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Modules developed by the partners of PARSEL

Avi Hofstein, Rachel Mamlok-Naaman, Ron Blonder and Mira Kipnis

Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

The symposium is part of an EU project (PARSEL), which involves researchers from eight institutions

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Rationale

Popularity and Relevance of Science of Science Education for Scientific Literacy

To promote scientific literacy

To enhance popularity and relevance of science teaching and learning

Relevant chemistry studies have the potential of increasing students' motivation to study science

(Fensham, 2004)

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We are trying to add to the richness of science education material within a country.

Possibly we stimulate the creation of materials, based on our exemplars styles (within the country in the future).

We are NOT trying to change the curriculum – although we may help the implementation of science teaching to better match the curriculum intentions.

What we are trying to do?

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PARSEL with respect to Education

FromToScience taught to enable students to become scientists

Science taught for responsible citizenship/careers

Science education emphasising “basic” or “fundamental” (19th Century?) cognitive concepts

Increased emphasis on relevance, argumentation, working together to drive cognitive learning

Science as an isolated school subject

Inter-disciplinarity between school subjects

Teacher centred approach, limited feedback

Student centred approaches for greater feedback for the teacher

Emphasis on summative tests and examinations

More attention to formative, on-going assessment

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Method

Develop

Test

Disseminate

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University of Ionnina

Teaching –learning module compiled by the PARSEL consortium as part of an EC FP6 funded project (SAS6-CT-2006-042922-PARSEL) on

Popularity and Relevance of Science Education for scientific Literacy

Examples of modules developed by the partners of PARSEL

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Examples of modules developed by the partners of PARSEL

Preventing Holes in Teeth – are Beliefs Justified?

A grade 8-9 science (biology) module on tooth decay and its

prevention (Tartu/Estonia, 5 lessons)

Ways into the Microscopic World “What happens with the ice-

blocks in my softdrink?”

Properties of substances (chemistry), states of aggregation, 5th to

6th grade (Berlin/Germany, 2 lessons)

Which cleaning agent do we choose?

Characteristics of Cleaning agent (Science for all). Grade level: 8-9.

(Lund/Sweden, 4 lessons)

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What is a fair insurance premium?A grade 10-12 (mathematics) module on MathematicalModeling (Odense/Denmark, 4-12 lessons)How much Champagne could you afford? Caluclation of volumes, part per Million as an use of volume-calculation. A grade 8-9 mathmatics module on getting scientific information (Kiel/Germany, 2 lessons)Shall we create new organisms? A 9th to 12th grades student’s module for use in Biology; Integrated Sciences and Science for Public Understanding curricular areas.

(Lisbon/Portugal, 4 lessons)    

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Bathing and bubbling with chemistryGetting to know bath bubblers, their composition, What ingredients are used in products that we use in everyday life, such as the bath bubblers? Also to know the role/function of the ingredients. Also, we can extend the topic to effervescent medical tablets, their function of which is based on the same principle. Baking products such as baking soda are an integral part of this activity. The activity provides the oportunity to study acid-base chemistry, and in particluar the neutralisation reaction, 9th to 11th grade (Ioannina/Greece, 3-4 teaching periods at school)

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Should Vegetable Oils be used as a Fuel?

A grade 10-12 science (chemistry) material on making and testing

Biodiesel as a Fuel (ICASE/UK, 5 lessons)

How can I design a cellular phone that is

safer to use?

A grade 10-11 science (science in context in society, design-based

science) module on Electromagnetic radiation (Rehovot/Israel, 2

lessons)  

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Three stage Model

The modules set out to meet a 3 stage model geared to :

Establishing relevance (stage 1) - setting the scene

Acquiring science concepts and problem solving abilities (stage 2) - Inquiry-based problem solving

Learning socio-scientific decision making skills while

reinforcing the transference of the underlying science concepts to the everyday life situation (stage 3) – Socio-Scientific decision making

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Front page

Title Abstract Sections included Overall objectives / competencies Curriculum content Kind of activity Anticipated time Prior Learning Overall view

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University of Ionnina

A grade 10-11 science (science in context in society, design-based science) module on Electromagnetic radiation

How can I design a cellular phone that is safer to use?

