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Pgptp session 2
This document summarizes a science education seminar. It began with Dawn Berkeley introducing the session objectives and group norms. The session then covered assessing science content knowledge, identifying important concepts and vocabulary, and methods for assessing student proficiency through pre-testing. Participants were guided to develop science unit plans and analyze sample test questions. The goal was to help teachers better understand science content in order to develop goals and improve instruction to close achievement gaps.
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Pgptp session 2
- 1. Welcome to thePGPTP Secondary Science Session Dawn Berkeley, Seminar Leader DO NOW: Please take out the self-assessment on science content knowledge (Handout 2.1).
- 2. Professional ValuesFocus onour primary mission of closing the achievement gap by setting high expectations for our students, our colleagues and ourselves.Maximize our experience – working with a sense of urgency, seeking out and welcoming experiences, resources, and feedback in order to grow.Be flexible.Respect one another.Model a Culture of Achievement.
- 3. Group NormsBe respectfulof one anotherNo side conversationsBe on timeFocus on things within your controlNo war stories…limit dwelling (whining or complaining)No blame or excusesNo interruptingTake ownership of the session by actively participating
- 4. So, what’s different?2ndYear Completion Requirements:Requirement #1 – Assessment Projects (5)Professional Development PlanAligning Strategies to Content Requirements & Student NeedsAnalyzing Content, Standards, and ResourcesDiagnosing Student Readiness, Setting Achievement Goals and Monitoring Progress – Part 1Diagnosing Student Readiness, Setting Achievement Goals and Monitoring Progress – Part 1Requirement #2 – Updated PES Component 4 – “Setting Goals for Student Achievement and Professional Development”Requirement #3 – Improving Practice Analysis and Reflection (5 – 7 pg. reflection)
- 6. Session ObjectivesUSE self-assessmentof science content knowledge and pedagogy to set professional goals for teaching science. (Ardalan)
- 7. IDENTIFY the importanceof fundamental science content and vocabulary. (Kevin)
- 8. EXPLORE methods toassess student proficiency and develop the foundation to create a pretest that will guide unit planning and formatively modify instruction. (Alexis)CONTENTEach of the core subjects you teach has a unique organizational structure, vocabulary, and requirements. Understanding these elements will help you make connections for your students between skills and knowledge, as well as within and between content areas. Most important, you will be able to help your students generalize and apply knowledge to new and complex academic tasks.It is your responsibility to understand deeply the content you teach in order to make learning meaningful to all students. Kevin
- 9. ASSESSMENTYou will needto monitor student progress carefully, critically analyze results, and make immediate and careful changes to your own teaching practices in order to achieve measurable progress in student performance. You need to understand how to select effective assessments so that you can continuously document student progress toward meeting or exceeding grade-level standards by the end of the school year. You will invest students in their academic development by being transparent about their performance, sharing results, and providing them with the ongoing assessment tools they need to understand and drive their own academic success.Assessment is a keycomponent to closingthe achievement gap.Teachers need to useongoing assessmentsto be highly effectivein the classroom.Ardalan
- 10. INSTRUCTIONYour instructional choicesshould support student mastery of standards, be informed by student achievement data, and be differentiated to meet student needs. This will help ensure that your efforts in the classroom will lead toward the academic achievement for every student. Your curriculum is a tool, but whether your students make gains is up to you. No curriculum on its own will be effective for all students.Teachers must chooseinstructional strategiescarefully to maximizetheir impact on studentachievement.Ardalan
- 11. OpeningSelf-Assessment and ProfessionalGoal SettingPlease complete Handout 2.2, Professional Goals for Teaching Science Sheet.Key Message Experts10 min.
- 12. Opening DebriefWhat topicsdo you have the most confidence teaching? The least?What local resources did you list to help you build your content knowledge?How can self-assessments and goal setting be used in your own classroom?5 min.
