycled or of common use. Pupils can choose from different materials
3) Because everyone of them has background knowledge and the teacher is aware of the differences present in the class
4) The teacher circulates the classroom, observing each group to get an idea about how they are planning their work. The teacher's role is not passive, but also not intrusive and the students feel free of taking responsibility of their work.
5) The students make an hypothesis and then have to test them
6) the students presents their hypothesis and their test to the class, in large group, each experiment is discussed and assessed. 
7) I think that the hypothesis formulated is quite correct
8) In Science, drawing conclusion from experiments and previous literature is very important (differently, any scientific research would not have reason to exists): in an enquiry-based approach is basic to teach students how to correctly draw their own conclusion from what observed and experimented.
9) The final revision has the aim of resume and clarify processes and sharing experiences]]> 2018-03-30 08:51:22 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247451463 2.4 3RD EXAMPLE gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247452631 Both the given examples are situation connected to the students' life and involving their health. The second experiments starts from a real situation and can take positive advantages to their environment. Students are always very interested in problems about health, environment, pollution...
The model used by the teacher is the 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate), that can be apply form the early years in an enquiry-based model]]> 2018-03-30 08:58:18 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247452631 2.5 4TH EXAMPLE gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247453585 Both the given examples are situation connected to the students' life and involving their health. The second experiments starts from a real situation and can take positive advantages to their environment. Students are always very interested in problems about health, environment, pollution...
The model used by the teacher is the 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate), that can be apply form the early years in an enquiry-based mod]]> 2018-03-30 09:06:04 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247453585 3.2 THE RELEVANCE OF NEW DISCOVERIES IN LIFE SCIENCE gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247454946 the first discovery that comes to my mind is the use of Big Data for bioinformatics (sequencing and comparing DNA) and biomedicine (laser surgery, bio modeling for rare disease as craniosynostosis).
Science and Philosophy has many points of connection when ethic questions are involved, and is important to drive students  to implement and use their own critical thinking.]]> 2018-03-30 09:18:20 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247454946 3-5 USING A PHILOSOPY FOR CHILDREN APPROACH gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247457163 Philosophy for Children (P4C) is an approach that prompts critical thinking among students, where they get the opportunity to employ other key life skills, such as communication, creativity and collaborating with others. The idea is that by engaging in philosophical inquiry, students can better prepare to become citizens in society. Although the name suggests that P4C is for primary school children, it is actually a method widely used among high school teachers.

 

A P4C can include the following sequence of steps:

  1. Warm-up (could involve introductions or an icebreaker game)
  2. Stimulus (we will use a video clip later in the module, but it can range from a newspaper article to a photograph)
  3. Private reflections (thinking time on stimulus)
  4. Question creation (individually developing a question related to a stimulus)
  5. Question-airing (collaborating in separate groups to describe the generated questions; the most relevant question from those generated within the group can be picked by consensus)
  6. Question-choosing (sorting and classifying the questions generated by all groups as philosophical or otherwise; we will use a quadrant to do this; one philosophical question is chosen by the whole class on a vote)
  7. First thoughts (on the question chosen by students in the class)
  8. Inquiry (students may sit in a circle and inquire on the question while the teacher acts as a facilitator)
  9. Last words
  10. Review and evaluation of the process/content
]]> 2018-03-30 09:34:27 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247457163 THE P4C GUIDE gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247457673 2018-03-30 09:38:54 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247457673 OXFAM P4C TEACHER'S GUIDE gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247457885 2018-03-30 09:40:48 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247457885 PHILOSOPHICAL ENQUIRY ACTIVITY gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247458184 Thinking includes a number of important elements that a facilitator can model and encourage to provide forward movement in a discussion. The facilitator is there to provide positive cognitive interventions that help move the discussion forward.
During the discussion, the facilitator needs to be aware of opportunities to focus attention on the key elements of thinking.
These include:
  • Questioning – asking good questions to provide a focus for the inquiry.
  • Reasoning – requesting reasons or evidence to support arguments and judgements.
  • Defining – clarifying concepts through making connections, distinctions and comparisons.
  • Speculating – generating ideas and alternative viewpoints through imaginative thinking.
  • Testing for truth – gathering information, evaluating evidence, examples and counterexamples.
  • Expanding ideas – sustaining and extending lines of thought and argument.
  • Summarising – abstracting key points or general rules from a number of ideas or instances.
Strategies to extend and develop student thinking include:
  • Thinking time – encourage pauses for thought or some moments of quiet meditation on a topic. Remember to provide at least 3 seconds thinking time after you have asked a question and 3 seconds thinking time after a child gives an answer.
  • Think—pair—share – allow individual thinking time for a question, invite discussion of the question with a partner, then open up for class discussion.
  • Ask follow-ups – ask students to extend or qualify what they said by asking questions that challenge their thinking, such as ’Why?’, ‘Do you agree or disagree?’, ’Can you say more?’, ’Can you give an example?’, ’Describe how you arrived at that answer’.
  • Withhold judgement – respond to student answers in a non-evaluative way, e.g. a positive but neutral response such as ‘Thank you’, ‘Ok’, ‘That’s interesting’, ‘A-ha’, ‘I see’.
  • Invite the whole group to respond – encourage a response from the whole group by saying things such as; ‘How many people agree/disagree with that point of view?’ (hands/thumbs up, down or to side). You can also ask questions such as ‘Having heard that, what questions might we ask?’
  • Ask for a summary – promote active listening by asking for a summary of what has been said, e.g. ‘Could you summarise Kim’s point?’, ‘Can you explain what Jane has just said?’, ‘Can you tell me the arguments so far?’
  • Play devil’s advocate – challenge students to give reasons for their views by presenting opposing points of view, or by asking students to be devil’s advocates, e.g., ‘Who can think of a different point of view / an argument against that?’
  • Invite a range of responses – model open-mindedness by inviting students to consider different viewpoints: ‘There is no single correct answer to this question. I want you to consider alternatives’.
  • Encourage student questioning – invite students to ask their own questions before/during and/or after discussion. ’Does anyone have a question about what has been said?’, etc.