Teaching –learning module compiled by the PARSEL consortium as part of an EC FP6 funded project (SAS6-CT-2006-042922-PARSEL) on

Popularity and Relevance of Science Education for scientific Literacy

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Front page

Abstract

In this activity students are introduced to the design project and they are provided with an overview of some of the activities they will be participating in. This lesson introduces the context of their design project and it provides the motivation to hook them into being interested in the project. Students watch an ABC news video on cell phone safety and they participate in an activity that has them evaluating the facts and opinions found in the video. The teacher gives an overview of the design process and the students participate in an activity that introduces them to the concept of a target market. Students end this lesson by creating their first concept sketch of their ideas and getting feedback in a pin up.

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Front page

Sections included 1. Student activities

(for the students) Describes the scenario in more detail and the tasks the students should perform

2. Teaching guide Suggests a teaching approach

3. Assessment Gives suggested formative assessment strategies

4. Teacher notes States the theoretical physics and gives the expected calculations

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Front page

Overall Objectives/Competencies The students are expected to:

* understand the project’s goals and objectives * understand the design process * understand the concept of a target market produce their first concept drawing

Curriculum content: Electromagnetic radiation

Kind of activity: Critical reading and group activity

Anticipated time: 4 lessons

Prior Learning: not required

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Front page

Overall view

This unique teaching-learning material is intended to guide the teacher towards promoting students’ scientific literacy by recognizing learning in 4 domains – intellectual development, the process and nature of science, personal development and social development.

Its uniqueness extends to an approach to science lessons which is designed to be popular and relevant. For this the approach is intentionally from society to science and attempts to specifically meet student learning needs.

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This uniqueness is specifically exhibited by:

a society related and issue-based title (supported in the student guide by a scenario(

student-centered emphasis on scientific problem solving, encompassing the learning of a range of educational and scientific goals

including socio-scientific decision making to relate the science acquired to societal needs for responsible citizenship

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Materials for students

Scenario

Tasks

Decision making

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Materials for students

Scenario (Stage 1)

In this project you will be examining a common communications device – the cellular phone: How does a cellular phone work? What is electromagnetic radiation? How do we hear sound from a cellular phone? Are there any health risks associated with using a cellular phone? You will examine some information about cell phones from the text embedded in your tasks, and from internet websites recommended by your teacher.

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Stage 2

Stage two dealt with the way in which

telephones function, and during stage

three, the students had to examine some

information about cell phones from ABC

news and decide what some safety issues

when using cellular phones are.

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Tasks (Stage 2)

Task 1

What are the alleged dangers of using a cell phone? Describe at least one below.

What kind of radiation does a cell phone use to communicate?

Where have you heard of this radiation before?

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Task 2. How do telephones work?

Every telephone has four basic functional parts: a microphone, a speaker, a transmission unit and a dialing unit.

The teacher will divide you into small groups: Each group will elaborate on each concept – microphone, speaker, transmission unit and dialing unit.

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Stage 3

Task 3

Today you will examine some information about cell phones from ABC news and decide what are some safety issues when using cellular phones.

General Instructions: Dear student, please refer to the followingarticle

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Wireless worries?

New Studies Call for More Research,

Some Scientists Say 20/20 arranged

for a leading research laboratory in Europe

to conduct tests on five popular cell phone

models to determine how much microwave

radiation can be absorbed into the

head of a cell phone user, depending

on how the phones are held.

(ABCNEWS) By Brian Ross

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Task 3. Class Brainstorm on Cell Phone Safety

Facts versus opinions. In any controversial issue there are facts and there are opinions. Scientists use these two types of information differently.

