talking a way to understanding in the physics classroom phil scott centre for studies in science and...
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Talking a way to understanding in the
physics classroom
Phil Scott
Centre for Studies in Science and Mathematics Education, University of Leeds, UK.
Fysikermøtet 200511 - 14 August 2005 Rica Brakanes Hotel, Ulvik i Hardanger.
A view of learning: Vygotsky
Social
plane
Personal
plane
Internalisation: with restructuring
Language and other means of communication
Language as a tool for thinking
Implications: Teaching and learning
teacher is responsible for introducing physics ideas through the ongoing ‘performance’ on the social plane.
pupils must make sense of the new physics ideas in terms of their existing ‘everyday’ ways of thinking.
the ‘physics talk’ provides the tools for ‘physics thinking’
Implications: Teaching and learning
there may be differences between everyday and school physics ways of talking and thinking
teacher needs to explore any differences pupils need to practice the talk of physics for
themselves
A research project
To develop a tool for analysing teacher-student interactions in physics classrooms focussing on...classroom talk.
To explore implications of this analysis for planning and implementing physics teaching
The analytical framework
Aspects of Analysis
i. Focus 1. Teaching Purposes 2. Content
ii. Approach 3. Communicative approach
iii. Action 4. Patterns of Discourse 5. Teacher Interventions
Communicative approach
Presentation
Q&A
ProbingElaboratingSupporting
Review
Presentation
‘lecture’
Focus on science view(Authoritative)
Taking account of pupils’ understanding(Dialogic)
InteractiveNon-interactive
Let’s just ignore the sparks (1)
Teacher: Do you remember the electric bell?Students: Yes! [in chorus]
Teacher: OK! Did any of you notice, did any of you actually hold onto the bell after it had...been working? What did you notice?
Suzanne: Vibration
Teacher: Well, the arm vibrated, yes. Sound. What else did you notice?
Tom: It was loud.
Teacher: That's not quite what I'm getting at.
Let’s just ignore the sparks (2)
Teacher: Remember the bell. There's the bell [holding up a bell in front of the class]. You did the experiment. If you held onto this bit here where the wires were [indicating], did you notice anything there?
Jason: There were sparks there.
Teacher: Heat, did you notice some heat?Jason: There were sparks from there.
Teacher: There were?Jason: Sparks.Teacher: There were some sparks, yes. Let's just ignore the
sparks a minute...some heat. There was a little bit of heat there with that one.
Let’s just ignore the sparks
Teaching purpose
- developing the scientific story Communicative approach
- Interactive/authoritative Pattern of discourse
- I-R-E
- (Initiation/Response/Evaluation)
Other people are desperate to say (1)
Teacher: Solids are hard?Students: No, no. Soft! [together]
Teacher: Well, if you say ‘no’, put your hand up and tell me, give me an example, which would prove an exception to that...
Suzanne: Powder’s a solid, but you can crush it.
Teacher: Powder’s?Suzanne: …a solid but you can still crush it.
Teacher: Powders aren’t particularly hard, yes, if you’re talking about hard to the touch. Paul? [who has his hand up]
Paul: It’s…cos…it’s [the powder] got a gas in between, so it’s hard.
Other people are desperate to say (2)
Teacher: So you think that all solids are hard?Paul: Yeah.
Teacher: Other people are desperate to say that all solids aren’t hard. Martin?
Martin: Er…fabric’s soft.Students: Yeah…yeah…[lots of muttering]
Teacher: Wait. Just a minute. If you’re saying things, can you say it to the front, so that we can all share these ideas.
Other people are desperate to say
Teaching purpose
- Exploring students’ views Communicative approach
- Interactive/dialogic Pattern of discourse
- I-R-P-R-P-
- Initiation-Response-Prompt-Response-Prompt-
Patterns of discourse
I-R-E
I-R-P-R-P-R-P- Review
Presentation
‘lecture’
Focus on science view(Authoritative)
Taking account of pupils’ understanding(Dialogic)
InteractiveNon-interactive
Linking teaching to purpose
Purpose: to explore pupils’ everyday views
Communicative App: Interactive/dialogic
Pattern discourse: open chains of interaction
Purpose: to introduce a science concept
Communicative App: Interact/authoritative
Pattern discourse: triads/I-R-E
Teaching: changing rhythms to the communicative approach
Exploring students’ views[Interactive/dialogic]
Maintaining scientific story [Non-interactive/ authoritative]
Working on students’ views[Interactive/authoritative]
Physics: frightful but fun…
Angell, Guttersrud, Henriksen, Isnes (2004)Science Education
What happens in physics classrooms?
Some of the largest gaps (between teacher and students’ views) concern teaching methods: pupils would prefer more ‘emphasis on qualitative presentation, discussion (in class or smaller groups) of qualitative aspects of new concepts, and demonstrations to illustrate concepts’.
‘Physics lessons are dominated by chalk and talk instruction.’
The demands of dialogic talk
The teacher: is aware of, and recognises, the pupil’s
thinking understands the physics point of view is able to operate in the ‘gap’ between
everyday and physics views, recognising the differences: recognising the ‘conceptual terrain’.
listens, prompts, reviews, encourages…
Planning teachingThe purpose of thetalk
How and When ithappens
Presenting You are introducing orreviewing new ideas relatingto the analogy and to thescientific model.
This may be through apresentation by you or bywhole-class discussion ledby you.
Discussing /probing
You are finding out about thepupils’ ideas andunderstandings relating tothe analogy and to thescientific model.
This may be through askingopen questions, ‘what do youthink?’ in whole-class orsmall group situations.
Supporting You are supporting thepupils as they talk about theirdeveloping ideas, using keyquestions and offeringappropriate responses to theirquestions.
This is likely to be achievedas the pupils are working onpaired or small groupactivities.
Carbon dioxide
?
Lesson: as taught...as plannedLesson 2 as taught
ApproachT AI AN DI DN
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Current as flow of charge
Recap of big circuit
Recap ofanalogy
Predictingandmeasuringcurrentactivity
conservationof current
Units of current
Conservationof current inthe bigcircuit
Lesson 2 as plannedApproach
T AI AN DI DN
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Recap ofsupermarketanalogy
Predicting andmeasuringcurrent –conservationof current
Measuringcurrent
Conservationof current inthe big circuit
Focus is on targetconceptsFocus is onmanagementFocus is on non-target knowledgeor ideas
The importance of talk: key points
Talking and thinking are intimately connected The language of talk provides tools for
thinking Learning physics involves learning to talk
(and to think) physics Talking in a dialogic manner…thinking in a
dialogic manner (basic Vygotskian psychology)
Quality of talking…quality of thinking
If you are interested…
‘Meaning making in Secondary Science Classrooms’
Eduardo Mortimer and Phil Scott
Open University Press
2003