 


]]> 2018-03-30 09:43:35 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247458184 3.7 IDENTIFYING PHILOSOPICAL QUESTIONS gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247467399 2018-03-30 11:21:18 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/247467399 4.1: WRITING TO LEARN gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248401499 To develop the skills of arguing, demonstrating, explaining one's own thought and work path is a crucial activity in research, both in the mathematical and scientific field and in the humanistic field. I completely agree with Dr. Gunel on the importance of rational writing to improve specific language, to fix learning, and to make the thoughts clear and explicit]]> 2018-04-04 08:14:52 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248401499 2.6 TIPS AND ADVICE TO IMPLEMENT MY IBSE PROJECTS gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248406365 Pupils' interests and connection to their real life are the first aspects to consider when planning an IBSE project; then it's good idea to start with a small challenge, puzzling and intriguing to catch their attention. Experiments need to be easy to do, but formally correct on scientific basis. 
A brainstorming is excellent to formulate hypothesis, and working in small groups to practice and analyse the situation offers the opportunity to take a role and share ideas even to the weaker students.
From a teacher's point of view, planning an IBSE activity means planning and taking times, organizing spaces, preparing materials and giving feedback and scaffolding during the whole activity.]]> 2018-04-04 08:37:39 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248406365 THE EFFECTS OF WRITING TO LEARN ACTIVITIES ON STUDENTS' LEARNING OUTCOMES gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248407179 Theorists agree that writing can be a valuable tool for learning content because while writing students explore ideas, discover relationships, observe contrasts, sequence ideas, and process information (Fulwiler & Young, 1982). Moreover, Walshe (1987) concluded that writing activities increase the quality of learning by helping students clarify ideas and relationships between them. Parker and Goodkin (1987) claim that the physical act of writing has mental/cognitive consequences. As students write about information, they reconstruct the thinking process; they internalize the activity and meaningful learning occurs.

Some studies (e.g., Bangert-Drowns, Hurley, & Wilkinson, 2004; Gunel, Hand, & Prain, 2007; Sampson, Enderle, Grooms, & Witte, 2013; Uzoglu, 2010) have shown that writing to learn activities have significant effects on:

