FOSTERING CURIOSITY AND SUPPORTING DIALOGUE THAT MOVES THINKING

FOSTERING CURIOSITY AND SUPPORTING DIALOGUE THAT MOVES THINKING SCIENCE/SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Gr 7 -12

DAY 1 2: 30 pm – 4: 00 pm

AGENDA MINDS ON: • Community Building – Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up • Learning Goals ACTION: • What is a good conversation? – Think-Write-Pair-Share – Viewing video clips and making a list of criteria CONSOLIDATION: • Intro to Word. Press & Twitter • Reflection: Day 1 Blog Question

MINDS ON: Community Building STAND UP, HAND UP, PAIR UP (PART 1): • Walk around when the music is playing • When you hear “hands up”, raise one hand • High-five someone nearby this is your partner • With your partner, introduce yourself and discuss the following: – What city do you live in? – Which character from T. V. , books, or movies do you think you are most like? – Describe a favourite pastime or hobby

MINDS ON: Community Building STAND UP, HAND UP, PAIR UP (PART 2): • Pair up with another pair this is your Group of 4 • Within your group, introduce yourselves and discuss the following: – What is something that you are curious about? – Recount a time when talking with other people helped you to learn. – Do you think it is important for students to learn through talk? Discuss your ideas.

MINDS ON: Learning Goals By the end of Literacy Camp, we will… • Begin to develop a common understanding of academic conversations in science • Familiarize ourselves with Word. Press and Twitter as tools for promoting conversations • Plan and conduct an inquiry to spark curiosity in science and technology, and… • Develop an inquiry-based or issues-based lesson that provides opportunity for academic conversation (using curriculum documents)

ACTION: What is a Good Conversation? • Individual/Pairs Brainstorm using a Think-Write-Pair. Share – What skills do I need as the educator to promote and foster academic conversations? – What skills do students need to engage in academic conversations? What does it look like? What does it sound like? What does it feel like?

ACTION: What is a Good Conversation? • View the following video clips and – Decide whether you think they show examples of good or bad conversation skills – Revisit the chart and add/delete/revise any of the criteria for good conversation skills

CONSOLIDATION: Intro to Word. Press & Twitter (Reflection) • The URL to the Word. Press blog is: http: //literacycamp. wordpress. com Click on the ‘Literacy Camp 2012’ category link on the right to view content from this year only. – The Twitter hashtag is #gainslc 12 – Use Twitter to comment on your experiences & learnings throughout this year’s literacy camp

CONSOLIDATION: Day 1 Blog Question • What makes a learning conversation different from a regular conversation? • How can students be assessed using conversations that we witness in the classroom?

DAY 2 10: 30 pm – 12: 00 pm ". . . [we] learn more from talking about what [we] are learning rather than just listening or copying down what the teacher has said. " –Leschack, 2012

AGENDA MINDS ON: • Four Corners Debate • Revisit and Review Learning Goals ACTION: • Learning Conversations in Science – Recap from plenary – Learning Conversations during Inquiries – Try it Out! An inquiry activity… CONSOLIDATION: • Reflection: Day 2 Blog Question

MINDS ON: Four Corners • Hot Topic in Science: Coal burning and nuclear generating stations should be shut down immediately and replaced with wind and solar farms. • Choose the corner that best describes your position on this topic: Strongly Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree • Meet with others at your corner and share your ideas, and… • Choose one person to represent your corner and share with the whole group

MINDS ON: Four Corners Debrief • What did you (participants) notice? • What did we (facilitators) notice? • How might you consider assessing the conversations?

ACTION: Learning Conversations in Science “Science wasn’t very interesting until we started talking about it. ” – Fifth-Grade Student (Source: Academic Conversations by: Zweirs & Crawford) • Recap from plenary: 5 Core Skills Elaborate and Clarify Support Ideas with Examples Build On and/or Challenge a Partner’s Idea Paraphrase Synthesize Conversation Points

ACTION: Learning Conversations in Science • Groups of 3 Brainstorm: Could academic conversations be incorporated in a scientific/technological inquiry? Then… • Whole Group Develop brainstorm list

ACTION: Learning Conversations in Science Academic Conversations can play a role when students… • Solve a problem or answer a tough question • Design a lab or experiment • Discuss what they learned during a lab before they write up a lab • Share and compare labs • Explain or teach a process or concept to other students • Apply the science learning to real life

“We have to learn to see science teaching as a social process and to bring students, at least partially, into this community of people who talk science. ” (Lemke, 1990)

ACTION: Learning Conversations in Science Inquiry-based: • Groups of 3 using the materials provided, try to come up with an answer to the following question: Problem: You and 3 friends are trying to move a piano into a room of your friend’s house. It has a mass of 1000 lbs. Together, the four of you are capable of lifting 800 lbs. Without calling for help, how could you do it? Examine the materials before you design, then proceed to test your design

CONSOLIDATION: Reflections on Learning Conversations in Science Word. Press Prompt: How did academic conversations play a role during the inquiry? Did it result in a CMT (Change My Thinking) moment?