- 13. Session ObjectivesUSE self-assessmentof science content knowledge and pedagogy to set professional goals for teaching science. (Joseph)
- 14. IDENTIFY the importanceof fundamental science content and vocabulary. (Kevin)
- 15. EXPLORE methods toassess student proficiency and develop the foundation to create a pretest that will guide unit planning and formatively modify instruction. (Alexis)
- 16. Section 1Identifying ImportantScience Content and VocabularyApproaches to Teaching Science ContentIdentifying What Students Should “Know” in Order to “Do”Vocabulary Necessary for Mastery of Key Concepts
- 17. Approaches to TeachingScience ContentWhy is it important for students to develop content knowledge?
- 18. Approaches to TeachingScience ContentDO NOW: Identify 2 partners to work with during the next activity. Three Views Take 2 minutes to review Handout 2.3 and write the pros and cons of teaching science content both through inquiry and direct teaching on the “Individual View” on Handout 2.4. Now, find your first partner. You will have 2 minutes for both partners to share. After sharing your ideas, locate a second partner to share with. 7 min.
- 19. Approaches to TeachingScience Content DebriefAlexis5 min.
- 20. Identifying What StudentsShould “Know” in Order to “Do”Why is it important to identify the discrete facts and concepts embedded in a key concept?DO NOW:Handout 2.5. Determine a focus of a unit to teach between sessions 4 – 7. Use the standards to determine what key concepts students should know and be able to do at the end of a unit. Only complete Columns 1 & 2.12 min.
- 21. Vocabulary Necessary forMastery of Key ConceptsDO NOW:Place your sticky notes along the continuum on the back wall.Next, read the quote from Project 2061. 5 min.
- 22. Vocabulary Necessary forMastery of Key ConceptsDO NOW:Read the passage on Handout 2.6 and answer the questions on the bottom of the handout.Now, re-locate Handout 2.5 and determine the essential vocabulary students need to know for the same unit of study you worked on in Part B.10 min.
- 23. Vocabulary Necessary forMastery of Key Concepts DebriefWhat challenges did you experience in selecting and teaching vocabulary?What challenges do you see your students having when learning vocabulary? What solutions to these challenges emerged from this activity?3 min.
- 24. Session ObjectivesUSE self-assessmentof science content knowledge and pedagogy to set professional goals for teaching science. (Joseph)
- 25. IDENTIFY the importanceof fundamental science content and vocabulary. (Kevin)
- 26. EXPLORE methods toassess student proficiency and develop the foundation to create a pretest that will guide unit planning and formatively modify instruction. (Alexis)Section 2Assessing Student Learning in ScienceWhat is Assessment?Assessing Science ContentAnalyzing Sample Test Questions
- 27. What is Assessment?DONOW:With a partner, briefly share what you know about the role of assessment.Now, refer to Handout 2.7 , which you completed for HW. In one large group, discuss the questions on the chart and the Reflections Questions in 2.7. Numbered Heads Together. 5 min.
- 28. Assessing Science ContentDONOW: Now, refer to Handout 2.8 , which you completed for HW. (Bloom’s Taxonomy) 5 min.
- 29. Assessing Science ContentWhatis the prerequisite knowledge students should have as it pertains to that key concept/standard?What is the role of Bloom’s in designing instruction and assessment? How can you turn your essential questions into multiple choice or short-answer questions?What are the most effective methods for assessing students on these standards?3 min.
- 30. Assessing Science ContentDONOW:Take out Handout 2.5 and select a key concept from your upcoming unit to examine and fill in the columns on Handout 2.8 for this standard. Select a second key concept and perform the same.20 min.
- 31. Analyzing Sample TestQuestionsPlease take out the sample standardized test questions and an end-of-unit or chapter test from their textbook or curriculum resources (Homework).Locate Handout 2.9 and select a key concept or standard that you plan to assess on your pretest.Identify one strength/weakness in the test items you analyzed. 10 min.
- 32. Session ObjectivesUSE self-assessmentof science content knowledge and pedagogy to set professional goals for teaching science. (Joseph)
- 33. IDENTIFY the importanceof fundamental science content and vocabulary. (Kevin)
- 34. EXPLORE methods toassess student proficiency and develop the foundation to create a pretest that will guide unit planning and formatively modify instruction. (Alexis)10 min.
