Category Archives: 2.3 Pedagogical Theories & Practice

Science: How does it work?

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Today’s Science input showed me that as an adult we don’t tend to question why things are the way they are. This is something which has been explored within the International Baccalaureate module which encourages teachers to engage children’s natural curiosity and facilitate inquiries. Yet, this isn’t often something adults do for themselves!

Liz asked us to discuss the function of the wax of a candle today and I was surprised that this is something I had never actually pondered…how does that work? It got me thinking like a child again. Well how does the car move or why does the world look all wavy when its hot? These were things I asked when I was younger and had explained to me, perhaps not incredibly scientifically but my parents tried their best!

The organic nature of curiosity and wonderings is crucial to all types of learning and I believe it should be at the heart of Science in order to make it relevant and purposeful for the children. This draws on the constructivist theory which starts with the knowledge already possessed by an individual and sees misconceptions lead to the development of further understanding.

By creating a ‘wonder wall’ where children can share their questions and ideas teachers can base their lessons within Science and  any other curricular areas on the genuine interests of the children. By following through inquiries which are built on a topic of interest children are more likely to be truly engaged and immersed in the experience and more interested in the findings.

Science can become part of the day to day workings of the classroom in a way that it currently is not. Rather than a rarely dusted off box of electrical circuits or test tubes why not rely on the curiosity of your class, it may even teach you a thing or two!

 

As a side note:

The investigation conducted today within class was a success. My group and I worked together to over come confusion relating to some poorly drawn instructions and were able to conclude a controlled experiment which was planned using cleverly designed planning boards. This is definitely something I would use with a class to help them structure their ideas and wonderings prior to an experiment as well as to enable them to understand the correct procedures required to achieve a controlled experiment.

Eins, zwei, drei…

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German is a language I am familiar with. I am by no means fluent in it but I have been exposed to it throughout my school career. By primary 6 I was being taught the basics and I continued with my learning until S4.

The problem was that when I transitioned into high school my prior learning was not valued. I was to start again from the beginning until I was ‘set’ in terms of my ability! As a result all this time later the elements of the German language that have stayed with me are the basics and not the complex grammar and vocabulary I was taught in later years.

Furthermore when I was given the opportunity to visit Germany in my third year at High School I found that none of what I was learning, from a seriously outdated and a little bit stereotypical textbook, was completely irrelevant to life within the country. I didn’t know how to read a train timetable or ask where the toilet was. I found it difficult to order food in restaurants and in one particular incident I was forced, by my lack of vocabulary, to order an orange flavoured ice cream! Another memorable occasion when my German skills lacked was on a trip to a theme park. My friend and I were attempting to order chips and asked for: ‘Ein Pommes, bitte.’ The German man serving us proceeded to place a single chip on a plate and laugh at us.

The point I am trying to make here, other than that my German is severely lacking, is that we need to be equipping our children with the same level of language education as other countries across Europe and the World give to theirs. Why is it that our children reach secondary school and use modern languages as a chance to chat and muck around? Why is it that we, as British people, think that there is no need for us to learn another language? Where did this idea that ‘Everyone else speaks English anyway!’ come from? When in actual fact ‘75% of the world’s population do not speak English, and only 6% of the world’s population speak English as the mother tongue.’

The 1+2 scheme appears to be a step in the right direction in terms of changing Scotland’s approach to learning other languages. The idea of starting from a young age is sensible and mimics the approach of various other countries who are successfully producing bilingual children. The addition of a third language (or second additional language) in middle and upper stages is a great way of introducing children to new cultures and providing them with further opportunities. With this being said, at a time of economic trouble, is it really feasible to provide the resources needed to accommodate for children with mother tongues other than English? Or to train staff up to a standard to be able to teach a language in enough depth…or to have a grasp of more than one additional language?

I know that for me German is all I know, and as I expressed above I don’t know an awful lot! I don’t think I’d feel entirely comfortable if I was to be teaching a class French or Spanish or any other language. Is it down to myself as a teacher to pursue this and increase my knowledge base as I would do in any other curricular area? Or is it the responsibility of individual schools or councils to provide training to their staff?

In terms of our language inputs within university I am enjoying the refresher they are giving my dusty old German vocab! I would have perhaps liked to learn French instead so that I had a basic knowledge of both of these languages but due to staffing issues this was not possible. The German inputs are interesting and collaborative. By sharing teaching ideas we are building up each other’s repertoires of resources for teaching foreign languages, not just German!

