intervention to integrate middle school science concepts: action research by science educator for...

INTERVENTION TO INTEGRATE MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE CONCEPTS: ACTION

RESEARCH BY SCIENCE EDUCATOR FOR SELF-

DEVELOPMENT

Dr. Lalit Kishore

Rationale

Self-development of science teachers and educators through action research has been advocated by many educators by reorganizing and linking concepts to revisit and revise them by treating learning a non-linear and exciting process, but there are very few takers.

It is appropriate to integrate the fragmented learning taught daily through lesson periods

Emphasizing pedagogy for effective learning of science

Motivation

Investigator came across Jim Jorden’s book ‘Physics is Fun’ which had a topic titled ‘Turn, Twist and Topple’ (Jordine, 1967a; 1967b).

With a little thought, the investigator coined up a title for his project as ’Spin, Swirl and Sway’ to work on.

The topic was titled with common words (’Spin, Swirl and Sway) as it was felt that the topics with titles announcing the concept first, often give a sense that something will be told and described to be remembered as facts.

Objectives of the intervention

To develop low-cost science activities to give a feel of relationship between variables.

To transact 12 activities with grade six students

To evaluate the intervention by analyzing students reactions self reflect.

To make recommend for the interventionist cum practitioner for professional improvements.

Activities

12 activities were designed split over Spin-Swirl-Sway (3Ss) as follows. Spin related activities: 5 Swirl related activities: 4 Sway related activities: 3

Format of activity sheet. Title Materials Assembly Instructions Observations (direct and perceptual) Result ( with a blank space to be filled)

Activity sheet and students at work

Activity titles -1

1.To make a spinning top with bottle cap and study its spinning time on three surfaces.

2.To make a card sheet air foil and study it perceptually its spin-speed under a ceiling fan, at the midpoint of the blade span and at the end of the blade span.

3.To make a scale spin by bifilar thread suspension and study its untwisting motion by changing the distances of two loading clips on either sides.

4.To make an octagonal card sheet spinning tip and study on the number of times it falls on which side in 10 spines.

5.To make a suspended water-filled plastic bottle spin due to action-reaction principle and by filling to different heights.

Activity titles -2

6. To join two bottles with a refill tube one filled water to be swirled at different rates to transfer water to other.

7. To make a water bottle pendulum and swing it in a circular motion to study damped oscillations.

8. To make pendulum merry-go-round and study the dependence of their displacement on their circular speed.

9. To make a hand-held water dripping pendulum and study the wave pattern on floor with walking speed

10. To make a card sheet strip pendulum and study the rate of oscillation with load at three locations.

11. To make string-pen-throw (like hammer throw in sports) and study the dependence of range on whirl speed.

12. To make string-coupled card sheet strip pendulums and study the dependence of amplitude of forced-pendulum on its length.

Action plan of intervention

Pre-active phase: 2 hours daily for 2 weeks (24 hours of work)

Interactive phase: 1 hour daily for 2 week (12 hours)

Post active phase: 2 hours daily for 2 weeks (24 hours work)

Outcome

Students’ (N=30, 11-13 years, grade seven, urban school) reactions to the interventions were analyzed as favorable, neutral and unfavorable and subjected in chi squared, non-parametric statistics and it was revealed that students favoured the intervention at 0.01 levels of significance with about 5% students not liking it and 10% being neutral to it.

Students’ comments

The students’ typical comments to the interaction were as follows.

• These activities were simple to do but provided a deep learning about experimental science

• Every happening has some change due some reason, if one thing changes, it effects something else – that’s what I could realize.

• Scientists learn how one variable effects other but their instruments are precise but in these activities we could realize that variables need to be identified and studied in a situation

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References

Berger, C.F. et al. (1977). Modular activities programme in science, Toranto: Houghton Mifflin

Jardine, J. (1967a). Physics is fun (book 1), London: Heinemann Educational Books

Jardine, J. (1967b). Physics is fun (book 2), London; Heinemann Educational Books

Kishore, L (1990). Teaching of physical science, Delhi: Doaba House

McNiff, J. and Whitehead, J. (2009) Doing and Writing Action Research, London: SAGE Publications