leading australian curriculum: science day 1. australian curriculum purpose of 4 day modules...

Leading

Australian Curriculum: Science

Day 1

Australian Curriculum

PURPOSE OF 4 DAY MODULES

• Curriculum leaders develop capacity to lead change and support schools and network of schools with the implementation of Australian Curriculum: Science

• Teachers improve their confidence with teaching science content of the Australian Curriculum


PURPOSE OF TRAIN THE TRAINER

Curriculum leaders have:

• a clear understanding of the key messages

• an opportunity to practice their presentations skills

• an opportunity to consider the implications of their context for the delivery of the Australian Curriculum: Science


OVERVIEW OF MODULES

• Module 1 – Overview, Chemical science

• Module 2 – Physical science, Science Inquiry Skills, Science as a Human Endeavour

• Module 3 – Resources, Biological science, assessment

• Module 4 – Achievement standards, Earth and space science, case studies

ACTION LEARNING TASKS

- Teaching program

- Assessment task with work samples


PRESENTATIONS

• Participants will plan and present key aspects of the 4 Day Modules to colleagues.

• Presentations will be on Day 4 in small groups

• Planning opportunities provided over the three days


KEY MESSAGES

• The three year formal implementation period commences in July 2012 as the total curriculum package, comprising Curriculum Content, Achievement Standards and Resources, including annotated work samples for the first phase of the Australian Curriculum, is available.

• Schools will not be required to use the Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards to make a summative assessment or report student achievement during 2012.

• The Department’s Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Policy is current at this point in time.

• For most teachers, this means that what they teach and how they teach it will remain largely unchanged in 2012.

CHECK FOR CLARIFICATION


SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS

• 62 Teacher Development Schools provide targeted support to schools and school networks.

• The Institute for Professional learning plays a key role in brokering and co-ordinating support for teachers and administrators.

• Teachers have access to digital resources through the K-12 Resources website and Resources Online.

• 4 Day Leading Australian Curriculum modules for each learning area for curriculum leaders

• Train the Trainer for key curriculum leaders in regions


SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS

• The Curriculum Support website provides schools with news, advice and practical resources to ensure teachers have up to date information throughout the implementation period, including:

• A series of PowerPoint presentations available – an overview and learning area specific

• Australian Curriculum Mapping Documents available on the Curriculum Support website.

• A set of Frequently Asked Questions

• Graphic overviews for Phase 1 Australian Curriculum

CHECK FOR CLARIFICATION

http://det.wa.edu.au/curriculumsupport/detcms/portal/

http://det.wa.edu.au/curriculumsupport/detcms/portal


AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM: SCIENCE AIMS, RATIONALE AND ORGANISATION

WHY SCIENCE?

JIGSAW

Form 6 groups to become an ‘expert’ on one aspect of the introduction to the science curriculum.

- Individually read section and note key messages

- Within your ‘expert’ group discuss the key messages

- Return to ‘home group’ and share key messages

DEBRIEF STRATEGY


SHAPE OF THE CURRICULUM

Science has 3 interrelated strands: SIS, SHE, SU

Students are encouraged to explore science, its concepts, nature and uses through clearly described inquiry processes


Curriculum Framework Australian Curriculum

Investigating Science Inquiry Skills

Earth and Beyond ( Earth and Space Sciences) Science Understanding

Energy and Change (Physical Sciences)

Life and Living (Biological Sciences)

Natural and Processed Materials (Chemical Sciences)

Working Scientifically cluster

- Communicating Scientifically

- Science in Daily Life

- Acting Responsibly

- Science in Society

Science as Human Endeavour


SCIENCE (ORGANISATION)

• Science Understanding across each of the science ‘disciplines’ is taught every year

• Science as a Human Endeavour and Science Inquiry Skills are taught over two years

• The sub-strands of Science Understanding are:

- Biological sciences - Chemical sciences - Earth and Space sciences

- Physical sciences.


DEBRIEF OF SESSION 1

In your journals answer the following:

• What concerns do you have about:

- Content

Share with partner.

Share with whole group


MORNING TEA


OVERARCHING IDEAS

• Patterns, order and organisation

• Form and function

• Stability and change

• Scale and measurement

• Matter and energy

• Systems


WATCH IT GROW ?

Predict how living things will grow and change.

Create drawings of living things when they were younger and older.

Record their ideas about how living things grow and change and have offspring's similar to themselves.

Discuss a variable that might affect the growth of mealworms .

Compare similarities and differences between babies and children.

Compare similarities and differences of their features from when they

were a baby to now.


OVERARCHING IDEAS

CONCEPT MAP

- 6 groups, with each group selecting an overarching idea

- Groups draw a concept map highlighting key aspects of their overarching idea

- Each group shares their concept map with whole group


INTEGRATION

Year 7: an example of integration

• Science Understanding: ACSSU111Classification

• Science as Human Endeavour: ACSHE119 Changes with new evidence

• Science Inquiry Skills: ACSIS125 Fieldwork

Students learn about how classification of living things into kingdoms has changed over the years with new discoveries, especially understandings about micro-organisms. Students experience first hand importance of classification through fieldwork and setting pitfall traps.


SCIENCE UNDERSTANDING CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT

• Progression of concepts from Foundation to Year 10

• Sequencing of the learning is appropriately ordered

• Curriculum focus across the phases are:

- Foundation – Year 2 – (awareness of self and the local world)

- Years 3 – 6 – (recognising questions that can be investigated scientifically and investigating them)

- Years 7 – 10 – ( explaining phenomena involving science and its applications)


SCIENCE AS A HUMAN ENDEAVOUR

• The content in this strand is described over two years

• There are two sub-strands:

- Nature and development of science

- Use and influence of science

SCIENCE INQUIRY SKILLS

• The content in this strand is described over two years

• There are five sub-strands:

- Questioning and predicting

- Planning and conducting

- Processing and analysing data and information

- Evaluating

- Communicating





- Content

- Strategies used?

Share with partner.



LUNCH


CHEMICAL SCIENCE

In Phases of learning – Think, Pair, Share:

• Individually, write in your journals a response to:

- What concepts in Chemistry are critical for students to learn in your phase of learning?

• In pairs draw a graphic representation of Chemical Science

• Share your drawing with another pair in another phase of learning and explain the concepts you included.


CHEMICAL SCIENCE

• Understanding the composition and behaviour of substances

Students will:

• Classify substances based on their properties or their composition

• Explore physical changes and investigate how chemical reactions result in the production of new substances

• Recognise that all substances consist of atoms and atoms can be rearranged


PRESENTATION PLANNING

Expectations:

• All participants will present the 4 Day Modules in their regions

• All materials will be sent to presenters

• Modules may be divided into smaller blocks of time so that sessions can be run after school hours

• Key messages are not changed

• Action learning approach


PRESENTATION PLANNING

• Day 4 – time for planning and presentations

• Each pair represents a phase of learning

• In pairs develop a 15 minute presentation covering a particular aspect from the 4 day modules


PLANNING FOR PRESENTATIONS

Focus areas for presentations

• Key messages and support to schools

• Science Understanding – (Biological science, Physical science, Earth and Space science, Chemical science)

• Science Investigation Skills

• Science as Human Endeavour

• Overview/Organisation of Science and resources





- Content

- Strategies used?

Share with partner.



REFLECTION

In your journals respond to the following:

• What did I learn today? (Refer to TWLH)

• Parking Lot

- What else do you need to know to be effective in this leadership role?

- What are your concerns?

- What is going well?

- What could be improved?

DEBRIEF