Reflection on the science conference

Going to this science conference for 3 days with Edie has been very valuable and eye-opening experience. I really did not know what to expect for this conference and I feel that I have learnt so much about what science learning is about and what Edie has been trying to work on with the support from Royal Society Te Aparangi.

Sharing our science experience with others and listening to other people experiences have been really beneficial to understand how we can teach science and get the children to feel really excited and be engaged in the science experiences.

There were a lot of opportunities to discuss, share ideas and hear thought provoking ideas, and I really enjoyed this part. I like how Jen said about how teachers say that science is everywhere, but we as teachers have professional responsibilities to teach our children and that we need to know what we are about to teach.

Over the 3 days, I thought a lot about myself as a teacher, science teaching and science in our school. I have never really thought myself as a science person, someone who is really interested in science although I do have some interest areas like sustainability, insects and looking after our environment. If I really want my children to think like a scientist or act like a scientist, first of all, I need to establish their ideas about scientists. Then, we can establish and explore our ideas about scientist. When we know that we are all scientists and we all do what scientists do in our daily lives, I can then use the language like "I like the way you are thinking like a scientist!" Using words like observing, describing, and gathering data in my practice is also really important so that it is explicit teaching and they will understand what these actions mean. I feel that I know where I want to start from next year with my new group of children to explore science in a more explicit way.

Listening to Edie and sharing ideas with her has been so valuable and I have learnt so much from her for the last 3 days and have felt her passion in teaching science. I didn't know how much time and effort Edie has put in order to create the past unit plans. It was so great to work together to develop the next year's unit and we were very excited to share this with our group and get some feedback.

Online Citizen Science Projects

How do we get them to do science practically to teach astronomy?

5 science capabilities for learning

Online Citizen Science
helping real scientists do things

Looking at science process
p- professional
c-citizens

Relationships how the dips happen, long/short string 

Science Capabilities- Gather/Interpret data 

                       Use Evidence 

                             Critique evidence 

                                       Interpret representation 

                                   Engage with science 

Karakia 

Science teaching leadership programme

Science- taking time to take it in, observing, being able to describe what they see

Start with what we know before starting introducing a topic.

Science table: what would you have on the science tables?

OYLA magazines: Scanning, can be used for all the levels even though there are technological terms
When the teachers are engaged, the children are also feeling excited and get engaged.
Warehouse stationary: film canisters
Hands on things are really important for all children, but how do you engage parents and local communities? Inviting astronomy people come in and present a presentation.


Having a folder that we can have access to Edie's experiments?

Collaboration in science -working together to create a unit.

comparing data, challenging each other's findings

Science learning hub - great site to go and learn
Children go and research on their own- developing their wonderings?

Using the language of scientists
Teaching maths through the same topic

Blake inspire for teachers
Squawk squad

The electric garden: recording a process of planting/growing

Discussions: Covering all 5 contents (Nature of science, Living world, Planet earth and beyond, Physical world, Material world).


Authentic contexts-weaving other curriculums through, focusing on capabilities. not knowledge base? Hands on activities/experiences

Questions
Student/personalised learning (teacher manipulating the whole thing) be honest about it
Balance in depth: being able to notice what science looks like-varying capacities/knowlegde to do this: highlighting-is it really?
Formative assessments in the moment
Is Noticing once and making judgements? -depends on contexts
Rubrics -adults way to organise things- it is not evidence based

Unpacking about scientist: what do scientists do? What is science? How do scientists think? What do scientists look like?

This progression was from NMSSA report 17 Science 17 Key Findings 

Science in the New Zealand Curriculum 

Insight for teachers 

Science capabilities 

Insights for teachers 

Scaffolding ideas about scientist

What are scientist? What do scientist do? look like? 

We are scientist, and we become scientist when we do... observing, gathering data,... 

Sand and diet coke experiment: rough parts- gas is caught in it Mentos has rough surfaces 

Microscopic of mentos on google- very rough around