AGENDA MINDS ON: • Theory to Practice: Assessment, Conversations & Inquiry in Science/Science&Technology • Revisit and Review Learning Goals ACTION: • Learning Conversations in Science – Conversations surrounding inquiry results – Assessing Learning Conversations in Science / Science & Technology CONSOLIDATION: • Reflection: Day 2 Blog Question, Part 2

DAY 2 2: 30 pm – 4: 00 pm “Listening and speaking are at the heart of student learning. “ -Edu. GAINS: listening guide

MINDS ON: Theory to Practice How does what Joanie and Regan talked about apply to the inquiry activity we just completed?

ACTION: Conversations Surrounding Results • In your groups, complete the table and prepare to report out to the other groups. Consider how conversations with the other group members influenced the decisions you made and the direction that the inquiry went Inquiry Results Method of Solution Observations

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CONSOLIDATION: Reflections on Learning Conversations in Science Word. Press Prompt: • Introduce “Open Space” on the Word. Press blog.

DAY 3 9: 00 am – 10: 15 pm 10: 30 pm – 12: 00 pm “Reading and writing float on a sea of talk. . . " -Britton

AGENDA (Day 3 & 4) MINDS ON: • Debrief Blog Questions • Curiosity in Science: Spark Ideas • Revisit and Review Learning Goals ACTION: • Planning for Inquiry & Talk in Science • Feedback Using Microlab CONSOLIDATION: • Post & Share Lesson Plans • Final Reflection: Day 4 Blog Question

MINDS ON: Curiosity in Science • Debrief Blog Questions • Spark Ideas: Choose one or more of the learning centres to explore a “spark” idea around an inquiry in science/technology that can also promote academic conversation in your classroom: – – – Baggy Science (a chemical reaction in a baggy) Human Circuit Alka-Seltzer Rockets Drops of Water on Penny Growing Plants (Gizmos Activity)

ACTION: Designing Effective Conversation Tasks Academic conversation tasks should have the following features: • require both partners to talk • require critical and creative thinking • take advantage of controversies and conflict • recognize and reduce ambiguity • encourage thinking based on principles, laws, and approaches of discipline • build in opportunities for transfer of knowledge and skills • provide choice and ownership (Source: Academic Conversations by: Zweirs & Crawford)

ACTION: Planning for Inquiry & Talk in Science • Select an expectation (or cluster) from the appropriate curriculum document • In grade groups, co-plan a three part lesson that incorporates student questions (inquiry) and learning conversations • Be sure to include learning goals and success criteria And… • Within the lesson, highlight specific opportunities for learning conversations to take place and for those conversations to be assessed

DAY 4 9: 00 am – 10: 15 pm

ACTION: Planning for Inquiry & Talk in Science • Continue working in grade groups to complete the planning • Engage in a Microlab activity to get feedback surrounding your lesson • Incorporate feedback and post final lesson to Word. Press blog

ACTION: Feedback Using Microlab • People are lettered (A, B, and C) and review the material • Each person takes one minute to write out their answer to the first question. • Person A has 1 minute to speak while B and C listen silently (you must use the whole minute – if you end early, everybody sits in silence) • Person B then has 1 minute to respond and/or read their answer to the question while the others are silent • Repeat for person C • Allow 1 minute to debrief the question • Repeat for remaining questions (person B to start next)

ACTION: Microlab Question 1 Are the success criteria linked to the learning goals? Do they use observable verbs that are easily measurable?

ACTION: Microlab Question 2 Does the inquiry allow for multiple entry points?

ACTION: Microlab Question 3 Is there evidence of designing for learning conversations?

ACTION: Microlab Question 4 In the role of a critical friend, can you suggest any modifications to the lesson that you think will improve it? Please be sure to write down your feedback as well

CONSOLIDATION: Complete Planning, Reflect, and Share • SHARE: – Present your final version of the three part lesson to the group • REFLECTION: comment on where you were at the beginning and where you are now (using Word. Press)