- 35. Section 3Introduction toInquiry ProcessInquiry Process OverviewParameters for PretestIntroduction to the Data Tracker
- 36. Inquiry Process OverviewPleaselocate Handout 2.10 and the inquiry poster of the same graphic.
- 37. Parameters for PretestPleaselocate Handout 2.11, take 30 seconds to reiterate the parameter to a partner (in your own words).
- 38. Introduction to theData TrackerPlease locate Handout 2.12Take Away:Handout 2.12 will have 2 components:A sheet for tracking mastery of content standards before/after a unitA sheet for tracking science process skills (introduced in Session 5)
- 39. Introduction to theData TrackerEach question is aligned with a standard
Editor's Notes
- #7 Have PT’s read the Objectives next to their names…
- #8 Have PT’s whose names appear on the slides read the Key Messages and be responsible for how the session activities connect to those messages throughout the session.
- #9 Have PT’s whose names appear on the slides read the Key Messages and be responsible for how the session activities connect to those messages throughout the session.
- #10 Have PT’s whose names appear on the slides read the Key Messages and be responsible for how the session activities connect to those messages throughout the session.
- #11 TRANSITION: Now we are going to use the responses you provided in your self-assessment to set professional goals for science teaching. Mention to the participants that their goals should meet the SMART criteria. Introduce SMART Poster. Also consider your experiences from last year and any professional goals you may have drafted at the end of last year that they want to continue to pursue this year (this was part of their portfolio work last year). DEBRIEF: PT’s responses to Handouts 2.1 and 2.2. Mention to the participants that the handouts help to connect to the key messages of Content and Instruction. Ask Key Message Experts to draw connections between activities and the Key Messages. You should also let them know that Handout 2.2 will be part of the Professional Development Plan that they will draft for one of their assessments. You may want to reference the syllabus p. 28 at this point so that they can see the criteria
- #13 Have PT’s read the Objectives next to their names…
- #15 Have PT’s read the section activities. Tell PT’s rthe goal of this section is to convey the importance of building student science content knowledge.
- #16 Tell PT’s the goal of this section is to convey the importance of building student science content knowledge and to reflect on the importance of developing this knowledge through instruction and inquiry. The Reading on Handout 2.3 discusses the relationship between science content and inquiry. Despite the call for an inquiry based approach to developing scientific knowledge and understanding, the quantity of content standards often results in teachers conveying content knowledge through direct instruction, lecturing, etc., rather than inquiry. The next activity is designed to help you consider 2 approaches to developing student knowledge: inquiry and direct teaching.
- #18 Ask PT’s to consider some unintended consequences that might occur as a result of teaching science content solely through direct instruction without inquiry and/or separating content from inquiry based science. (Record these ideas in the challenges/drawbacks quadrant).
- #19 Before designing instruction, teachers must determine what content knowledge students need to possess. Identifying key concepts, a careful analysis of standards will be helpful in determining the required knowledge and skills students will need in order to master the standards. Teachers should attempt to break larger concepts into foundational, discrete concepts to assist students with learning bigger concepts. In the next activity, you will practice determining the key content and foundational concepts for a unit you will teach sometime between Sessions 4 & 7. This will help you in the development of a pretest you will use with your classes. Notify PT’s that they will complete the Vocabulary Column in Part C. Again remind PT”s that they will use this work to develop a unit pre-test to assess student knowledge about the concepts in the upcoming unit.
