Department Meeting_Term 3, Week 2

This term, regular department meetings have been reintroduced on Tuesday afternoons.  It has been a timely return to the past.  There has been an issue building with regards to the Science prep room and the use of it.  What was highlighted was the importance of open and honest communication within our department when issues begin to arise.

This week we discussed the job description of the Science Technician's position and how as a staff we can work with her to make her job easier.

We also covered the AMPS tasks and the new Skills portfolio which was designed to cover the five science capabilities.   We discussed what we are currently doing and looked at ways we can improve our current practice.  During Terms 1 & 2, we tested our students on their ability to draw a graph and interpret the results each term.  I found the work was too challenging them.  I really wanted to scaffold the process for them more and minimise the amount we assess each time.  I found some resources at Assessment Resource Bank which really demonstrate the level I wanted to start with.  I want to show the kids that Science is within their reach.  They can achieve.

In discussion with each member of our team, our HOD is going to look into linking fair testing and mini research projects into the Skills Profile.  I shared my thoughts on scaffolding it more and recognising each skill they master separately so that they can identify key areas they want to work on.

 

• The five science capabilities

  Gather & Interpret Data

  Learners make careful observations and differentiate between observation and inference.

  Use evidence
  Learners support their ideas with evidence and look for evidence supporting others' explanations.
  Critique evidence

  Not all questions can be answered by science.

   Interpret representations
  Scientists represent their ideas in a variety of ways, including models, graphs, charts, diagrams and written texts.
  Engage with Science

  This capability requires students to use the other capabilities to engage with science in “real life” contexts.

  http://scienceonline.tki.org.nz/Introducing-five-science-capabilities