Budding Science and Literacy
BUDDING SCIENCE AND LITERACY
Kick-off conference, 3. juni, 2010
Marianne Ødegaard
Merethe Frøyland og Sonja M. Mork
A longitudinal study of using inquiry-based science
and literacy in comprehensive schooling
• Aim:
To study how the interplay of indoor and
outdoor inquiry-based science activities and
literacy activities can improve teachers’
instructional competence and students’
learning outcome in science.
Intervention and development
Focus of Budding Science and Literacy:
1. how teachers implement new teaching
strategies in science education.
→ Developing teachers’ competence
2. how literacy skills may enhance learning in
science
→ Understanding students’ learning processes and
learning outcome
3. how to develop good curriculum material to
support the interdisciplinary nature of this way
of teaching and learning.
Intervention and development
• Combines teachers’ professional competence
from the classroom with researchers’ knowledge
of science education
• Together we will translate and adapt curriculum
material develop at University of California,
Berkeley - Lawrence Hall of Science
• Starting point: Professional development course
for teachers called ”Science and basic skills”
• ≈ Action research?
Motives
• The Knowledge
Promotion Reform :
Budding scientist
Basic skills
• Inquiry-based science
”Inquiry into authentic questions generated from student experiences is
the central strategy for science teaching.” Anderson, 2007
• Science and literacy
Learning the language of science is a major part of science education.
Wellington & Osborne, 2001; Mortimer & Scott, 2003
Central educational principles
Budding Science and Literacy is based on
some central educational principles partly
inspired by the Seeds of Science/Roots of
Reading project developed at University of
California, Berkeley and Lawrence Hall of
Science (Barber, Pearson et al., 2007).
Central educational principles:
1. Engage students in first-hand and secondhand investigations
Practice
Text
Continuous
shift
Focusing
language
Central educational principles:
1. Engage students in first-hand and secondhand investigations
2. Multimodal learning activities
Reflect!
Do it!
Say it!
Read it!
Write it!
Central educational principles:
1. Engage students in first-hand and secondhand investigations
2. Multimodal learning activities
3. Synergy effects of inquiry-based science and
literacy
Central educational principles:
1. Engage students in first-hand and secondhand investigations
2. Multimodal learning activities
3. Synergy effects of inquiry-based science and
literacy
4. Explicit teaching
→ ”Teaching for understanding”
”How do we resemble scientists?”
Research questions:
 How does an intervention with inquiry-based learning
strategies influence/change teacher practice in science
and reading?
 How can literacy be used as a tool to support inquirybased science education indoors and outdoors?
 What are the synergies found between literacy and
inquiry-based science education?
 How does early intervention with inquiry-based learning
strategies influence students’ learning outcomes in
science and reading?
Data material:
• Observational data (video)
- offered learning activities (actions)
• Interview data (students and teachers)
- experienced learning activities (meaning)
• Teacher loggs, field notebooks? mm.
• Teachers’ reflection material evt. (exams)
• Tests of learning outcome in science and
reading comprehension tests (pre- og post-)
Informants:
• Chosen teachers from our courses
• Their students (a selection)
Metods:
• Depending on research focus
”Accordion project with satellites”
Adaption of curriculum
material
Phase 1 (3 år)
student
13
11
student
10
9
7
student
4
3
teacher
Pre- post-testing
2
Reading comprehention
1
Science
0
Naturfagsenteret
Main focus for
Budding Science and
Literacy
teacher
5
Focus on
professional
development
CAMP
? HiO ?
teacher
8
6
HiOF
Geo-program
teacher
student
Student level
12
Teacher
colleges
Phase 2 (7 år)
Classroom analyses
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Years of competence development år
for teacher
9
10
Financing
• Research council of Norway, Educational
Research (Utdanning2020)
• Statoil
• Naturfagsenteret
• University of Oslo, KIS
• Høgskoler
• Lesesenteret?
Challenges and expectations:
• Keeping together a diverse and complex project
Diverse views on learning
Diverse research interests
Diverse research products
• Many expectations:
Synergy effects
Spreading knowledge and tools for learning
Many good research articles…