The use of rhyme, songs and games and their role in introducing children to a new language or new vocabulary is discussed within Teaching Foreign Languages in the Primary School (Kirsch, C. 2008.) The repetition and rhythm within these types of activities is key to embedding language within our classroom and within our children. So far within our inputs we have covered Greetings, Numbers and Age. These are the types of things I still remember from my own language learning experience.

One of my main wonderings is what types of things do children in successfully bilingual countries teach their children and at what age? Is starting with this type of content relevant now that we are choosing to start teaching it so much earlier? And to what level must teachers be at within their own understanding of languages in order to facilitate progressive learning from Primary 1 right through to Primary 7?

 

 

MA2 New Beginnings.

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As summer draws to an end its time to take stock of what has changed since I first started university one year ago…

Reflecting on how I have changed as a student, a trainee teacher and a person as a result of my experiences over the past year has been insightful.

During welcome week I remember feeling nervous and excited. I was unsure if I could succeed at university and as a teacher. Had I made the right decision to leave the stability of my full time job to pursue a new vocation?

Lectures were a challenge and I felt like I was swimming out of my depth for the first few weeks. I hadn’t studied since leaving high school four years previously and I had forgotten where to begin.

The prospect of placement felt incredibly daunting. How would I, someone so self-conscious, stand up in front of a room full of people and teach?

Yet here I am one year on readying myself for my first day of MA2 feeling excited and incredibly motivated.

My placement was an amazing experience and I was given some excellent feedback. I feel as though I am returning to my studies with a solid foundation upon which to grow. I now have a context upon which to base all future learning. How will this information change how I teach? What could I do differently within my practice to better engage the learners? I shall constantly refer back to placement within my personal reflections because that is the point from which I need to grow.

I am incredibly excited to be studying the IB elective this year and have already begun to explore what this might mean for my future practice. The theory behind the IB excites me and cause me to reflect on my pedagogy. The ideas surrounding authentic inquiry caused me to reflect on some of my placement lessons and consider ways I could have adapted the lesson to allow the children to lead their own investigations.

I believe that MA2 is going to be an eye opening experience for me and one that enables me to find out more about myself as a teacher.

Good luck to everyone this semester!

Our Understanding of Scientific Literacy.

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Following our last science input Lauren Summers, Amy Turner, Sarah Stewart and myself have been working collaboratively to produce a piece of writing that reflects our understanding of Scientific Literacy. This exercise helped to increase our understanding of this concept and gave us an opportunity to work with fellow students who we may not have had much interaction with previously. It is important as we grow and develop as professionals that we take on board the opinions of others and build our confidence working in groups like this. We each took responsibility for a different section of the paper:

Lauren Summers: Section 1- What is Scientific Literacy?

Amy Turner: Section 2- An example of inaccurate media reporting.

Sarah Stewart: Section 3- Fair testing.

Hannah Stillwell: Proof Reading and Referencing.

Scientific Literacy.

Scientific literacy is the theory of scientific approaches and developments which uses written, numerical and digital literacy in order to help people gain a better understanding of science. It has begun to be viewed as the primary goal of school science and can be described as ‘what the general public ought to know about science’ (Durant, 1993, p.129).

Jenkins (1994) talks about ‘Scientific Literacy’ as implying ‘an appreciation of the nature, aims and general limitations of science, coupled with some understanding of the more important scientific ideas” (p.5345). Through using scientific literacy people are now being able to question, discover and calculate the answers to queries that have come about as a result of people’s interest in everyday experiences.

‘A scientifically literate student is able to apply their knowledge of scientific concepts and processes to the evaluation of issues and problems that may arise and to the decisions that they make in their daily life, about the natural world and changes made to it through human activity’ (NSW Department of Education and Communities, 2011)

There have been many different news articles that have incorrectly reported ‘discoveries in scientific research’. One of the most recent examples is of a ‘new planet’ that was supposedly discovered in our solar system.

Amanda Watts (2016) reported that ‘Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have found evidence in the outer solar system of an object that could be a real ninth planet.’ This article strongly implied that a new planet had been discovered arousing much excitement in the scientific community.

A reporter for the Daily Mirror, Jasper Hamill (2016), then refuted this claim by quoting NASA’s director of planetary science, Jim Green, as having said that although this was ‘the start of a process that could lead to an exciting result it is not, however, the detection of a new planet.’

This goes to show that what we read in the media may not always be firmly backed up by scientific research. This once again highlights the importance of one’s own scientific literacy in being able to compare sources and not just belief the incorrectly reported scientific discoveries that the media portray as being fact.

