Next Steps...
One thing that stood out to me during phase 1 was the conflicting information I got from my students surrounding the nature of science and their perceptions of science. They had such a clear idea of the nature of science and what scientists do but this was not reflected in discussions of how students viewed our chemistry class. Instead of seeing the class as an opportunity to explore their identity as scientists they were focused on obtaining good grades and advocated for low level worksheets as a way of accomplishing this. They do not see themselves as scientists and I want to change this perception. Because of this I will be evolving is the focus of subquestion 3 which addressed student perceptions on the nature of science and science learning. Because my students have a clear understanding of the nature of science but do not view themselves as scientists I would like to shift the focus of that subquestion from:
Does not having a convergent “correct” answer to a problem impact students’ perception of the nature of science and science learning?
to
What happens when I have my students play the role of a scientist?
to
What happens when I have my students play the role of a scientist?
To address this new subquestion I will make some significant changes to the project/presentation expectations. I want the project to more closely approximate how a scientist would present their work. My students will be asked to play the role of a scientist presenting an organic molecule they discovered. I will stage a poster/presentation session just as scientists participate in at conferences where my students will present their projects to their peers. They will also be presenting in groups of 2-3 as “research teams.” I hope that this will provide more insight into my students perceptions of the scientific community and themselves as members of a scientific community.
Based on student feedback, student work, and my own observations this initial project was a positive experience and my students felt the structure was clear. They voted to continue to do similar projects for the duration of the school year. Because of this feedback I will provide similar directions for my students (clear objectives and a rubric). I will provide more scaffolding in order to avoid the drop in engagement I saw when students felt the project was too difficult by having my students meet certain goals in each day of the project. Choice will still be a major part of the project but they will be more limited in their choices. They will need to choose an organic molecule and their presentation must be professional (poster or powerpoint only) to better reflect the professionalism of scientists presenting their work. I am curious to see if I continue to see the positive impact of choice in the next phase.
My assessment tools will not change much. I will create a Post-Project Feedback Form specific to the new project. Now that I have a clearer understanding of my students’ needs I will be able to create more concise feedback forms. I will continue to monitor engagement using my seating chart/observation guide and write reflections in my teacher journal. I will also hold class discussions focusing on perceptions of science. One piece that will change is student work. I will still have student projects however there are no exams scheduled for the remainder of the year so I will not be able to compare test scores for the organic chemistry unit.
Based on student feedback, student work, and my own observations this initial project was a positive experience and my students felt the structure was clear. They voted to continue to do similar projects for the duration of the school year. Because of this feedback I will provide similar directions for my students (clear objectives and a rubric). I will provide more scaffolding in order to avoid the drop in engagement I saw when students felt the project was too difficult by having my students meet certain goals in each day of the project. Choice will still be a major part of the project but they will be more limited in their choices. They will need to choose an organic molecule and their presentation must be professional (poster or powerpoint only) to better reflect the professionalism of scientists presenting their work. I am curious to see if I continue to see the positive impact of choice in the next phase.
My assessment tools will not change much. I will create a Post-Project Feedback Form specific to the new project. Now that I have a clearer understanding of my students’ needs I will be able to create more concise feedback forms. I will continue to monitor engagement using my seating chart/observation guide and write reflections in my teacher journal. I will also hold class discussions focusing on perceptions of science. One piece that will change is student work. I will still have student projects however there are no exams scheduled for the remainder of the year so I will not be able to compare test scores for the organic chemistry unit.