  • Achievement scores
  • Attitudes towards science
  • Scientific process skills
  • Conceptual understanding
  • Scientific literacy
  • Self-responsible learning
  • Argumentation skills
  • The use of multiple modes of representation
  • Peer interaction
  • Critical thinking and problem solving skills.
]]> 2018-04-04 08:40:54 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248407179 4.2 How do writing to learning activities contribute to students' results gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248408459 The activity of writing requires concentration, order, check on structure, language, spelling. Putting ideas, concepts, intuitions in words help students to better understand the processes and not only the results and to interconnect information]]> 2018-04-04 08:46:51 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248408459 4.3 Evaluating wrinting to learn examples gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248409080 The idea of writing a letter or a poem on a scientific experiment is interesting and has many different aspects: in such a culture as the Italian one, still based on humanistic studies, it connects Literature to Science, in a perspective of  relationships among two worlds that are stille considered distant
.]]> 2018-04-04 08:49:59 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248409080 4.9 BIBLIOGRAPHY gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248417494
  • Baker, W. P. et al. (2008). Writing-to-learn in the inquiry-science classroom: Effective strategies from middle school science and writing teachers. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 81(3), 105-108.
  • Balgopal, M. M., & Wallace, A. M. (2009). Decisions and dilemmas: Using writing to learn activities to increase ecological literacy. The Journal of Environmental Education, 40(3), 13-26.
  • Bangert-Drowns, R. L., Hurley, M. M., & Wilkinson, B. (2004). The effects of school-based writing-to-learn interventions on academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 29-58.7
  • Britton, J., Burgess, T., Martin, N., McLeod, A., & Rosen, H. (1975). The development of writing abilities (11–18). London: Macmillan.
  • Connally, P. (1989). Writing and the ecology of learning. In P. Connally & T. Vilardi (Eds.), Writing to learn mathematics and science (pp. 1-15). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
  • Freisinger, R. A. (1980). Cross-disciplinary writing workshops: Theory and practice. College English, 42, 154-166.
  • Fulwiler, T., & Young, A. (Eds.). (1982). Language connections: Writing and reading across the curriculum. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers.
  • Gunel, M., Hand, B., & Gunduz, S. (2006). Comparing student understanding of quantum physics when embedding multimodal representations into two different writing formats: Presentation format versus summary report format. Science Education, 90(6), 1092-1112.
  • Gunel, M., Hand, B., & Prain, V. (2007). Writing for learning in science: A secondary analysis of six studies. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 5(4), 615-637.
  • Keys, C. W. (1999). Revitalizing instruction in scientific genres: Connecting knowledge production with writing to learn in science. Science Education, 83(2), 115-130.
  • Parker, R. P., & Goodkin, V. (1987). The consequences of writing: Enhancing learning in the disciplines. Upper Montclair, NJ: Boynton/Cook Publishers Inc.
  • Rivard, L. P. (1994). A review of writing to learn in science: Implications for practice and research. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 31, 969-983.
  • Sampson, V., Enderle, P., Grooms, J., & Witte, S. (2013). Writing to learn by learning to write during the school science laboratory: Helping middle and high school students develop argumentative writing skills as they learn core ideas. Science Education, 97(5), 643-670.
  • Uzoglu, M. (2010). Ogrenme amaçlı yazma aktivitelerinin kullanımının ilköğretim seviyesinde kuvvet ve madde ünitesini öğrenmeye etkisi [Effects of using writing to learn activities on learning force and matter units in the primary education level] (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
  • Walshe, R. D. (1987). The learning power of writing. The English Journal, 76(6), 22-27.
  • Yore, L. D. (2000). Enhancing science literacy for all students with embedded reading instruction and writing-to-learn activities. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 5(1), 105-122.


    • ]]>     2018-04-04 09:25:37 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248417494     4.1 WRITING TO LEARN: A BRIEF EXPLANATION gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248417938 During the first half of this module, we will look at writing to learn activities. These are short writing tasks for students that help them think through key concepts and definitions of a certain topic. It allows them to adapt the information in a way that is comfortable for them, hence helping them to learn.

    Incorporating informal writing strategies into all the subject area disciplines is known as writing to learn (Connally, 1989; Rivard, 1994). There is a wide range of writing strategies that can be used in learning and teaching processes. These activities can generally be grouped into three groups according to the affective and cognitive engagement:

    • Poetic forms
    • Expressive forms
    • Transactional forms


    Poetic writing can be defined as the language of novels and poems. The aim of writing poetry is to separate yourself from action and to think reflectively about experiences and feelings.

    Expressive writing both includes information and reflections about that information. Since expressive writing is usually done informally, without concern for the judgment of others, the writer may concentrate on making connections with prior knowledge, clarifying understanding, and otherwise “explaining the matter to oneself” (Britton et al., 1975, p. 28). Because expressive writing can be a very powerful tool for associating concepts with language, it has come to be known as writing to learn (Connally, 1989).

    Transactional writing, which is mostly used by science writers, is characterized by the voice of the participant in action. Transactional forms of writing have often been called “writing to inform” or “writing to communicate” (Freisinger, 1980).

    Please watch the following video interviews with prof. Dr. Murat Gunel to discover more about writing to learn activities: what exactly is the connection between writing and learning, how these activities are connected to science education and how to assess them. After watching the videos, please let us know your opinion in the Padlet below.
    ]]>     2018-04-04 09:27:43 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248417938     4.1 WRITING TO LEARN: A BRIEF EXPLANATION gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248418863 During the first half of this module, we will look at writing to learn activities. These are short writing tasks for students that help them think through key concepts and definitions of a certain topic. It allows them to adapt the information in a way that is comfortable for them, hence helping them to learn.

