engagingscience.eu

1. Webinar :
Problem solving with conversation
John WardleAndrea Mapplebeck Alexandra Okada

2. Webinar: Problem Solving
1. Welcome and overview John Wardle
2. Problem solving John Wardle
3. Teaching a sequence lesson John Wardle
4. Teacher questions Ale Okada
5. Conversations - an introduction Andrea Mapplebeck
6. Completing the course John Wardle

3. Problem solving

4. Problem solving
Problem-solving is grounded on problem-based
learning, which is a student-centered approach.
Students will learn:
 science concepts
 enquiry skills
In ENGAGE, a problem-solution lesson refers to
provocative problem emerging from a real life
issue. The decision making will RRI skills.

5. Responsible Research and Innovation

6. Discussion example
Should we restrict the use of
antibiotics?
1. What do we need to know
to make sense of the issue?
2. How do we make an
informed decision – what
skills would we need?

7. Two part sequence
Why two parts?
Separating the science concepts and the enquiry
processes for making a decision reduces
cognitive demands on students.
 In lesson 1: Students review the science and
consider the evidence
 In lesson 2: Students play a game to learn the
enquiry process, and then use it to make their
decision

8. Sequence lesson

9. Illustration – e cigarettes
Lesson 1
 Engage - Get students interested in the issue of a possible ban on
smoking electronic cigarettes indoors in public places
 Review - Students review their understanding of using particles to
explain phenomena
 Consider - Students draw diagrams to show the arrangement and
behaviour of particles involved in vaping, and decide whether exhaled
nicotine can get to people nearby
Lesson 2
 Engage - Review the dilemma about whether to support an EU ban on
indoor vaping in public places
 Play - Students play a game to learn how to judge risk
 Decide - Groups judge risk to decide whether or not they support a
ban on indoor vaping in public places, and share their views in class
discussion.

10. 10
I would never
smoke – it’s
far too risky.
Think I’ll give vaping a
try. It won’t kill me.
But vaping is safe.
There’s no smoke, no tar
and so – I guess – no cancer.
Review ConsiderEngage

11. 1111
Review ConsiderEngage
Nicotine
kills

12. 12
Review Consider
Turkey, Wales and parts of Canada
have banned workplace vaping.
Now health campaigners
want a Europe-wide ban.
Will you support a European ban
on indoor vaping in public places?
Engage

13. 13
Lesson 2
Are the benefits
of banning
indoor vaping in
public places
worth the
risks?
Lesson 1
Is there
scientific
evidence that
nicotine from
vaping can get
to people
nearby?
How are you going to
make a decision?
Review ConsiderEngage

14. 14
 Draw before and after diagrams
of particles to explain observations
 Weigh up risks and benefits
to make a decision
Working ScientificallyBig Idea
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
ParticlesJudgerisks
In these lessons you will :

15. Student sheets
SS1
Particles and vaping
Moving around in the air
The aerosol
Solvent: propane-1,2,3-triol
Solutes: nicotine and water
The aerosol is tiny droplets of liquid water,
liquid propane-1,2,3-triol, and liquid
nicotine mixed with the air.
The air is mainly nitrogen and oxygen.
The exhaled breath of an e-cigarette
user includes nicotine vapour.
The nicotine particles mix with the air.
The air is mainly nitrogen and oxygen.
Nitrogen and oxygen particles are smaller and
lighter than nicotine particles.
In the gas state, particles move randomly.
They collide with each other frequently which
makes them change direction.
The nicotine vapour spreads out from
a place where there are many nicotine
particles to a place where there are fewer. In
other words, they move from an area of high
concentration to an area of low concentration.
This is diffusion.
The solution
In the solution solvent particles surround
solute particles.
There are more
solvent particles
than solute
particles.

16. Student sheets
SS2a
Particles in the solution
nicotine particle
propane-1,2,3-triol particle
water particle
Particles in the aerosol
nicotine particle
propane-1,2,3-triol particle
water particle
nitrogen particle
oxygen particle
Particle
diagrams –1
Key
Key
A droplet of
liquid water (part
of the aerosol)

17. Student sheets
SS2b
Moving around in the air
Particle diagrams – 2
1 2 3
nicotine particle
oxygen particle
nitrogen particle
Key

18. 18
Will you support a
European ban on
indoor vaping in
public places?
Play DecideEngage
18

19. 19
People will vape more at
home. So children will be
exposed to more nicotine.
Fewer people
will get heart
disease.
No one will be exposed
to nicotine at work.
A ban on indoor vaping in public
places has risks and benefits
Play DecideEngage
If people have to go outside to vape, they
might as well smoke instead.
So more people will get lung cancer.
19

20. 20
Now play WhizzQuiz
to learn how to
quantify risks and
benefits, and how
to weigh them up.
After each round, write your
score, and what you learnt
about risk, on SS1.
Play DecideEngage
SS1
WhizzQuiz

21. 21
Round 1
Which method of transport has
the lowest risk of death?
DecideEngage Play
WhizzQuiz

22. 22
To compare risks you need
numbers and units.
Transport
Chance of dying
per 10 billion km
travelled
Your
score
WhizzQuizRound 1 answers
DecideEngage Play
22
aeroplane 25 4
bicycle 365 2
car 24 4
motorbike 998 0
train 2 5