What is a fact? What is opinion? Which kind of information is more reliable in science?

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The discussions which followed this activity involved almost all the students, since the issue is related to everybody's daily life, to health concerns and to decision making regarding the way of using cellular phones.

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Teaching guide

Rationale Goal Lessons overview Task description Scientific / technological background Teaching notes

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Teaching guide

Rationale

The curriculum, "How Do I Design a Cellular Phone that is Safer to Use?" was developed in the Center for Highly Interactive Computing in Education (Hi-ce) at the University of Michigan by one Israeli and two US science educators. Hi-ce has a history of involvement in science education reform in both urban and suburban settings. Over the course of the 1999-2000 school year, Hi-ce developed reform-focused science curricula. The development of the science curricula was only one component in a larger project called the Primary Sources Network (PSN), a federally funded Technology Innovation Challenge Grant.

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Teaching guide

Goal

The goal of this learning set is to:

Introduce students to the project’s goals and objectives Provide an overview of the design process for the students

Introduce the students to the concept of a target market

Have the students produce their first concept drawing

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Teaching guide

Lessons Overview

Class 1 1. Assign students to new teams 2. Project goals and objectives 3. ABC News video & reading 4. Defining design slide show 5. Initial concept sketch

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Teaching guide

Task description

In this activity students are introduced to the design project and they are provided with an overview of some of the activities they will be participating in. This lesson introduces the context of their design project and it provides the motivation to hook them into being interested in the project. Students participate in an activity that has them evaluating the facts and opinions found in the video. The teacher gives an overview of the design process and the students participate in an activity that introduces them to the concept of a target market. Students end this lesson by creating their first concept sketch of their ideas and getting feedback in a pin up.

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Teaching guide

Background: How do telephones work?

Every telephone has four basic functional parts: a

microphone, a speaker, a transmission unit and a

dialing unit.

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Teaching guide

Teacher notes

Additional suggestions:

*Students’ activities

*A breakdown of a conventional phone + a

cellular phone

*A breakdown of a speaker.

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Assessment tool

Lesson 1

Assign students to teams of four. For this first activity it is okay to randomly

assign students to teams since everyone is new. You may find that you need to rearrange teams if people are not being productive or not getting along.

Tell the students that these teams will exist for the first project and that they will get new teams for the second project. In the second project you can let people have some choice on teams.

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Lesson 2

A. Pass out the document “Cell phones goals and objectives”

Explain to the students that this new project will have

them working with a familiar technology that has some controversial issues associated with it. Have the students read along while you read the first paragraph to them.

Have the students write their team members names on this form. (We will return to this document at the end of the lesson.)

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Modules assessment

Students SD questionnaires Teachers open questionnaires Interviews Different assessment tools by the

different partners

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PARSEL dissemination activities in Israel

10 PARSEL teachers: 3 meeting of 8 hours each, followed by personal work with us

2 hours meeting during a teacher's workshop in Davidson, January 2008, 25 leading teachers

2 hours meeting during a teacher's workshop in the north, February 2008, 30 chemistry teachers

2 hours meeting of the chemistry group at the Weizmann institute

4 hours meeting in a workshop of science and technology teachers in Shelomi (North), 30 teachers

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Up-scaling PARSEL

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Preliminary results

Question: Can you please indicate some differences between the PARSEL modules and regular science curriculum?Answers We are more active… We work in small groups… We can advice our parents about dental products… We feel that it's connected to life. It has an issue, a

subject… We can apply the knowledge. We learn about atoms

and ions, but it has a meaning…

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Leibniz Institute for Science Education - Germany

University of Tartu - Estonia Weizmann Institute of

Science - Israel University of Lisbon - Portugal Lund University - Sweden University of Southern

Denmark - Odense - Denmark Freie Universität Berlin -

Germany University of Ioannina -

Greece ICASE (Hatfield, Herts) - UK

Many thanks to the PARSEL partners!

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Thank you for your attention!