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Improving Quality of Science Teacher Training in European Cooperation
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E-learning
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Building and developing process science skills
Building and developing process science skills
- define process scientific skills;
- classify process scientific skills (basic, integrated, related to students’ age characteristics)
- describe the corresponding activities related to process science skill;
- know their place and importance within the State Educational Standards, school curriculum and the teaching of physics;
- characterize, explain, give examples and demonstrate strategies for supporting process skills development.
The theory about process science skills, their formation, development and detailed presentation, is an important component of pedagogy and it is an object of study in formal methodologies.
Their concrete presentation and co-ordination is a basis of preparing educational documents (such as The National Education Standards, for example), which is a basic document in organizing contemporary educational process. Knowledge about process skills helps teachers in their pre-school activity, giving them an opportunity to plan more expediently different types of lessons, as well as to plan the process of assessment of students’ knowledge.
According to the English qualification Skills Qualifications are offered in six areas [1]:
- Communication: speaking, listening, reading and writing skills.
- Application of Number: interpreting information involving numbers, carrying out calculations, interpreting results and presenting findings.
- Information Communication Technology: finding, exploring, developing and presenting information including text, images and numbers.
- Working with others: includes process and interpersonal skills to support working cooperatively with others to achieve shared objectives, work cooperatively and have regard for others
- Improving own learning and performance: developing independent learners who are clearly focused on what they want to achieve and able to work towards targets that will improve the quality of their learning and performance. The standards include process skills, e.g., target-setting, planning, learning, reviewing and interpersonal skills, e.g., communicating own needs, accepting constructive feedback, negotiating learning opportunities and support.
- Problem solving: encouraging learners to develop and demonstrate their ability to tackle problems systematically, for the purpose of working towards their solution and learning from this process. Three types or combinations of problems are dealt with: diagnostic problems that depend primarily on analysis to arrive at conclusions, design problems that depend mainly on synthesis to create a product or process, and contingency problems that typically involve resource planning and gaining the cooperation of others, eg when organizing an event.
The first three Skills are sometimes referred to as the 'main' Key Skills. They incorporate the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. Process science skills are more concrete accordingly the character of scientific content.
Science and teaching science mean a lot more than scientific knowledge. There are three dimensions in science which are equal in importance. The first of them is the content of science-main ideas and notions that determine science knowledge. This is the line in science that most people think of and that is really very important. The other two major dimensions in science coming as an addition to scientific knowledge are scientific methods and scientific relationships. Scientific methods are connected to processes of creating science and respectively to process science skills which scientists use in their work. For asking scientific questions and finding their answers are used the same skills which we use while solving our everyday problems. When we teach students how to use these skills in science, we build up in them skills, which they will use in future in all spheres of their lives. The third dimension of science focuses on the characteristic attitudes and dispositions of science. These include such things as being curious and imaginative, as well as being enthusiastic about asking questions and solving problems. Another desirable scientific attitude is a respect for the methods and values of science.
Process science skills are classified as basic and integrated. These skills can be acquired and improved via different activities (observation of a demonstrational experiment, laboratory experiments, work with texts and graphs, etc), which are included in the natural science study program.
- Observation;
- Classification;
- Measurement;
- Conclusion;
- Prediction;
- Communication.
All these six basic skills are important as separate entities and they are also important as connected to one another. They are necessary to students when the latter describe, conduct and estimate an experiment or in everyday life when they face the challenge to solve problems of experimental character.
- Observation includes using one or more of the senses to determine attributes, properties, similarities, differences and changes in natural phenomena and objects. Observation can be made directly with the senses or indirectly through the use of simple or complex instruments. Observation is a description of what is actually perceived. Via observation information is gathered, and the latter is used for qualitative data about the tested objects and phenomena.
- Classification includes organizing objects or events according to similarities and differences selected by the observer. Classification includes sorting elements into groups on the basis of common characteristics and ordering (sequencing) elements by relationships among the elements.
- Measurement includes the comparison of an unknown quantity e.g., length, mass, or temperature with a known quantity such as a pupil-made standard or the metric standards of length, area, volume, mass, temperature, force, time or electrical charge. Measurement includes the ability to estimate or compare an object or event with a frame of reference. Measurement involves the skillful, effective use of instruments.
- Conclusion is the use of data from the observation and measurement in order a definite deduction to be reached, and it should be related to probable causes or future results. Drawing a conclusion as a result of collected data analysis is an important science skill. Even when the available data is not enough for drawing a conclusion, having such a skill provokes a resolution for continuance or discontinuance of future research for gathering additional data.
- Prediction. It includes suggesting what will occur in the future based on observations, measurements and inferences about the relationships between or among observed variable. It is an answer to the question: “What will be the most probable result of a given process, foreseen on the basis of circumstances and established objective law”.
- Communication. This skill includes the presentation and explanation of experiences with objects or events by means of oral or written descriptions, pictures, graphs, charts, maps, demonstration and/or other methods.
