VCAA Update: Senior Science February 2012. 2 Key messages National curriculum - Years F-10 Science content and achievement standards approved by state/territory/federal.

VCAA Update: Senior ScienceFebruary 2012

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Key messages• National curriculum

- Years F-10 Science content and achievement standards approved by state/territory/federal education ministers

- substantial implementation in Victoria from 2013 - an inquiry-based curriculum

- public consultation draft national senior science subjects expected from ACARA in Term 2, 2012

- Victoria is the only Australian state/territory that holds mid-year examinations

• VCE Sciences - current study designs accredited until 2014

- mid-year examinations will be discontinued from 2013

- mid-cycle amendments to study design will apply from 2013

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Science participation rate - Australia

With thanks to the Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee http://www.vicphysics.org/edresearch.html

Physics Participation Rate by State

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

Years

Vic

NSW

QLD

SA

WA

TAS

NT

ACT

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Science participation rate - Victoria

With thanks to the Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee http://www.vicphysics.org/edresearch.html

Physics is the 11th most popular VCE study!

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Science enrolments - Victoria

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Popularity of VCE science studies in 2011

VCE study PopularityBiology 6th

Chemistry 7th

Environmental Science

numbers almost doubled in 2011

Physics 11th

Psychology 3rd

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Strands and sub-strands in the Australian Curriculum

Science understanding

Science as a human

endeavour

Science inquiry skills

•Biological sciences

•Nature and development of

science

•Questioning and predicting

•Chemical sciences

•Planning and conducting

•Earth and space sciences

•Use and influence of

science

•Processing and analysing data and information

•Physical sciences

•Evaluating

•Communicating

strands

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Inquiry-based science curriculum•The Australian Curriculum: Science emphasises inquiry-based teaching and learning

•Opportunities for student-led open inquiry should be provided within each phase of schooling

Teacher-ledinquiry

Student-driven inquiry

Semi-structured

inquiry

Years 7/8:Collaboratively and

individually plan and conduct a range of

investigation types…in fair tests, measure and

control variables, and select equipment to

collect data with accuracy appropriate to the task

Years 5/6: With

guidance, select

appropriate investigation methods to

answer questions or

solve problems…

decide which variable

should be changed and measured in

fair tests

Years 9/10:Formulate questions

or hypotheses that can be investigated

scientifically… plan, select and use

appropriate investigation

methods… select and use appropriate

equipment

Years 11 and 12:

What are the implications for curriculum and

assessment of an inquiry-based approach to

science education?

???????

Years F-4:SIS strand

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Effective instructional strategiesStrategies that improve student achievement:• identifying similarities and differences (45%)• summarising and note-taking (34%)• using non-linguistic representations (27%)• incorporating cooperative learning effectively (27%)• setting objectives and providing feedback (23%)• generating and testing hypotheses (23%)Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering and Jane Pollock, 2001

Refer also:- James Stigler and James Hiebert: the Teaching Gap (1998)- Anne Tweed: Designing Effective Science Instruction (2007)- John Hattie: Visible learning (2009)

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Bloom’s revised taxonomyCognitive skill Activities Products

Remembering memorise; know vocabulary; match; listen

facts; date/location/person; record

Understanding sort; compare; question; observe; research; list

diagram; model; procedure; article

Applying construct; demonstrate; manipulate; plan; report; experiment; construct; interview; simulate; draw; interview

journal/blog; diagram; map; model; collection; puzzle; illustration

Analysing categorise; classify; organise; survey; integrate; separate; simplify; contrast

questionnaire; graph; spreadsheet; data; report

Evaluating recommend; conclude; judge; debate; discuss; reflect; critique; survey; test; investigate; propose; edit; choose

recommendation; self evaluation; survey; conclusion; group discussion; news item

Creating combine; hypothesise; estimate; infer; predict; invent; imagine; design; make

podcast; invention; structure; product; news article; machine

Reflection: Which of these cognitive skills can be effectively assessed through exams? SACs?

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VCAA consultation feedback: general science

• Too much content for a single examination• Weighting exam:SACs of 66:34 overemphasises

contribution of examination (‘bad day’ = ‘bad score’)• Weighting exam:SACs of 66:34 is not equitable with

other VCE studies• Students will no longer receive mid-year feedback so

that they can make changes to improve their performance

• Study designs require further minor ‘tweaking’ re clarity and scope

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VCE consultation feedback: Physics

Stakeholder feedback:• More information needed about examination format• Consider assessing only one Detailed Study in the

exam, or no Detailed Studies in the exam (only by coursework)

• Allow choice of two from the six available Detailed Studies

• Trial examination paper should be prepared sooner rather than later

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Further consultationThe VCAA is eager to receive further feedback about specific proposals developed to address issues identified through the February online consultation process:

Issue Considerations

Exam length = 2½ hours • Move towards increased alignment with other VCE studies• Feasible to examine content• 3 hours may be arduous/inequitable, especially for students

undertaking multiple science studies

Two student exam sheets No change to current situation

Weighting of exam:SAC = 60:40

• Less reliance on assessment for a single examination• Minimal change for teacher workload

Choice from 6 Detailed studies (as per Units 1&2)

• Greater flexibility for teachers to develop programs and for students to revise work

• Teachers will still be required to complete one DS in Unit 3, and one DS for Unit 4, to meet reporting and S/N requirements

Exam structure – students address only one of the two Detailed Studies

• Both Detailed Studies are assessed through School-assessed coursework

• Choice provided for students as per other studies (e.g. English – students study multiple novels, but choose one in exam)

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Contact

Maria JamesCurriculum Manager, ScienceVCAA

Telephone: 9651 4655Email: [email protected]