Ben Fackler-Adams & Brad K. Smith, Skagit Valley College

Ben Fackler-Adams & Brad K. Smith, Skagit Valley College

Susan M. DeBari & Scott Linneman, Western WA Univ.

Bernie Dougan, Whatcom Community College

Rene Kratz, Everett Community College

Terri Plake, Northwest Indian College

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060

Overview: 1. The role of metacognition:

The 3 key findings of “How People Learn”. 2. Anatomy of an effective delivery mode:

Designing modules to reinforce the three key components of learning. 3. How well does it work?

Assessment data and student learning. 4. A request for collaboration:

We are interested in working with collaborators who will teach this curriculum and give us feedback.



How People LearnNational Academy of Science, 1999

“If education is to help students make sense of their surroundings and ready them for the challenges of the technology-driven, internationally competitive world, then it must be based on what we know about learning from science.”

The role of metacognition

Available at: National Academy Press; http://www.nap.edu/

http://www.nap.edu/catalog/9853.html



1.Students come to classrooms with preconceptions about how the world works.

If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp the new concepts and information that are taught, or they may learn them for purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions outside the classroom.

Key Findings from Key Findings from How People LearnHow People Learn





2. To develop competence in subject area, students must:

(a) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge;(b)understand facts and ideas in the context of a

conceptual framework; (sense-making)(c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate

retrieval and application.





3. A “metacognitive” approach to instruction can help students learn to take control of their own learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them.

Internal conversation:“I know I understand ______ because I can _______, but I still can’t _______, so I must need to learn _________.



The challenge:

To teach so that students reclaim the authority of understanding based on evidence and eliminate understanding based on authority.

So how did we incorporate So how did we incorporate these findings?these findings?

Highly influenced by Physics and Everyday Thinking curriculum(general education college course) http://petproject.sdsu.edu

Emphasizes– Preconceptions– Doing and thinking– Metacognition

Theme: Transfer of Matter and Energy

PET PET assessment at WWUassessment at WWU

150 teachers in a summer academy in 2004 (40 hrs)

• Pre-test: 2.68/9• Post-test: 7.7/9• 1 year later: 7/9

Theme: Transfer of Matter and Energy

The Earth Science CurriculumThe Earth Science CurriculumNo lectures: curriculum is frontloaded

Theme: Solid Earth

6 learning “cycles” or units that build on each other

Key Finding #1Key Finding #1: Addressing prior : Addressing prior conceptionsconceptions

Each cycle/activity begins with “Initial Ideas”– “On your own, write down what you think….”– “Discuss your answers in your group. Prepare

a whiteboard that illustrates your ideas and be prepared to share it with the class”

ON YOUR OWN

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GROUP

PRESENTS TO CLASS

1. Inspect (pick up and feel) the two cubes that are set up at your table.

On your own, predict how the water levels in the graduated cylinders will compare after a cube is placed in each. Assume both cubes will sink. Explain your reasoning for your prediction, then discuss in your group.

EXAMPLE FROM THE SECOND CYCLE:EXAMPLE FROM THE SECOND CYCLE:

INITIAL IDEAS

cubes are same volume, cubes are same volume, but different massbut different mass


1. Share initial ideas in a small group

WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE?

2. Represent range of ideas on whiteboard


4. Generates class discussion

3. Share with the class


Cycle 3 example - Earth’s plates

• Direct comparison of 3 different “initial ideas”

• No discussion of “right” or “wrong” at this stage.

HOW TO DEAL WITH CONFLICTS?• Use a “parking lot”


Example from Cycle 4Example from Cycle 4

INITIAL IDEASOn your own, answer the following. How might energy transfer or flow inside Earth cause plate motion?

COMPLEXITY OF CONCEPTS GROWS THROUGH CURRICULUM

Key finding #2Key finding #2: Conceptual frame-: Conceptual frame-work & sense-makingwork & sense-making

• Sense-making: Continuous writing, discussing, whiteboarding

• Framework: Knowledge builds from previous cycles

Cycle 2: Why does Earth have a bimodal topography?

