Share - Reflect - Data Analysis

Week two with the Year 9 SOLO learning - does the pattern continue?

Week two is about the concept of natural selection!

Here are the learning outcomes for each SOLO level:

Here's what the rangaranga maha activity looks like:

At the end of the week I gathered data using this quizizz (only 10 questions) and then plotted it against their highest level of work completion:

Next I found an average quiz score for those who completed each SOLO level:

I found a similar pattern to last week :)

Once again I showed this to the class to reinforce that the more effort you put in to your learning, the more you learn!  

Share - Reflect - Data Analysis

Is there any initial evidence to back up my idea that these SOLO-structured, literacy-focussed, culturally-located learning sequences support learning?

Well, when I created them - no. I went with my gut/teacher instinct and the readings/research I'd already completed, but I had to just make it and then see what happened. 

Let's have a look at how the learning went down with my Year 9 class - 9TGn. We began to learn about Ecosystems; in particular what an 'ecological niche' is.

First I introduced the topic and we watched the first 5 minutes of this video on stone-age farmers. Students were mostly engaged. Then they made a copy of the activities for Specific Learning Outcome 1. 

Over the course of the week students progressed at different speeds through the learning activities, with me able to float around and discuss the concept and try to motivate them onwards. Students asked for help at different places to one another.

The SOLO activities included students forming their own definition of what an ecological niche was my mixing and merging two online definitions. Then they moved on to complete a guided reading activity in pairs or small groups (which I have already blogged about here), a vocabulary activity that asked students to represent the vocabulary with an image AND in a sentence, and finally the last activity asked them to apply what they had learned about ecological niche's to their own lives (what is their own ecological niche?).

During the last 15 minutes on Friday we 'played' this 10-question Kahoot (which is actually a data-gathering tool for me). 

And LOOK at the glorious correlation between kahoot scores and the highest level of SOLO activity that was completed!!

Here is the raw data I used to calculate the averages, if anyone is interested: 

In summary the further that students progressed through the learning activities, the higher they scored (on average) on the 10-question kahoot at the end of the week's learning. One exception to this was a student who only completed the Multistructural activity but scored 90% on the kahoot to take the win - but the overall pattern was still visible.

I will repeat this data analysis next week with a new SLO about 'natural selection.'

Share - Feedback and Feedforward

Now that the Y10 unit (and new Y9 Term 2 unit) are being implemented in junior classes, I need to consider how it can be sustainable and how it can be improved. Two questions to consider are:

1. How will I help sustain effective teaching practice with this new junior curriculum and format?
2. How can other science teachers reach me with questions / suggestions?

How will I help sustain effective teacher practice? Having the full year's plans already laid out in advance should improve consistency in learning experience at the junior level for some years into the future (until the NZC is changed, anyway). Teachers only need to look ahead to be ready for practicals and have enough crafty supplies to allow for some of the Extended Abstract activities. Some teachers have been making copies of all the activities to ensure they are familiar with and own the learning, and have then placed it onto their own sites so they can provide feedback for their students. I also ran a speedy tutorial on how to use the new site during a Science Department meeting, and made he screencast/video on my previous post. I have responded to a few email queries on how to run certain activities and manage the spreadsheet, and popped over to a colleague's room after school to help.

How can other science teachers reach me with questions / suggestions? I receive notifications of blog comments, and can also be reached at wells@tamaki.ac.nz, as well as the email address I used to create parts of this while I was overseas; scienceteacher90@gmail.com  So far my HoD has emailed to say one presentation had links to two videos but that both links went to the same video - that was a quick fix.

Share - Model - How to Use the Site

I created this video for students who are new to the Y10 learning format, but it could also be useful for teachers who didn't want to read my enormous last post!