Making it Real.... Relinquishing Control
I love Level 3 Biology right now. We are doing AS91601, colloquially known as 3.1 - a standard one colleague of mine calls the only real science we do in the school. That colleague teaches another Science, and, by his own admission, is quite jealous.
The task requires students to measure the response of a plant or animal to an environment stressor. Measure - the collection of primary data, carried out through fair testing or pattern seeking.
In past years we've done this the easy way. Only 1 plant or animal, in fact in some years, the whole cohort has done the same organism, and a limited list of abiotic environmental stressors. Students went through the process mechanically, robotically, with little interest or engagement. They shared methods and results (inauthentically) and in the worst instances, fabricated the entire investigation.
This year we relinquished control. There is a vastly extended list of suggested plants and animals, and others will be considered. The options of environmental stressors are nearly endless. To my delight, our students have come up with investigation ideas that have not been done here before in the context of this investigation. They have extensively researched the organisms they are most interested. They have narrowed down the range of stressors that can be investigated. They are being creative with their apparatus, constructing bespoke equipment that fits their needs. They are problem solving for bias and sources of error.
Yesterday, I had 2 students who were trying to get the air temperature of a dish to 5*C using a water bath. The bell went, they didn't want to leave. What others would consider such a mundane task they saw as a challenge, and in context had meaning and relevance. They were engaged. We have had many of these moments in the past 2 weeks.
It is wonderful to me, and terrifying at the same time. I don't know if their experiments will work. I can't guarantee that they will get a trend in their data. Lack of trend is still valid, but as science teachers we tend to lean towards investigations with will give a clear trend. It's easier to explain. But to hell with easy!
The task requires students to measure the response of a plant or animal to an environment stressor. Measure - the collection of primary data, carried out through fair testing or pattern seeking.
In past years we've done this the easy way. Only 1 plant or animal, in fact in some years, the whole cohort has done the same organism, and a limited list of abiotic environmental stressors. Students went through the process mechanically, robotically, with little interest or engagement. They shared methods and results (inauthentically) and in the worst instances, fabricated the entire investigation.
This year we relinquished control. There is a vastly extended list of suggested plants and animals, and others will be considered. The options of environmental stressors are nearly endless. To my delight, our students have come up with investigation ideas that have not been done here before in the context of this investigation. They have extensively researched the organisms they are most interested. They have narrowed down the range of stressors that can be investigated. They are being creative with their apparatus, constructing bespoke equipment that fits their needs. They are problem solving for bias and sources of error.
Yesterday, I had 2 students who were trying to get the air temperature of a dish to 5*C using a water bath. The bell went, they didn't want to leave. What others would consider such a mundane task they saw as a challenge, and in context had meaning and relevance. They were engaged. We have had many of these moments in the past 2 weeks.
It is wonderful to me, and terrifying at the same time. I don't know if their experiments will work. I can't guarantee that they will get a trend in their data. Lack of trend is still valid, but as science teachers we tend to lean towards investigations with will give a clear trend. It's easier to explain. But to hell with easy!
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