Science Active Learning ideas

1. Active Questioning in Science
Dan Bowen

2. Objectives
• Identify a range of active questioning
techniques and maximising participation
• Identify areas to add SMSC, Literacy and
Mathematics into Science

3. Science is built on questions
It is not just facts it is:
• Observing what's happening;
• Predicting what might happen;
• Testing predictions under controlled conditions to see
if they are correct; and
• Trying to make sense of our observations.
What engages children? Things they can see, touch,
manipulate, modify; situations that allow them to figure
out what happens--in short, events and puzzles that they
can investigate, which is the very stuff of science.

4. Questioning has to be planned
• Not all but
– They key open questions
– The way the pupils are grouped to discuss
– The more active the better – use a mix of
strategies to motivate

5. Behaviour for Learning
Do you have the right environment to promote
debate and discussion in your classroom?

7. Bloom’s Taxonomy

8. Bloom’s Circle

9. Bing, Bing

13. Billion Dollar Gram
Moral

14. Moral Link

19. Spiritual Link

20. Social Link

21. Moral Link

22. Visualising data
• http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizati
ons/reduce-your-chances-of-dying-in-a-planecrash/
• Snake oil http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snak
e-oil-supplements/
• Can you get students make their own?

23. REAL world data
• http://www.google.com/publicdata/directory
• Bloodhound SSC - http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/education/the_car.cfm
• World Statistics - http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004372.html
• Google search insights
http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=%22bird%20flu%22&cmpt=q
• http://www.wolfram.com/solutions/education/students/ - Mathematica 2
• http://www.wolframalpha.com/ - ask it anything
Social, Cultural. Moral link

24. Strategies
Back to Back
Group collage (present and q&a)
Conscience Alley (roles and questions)

25. Experts and role reversal
Mantle of Expert
1. Pupils are given something to research, such as a
topical issue or artefact, with the aim of becoming an
expert on it.
2. Pupils must then take on the role of expert in front of
peers and are questioned on their ‘specialist’ subject.
Role Reversal
• One group shows how they think another group might
act or react to a particular situation.

26. Graffiti board
• Pupils encouraged to write, summarise and
draw on a board based on the topic.
• This can then be used to end topics and
question students on areas they found
difficult.
Variation of this is a ‘no easy answers board’

27. Jeopardy
This activity encourages pupils to think about the quality
questions which may lead to a particular answer. It has the
potential to stretch more able pupils who may think creatively
about possible alternative questions.
Try it:
Charles Darwin {what’s the question}

28. Thunks
Large open ended questions to stimulate debate
Can we ever build a computer that knows everything?
The earth and universe etc. will end at some point, so will
future exist after that?
because you can't see something does that mean it doesn't
exist?
If you read a book from cover to cover in a shop is it stealing?

29. Some quick wins:
The Starter Generator! Mark II
The Plenary Producer
The Blooms-Buster.ppt

30. Flipped classroom and Design Thinking
for STEM
Homework: Find out about bones in the arm and
shoulder
Lesson: Application of the homework to identify
how the bones interact to allow movement. How
muscles contract. Apply deeper activity.
Thinking like an engineer:
http://getideas.org/getinsight/stem-sciencetechnology-engineering-and-maths/

31. Raising achievement matters – but on
what factors does it depend?
On what factor does it
most depend?

32. It’s the classroom!!
Variability at the classroom level is at least 4
times that at school level
•
•
It doesn’t matter very much which school you go to
But it matters very much which classrooms you are in…
It’s not class size, It’s not the class grouping
strategies
OVER TO YOU!

33. So to summarise:
• You must plan for key
questions
• Try different strategies
within the science
department and share
good practice
• Science has many
opportunities for SMSC
• Use ICT / Internet and
IWB’s to motivate
students