23. 23
1 Decide whether each card describes
a risk, a benefit, or neither
2 Estimate the seriousness of each risk
and benefit (score 1, 2 or 3).
3 Estimate the likelihood of each risk
and benefit happening (score 1, 2 or 3)
4 Multiply likelihood x seriousness to decide
how big each risk and benefit is.
5 Add up the scores for the risks
and for the benefits.
6 Compare the totals and decide.
Will you support a European ban
on indoor vaping in public places?
Back to the big question...
Engage Play Decide
SS2
and 3

24. Student sheets
SS2
Risks and benefits of a ban on indoor
vaping in public places
A B C
D E F
If people have to go outside to
vape, they might as well
smoke cigarettes instead. So
it is possible that more people
will
get lung cancer.
Since nicotine damages
foetal brains, fewer babies
will be born
with brain
damage.
People might vape
more at home. So
children might be
exposed to more
nicotine.
Lung cancer
risk of smoking
reported by
the NHS
Foetal brain
damage reported in
paper in the journal
Nature
A ban might make people
think that the risks of smoking
and vaping are the same. This
makes smokers less likely to
use
e-cigarettes to help them quit
smoking.
Association
of e-cigarette
manufacturers
The concentration of nicotine
in the blood of passive
vapers is similar to that of
passive smokers.
Reported by the World
Health Organisation
Exhaled nicotine remains on
surfaces for many months.
Other people can absorb this
nicotine through their skin.
Priscilla Callahan-Lyon
in the British Medical
Journal

25. Student sheets
SS3
Weighing up risks and benefits
Statement A
Risk or benefit?
Seriousness of risk /
size of benefit
1 2 3
Likelihood of it
happening
1 2 3
risk x benefit
Statement F
Risk or benefit?
Seriousness of risk
/ size of benefit
1 2 3
Likelihood of it
happening
1 2 3
risk x benefit
Statement E
Risk or benefit?
Seriousness of risk /
size of benefit
1 2 3
Likelihood of it
happening
1 2 3
risk x benefit
Statement D
Risk or benefit?
Seriousness of risk /
size of benefit
1 2 3
Likelihood of it
happening
1 2 3
risk x benefit
Statement B
Risk or benefit?
Seriousness of risk /
size of benefit
1 2 3
Likelihood of it
happening
1 2 3
risk x benefit
Statement C
Risk or benefit?
Seriousness of risk
/ size of benefit
1 2 3
Likelihood of it
happening
1 2 3
risk x benefit
Total scores for risks and benefits
Scores for risks total score for risks =
Scores for benefits total score for benefits =

26. Ethical thinking
Getting students to see a problem from a particular
perspective is a powerful tool for discussion and
decision making.
Engage uses three types of ethical thinking:
 utilitarianism
• best outcome for all
 rights and duties
• based on rules
 virtues
• caring, positive character traits

27. Student sheets
SS1
3 kinds of Ethical thinking
Utilitarianism Rights and
duties
Virtues
Base your decisions on rules
which you believe should always
be followed, like:
Do not worry about the outcome.
• It is wrong to cause harm
• It is wrong to steal
• It is wrong to lie or cheat
• It is right to keep promises
For each option, think about the
consequences (what will happen)
and how this will affect everyone.
Choose the option that provides
the greatest happiness for the
most people.
‘It looks great’
You decided that if you tell them
the truth it would put them in a bad
mood and ruin the evening for
everyone.
‘It looks terrible’
You decided that you
should never lie,
whatever the
consequences.
‘I wouldn’t have chosen it’
You say this with a great smile and
hugging your friend. You are
sincere while caring about your
friend’s feelings.
Make your decisions by taking into
account other’s feelings.
Choose an outcome that is helpful
for others.
‘Best consequence’
‘Follow rules’ ‘’Be caring”
Example: You are out with a group of friends. Your best friend turns up with
a new haircut which you think looks terrible. They ask you if you like it.
What do you say?

28. Questions

29. Questions
1. How would you engage the students, what
would the hook be?
2. How important is previous science
knowledge?
3. What is your experience of teaching ethical
thinking strategies?
4. What would you look for in terms of outcome
of the lesson?
5. What are the challenges to this approach?

30. Conversation – an introduction to
whole class discussion

31. Conversation
Conversation in ENGAGE context refers to a whole class
debate regarding an RRI (or socio-scientific dilemma)
facilitated by the teacher.
It is based on three steps for supporting students to
develop argumentation and evidence-based solutions, so
they will:
1. review the scientific ideas to address their ‘need to know’.
2. consider how the concepts build into evidence to
develop an initial opinion.
3. construct and articulate arguments to justify their
conclusions.

32. Why conversation?
1. Help students develop their argumentation and
critical thinking skills through modelling and guiding.
2. Show the provisional nature of science knowledge
and the importance of evidence-based argument in
complex socio-scientific issues.
3. Emphasise the controversy by drawing out a range of
views
4. Help students reflect on their opinions
collaboratively and become open to changing their
views in the light of other arguments or evidence.

33. Strategies
Fishbowl
Lollisticks
No Hands Up
QuestionsWhole Class Response Systems

34. Next Webinar
Look at conversations and ideas for:
- roles
- support
- structure

35. Completing the course

36. Completion
1. post at least one message to a forum
2. submit a reflection of an Engage lesson or
lesson plan - this is the course assignment
3. complete the post course survey (you must do
this)

37. End dates
There will be tutor support until 27th of May
Final survey completed by 5th June
Reflection assignment should be completed by
5th June