Our Analyses, our Goals, our Agendas
+++ I recommend using our Moodle Discussion Forum instead of the TitanPad for our discussions. For instant messaging we can use the Moodle Chat function. (The TitanPad offers no means to structure the content into topics or separate strands. It seems useful for jotting down one's ideas or stream of thoughts, but not for structured discussing or instant messaging) +++
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(Barbara) How to enable and empower teachers to let teachers and students (and educational students and university personnel) draft and use their own curricula, based on - their own? - critical review of natural science and educational research methodologies, of these research approaches' impact on the sciences as well as on the teaching of science?
BUT: Opening up curricula, i.e. dispersion of pedagogical and content-wise classroom options, means not only widening a populace's meme-pool (which is essential to enhance recombination within groups and enable them to react to future challenges), but dispersion of memes also means a loss of shared, of common memes (which might lead to a loss of the sense of belonging, of mutual understanding).
(Barbara) Our Bildungsserver PALAVA Working Group pages are open to the public (set to anonymous access for now, until someone of those contributing disagrees), while this moodle is not (as far as I can see - am I right, Hermann?).
(John) Many thanks for doing this Barabara. Could you send details to the whole PALAVA members! I doubt many will look at it, but it is there. Brenda has arrived at home :-) So we are two here. A hybrid of face to face and virtual (meerting).
(Penny)I think that presenting at the ASE will help raise our profile and enable us to share our research with others but we need to be 'clever' with our titles
(John) We do indeed. I tend to think of titles and then content. Now I think this is daft, and we should construct content first. The titles need very careful thought.
Any other ideas for the free running sessions?
(Penny) Good morning hope this works - I'm Penny a high school chemistry teacher based in the UK
(John) I feel there are already many sessions where 'ideas for the classroom' are dominant, and where, if we attend some of those (I generally do not), we can input some deeper thinking. Including 'ideas for the classroom' into PALAVA sessions reduces time available for deeper thinking in our sessions. We should encourage teachers to 'transform' the deeper ideas into exemplary classroom practice as an active form of CPD. In the free running example I sent earlier, there was stimulus for creating classroom ideas built in. One of our struggles is attracting attendees. I think the flyers can help. However, there may be a limit to who could be attracted, however hard we try. Some just want to have exam board sessions, AND NOTHING ELSE.
(John) Good morning everyone. I have added Laila Boiselle to this list. I hope shecan be added to the Hessen site today. Some arrangements:
Using the Hessen site is an experiment. We have the email list as an alternative if there are any problems. Iwill copy all communications to a Word document so that Ihave a record for future use that is available afterwards.
Maybe using Skype today could be a management problem for me. In addition, transcribing oral is an extra burden. My Skype is (...) My PC is getting a bit old now so occasionally it might crash from using all the data. Please bear with me if I need to reboot.
In line with PALAVA directions, feel free to use diagrams as input material. Perhaps anyone who does this can also scan the diagram and send it as soon asconvenient.
The ASE Annual Conference content refers to:
a) traditional scientific content from practising scientists (not science educators);
b) training teachers to conform to government-imposed policies in an effective way;
c) workshops targeting mechanical matters such as conducting practical work, or using pedagogical resources within a directed framework.
PALAVA's approach is dissonant to this, epitomised by attending to diagrams and social issues such as ESD. PALAVA's approach is not mainstream which can be a challenge but also refreshing. Many (secondary) science teachers come from a traditional mainstream science background, and are not naturally attracted to the PALAVA approach. We have a hard task but if we have some successes we should be jubilant.
Feel free to write in from now. I will start the meeting actively from about 0945, and close around 1215 (all GMT).
At first writing, please give 2 or 3 sentences about yourself as introduction. PALAVA is a mix of formal and informal, so feel free to drink refreshments and eat something as we work, as we do at our face to face meetings :-)
Good luck everyone.
Abrazos
The fist item on the agenda is the ASE Conference 2018. We need to look at 3 more Free running workshops. Veronica, You may feel that we are not looking at Maths. Please add some ideas from this.
From a previous email:
ASE Annual Conference, Jan. 2018 - PALAVA draft agenda
Wednesday
Keynote: PALAVA's international contribution to Action Research joint with IOSTE i.e. the value of an active Community of Practice allied to the potential of the internet
- Thursday Keynote: the path to participatory research from research on participants
- Friday Keynote: Emancipating research methodology as a tool mainly for researchers to being a tool for all teachers
- Keynotes to be reformed (transformed) into more of participatory activity
- PALAVA sessions transformed and made more effective through prior activity, parallel activity on the day throughout the world, and active follow-up
- We should offer certificates of professional development for participants. The Keynotes certificates should make mention of the transformative nature of the session, i.e. not simply as a passive activity, just listening
- As an example, I have proposed one Free Running Workshop on the theme of Assessment. We might restyle this as transforming Assessment!!??