- #20 Remind PT’s that they likely saw a great deal of scientific vocabulary wit he standards. Now you will determine what vocabulary words are essential for student mastery of key concepts Encourage PT’s to consider the connections between the quote and their own teaching and how well their own vocabulary instruction reflects the quotes call to stress technical vocabulary to enhance understanding. Ask 3 PT’s to explain the position of their sticky note and describe their current vocabulary instruction. There are a variety of ways to teach vocabulary. What are some that the PT’s are familiar with and/or use? In Session 3, you will learn effective strategies for teaching vocabulary, but here the goal is simply to understand the importance of teaching vocabulary. PT’s will now spend 3 minutes reading a technical passage from a medical textbook. Explain to PT’s the importance of this activity, as it causes them to consider their prior knowledge and move towards accumulating new knowledge.
- #21 Remind PT’s that they likely saw a great deal of scientific vocabulary with the standards. Now you will determine what vocabulary words are essential for student mastery of key concepts Encourage PT’s to consider the connections between the quote and their own teaching and how well their own vocabulary instruction reflects the quotes call to stress technical vocabulary to enhance understanding. Ask 3 PT’s to explain the position of their sticky note and describe their current vocabulary instruction. There are a variety of ways to teach vocabulary. What are some that the PT’s are familiar with and/or use? In Session 3, you will learn effective strategies for teaching vocabulary, but here the goal is simply to understand the importance of teaching vocabulary. “I can determine the vocabulary needed by auditing the standards and consulting the curriculum or textbook I plan to use to teach this unit. (Reference the chart).
- #22 Ask volunteers to reflect on this activity. Have questions written out on post it notes. 1. What challenges did you experience in selecting and teaching vocabulary? 2. What challenges do you see your students having when learning vocabulary? 3. What solutions to these challenges emerged from this activity?
- #23 Have PT’s read the Objectives next to their names…
- #24 Have PT’s read the section activities. Tell PT’s rthe goal of this section is to convey the importance of building student science content knowledge.
- #25 Explain to PT’s that it is one of the goals of the course that PT”s know how to use assessment to maximize learning. In this session you will develop a pre-test as a diagnostic for understanding “where students are” before beginning a course of study. In one large group, PT”s will answer the questions posed on the chart. 1. How do you create instruction in the classroom to meet the rigor of the standards? 2. How do you know students are mastering the concepts at the desired level of rigor? Something to think about: New ideas about when assessments are careated and how they are used to plan instruction have led to better teacher and student outcomes.
- #26 Explain to PT’s that they are now going to practice writing test questions that match the content and level of cognition spelled out in the standard. You will use the strategic approach to assessment to direct your writing of your own unit pretest, which you will complete for homework. Direct PT’s the 4th page of the Handout 2.8 and explain the column headings.
- #27 Ask volunteers to reflect on this activity. Have questions written out on post it notes. 1. What challenges did you experience in selecting and teaching vocabulary? 2. What challenges do you see your students having when learning vocabulary? 3. What solutions to these challenges emerged from this activity?
- #28 Explain to PT’s that they are now going to practice writing test questions that match the content and level of cognition spelled out in the standard. You will use the strategic approach to assessment to direct your writing of your own unit pretest, which you will complete for homework. Direct PT’s the 4th page of the Handout 2.8 and explain the column headings. Direct PT’s to work at their own pace. DEBRIEF: How difficult was it to create test questions for one standard?How can you ensure that your pretest give you specific information about what students know? When examining test questions, you now have many lenses to use i.e. Bloom’s levels, vocabulary, content, prior knowledge. The questions you have can be used on your unit pre-test. In the next activity, we will analyze test questions from your textbook and tests made via PGCPS. REMINDER: The next step in strategically designing assessments is for teachers to design the assessment immediately after prioritizing the content standards and prior to the design of instructional activities. Assessments should assess the standards not the level of instruction in the class. The level of instruction should meet the rigor of the standard. TRANSITION: You’ll now engage in an activity designed to help you critically consume test questions from the textbook and/or district assessments.