- Formulating Hypotheses – stating the proposed solutions or expected outcomes for experiments. These proposed solutions to a problem must be testable.
- Identifying of Variables. This skill is connected stating the changeable factors that can affect an experiment. It is important to change only the variable being tested and keep the rest constant. The one being manipulated is the independent variable; the one being measured to determine its response is the dependent variable; and all variables that do not change and may be potential independent variables are constants.
- Describing Relationships Between Variables. It refers to explain relationships between variables in an experiment such as between the independent and dependant variables plus the standard of comparison.
- Designing Investigations. It referes to designing an experiment by identifying materials and describing appropriate steps in a procedure to test a hypothesis.
- Experimenting. Carrying out an experiment by carefully following directions of the procedure so the results can be verified by repeating the procedure several times.
- Acquiring Data. Collecting qualitative and quantitative data as observations and measurements.
- Organizing Data in Tables and Graphs. Making data tables and graphs for data collected.
- Analyzing Investigations and Their Data – interpreting data statistically, identifying human mistakes and experimental errors, evaluating the hypothesis, formulating conclusions, and recommending further testing where necessary.
- Understanding Cause and Effect Relationships. What caused what to happen and why.
- Formulating Models. Recognizing patterns in data and making comparisons to familiar objects or ideas.
Formation of the basic process science skills should be one of the objectives, which a physics teacher has since the preparation for the lessons and he or she should follow it conscientiously during the process of the lessons. Having knowledge of these skills is the first prerequisite for the teacher to look for opportunities in compliance with the curriculum in order to build up the skills in the students. Organizing students’ activity in physics in and out of school should be related to the idea for building up these skills in the students. Physics, like other science school subjects, gives excellent opportunities for this objective’s realization.
Which are the ways these skills or part of them to be build up during physics classes? We will consider some requirements and peculiarities of the formation of basic process science skills. There is a certain overlap between some of them, but it is inevitable, because of the process skills complex character.
- Observation goes together with all demonstrational physics experiments. The formation of skills for active observation may start since elementary education degree and may be organized according to the following requirements:
- Providing demonstrativeness to a sufficient extent. Demonstrativeness presupposes placing the experiment in the right spot, so that it could be seen by all students; choosing a suitable background and contrast of colors, adequately visible metrical scales, etc. It is recommended to use ICT or other audiovisuals if necessary.
- In advance, to the students attention a number of questions is presented, and students can answer these question during the observation itself. The objective of these questions is to focus the student’s attention on the effects and features, which is the object of explore. A purposeful observation skill is formed so.
- In cases when the observation is not direct, it is necessary to use a device or instrument; it is recommended the teacher to make the students acquainted with the given instrument, with the way it works, and the work safety, and the important and proper to students processing parameters. About measurement instruments, the metrical scale should be examined in advance, the relevant units of measurement and their multiples, too. This preparation teaches the student to be precise, that, many times, is vitally important to the accuracy of observation, and it builds up in them basic skills for organizing a focused observation and collecting needed qualitative data.
- Organizing an opportunity to draw parallels during the process of observation itself. Using the parallels method, if the phenomenon or the trial allows it, is a good technique for outlining and discerning the important features.
- Observation is finished when the questions asked in advance are answered and the students are given a description of the process, phenomenon or effect that is demonstrated or observed.
- Quality data collected via observation is used for determining the similarities and differences between the examined objects and phenomena or for their parallel to definite criteria. For example, to be determined that a certain phenomenon has an electrostatic character, or that the force of friction specifies certain effect, this is a demonstration of a classification skill. For this skill formation teachers should establish circumstances, in which the students describe the observation and teachers should also organize a seminar on the basic peculiarities of the observed phenomenon and object to be clearly seen.
- During measurement, a certain characteristic of the object or phenomenon is juxtaposed to a given standard of measures and its value is specified. Measuring includes juxtaposition of an unknown quantity (length, mass, temperature, surface, capacity, mass, force, time, charge, etc.) to a known one, taken as standard. In physics teaching opportunities for realization of that are really many. Some concrete recommendations for organizing of measuring physics quantities that are related to the sequence of the students’ work can be presented.
- On the first place the quantity needs to be specified, its units of measurement should be remembered – which of these units are part of the SI system and which ones are out of any system;
- Making the students acquainted with the measurement instrument is the second step, the students should be informed about the functions of the instrument, which quantities it measures, when and how it works and is used;
- An important thing is getting acquainted with the metrical scale. Teachers should train students to work with metrical scales, and teachers should present the following sequence of actions: specifying the units of measurement in which the results will be read; specifying the scale range and specifying the value of a graduation.
- Reading a physics measurement instrument report is related to two important requirements: a right positioning towards the scale, especially if it has a pointer, and the other requirement is making a decision about the right moment of reading, if there are constant fluctuations of the pointer, or if it is a digital reading of numeral values. The explanation of these characteristics is the physics teacher’s duty and it is an important moment in the formation of right skills about working with measurement instruments.
