Instrumentation improvisation in science and mathematics teaching learning

1. SCIENCE TEACHER ACADEMY FOR THEREGIONS
“A Teaching and Learning Community"

2. SCIENCE TEACHER ACADEMY FOR THE REGIONS
“A Teaching and Learning Community"
Improvisation and
Design Thinking in
Science and Mathematics
Teaching
Magnolia Vida A. Cano
Bicol University

3. Review
TPACK
Why use
instructional
materials
(instruments/equip
ment) in science and
math?
Plenary 1
How to make science and math
accessible and understandable?
How to combine our
knowledge of the subject
with our knowledge of how
to teach?
How to combine technology
with our content and
pedagogy to create an
effective learning
environment?

4. Review
DEVELOPING AN
IMPROVISATION
MINDSET
Benefits of an improvisational
mindset
Plenary 1

5. Outline
1. Improvisation in Science and Math
2. Design thinking as an approach to improvisation
How can design thinking enhance improvisation in science and math?
How can improvisation be used to promote design thinking?
How can both be used to enhance science and math teaching and learning?
• Nature of design thinking vis-à-vis improvisation
• Design thinking steps (and their application to improvisation)

6. Practical Work in the Classroom
Increases student
motivation and
engagement
Develops hard and soft skills
Improves conceptual
understanding through
practical experience
Promotes
scientific inquiry
Promotes active learning

7. Low
High
Dale’s Cone of Experience
Dale, E. (1969). Audio-Visual Methods in Teaching , 3rd ed., Holt, Rinehart & Winston, New York.
Practical work in learning science and mathematics
Effective
learning
hinges on
concrete
experience

8. 21st Century Skills
https://www.panoramaed.com/blog/comprehensive-guide-21st-century-skills. North Kansas District Schools
Learning Skills
Life Skills
Literacy Skills
Learning Skills
• Critical Thinking
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Creativity
Life Skills
Flexibility, initiative,
social skills, productivity,
leadership
Literacy Skills
Information literacy, media literacy,
technology literacy

9. Improvisation in Science and Math
• The act of making
instruments/equipment by teachers
when the original instrument/equipment
is unavailable or when it is available but
not functional
(Bawa & Ibrahim. 2019)

10. Improvisation Mindset in Science and Math
Adaptability
Spontaneity
Creative Thinking
Being open to change and able to adjust quickly
to unexpected developments
Responding in the moment without
premeditation or planning
Coming up with novel ideas, responses, and solutions on the spot. This can
lead to unexpected and imaginative outcomes.

11. Most of the work we do as teachers
are improvisation-based (Margolis, 2021)
Teaching is fundamentally an
improvisational practice (Sorensen, 2023)
Improvisation in Science and Math

12. Improvisation
User-centric,
relevant,
innovative
improvised
instrument/
equipment
Design
thinking
Improvisation and Design Thinking

13. Design Thinking
• It is an iterative process in which we seek to
• Understand the user;
• Challenge assumptions; and
• Redefine problems in an attempt to…
• Identify alternative strategies and solutions
• It is a way of thinking and working

14. Design thinking is a process

15. Design Thinking is a Process

16. Design thinking is human-centered
Students
Drawn…
Improvised
material Students
Push…
Improvised
material
Traditional Way of Thinking
Design Thinking

17. Design Thinking is a Process

18. Design Thinking Process
Develop the best possible
understanding of your
students, their needs and the
problems
Understanding the
people for whom you
are designing

19. Design Thinking Process

20. Why is Science/Mathematics Difficult?
• Complex terminology
• Abstract nature
• Visualizing structures and processes
• Integration of concepts
• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Mathematical applications
• Textbook reading
• Experimental design and data analysis
• Abstract nature
• Cumulative knowledge
• Complex terminology
• Perceived complexity
• Time-intensive
• Lack of context
• Negative experiences
• Lack of context

22. Why is Science and Math Interesting?
Real-World Applications
Problem Solving
Unveiling the Universe
Discovering the Unknown
Logical Structure
Puzzle-Solving
Beauty in Patterns
Connection to Other Subjects

23. Design thinking promotes ambiguity
Approaching a problem
in multiple ways
Encourages divergent
thinking
Improvisation involves divergent thinking
(Medonca & Wallace, 2005; Lewis & Lovatt, 2013)

24. Design thinking promotes ambiguity
Improvisation involves divergent thinking
(Medonca & Wallace, 2005; Lewis & Lovatt, 2013)

25. Improvisation and Design thinking
promotes interdisciplinary thinking
Koh, J. H. L., Chai, C. S., Wong, B., & Hong, H.-Y. (2015). Design thinking for education: Conceptions and applications in teaching
and learning. Springer Science and Business Media.