As previously mentioned, scientific literacy is when an individual has the capacity to use their own scientific knowledge to identify queries which arise in everyday life and to relate these to their own experiences allowing them to come to a sound conclusion.

A fair test is when an experiment is carried out in a controlled manner with each variable being strictly monitored.  Within a fair test only one variable must change whilst everything else about the experiment stays the same.  In order to know which variable must change and which variables must be constant one requires a level of scientific literacy.

To know how and why the variables must be kept the same also requires a person to be scientifically literate as they must understand the theory behind the experiment.

Scientific literacy also allows an individual to form a hypothesis for their experiment by drawing on their own experience and by researching and problem solving for themselves.

References.

Dunne, M. and Peacock, A. (2011) Primary Science: A guide to Teaching Practice. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

Durant, J.R, 1993. ‘What is Scientific Literacy?’  Science and culture in Europe, Edited by: Durant, J.R and Gregory, J. 129-137. London: Science Museum.

Hamill, Jasper. (2016) NASA speaks out about ‘Planet 9’ discovery – and it’s bad news for everyone. Available at: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/nasa-speaks-out-planet-9-7223625 (Accessed: 1/2/2016).

Jenekins, E.W. 1994. ‘Scientific Literacy.’ The International Encyclopaedia of Education, 2nd ed. Edited by: Hunsen, T. and Postlethwaite, T.N. Vol.9, 5345-5350. London: Pergamon.

National Science and Education Standards (1996) Scientific Literacy. Available at: http://www.literacynet.org/science/scientificliteracy.html (Accessed on: 11/02/2016)

NSW Department of Education and Communities. (2011) What is Scientific Literacy? Available at: http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/investigate/ (Accessed on: 11/02/2016)

Science Buddies (2016) Variables for Beginners. Available at: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_experiment_fair_test.shtml (Accessed on: 11/02/2016)

Watts, Amanda. (2016) Ninth planet may have been discovered, researchers say. Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/20/us/possible-ninth-planet/ (Accessed: 1/2/2016).

Art: Processes, Materials and MESS!!

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I really enjoyed getting stuck into my first Art input this morning and it was certainly a great way to start the day! Fiona McGarry allowed us to experiment with a vast array of materials that would likely be found within a primary school. We were to think about different ways we could use each material as well as the level of enjoyment we got out of it.

The different stations included collage/paper mache, paints, charcoals/chalks and oil pastels/wax crayons. Each table left me feeling so inspired in terms of lesson ideas and art processes I could teach to primary children.20160127_140407

At the collage table I experimented with different techniques and created different textures by moving from layering torn pieces of paper to balling up paper to create a 3D images. The different types of paper available at this table was also great as I could try out how a technique worked with crepe paper and compare and contrast this by trying the same thing using shiny mirrored paper for example. This helped me to learn about the different properties of each material.

I found that using the chalk was incredibly satisfying especially on black paper. I also noted the different ways I could work with chalk, creating bold lines as well as smudging and blending. With the oil pastels I tried some scraping as well as noting their water resistant quality while attempting to use water soluble pencils over the top of them.20160127_140509

All of these experiences are ones we want our pupils to be having and we should endeavor to frame our art lessons around these types of experiences rather than around a particular activity we think would be ‘fun’.

 

Lights, Camera, Action!

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After I overcame my initial trepidation I found my first drama workshop to be fun and informative. Nikki Doig opened my eyes to the many ways in which drama can be utilized to enhance learning across all areas of the curriculum as well as showcasing the importance of learning drama itself.

The part of the input that really stuck with me was when Nikki asked half of us to create a Tableaux, a group still image which is built up individually each person reacting to the actions of the others to create a frozen scene that tells an intricate story. The theme for our Tableaux, as chosen by Nikki, was a World War 2 scene depicting the evacuees being seen off by their families. I found this to be quite moving as the emotions captured within the image were really brought to life through ‘thought tracking’. Thought tracking is used to allow participants within a Tableaux, and other drama techniques, to voice what they think their character would be thinking or feeling at that point in time. Hearing the responses of other participants as Nikki tapped them on the shoulder left me feeling quite somber and I realised just how powerful these techniques could be in helping children to empathise. file6251251825692

If these techniques are utilized effectively they could enhance learning in subjects such as history, language, geography…the list goes on. Allowing children to use their knowledge to act out a scene in history or a fairytale they’ve read or events in far off lands gives them an opportunity to think more deeply about what they have learned, to think about how they would feel in these positions or in these places.