    Incorporating informal writing strategies into all the subject area disciplines is known as writing to learn (Connally, 1989; Rivard, 1994). There is a wide range of writing strategies that can be used in learning and teaching processes. These activities can generally be grouped into three groups according to the affective and cognitive engagement:

    • Poetic forms
    • Expressive forms
    • Transactional forms
    Poetic writing can be defined as the language of novels and poems. The aim of writing poetry is to separate yourself from action and to think reflectively about experiences and feelings.

    Expressive writing both includes information and reflections about that information. Since expressive writing is usually done informally, without concern for the judgment of others, the writer may concentrate on making connections with prior knowledge, clarifying understanding, and otherwise “explaining the matter to oneself” (Britton et al., 1975, p. 28). Because expressive writing can be a very powerful tool for associating concepts with language, it has come to be known as writing to learn (Connally, 1989).

    Transactional writing, which is mostly used by science writers, is characterized by the voice of the participant in action. Transactional forms of writing have often been called “writing to inform” or “writing to communicate” (Freisinger, 1980
    ]]>     2018-04-04 09:32:19 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248418863     4.1 WRITING TO LEARN: A BRIEF EXPLANATION gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248419191 During the first half of this module, we will look at writing to learn activities. These are short writing tasks for students that help them think through key concepts and definitions of a certain topic. It allows them to adapt the information in a way that is comfortable for them, hence helping them to learn.

    Incorporating informal writing strategies into all the subject area disciplines is known as writing to learn (Connally, 1989; Rivard, 1994). There is a wide range of writing strategies that can be used in learning and teaching processes. These activities can generally be grouped into three groups according to the affective and cognitive engagement:

    • Poetic forms
    • Expressive forms
    • Transactional forms
    Poetic writing can be defined as the language of novels and poems. The aim of writing poetry is to separate yourself from action and to think reflectively about experiences and feelings.

    Expressive writing both includes information and reflections about that information. Since expressive writing is usually done informally, without concern for the judgment of others, the writer may concentrate on making connections with prior knowledge, clarifying understanding, and otherwise “explaining the matter to oneself” (Britton et al., 1975, p. 28). Because expressive writing can be a very powerful tool for associating concepts with language, it has come to be known as writing to learn (Connally, 1989).

    Transactional writing, which is mostly used by science writers, is characterized by the voice of the participant in action. Transactional forms of writing have often been called “writing to inform” or “writing to communicate” (Freisinger, 1980
    ]]>     2018-04-04 09:34:10 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248419191     4.4 EVALUATION OF WRITING LEARNING ACTIVITIES gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248419763 Writing to learn activities promote students’ learning by improving their critical thinking skills. They also enhance students’ scientific literacy. At the end of the writing to learn activities, teachers can use the written products as an alternative measurement and assessment tool. As mentioned in earlier sections, there are various writing to learn activities such as journals, letters, lab reports, poems, diaries or stories. Therefore, each writing to learn activity can be evaluated from different perspectives with various rubrics. Rubrics are provided below with a brief explanation.

    • Science journals could be evaluated with respect to different themes, such as science vocabulary, accuracy, organization, content, model representation, self-reflection, etc. Find some examples of rubrics with which to evaluate science journals in Appendix A, Appendix B, and Appendix C.
    • Letters could be evaluated with respect to cognitive actions, such as observation, measurement, comparison, analogy, clarification, claim, cause/effect, induction/generalization, deduction, investigation design and argumentation. Find a rubric to be used for text analysis of letters in Appendix D.
    • There are various templates one can use to write lab reports. In the science writing heuristic (SWH) approach, students use a template as in Appendix E. This template could be evaluated with respect to different themes, such as (a) the quality of questions, claims, and evidence, (b) the relationship between claim and evidence, (c) the quality of the argument, etc. Find a rubric with which to evaluate the student template of SWH in Appendix F.
    • Poems could be evaluated with respect to different themes, such as form, word usage, poetic elements, language conventions, effort, illustration, etc. Find a rubric with which to evaluate poems in Appendix G.


    ]]>     2018-04-04 09:36:59 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/248419763     4.8 RUBRICS gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/249703701 I normally use rubistar4teachers.org to set my rubrics.
    Here's an example created to assess a Science exhibit: https://bit.ly/2GMkryD

    MCLEARES  rubrcs are an interesting tool: I'm planning to use them next year. Thanks for sharing them!

    ]]>     2018-04-09 09:34:36 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/249703701     MY LEARNING DESIGNER gaialombardi69 https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/250623481 2018-04-11 09:50:02 UTC https://padlet.com/gaialombardi69/9k51ndfmdmcb/wish/250623481