26. Design thinking is “outside the box” thinking

27. Design thinking promotes ambiguity

28. Design thinking is experimental
Gives the permission to fail and
to learn from mistakes

29. Design thinking is experimental

30. Design thinking involves cycles of iteration
Cyclical, non-linear

31. Design thinking is optimistic
Encourages positive
disposition

32. Design thinking requirescreativity
• Being creative is not just about being talented -- it's about
unlocking the skills that have been dormant or are as yet
undiscovered
• Teachers who are only interested in fulfilling the requirements
of a curriculum are failing to recognize their classroom as
their own learning environment. (Mermelstein, 2018)

33. Design thinking promotes collaboration
• More people means
more ideas and varied
perspectives
• Collaboration is an
important foundation for
design work in educational
contexts (Koh et al., 2015,
p. 121)
Koh, J. H. L., Chai, C. S., Wong, B., & Hong, H.-Y. (2015). Design thinking for education: Conceptions and applications in teaching
and learning. Springer Science and Business Media.

34. Design thinking promotes reflection
Koh, J. H. L., Chai, C. S., Wong, B., & Hong, H.-Y. (2015). Design thinking for education: Conceptions and applications in teaching
and learning. Springer Science and Business Media.
• Self-reflection and evaluating feedback
helps us better understand what to improve
and how
• Self-reflection empowers us to make all
round improvements to ourselves and the
people we lead and take care of
• Self-reflection is a space that allows
us to choose our next action

35. Design
Thinking?
https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2017/10/22/introduction-to-design-thinking-for-educators-workshop/characteristics-of-design-thinking/

36. Design Thinking Process in Improvisation
Develop the best possible
understanding of your
students, their needs and the
problems that underlie the
development of the
instrument/equipment that
you want to improvise

37. Design Thinking Process
Identify innovative
solutions to the problem
statement you’ve
formulated
Set the design requirements
Identify the appropriate
methods of testing the design
requirements

38. Design Thinking Process
Generate ideas and solutions, set the design requirements, and
methods for testing each design requirement
• What are the existing solutions to the present problem?
• What characteristics or attributes that your solution should have, if you solve
this problem?
• I
sthe proposed solution better than the existing solutions?

39. Design Thinking Process
identify the best possible
solution then implement
within a prototype

40. Design Thinking Process
Use the prototype of the
improvised
material/instrument
Gather students’
comments/insights on the
prototype

41. EXAMPLE OF IMPROVISATION AND
DESIGN THINKING IN A
SCIENCE LESSON

42. Use the prototype of the
improvised
material/instrument
Gather students’
comments/insights on the
prototype

43. Empathize • mostly using mathematical calculations
• sometimes with illustrations
Teacher’s
strategy:
• bored
• anxious
• uncomfortable
• not engaged
Students’
problems:
• no available device to demonstrate
Charles’ law
Teacher’s
problem:

44. Define
How might we develop a lesson that will make
Charles’ Law more interesting and engaging for
students?
How might we design a hands-on activity for
Charles’ Law?

45. Ideate
• To make the lesson more engaging and make the concepts
of the law more tangible and easier to understand, the
following features of the lesson were considered:
• Design a lesson with hands-on experience
• Use an improvised device that will simulate Charles’ Law
• Use everyday objects that are accessible
• Contextualize the lesson
• Integrate problem-solving in a real-life situation

46. Prototype

47. Test
Exposed to
hot H2O
Plastic H2O bottle Glass bottle

48. Improvisation and Design Thinking

49. The questions we have answered
How do we produce an improvised instrument or
equipment that is user-centric or responsive to the
needs of our students?
How may we use design thinking in producing
quality (and innovative) improvised instruments
and equipment?

50. It’s not ‘us on behalf of them.’
For a design thinker, it has to be
‘us with them.”
Modified from a quote by Tim Brown, CEO and President of IDEO

51. Resources
Margolis, A. (2021, May 10). Embracing an improvisational mindset. Center for Inspired
Teaching. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from
https://inspiredteaching.org/embracing-an-improvisational-mindset/
Sorensen, N. (2023). The improvising teacher: Reconceptualising pedagogy, expertise and
professionalism. Routledge, Taylor &
Francis Group.
Medonca, D., & Wallace, W. (2005). Cognition in Jazz improvisation: An explanatory study. In
26th annual meeting of the cognitive science society Chicago, IL.
Lewis, C., & Lovatt, P. J. (2013). Breaking away from set patterns of thinking: Improvisation
and divergent thinking. Thinking Skills and
Creativity, 9, 46–58. doi:10.1016/j.tsc.2013.03.001
Presentation in National Conference on Improvisation and Instrumentation in Science and
Mathematics Teaching and Learning. Improvisation and Design Thinking in Science and
Mathematics Teaching by Jun Karen V. Caparoso.