In order to facilitate effective learning like this as a teacher I need to establish drama ground rules with my class. This can be referred to as a drama contract and sets out what is expected of the children from the time they enter the lesson to when they leave. After watching the video Nikki sent us I have seen just how key the element of structure is to effective drama lessons. Within the clip they talk about the ‘Three C’s’ that they use with children to keep control. These stand for:

  • Communication
  • Cooperation
  • Concentration

They discuss the idea that if a drama lesson breaks down it usually relates back to one of these three key issues. The rules I would set out for my class would be something like this:

  • We sit quietly in our circle to start and end.
  • We wear our gym kit so we can move freely.
  • We listen carefully to instructions.
  • We include everyone file00025399010

The use of a circle in drama can add structure by being the start and end position as well as the shape you adopt whenever you gather for instruction throughout the lesson. Children will learn quickly that if they aren’t cooperative in the starting circle that the lesson wont go any further. Listening to instruction is key to drama and is what keeps it from descending into free for all chaos. It is important to establish these expectations with the children from the start so that quality learning can take place.

Technology Resource.

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Following our second technologies ICT input I have spent a lot of time mucking about with the idea of ‘Fakebook.’ Introduced to us by Sharon, Fakebook is a great resource that can be utilised in a variety of different ways within the classroom.

This resource could be used to meet the following ICT outcomes:

I explore and experiment with the features and functions of computer technology and I can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts.

TCH 1-04a / TCH 2-04a

I can create, capture and manipulate sounds, text and images to communicate experiences, ideas and information in creative and engaging ways.

TCH 1-04b / TCH 2-04b

It provides children with the opportunity to learn safe practice on social media but can also be utilised to create links with historical figures they are currently learning about or to create/enhance creative writing opportunities within the classroom.

Below is the link to my Fakebook account:

http://www.classtools.net/FB/1386-6gdxjf

As you can see this example is very simplistic but there is a whole host of opportunities for the incorporation of this tool into classroom practice.

 

My Maths Problems Solved.

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Maths is something I have always been praised for being good at, both from my parents and from teachers. My experience of maths was for the most part a positive one in that I was always in the top group and when I moved to high school I competed for the top three seats in the class. This being said it wasn’t something that I necessarily enjoyed!

I was just good at accepting what the teacher said and applying the set rules. Most of my maths revision even for Intermediate 2 was repetition. I would go over and over past papers applying what I had written in my notes until it sank in. I do recall other students saying things like ‘But why do we do that?’ and thinking ‘you just do!’

I always told myself that I liked maths because there was always one right answer but after our input with Tara I know that this is a ‘maths myth.’ Following her input I have become increasingly concerned with the way I was taught maths after reading ‘Mathematics explained for primary teachers’ by Haylock. I now recognise that my teachers didn’t explain the answer to the students who asked ‘But why do we do that?’ because they were most probably taught to just accept the answers in the same way I was.

In terms of teaching maths I now have some apprehension…I don’t want to set children up to fail by teaching in a prescriptive way which encourages mindless repetition and little engagement. I look forward to learning new approaches and techniques and I shall endeavour to apply them within my practice and look for new ways to explore maths with my pupils which engage them and encourage them to ask questions.

Dance- Lesson plan.

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Following our one and only dance input of MA1 I have decided to try planning my own dance lesson. The lesson I have planned is for a P5 class and the stimulus for the lesson is the seasons.

315964861384The different seasons conjure up different emotions, different associations etc. and I thought it would be interesting to explore these through dance.

Prior to the lesson which I have planned the children would have had 2 lessons focusing on the different types of movement and expression within dance, meeting the outcome EXA2-08a, as well as a class discussion on the stimulus of ‘Seasons’.

001 The lesson itself would meet the outcome:

‘Inspired by a range of stimuli, I can express my ideas, thoughts and feelings through creative work in dance.’ EXA2-09a.

The learning intention would be: To create a group dance/movement piece which is inspired by the seasons.

The success criteria:

  • To work effectively as part of a team listening to each others ideas of the thoughts and feelings which relate to ‘seasons’.
  • To contribute to your teams efforts by effectively expressing the thoughts and feelings discussed through dance, drawing on those used in previous lessons if needed.
  • To be able to rehearse a completed dance/movement piece as a team.

 

The overall lesson would last for around 1hr 15 minutes. ( A breakdown of my timings can be seen on the above image.)