UTILIZE MANIPULATIVES, DATA, AND EXPERIMENTS

Key finding #2: Conceptual frame-work & sense-making

http://terra.rice.edu/plateboundary/

DISCOVERING PLATE BOUNDARIES

SEISMIC WAVES

UTILIZE MANIPULATIVES, DATA, AND EXPERIMENTS


http://www.discoverourearth.org/student/web_tools.html#

Computer simulators• Isostasy simulator• Seismic Waves• Mantle convection

SENSE-MAKING IS NOT THE INSTRUCTOR’S ROLE


Key finding #3Key finding #3: Metacognition: MetacognitionStudent thought process is tracked in writing Student thought process is tracked in writing from initial ideas through analysis questions from initial ideas through analysis questions to summarizing questions. to summarizing questions.

Initial ideas

Activities within the cycle - analysis/interpretation questions

Summarizing questions

Cycle reflection


Initial ideas



Cycle reflection

What ideas do you have about energy inside the Earth? How might this energy transfer or flow tocause plate motion?


Initial ideas



Cycle reflection

Based on the last three experiments, what can you say about the relationship between density and temperature?


Initial ideas



Cycle reflection

Mantle Tomography:What features do you notice at 320 km depth below divergent boundaries (e.g., Mid-Atlantic)? How good is the correlation between these features in the mantle and divergent plate boundaries?


Initial ideas



Final cycle reflection

- Draw a summary diagram that represents movement of mantle and plates at different types of plate boundaries


Initial ideas




Review your initial ideas on what causes the plates to move and how energy gets transferredinside the Earth. What have you learned while observing the lava lamps and tomography data?


Initial ideas




How have your own ideas changed about the concept of density? Where in the cycle did learning occur for you?

Content Knowledge: Gains in Students’ Content Test scores (2005/6 and 2007/8 combined).

How well does it work?


47% Gain

Content Knowledge: Pre-Test/Post-test Scores for Inquiry Cycle vs. Traditional Lecture/Lab deliveries.



51%37% 46%

39%

Monitoring changes in students thinking about science:•Assessment #1: The Epistemological Beliefs Assessment for Physical Science (EBAPS). (N=76) • The EBAPS assessment provides a measure of students’ views of science along five dimensions:



Monitoring changes in students thinking about science:•Assessment #2: Gains in Students’ Earth Science CLASS Scores (N=54)•CLASS (Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey, 2008) provides a measure of students’ views of science along six dimensions:



The take away points:

• Surface students’ prior conceptions• Help students establish framework for

the information you teach• Help students think about the process of

their learning

KEY FINDINGS ARE RESEARCH BASED

Go whiteboards!!!

Content Elicitationsof participants ideas about Earth science concepts:

Prompt:Identify one concept or idea about which your understanding has changed

through this cycle. What was your initial idea and what do you think now?

“ At the beginning I had no idea how to categorize the Earth’s surface. Now I know that there are different plates and each plate can be made up of different material such as basalt and granite. I originally thought the heat came from the core, I just didn’t know how. Now I know that there is residual heat and heat caused by radioactive decay and that these forms of heat travel through Earth’s interior through conduction and convection.”




We are interested in collaborators who will deliver this curriculum, allow us to collect pre-test/post-test data and give us feedback.

A Request for Collaboration

Ben Fackler-Adams, Skagit Valley College [email protected]

Sue DeBari, Western Washington [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Acknowledgements:

• NCOSP Teacher Leaders

• NCOSP Disciplinary Science & Science Education Faculty

• NCOSP Leadership Team, TOSAs, & Staff

• NCOSP PI-George Nelson

• NCOSP Evaluation Team

• Horizon Research, Inc.

Documents

Ben Fackler-Adams & Brad K. Smith, Skagit Valley College