- #29 You have now learned how to determine the topics of assessment questions and how to apply lenses i.e. Bloom’s, vocabulary, content, prior knowledge when designing test questions, which will assist in the development of your pretest in the upcoming unit. As a reminder, although PGCPS may provide assessments in the form of benchmarks, FAST testing, textbook resources, etc., it is still important to use this analytical process to ensure the questions are aligned to the standards. TRANSITION: In the next activity you will compare state-, district-, or school wide standardized test items. We’ll now analyze sample test questions that correspond to one of the key concepts/standards for the unit you will teach between Sessions 4 – 7. Read the directions aloud for Handout 2.9. After break, in the next section, we will review the inquiry process for the course as it relates to the pretest and leave this session prepared to create the pretest.
- #30 Have PT’s read the Objectives next to their names… or call on one volunteer for each objective to share how the objective was met for him or her.Share any challenges or solutions that surfaced during the session. Add to the Challenges Chart from Session 1. Instructional Strategies Check – Add to Handout 1.8. In the next session, you will focus on comprehension strategies for science topics and texts.
- #32 Have PT’s read the section activities. Tell PT’s rthe goal of this section is to convey the importance of building student science content knowledge.
- #33 REMIND: PT’s that they will formally use this process in 2 ways: to assess content knowledge to guide planning using the pretest they will design for homework and to assess science process skills to guide planning. Walk PT’s through each step of the inquiry process refenceing the poster. Ask them to follow along on Handout 2.10. The ability to determine student growth is through the use of pre and post tests. You will now apply what you have learned about assessments to write a content knowledge assessment which can be used as a pretest for a unit you will teach between sessions 4 – 7. REMIND: One of the HW assignments requires you to create a pretest for homework and bring it to Session 3. You will administer the test after Session 3 and analyze the results during SESSION 4. After Session 4, you will create and administer a similar post test to measure growth and determine re-teaching needs. Have PT’s turn to the 4th page of the Handout 2.10 and walk them through the steps and time line for teaching of science content knowledge. Remind PT’s that they are now in the DIAGNOSE step. During Session 4, PT’s will take into account levels of prior knowledge, implement unit between Session 4 and 7, provide lesson reflections and student work. REMIND: PT”s
- #34 EXPLAIN: you will consider the parameters on Handout 2.11 for the pretest you will develop. READ: each parameter out loud and ask PT’s to take 30 seconds to reiterate the parameter in their own words to a neighbor. REMIND: PT’s they will create the pretest by next session and use it to analyze prior knowledge during SESSiON 4. During SESSION 4 you will use the results of the pretest to plan instruction for your unit. You will need to record your data for one class using a spreadsheet that will enable you to do so efficiently.
- #35 EXPLAIN: you will now be shown a model for tracking student data on the standards using a pre and post test approach.REMIND: The goal of the next step is to help you understand the model data tracker so that you are equipped to create your own using the provided template. EXPLAIN: You’ll be guided to develop a system for tracking student process using an electronic template. The template will have 2 components:A sheet for tracking master of content standards before and after a unit and a sheet for tracking science process skills (introduced in Session 5).The snapshot on Handout 2.12 comes for a sample teacher’s tracker of content standards data.
- #36 EXPLAIN: you will now be shown a model for tracking student data on the standards using a pre and post test approach.REMIND: The goal of the next step is to help you understand the model data tracker so that you are equipped to create your own using the provided template. EXPLAIN: You’ll be guided to develop a system for tracking student process using an electronic template. The template will have 2 components:A sheet for tracking master of content standards before and after a unit and a sheet for tracking science process skills (introduced in Session 5).The snapshot on Handout 2.12 comes for a sample teacher’s tracker of content standards data. Use the ELMO to display the Tracker and walk PT’s through each component of the tracker.
- #37 Have PT’s read the Objectives next to their names… or call on one volunteer for each objective to share how the objective was met for him or her.Share any challenges or solutions that surfaced during the session. Add to the Challenges Chart from Session 1. Instructional Strategies Check – Add to Handout 1.8. (Today’s strategies: Self assessment and goal setting, three views, numbered heads together) In the next session, you will focus on comprehension strategies for science topics and texts.
- #38 Have PT’s read the section activities. Tell PT’s the goal of this section is to convey the importance of building student science content knowledge. How many questions….