Presentation for The International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2016 in SIngapore

1. Understanding Teacher’s
Principle-based Practice in Sustaining
Knowledge Building Practice
in a Science Classroom
A teacher’s KB Journey
Graphic Source: http://www.Kbsingapore.org

2. Culture of Learning Designers
Student’s
Thinking, their
ideas &
questions
Centred on
(not teacher’s judgment)
Interpretation of
KB Principles
Translated to
Daily
Practice

3. Aim
To achieve practical value to sound
theories via principle based approach
Target
Academically low achievers
(Normal Technical Stream) in
Science classroom

4. Role of the Teacher
Support Creative work
Continual improvement
of ideas
• Kinds of interactions
• Rationalise teaching in relation to
principles
• Adapt strategies accordingly
• Provide sufficient guidance
• Give opportunities to students to
attempt problems they are interested in
to explore & Work through problems to
derive good explanations

5. With respect to Science
Common perception!
• Low ability students
cannot navigate such an
environment due to little
cognitive foundation
• May be due to teacher’s
belief, practices and
competencies
Aim to challenge this idea and
find a way to engage!

6. Strategies Adopted to Designing
Knowledge Building Environment
Priority is to develop Thinking about Science
1. Classroom Discussions
2. Lab Experiments
3. Knowledge Forum and Journaling
4. Customized Scaffolds
5. Challenge Current Understanding
6. Embedded Assessment
7. Rising Above

7. 1: Classroom discussions
• Basic knowledge on the
topic of “Food”
• Capture responses on the
whiteboard
• Brainstorming sessions,
raising questions:
How is food important?
How food is made?

8. 1: Classroom discussions
Real ideas and
authentic problems
• Do not dictate content
• Allow student ideas to take
precedence
R: Pleasantly surprised that
students can recall facts from
textbook or previous
knowledge

9. 2: Lab Experiment
• More info needed to shape
and develop ideas
• Series of experiments on
food testing
Students connected starch to
previous discussion of “Plants
are largest producers”
• Interested in growing plants
as source of food

10. 2: Lab Experiment
• Students verbalised their
ideas and teacher captured
on whiteboard
Students discussed
environment when acidity of
soil was introduced by member
• Teacher actively model
note-taking and active
listening via journals
R: N(T) students ask questions even Express students do not.
Major turning point to continue designing lessons the KB way.

11. 3: Knowledge Forum and Journaling
• Pose questions online
instead of just voicing
out
• Transition is seamless
as students are eager
to extend discussions.
Ideas quickly come forth
R: KB teaching is not one-
size-fits-all. Different
teachers with different
styles, different classes with
different challenges/needs

12. 3: Knowledge Forum and Journaling
• Decide to move away from
textbooks and focus on
expressing understanding
through journals and
customised notes.
• Complement ideas in KF
To motivate using journals,
notes are eventually not given
so that students can focus on
discussions.
Textbook sufficient for whose who need background reading.

13. 4: Customized scaffolds
To sustain idea improvement
• Qns posed not good enough
as students didn’t
understand scaffolds
• Unpack original KB scaffolds
into active phrases
• S.W.A.G is more accessible
R: Seems to work at first, but
found questions were too
similar, lack diversity of ideas
Graphic Source: @GAngelsschool

14. 4: Customized scaffolds
More time to shape ideas
• Jot down ideas in
journals
• Read notes on KF
• Post different or
improved
Focus now is writing
meaningful titles for notes;
ie to think about the ideas
before posting

15. 5: Challenge Current Understanding
Engaging student notes for discussion
• Posts and build-ons isolated to bring
up multiple ideas
Eg: “Mass food production” and
“How cities are made”
• Students also brought in relevant
info on agriculture learned from
watching National Geographic

16. Seizing the opportunity to start
new discussions
Eg: Posts titled “How do plants
grow faster” and “How to improve
food production”
Discuss “Fertilizers”
• Different perspectives shared
(eg on health)
• Show videos as resources to
read and deepen understanding
Use apps Pocket/ Verso to store
5: Challenge Current Understanding

17. R: Feels a deeper understanding is
needed. Relate interest in “slash
and burn” method to current haze
situation in Indonesia - Singapore
• Students research online on
“Fertilizer and Slash/Burn” and
“Improving food production”
Post in new KF view “Soil Fertility”
5: Challenge Current Understanding

18. 6: Embedded Assessment
Scenario based
questions (groupwork)

19. 6: Embedded Assessment

20. 6: Embedded Assessment
Accurately use key terms,
pull out info and connect
ideas based on KF and
classroom discussions
R: Students display critical
and global thinking.
Rare, considering past
performances
May be naïve, but surprised at reasoning not seen before.

21. 7: Rise Above
Collective whole-class learning
• Print out all student notes
and cut out slips
• Each student reviews
one/two notes
• Overarching theme (“Yield”)
in the middle on wall
• Go up and paste notes in the
correct branches
Teacher can lead discussion, to connect & synthesise ideas

22. Conclusion
When designing KB lessons:
1: Principled way of designing trigger activities
(relevant experiments and journals)
2: Opportunities for contributions
(views and scaffold)
3: Space for collaboration
(classroom discussions)

23. Conclusion
Dynamics learning environment, highly dependant on
student – teacher interactions
Provide time and space to inquire and explore ideas on
KF + advancing their knowledge
Critical task: Develop lessons focusing on students’
ideas and questions as ways to encourage inquiry and
collaborations

24. How do I develop myself
as a KB teacher?
• Be open to surprises, and be on your toes.
• Allow students to go beyond the scope of
syllabus (within reason). Best if the points
brought up relate to topics learnt beforehand
or in the future.
• Learn from them and don’t be shy not to
know (despite their expectations of you!)
• EMBRACE any KB moments you encounter!

25. Thanks for listening!
Search and use the hashtag #kbSG or #kbNLC on Twitter
Hisham Haslir
@shamsensei