Assessment 1 science in primary classroom 1500 words Assessment overview Professor Ian Chubb (2011) said, citing a 2011 survey of Year 11 and 12 students: …our younger generations appear to be disinterested – even disengaged from science – even though they use its applications every day: from their food, to their pens, to shoes, to clothes, to smart phones, iPods, televisions and laptops. We live in a world in which science is embedded throughout all aspects of our lives. As teachers we have an opportunity to empower our students through science education, so they can embrace and participate in the world around them. The purpose of this assessment task is to write a 1500 word essay that explores the role of science teachers in preparing students to be scientifically literate. As you are about to enter into this professional context, you will need to consider your own beliefs about science learning and the role of the teacher. This will form the basis of Assessment 2: Digital teaching resource and Assessment 3: Folio. This task is assessing your ability to demonstrate that you meet the criteria for the following unit learning outcomes: 1. Analyse pedagogical approaches in teaching and learning of Science in the Primary classroom including the teaching of Science as part of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). 1. Evaluate appropriate methods to maintain safe and challenging learning environments within Science classrooms. Assessment details Within your essay construct a response to the question below: What role do science teachers have in equipping and preparing students to be scientifically literate? Throughout your essay you will: · analyse examples of constructivist teaching strategies for engaging, challenging and safe teaching of science, including the teaching of science as part of STEM · discuss the role of science teachers in empowering students to engage with science · support your discussions with relevant readings from the learning materials and your own wider research · Adhere to APA referencing style, including in-text citations and a reference list (not included in the word count). · The purpose of this assessment task is to write a 1500 word essay that explores the role of science teachers in preparing students to be scientifically literate. · As you are about to enter into this professional context, you will need to consider your own beliefs about science learning and the role of the teacher · The task is assessing your ability to demonstrate that you meet the criteria for the following unit learning outcomes: · 2. Analyse pedagogical approaches in teaching and learning of Science in the Primary Classroom including the teaching of Science as part of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). · 5. Evaluate appropriate methods to maintain safe and challenging learning environments within science classrooms. Throughout this essay you will: 1. Critically analyse examples of constructivist teaching strategi.

1. Assessment 1 science in primary classroom 1500 words
Assessment overview
Professor Ian Chubb (2011) said, citing a 2011 survey of Year
11 and 12 students:
…our younger generations appear to be disinterested – even
disengaged from science – even though they use its applications
every day: from their food, to their pens, to shoes, to clothes, to
smart phones, iPods, televisions and laptops.
We live in a world in which science is embedded throughout all
aspects of our lives. As teachers we have an opportunity to
empower our students through science education, so they can
embrace and participate in the world around them.
The purpose of this assessment task is to write a 1500 word
essay that explores the role of science teachers in preparing
students to be scientifically literate. As you are about to enter
into this professional context, you will need to consider your
own beliefs about science learning and the role of the teacher.
This will form the basis of Assessment 2: Digital teaching
resource and Assessment 3: Folio.
This task is assessing your ability to demonstrate that you meet
the criteria for the following unit learning outcomes:
1. Analyse pedagogical approaches in teaching and learning of
Science in the Primary classroom including the teaching of
Science as part of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Maths).
1. Evaluate appropriate methods to maintain safe and
challenging learning environments within Science classrooms.
Assessment details
Within your essay construct a response to the question below:
What role do science teachers have in equipping and preparing
students to be scientifically literate?
Throughout your essay you will:

2. · analyse examples of constructivist teaching strategies for
engaging, challenging and safe teaching of science, including
the teaching of science as part of STEM
· discuss the role of science teachers in empowering students to
engage with science
· support your discussions with relevant readings from the
learning materials and your own wider research
· Adhere to APA referencing style, including in-text citations
and a reference list (not included in the word count).
· The purpose of this assessment task is to write a 1500 word
essay that explores the role of science teachers in preparing
students to be scientifically literate.
· As you are about to enter into this professional context, you
will need to consider your own beliefs about science learning
and the role of the teacher
· The task is assessing your ability to demonstrate that you meet
the criteria for the following unit learning outcomes:
· 2. Analyse pedagogical approaches in teaching and learning of
Science in the Primary Classroom including the teaching of
Science as part of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Maths).
· 5. Evaluate appropriate methods to maintain safe and
challenging learning environments within science classrooms.
Throughout this essay you will:
1. Critically analyse examples of constructivist teaching
strategies for engaging, challenging and safe teaching of
science, including the teaching science as part of STEM.
2. Discuss the role of science teachers in empowering students
to engage with science
3. Support your discussions with relevant readings from the
learning materials and your own wider research
4. Adhere to APA referencing style, including in-text citations
and a reference list (not included in the word count)
Structure
Word count is obviously tight (1500 words)
· Introduction (200 - 250 words)

