Principled Improvement in Science: Forces and proportional relations in early secondary-school teaching

Abstract

In response to continuing concerns about student attainment and participation in science and mathematics, the epiSTEMe project took a novel approach to pedagogy in these two disciplines. Using principles identified as effective in the research literature (and combining these in a fashion not previously attempted), the project developed topic modules for early secondary-school teaching in the UK, arranged for their implementation in classrooms, and evaluated the results. This paper reports the development, implementation, and evaluation of one of the epiSTEMe science modules. Entitled Forces and Proportional Relations, the module covers standard curricular material in the domain of forces, while paying particular attention to the proportional nature of many key constructs. It was developed in collaboration with a small group of teachers; implemented subsequently in 16 classrooms, in all cases involving students from the first year of secondary school; and evaluated through comparison with first-year students in 13 control classrooms who were studying the topic using established methods. Evaluation addressed topic mastery and opinions about the topic and the manner in which it was taught. While further research is required before definite conclusions are warranted, results relating to topic mastery provide grounds for optimism about the epiSTEMe approach. Furthermore, student opinions about the module were positive.

Argumentation in Whole-Class Teaching and Science Learning

“…As we mentioned, our results should be taken carefully, insofar as the sample size was too small for running the analyses that are needed to draw strong conclusions. However, it is worth noting that delayed learning gains' scores (and their distribution across groups) are striking similar to those obtained by Howe et al (2014) using epiSTEMe materials on Forces. In any case, our results only represent a modest contribution to understanding the processes that account for the effect of certain kinds of dialogue in science learning, even when they do not clearly include explicit discussion of contradictory point of views.…”

The Effect of Peer-Group Argumentative Dialogue on Delayed Gains in Scientific Content Knowledge

“…In the intervention group, and to foster argumentative and dialogic interactions, we used an adapted version of the Forces module from epiSTEMe. EpiSTEMe Forces lessons are based on carefully structured problem situations designed to activate students’ wider experiences and to promote a scientific inquiring attitude in order to develop scientific concepts (see Howe et al., ). These lessons are particularly coherent with the aim of fostering argumentation, insofar as they are designed to promote discussion and exploratory talk in both whole‐class and small‐group interactions.…”

A research-informed dialogic-teaching approach to early secondary school mathematics and science: the pedagogical design and field trial of theepiSTEMeintervention

“…Two further topic modules in each subject are designed to support and capitalise on such use of talk and dialogue, and to instantiate the full epiSTEMe pedagogical model. The two epiSTEMe topic modules in science focus on Electrical Circuits (Taber et al 2015) and Forces and Proportional Relations (Howe et al 2015a); those in mathematics on Fractions, Ratios and Proportions (Howe et al 2015b), (subsequently referred to as Ratios), and Probability (Ruthven and Hofmann 2013). While there is not space to cover the design rationale and eventual form of each of these modules in this paper, these are discussed fully in the cited publications, and the teaching notes for each module are available online at http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/episteme/materials.html.…”