- Drawing a conclusion is a complex mental activity which presupposes results analysis and forming a statement having causative-consecutive character. Building up this skill requires the teacher’s endeavor and the organization of an appropriate seminar for the students. This seminar should focus their attention on finding the causes and their relation to the consequences. General recommendations about that are irrelevant, because the phases of analysis and synthesis strictly depend on the certain case. It should be pointed out that the teacher’s pedagogical mastership can be most clearly seen in this activity – formation of the skill of drawing conclusions.
- As a basic process science skill the prediction is a reflection of one of science main characteristics – to prognosticate phenomena and processes. This skill’s formation presupposes that the students have solid and thorough knowledge, or at least, they have knowledge of life. Elements of this skill could be formed when students are in advance facing tricky matters, related to the final result of the observation. Enigmatizing and a guess-the final-result situation is a method which students find interesting. Discussions on the students previous answers and juxtaposing this answer to the real result is a nice opportunity for teachers to organize students’ activity, so that the latter to look for dependencies between the causes and the consequences and concrete relations between the known quantities. Knowing the physicals objective laws is a condition for the prediction skill to be build up in students. They should be able to foresee the result of a certain physical phenomenon (or to explain it) as they consider the final conditions of its course. The explanation is related to prediction and many times it is a preceding action. But prediction does not necessarily mean explanation of the phenomenon.
- Communication is a process skill for whose formation physics teaching process offers excellent opportunities. Expressing the information collected during the observation and measuring should be done in a proper manner. It could happen in the following ways:
- Wording and presenting results in written or oral form. Texts require a proper physics language. This is a problem of great importance which the physics teacher can solve through consistency and patience. Literature offers a description of different methods and approaches to formation of proper physics language [2].
- The analytical way is a typical way for expressing physics objective laws-i.e. using formulae. Since primary school students should know how to write, read, and, as a whole, to use this specific physics language. The relation between mathematics and physics has a great significance. A teacher should not allow learning physics formulae by heart – without understanding of their meaning.
- About graphic skills formation physics teaching gives a vast number of opportunities. All physics branches, which are included in the curriculum, contain enough graphic material. The sequence of activities which helps this skill formation is presented in the next chapter.
- What is process skill? What is process science skill?
- Make a list of process science skills.
- Give examples for formation of all basic process science skills with appropriate (according to your opinion) physics demonstrational experiment.
During case study students discuss their own understanding about process science skills. They discuss the activities that could assist the formation of process science skills. Each student prepares a lesson plan in which describes in details the process science skills he intends to develop and the ways in which he will do it. Students swap plans and discuss them.
- Why do you think future teachers need to know the process science skills theory?
- o you think that your colleague has given a right and full description of the process science skills, which could be formed during the lessons on this topic?
- Do you remember what process science skills were developed in you when you were students? How did your physics teacher do that?
Science and teaching students about science means more than scientific knowledge. There are three dimensions of science that are all important. The first of these is the content of science, the basic concepts, and our scientific knowledge The other two important dimensions of science in addition to science knowledge are processes of doing science and scientific attitudes. The processes of doing science are the science process skills that scientists use in the process of doing science.There are different classifications of process science skills; one of these classifications describes them as basic (observation, classification, measurement, conclusion, prognosis, communication) and integrated process skills (formulating hypotheses, identifying of variables, describing relationships between variables, designing investigations, experimenting, acquiring data, organizing data in tables and graphs, analyzing investigations and their data, understanding cause and effect relationships, formulating models). Physics education gives vast opportunities for formation of process science skills.
- Science and teaching students about science means more than scientific knowledge. There are three dimensions of science that are all important. The first of these is the content of science, the basic concepts, and our scientific knowledge The other two important dimensions of science in addition to science knowledge are processes of doing science and scientific attitudes. The processes of doing science are the science process skills that scientists use in the process of doing science.There are different classifications of process science skills; one of these classifications describes them as basic (observation, classification, measurement, conclusion, prognosis, communication) and integrated process skills (formulating hypotheses, identifying of variables, describing relationships between variables, designing investigations, experimenting, acquiring data, organizing data in tables and graphs, analyzing investigations and their data, understanding cause and effect relationships, formulating models). Physics education gives vast opportunities for formation of process science skills.
- Is it possible all levels of scientific literacy to be formed during the training at school?
http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~adams001/ProcessSkills.htm – Science Process Skills
http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/images/sec6.processskills.pdf - Teaching the Science Process Skills
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Skills_Qualification
- Leisen J., Lesenverstehen, Unterricht Physik, №95, 2006
- Епитропова, А. Активни стратегии в обучението за природата и човек в 1-4 клас, изд. Макрос, Пловдив, 2004
- http://www.scienceinschool.org/2006/issue1/play/ -Scientists at play: teaching science process skills
- http://www.glc.k12.ga.us/pandp/science/in-basic.htm