I feel it would be important to have a consolidation lesson soon after the initial lesson allowing the children to perfect their routines and perhaps to include an element of performance working towards the outcome:

I have experienced the energy and excitement of presenting/performing for audiences and being part of an audience for other people’s presentations/performances.

EXA 0-01a / EXA 1-01a / EXA 2-01a

Drawing on one of the examples given by Nikki Doig within the dance input the children could be split in half with half of them being the audience and half performing. This removes some of the apprehension for the children of performing in front of their peers.

 

The input with Nikki highlighted some of my own apprehension over teaching dance. During my school career my only real connection with dance was mandatory social dancing at the end of each year. Since then I have found a love for exercise classes with a dance element such as Zumba but after an unfortunate accident I now suffer with an ankle injury which considerably restricts the things I am able to take part in.

During our dance input I went through mixed emotions feeling completely useless due to my injury and quite out of place. What this highlighted for me was the mixed emotions I will be faced with when I come to teach dance to my pupils. It is important then that I can demonstrate enthusiasm to my pupils regardless of my own hesitation and show them that despite any reservations they are having they can still have fun and take part.

A next step for me is to look into ways I can demonstrate movements of dance to my children even with my injury.

Social Studies- A Personal Audit.

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As a starting point for my work within Social Studies I have decided to audit my current knowledge using the CfE  Principles and Practice as a guide. These can be found here.

The first of which is that Children will:

  • develop their understanding of the history, heritage and culture of Scotland, and an appreciation of their local and national heritage within the world

In terms of my own learning:

  •  I grew up in Arbroath and was taught a lot about The Bellrock Lighthouse and the fishing community.
  • Coming from Angus meant a trip to Pictavia to learn all about the Picts, their battles and their culture.

The second is that Children will:

  • broaden their understanding of the world by learning about human activities and achievements in the past and present

In terms of my own learning:

  • In primary we studied the Vikings and the Victorians but I don’t recall any of the details!!
  • In secondary I took history at Higher and studied both the World Wars as well as German and British Political changes.
  • At Higher level I also learnt about Women’s Rights and the political reforms that led to them receiving the vote.

The third is that Children will:

  • develop their understanding of their own values, beliefs and cultures and those of others

In terms of my own learning:

  • I learnt a lot about values, beliefs and cultures within my study of RME, which I took to Higher level.
  • We also explored differences between cultures within history in the early years of high school.

The fourth is to:

  • develop an understanding of the principles of democracy and citizenship through experience of critical and independent thinking

In terms of my own learning:

  • Democracy in terms of the British Political system wasn’t something I had much interest in until 5th year. My Higher history teacher taught about the German political system so well that it encouraged me to learn more about the one which governs me.

The fifth is to:

  • explore and evaluate different types of sources and evidence

In terms of my own learning:

  • This was a crucial part of my Higher history course as well as within my studies of RME.

The sixth is to:

  • learn how to locate, explore and link periods, people and events in time and place

In terms of my own learning:

  • We often explored timelines within my primary school and up into secondary. We also linked topics in an attempt to better understand when events occurred in relation to one another.
  • In terms of place…I was never very good at geography and I don’t actually remember looking at many maps apart from when I was learning about the German Invasions within WW2.

The seventh:

  • learn how to locate, explore and link features and places locally and further afield

In terms of my own learning:

  • Again, I don’t really remember ever working with maps or learning about where places were in relation to me. I don’t recall primary topics ever linking in terms of history either.

The eighth:

  • engage in activities which encourage enterprising attitudes

In terms of my own learning:

  • At high school we took part in an enterprise day where we moved through groups and completed various tasks.

The ninth:

  • develop an understanding of concepts that encourage enterprise and influence business

In terms of my own learning:

  • Again, the only example I have is the above group task.

And finally:

  • establish firm foundations for lifelong learning and for further specialised study and careers.

In terms of my own learning:

  • I didn’t develop the skills I would have loved to have now like map reading, and plotting co-ordinates. I don’t have a great grasp of world geography either.

Overall I feel it is my duty as a trainee teacher to broaden my knowledge and skills. This audit has shown that my own learning has been restricted in fields such as geography and I have a stronger skill set in terms of history and modern studies. Now that I know this I plan to buy myself a globe or a world map so that I can build up an understanding of where the UK is in relation to the world. Every time I listen to a news article I shall endeavour to find the country being mentioned. Further more I shall use internet resources and television documentaries as well as trips and visits to broaden my knowledge of all these areas so that I can deliver a quality teaching experience to my pupils.