3. · That leaves 1000 - 1100 words to demonstrate:
1. Knowledge and understanding of contemporary science
teaching practice
2. Depth and Breadth of critical analysis
· Conclusion (200 - 250 words)
· References
How do we meet the word count and criteria?
· You will need to weave your strategies/ assessment /
connections to science and role of the teacher
· Use cited references to support the above.
· Refrain from directly quoting – it wastes too many words and
doesn’t demonstrate your knowledge on the topic
Role of the teacher
Key questions to consider
1. What does it mean to be scientifically literate?
2. What does it mean to maintain a safe and challenging
learning environment?
3. What does empowering students mean?
4. What can you do as a teacher to empower students to engage
with science?
Constructive Strategies for teaching science
5E Inquiry Model
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Problem/Project Based Learning
· Is Student Centered
· Active / investigative style of learning where students take
part in solving a problem
· Students encouraged to be active in their learning
What is critical analysis?
· Making links theory and practice (i.e. PBL and examples in
the classroom)
· Demonstration of reading course materials AND wider

4. academic materials to form your argument
· Examine and discuss the issues that are evident in your
reading using references to support these discussions
· Good link to how to develop critical writing
·
https://www.uws.edu.au/hall/hall/critical_thinking/develop_you
r_critical_writing_abilities
Tips of referencing and research
1. Use your eText to begin researching your assessment
2. Check out these guides on how to find appropriate academic
material:
· http://guides.lib.monash.edu/law/academicsources
· http://www2.open.ac.uk/students/skillsforstudy/finding-
appropriate-academic-material.php
· http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/howdoi/scholarly.html
Assessment criteria
1. Knowledge and understanding of contemporary science
teaching practice.
2. Depth and breadth of critical analysis.
3. Academic expression.
Marking Rubric
Pass [P 50-59%]
All aspects of the task have been completed, and the
requirements of all criteria have been met at a satisfactory
level. All work is original, except where the works of others
have been integrated and referenced according to APA
conventions.
· The essay has an introduction that introduces both the topic of
the essay and the essay itself.
· The essay has a clear response that is developed logically
across the essay.
· The essay addresses the topic and provides a basic analysis of
contemporary science teaching practice.
· The student is able to draw some connections between the
teaching strategies and maintaining a safe and challenging

5. learning environment.
· The use of relevant scholarly and non-scholarly literature.
· The use of APA referencing where the work is not the author’s
original work is generally correct.
· The essay includes academic writing that is generally free
from spelling and grammatical errors.
Credit [C 60-69%]
To be awarded a Credit, you must fulfil all of the requirements
of the P level, but with more sophistication.
The main difference between a pass and a credit is in:
· The relevance of the response to the essay question.
· The capacity to provide clear examples to support a sound
analysis of contemporary science teaching practice.
· The development of the response – the way ideas, insights,
evidence and commentary are used to expand specific claims.
· The clarity of the essay’s structure – the depth and clarity of
the essay’s focus and the unity of each paragraph.
· The connections that have been made between the role of
teachers and learners in maintaining a safe and challenging
learning environment.
· The relevance, rigour and correctness of the evidence cited.
· The way evidence is integrated into the response.
· The quality of proofreading – the errors that remain with
spelling, referencing, and grammatical construction do not
detract significantly from the quality of the submission.
Distinction [D 70-79%]
To be awarded a Distinction for this task students must meet all
the requirements of the credit level, but with more insightful
analysis, critical evaluation, capacity to engage an audience,
and competence in written communication.
Specifically this means that:
· High-level engagement with the learning materials is evident.
· The essay includes a sophisticated analysis of contemporary
science teaching practice.

6. · Sophisticated connections are made between the role of
teachers and learners in maintaining a safe and challenging
learning environment.
· The essay demonstrates a sophisticated capacity for critical
thinking.
· Highly developed skills in structuring a response are evident.
· The essay includes precise integration of evidence to support
claims made within the essay.
· There is evidence of wide reading.
· Careful proofreading – any errors in spelling, referencing, and
grammatical construction that remain after careful proofreading
do not detract from the quality of the submission.
High Distinction [HD 80-100%]
To be awarded an HD for this assignment students must meet all
the requirements of the distinction standard, outlined above, and
then they must go beyond that.
· The response is sound, logically argued, and well-supported in
terms of the use of facts to support or refute claims. It is free
from ambiguity and contradiction.
· The essay demonstrates insightful and sophisticated analysis
of contemporary teaching practice.
· Discerning and insightful connections have been made
between the role of teachers and learners in maintaining a safe
and challenging learning environment.
· Critical reading has been a feature in planning the essay and
demonstrates an insightful understanding of key concepts. These
features of the preparation are clearly evident in the essay’s
structure, depth of discussion, significance of the issues
identified.
· The essay is professionally presented and obvious care and
attention has been taken in its planning, editing, and
proofreading
These are the notes from my teacher
2 concepts
1) What role does the science teachers have?

7. 2) What does it mean to scientifically literate?
It is not a first person essay it’s a third person.
Reference to how you would work safely in the teaching
environment
Eg
Going out what is needed to be watched out when exploring the
environment?
Critical analysis?
It does not have to be pervasive so you can still touch on other
ideas. It means to be open with other ideas.
Empowering students
Week 3 look at the readings
Relevant readings
Pearson
E-text
Find other research
APA
Intro (it doesn’t need to be very long she prefers simple (no big
word no complications))
Body
Conclusion