- Some themes for other sessions might be: implementing research methodology as an emancipatory activity for teachers through appropriate examples; examples of integrating subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge (i.e. actively promoting PCK); ESD through the lens of diagrams; etc, etc
- We agreed to create book(let)s on each theme, for a donation, for each session.
- We agreed to produce Conference flyers of our programme.
- We agreed to advertise our programme to teachers in the Liverpool area
- We agreed to liaise with the media about our programme.
- So, we have some proposals already for these three. implementing research methodology as an emancipatory activity for teachers through appropriate examples; examples of integrating subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge (i.e. actively promoting PCK); ESD through the lens of diagrams. Any comments? John
Penny, you are there :-) Any thoughts? John
Perhaps I might elaborate the ideas:
- implementing research methodology as an emancipatory activity for teachers through appropriate examples: What I mean by this is showing teachers how some of the research methods we have been using could be used as typical class activities. So, asking students to share what they are seeing in a diagram, in pairs or small groups, is a way of making explicit, through describing a diagram, their understanding, or application of the concepts shown in the diagram. it is explanatory but also integrating, since they have to synthesise different concepts as they share their ideas. It could also be metacognitive for the explaining student (Thinking Aloud their own thinking). We might have gone much further on the whitespace project by then. I sent a booklet yesterday on Question-Generating in ESD. This contained examples that could be used in class.
- examples of integrating subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge (i.e. actively promoting PCK): this is harder, (From above) I feel there are already many sessions where 'ideas for the classroom' are dominant, and where, if we attend some of those (I generally do not), we can input some deeper thinking. Including 'ideas for the classroom' into PALAVA sessions reduces time available for deeper thinking in our sessions. We should encourage teachers to 'transform' the deeper ideas into exemplary classroom practice as an active form of CPD. In the free running example I sent earlier, there was stimulus for creating classroom ideas built in. One of our struggles is attracting attendees. I think the flyers can help. However, there may be a limit to who could be attracted, however hard we try. Some just want to have exam board sessions, AND NOTHING ELSE. Perhaps a session (workshop) where we take some deeper thinking, and work through how, through PCK, it is converted to classroom practice, could be a good session, with the emphasis on the transformation i.e. the PCK Wow. This would really be a great session.
- ESD through the lens of diagrams. I sent an example yeserday.
Jude is now with us but not logged in. She writes: it is all in the title and how we 'sell' the session. if we make something sound too research focused it won;t attract an audience of teachers so ther trick would be to discuss our ideas about e.g. how to improve subject knowledge and PCK by showing what this looks like
I think we are onto the topics of a) managing publicity and advertising; b) moving from experts transmitting to teachers (and learners) transforming. Hattie says that teacher improve best when they see themselves as learners.
We may have to think of ways of managing the ASE system to achieve what we want.
Tracey has joined us.
She suggests an alternative event where PALAVA ideas are more in line.
Brenda and Jude are discussing the elitist nature of the science curriculum. The class structure of the UK underpins inequity in the UK.
"It is more important to do what you feel is right, rather than what is right! "
Tracey: (in respecty of teacher research)n I don't at present but know in our school action research is a priority cpd focus. I am involved in two projects: one whole school project linked with Bournemouth University and our department looking at the use of competition to raise engagement; the second is bigger project with University of Exeter looking at dialogue in creative science education partnering with the art teacher to plan, deliver and review practise. Loving both but time is huge constraint on all this when implementing a new curriculum and trying to amend ks3 to be better preparation. I am tired from everything but still enthusiastic but when I attend ase meeting in fortnight might not want more on action research and deep learning when pressure on to maintain our results and ranking (best school in Dorset and top 6% nationally).
Penny says: Time is always our problem isn't it. I really have to try to be disciplined at timetable myself time to do my own research and reading else it gets lost in "more important" things that really are not
Tracey, Hattie points out that competition is much less effective than cooperation in learning. However testing and curriculum is important because that gives our students the results to gain access to employment, careers and higher education that gives them the best possible opportunities to be happy and successful citizens.
The curriculum - is it really about being for citizens, or for future scientists?
Is the curriculum really for unsuccessful scientsts, such as Barristas, or Bankers?
Are teachers unsuccessful scientists?
Do we teach maths primarily to make future mathematicians?
Is science the only subject aimed primarily at creating future scientists?