The SSIBL Approach as Part of Experiential Learning

The SSIBL Approach as Part of Experiential Learning in an Open Learning Environment By Energy Discovery Centre PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 1

SESSION 1 PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 2

More information in the. PARRISE project booklet Science and Society in Education SCIENCE AND SOCIETY IN EDUCATION PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 3

Who is this course aimed at? • Teachers who want to expand their teaching approaches to include socio-scientific issues which enrich and give meaning to core scientific principles (in STEM subjects). It is meant to enhance young people’s curiosity about the social and scientific world and raise important questions about issues which affect their lives. • We call this approach Socio-Scientific Inquiry-Based Learning, or ‘SSIBL’ for short. 4

SSIBL for teachers: is a practical tool for enhancing teacher practice; builds effectively on everyday teacher practice; draws on state-of-the-art knowledge in science education; fosters opportunities for implementing curriculum requirements; links to real world developments in science and technology; provides a means of collaborating with agencies beyond the school curriculum; • encourages young people to enact change in the real world. • • • 5

PEDAGOGICAL FRAMEWORK: SOCIOSCIENTIFIC INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING (SSIBL) PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 6

Aims of the SSIBL approach 1. Supporting young people in acting as knowledgeable social agents through inquiry promoting critical citizenship education. 2. Encouraging young people to participate in research and innovation issues which are influenced by science and technology. 3. Promoting young people’s interest in science, mathematics and technology. 7

Teaching SSIBL has three main stages: 1. Raising meaningful and authentic questions about ‘socioscientific issues’. 2. For exploring these questions, social and scientific inquiry is used (enaction). 3. Finally, students are stimulated to take action: form opinions and formulate solutions (action). 8

We start from an inquiry-based approach • Inquiry means to ask questions and seek insights into problems that intrigue us. • These questions can be broad, but also focused. • They can arise from curiosity about natural phenomena, or be more socially-oriented. o What happens to clouds when they disappear? o What makes sugar sweet? o How can we eat more healthily and why does it matter? o Are new technologies all they claim to be? Are e-cigarettes bad for your health? 9

STAGE 1: RAISING QUESTIONS (ASK) PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 10

Authentic questions (1) • Derive from questions which interest and engage students (personal authenticity) and through which they express a wish, and choose to find collective answers (social authenticity); • Involve real-world, complex, ‘wicked problems’; • Are sometimes controversial in nature when there is no overall agreement about solutions or even ways to frame the question; • Are gender inclusive and gender-sensitive; • Are questions or issues that emerge from young people spontaneously or, more likely, with sensitive support from teachers; • Pre-suppose change in that questions are asked about matters or issues which can be improved, e. g. made more socially and ethically desirable. 11

Authentic questions (2) • Authentic questions often involve socio-scientific issues (SSIs). • How such questions are raised is central to effective pedagogy in SSIBL. It is important to notice at this stage that all the conditions for authentic questions are unlikely to be satisfied. • Students can, however, be taught to generate authentic questions themselves. 12

Socio-Scientific Issues (SSIs) • … use scientific knowledge to address a social issue. • … can be in the form of a dilemma or controversy, but this need not always be the case: o non-controversial problem; work together to find the best way to solve it o Controversies are deemed to occur when different parties have opposing arguments (which are well-supported by good arguments), e. g. people might agree that climate change is an urgent issue, but disagree about the best way to tackle the problem. 13

Raising questions about SSI Aspects of disagreement or controversy Reasoning o informal reasoning o formal reasoning. Engaging in SSIs can support learning of science content although the learning is sharper if students are interested in the issue, and it therefore has some authenticity. • • Uncertainty and risk. Many SSIs involve an appreciation of uncertainty and risk • Uncertainty o uncertainty depending on the precision of the measuring instrument. o social uncertainty. • Risk is related to the chances of a hazard occurring. o relative o absolute risk o factors other than probability effect estimation of risk. 14

Socio-Scientific Issues (SSIs) (2) • Different types of controversy Sometimes, students come along with issues or questions they are keen to address. But it is more likely the teacher will help to stimulate interest in a particular theme using pictures, video clips, cuttings from newspaper reports, social media, which connect to students’ lives and concerns. 15

Components of SSIBL • The outer layers of RRI (Responsible research and innovation) and Critical Citizenship are the overarching principles of social justice. • The inner core of SSI (Socio -Scientific Issues) and IBSE (Inquiry Based Science Education) operationalise these principles within informal and formal science contexts. 16

RRI – Responsible research and innovation • RRI is primarily used in science and innovation. • The aims of RRI reflect the importance of public and stakeholder participation and mutual responsiveness - working with and for people to product development in science and technology. • How can science and industry develop knowledge and technology that is socially desirable, ethically acceptable and sustainable? o Are genetic testing kits that can be bought via the internet socially desirable? o How can we limit the exploitation of poor people in the mining industry (what is ethically acceptable)? o And how do we ensure that new processes and products are sustainable from the environmental and political/social point of view? The term RRI has been coined in recent years. It is a crucial element of the European Union’s recent science and technology policies. 17

STAGE 2: ENACTION (FIND OUT) PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 18

From question to solutions to actions Research and development for and with people needs to be participative and inclusive, involving inquiry-based learning and an understanding of the links between science and society. These include three perspectives: • Personal (What does it mean to me? ); • Social (What does it mean to my family, friends, community? ) and • Global (What does it mean more broadly? ). 19

Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) (1) Inquiry-based science education (or inquiry-based learning) is at the stage of ‘enaction’. Students need skills and knowledge to provide the necessary evidence to find solutions to an authentic question. These skills are multi-faceted because they involve: o collaboration with others, o finding out the viewpoints of stakeholders o doing experiments (coming up with ideas and testing them, collecting and evaluating data, an awareness of uncertainty in the data collected and its interpretation, and possibly asking new questions as a result of reflecting on the data) o Having collected evidence, students need to explain how the evidence helps them to answer their questions. Teachers can scaffold student learning, particularly when they are new to inquiry learning. Teachers can set a particular question for students to explore. 20

Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) (2) Distinctive features of IBSE within SSIBL: • the inquiries are open • not predetermined • can involve a range of approaches including experiments, surveys and debates. 21

Example of scaffolded inquiry Question How can we cut down the school’s energy losses in winter? How to organise Things to think Collecting data Interpretation about How do we ensure everyone has a say? Where are the best areas in the school to investigate? What do my friends think we should do? When should we take measurements? How do we decide on the best way of going about this? What equipment should we use? Should we take measurements at different times of the day? How will we record the data? How can we make sure our data is accurate? What does the data tell us? Where are the greatest energy losses taking place? What can we do about it? 22

Approaching SSIBL through IBSE Once students have explored a scenario for an issue they need a good research question for their inquiry. Finding a good research question is not an easy task and will need support from the teacher. First the question has to be researchable and have the following characteristics: • the question fits theme or scenario; • The question is open and the answer not known; • There is only one question (e. g. what are the main reasons Year 9 students in our school give for smoking? ) (Note that groups of students in an inquiry can pursue different research questions, as long as each group is only following one question); • The question is clear and focused; • The question is feasible: it is answerable and can be addressed in a fixed time; • Data can be collected to answer the question. 23

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STAGE 3: ACTION (ACT) PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 25

Solutions to authentic questions must involve a form of action Action – outcomes which address the original question and result in some kind of change, or in gaining relevant knowledge, or understanding reasons why change might not be desirable. Actions can be of different kinds such as: • making an artefact, • lobbying powerful institutions, • generating instructional materials, • promoting institutional change, e. g. school policies, • holding a forum for a discussion, • staging drama for an audience to illustrate a dilemma, • influential writing, • poster displays to promote further discussion. 26

Citizenship education SSIBL supports young people in acting as knowledgeable social agents through citizenship education (CE). SSIBL involves young people making value-laden decisions together, which they then can enact. • In a democratic society all stakeholders should be able to contribute and therefore SSIBL activities should encourage participation and dialogue throughout the activity from raising questions, through carrying out an inquiry, proposing solutions and taking action. 27

Features of CE in SSIBL The core idea of CE in SSIBL is to participate critically in taking action. How? • Argue a point with personal commitment using evidence and reason, • Listen carefully and considerately to what others have to say, • Be open to change your views. If another participant advances a better argument judge it on its merits, • Respect the views of others. All participants have a right to put their views forward and be listened to. Racist, sexist and homophobic statements, and any statement demeaning the identity and character of a participant, are neither respectful nor inclusive and have no place in constructive dialogue, • Be critical of arguments if there are points you disagree with, if they are based on insufficient evidence or on shaky premises, • Encourage passion and commitment. Participants who have a very passionate and deep commitment to a particular viewpoint can sometimes stifle dialogue. But under conditions of openness and transparency this can often be put to good effect because it helps other participants to reflect more fully on their own views. 28

EXAMPLES PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 29

More explanations in the PARRISE booklet. 30

More explanations in the PARRISE booklet. 31

HOW TO IMPLEMENT SSIBL IN INFORMAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS (ILE)? PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 32

ILE or open learning environment Is a museum, science centre, nature trail where experiential learning can be conducted. Combining experiential learning and SSIBL can be done according to the following model. 33

Our approach to combining SSIBL and experiential learning The in- and/or pre-service teachers experientially learn how to teach their (future) students. The learning process will be carried out through practical activities (during different sessions) that will guide the teachers through creating study materials for their students. Materials will allow use of SSIBL in an ILE, by invoking CE by using SSI for creating authentic research questions that can be worked on in formal settings and also in informal settings through experiential learning and using IBSE. 34

PART 1 – PRE-ACTIVITIES PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 35

Assignment 1 - New horizons (group activity) Create a mind map on the concepts covered in the lecture. Use a whiteboard/flipchart /a screen (using e. g. http: //bubbl. us). Consider: • What is the fundamental concept? • What are the other concepts that originate from that? • How are the concepts connected to each other? 36

Assignment 2 – Citizen, have a say! Consider for two minutes and take notes: • As a citizen, which science or innovation-related topic do you feel the need to have a say in? • In your opinion, what are the topics that would profit from a citizen’s perspective? Let’s discuss as a group 37

Assignment 3 – Battle of the Titans Consider for 5 minutes and take notes. • What makes the suggested topic controversial? • Who are the stakeholders in this topic? • Would this topic provoke a broad- discussion in society? Let’s discuss as a group. 38

Assignment 4 – Let’s grind in the Question Machine! (1) Formulate an authentic research question for exploring the topic. Does it stand the trial of the Question Machine? If it doesn’t, rephrase the question and repeat the cycle again until a fitting question has been formulated. To be continued on next slide…. 39

Assignment 4 – Let’s grind in the Question Machine! (2) To be continued on next slide…. 40

Assignment 4 – Let’s grind in the Question Machine! (3) • Formulate your final research question • What was the biggest challenge during the formulation of the research question? Let’s discuss as a group. 41

Next session: • We will meet in an informal learning environment (ILE). • You will receive Part 3 of the handouts there. Homework: • Go over the lecture materials from the PARRISE project booklet on Science and Society in Education • Familiarize yourself with the Assignment 5 in Part 2 – this will prepare you for your tour of the ILE and you will be able to complete the tasks given in the tour and exploration. 42

SESSION 2 PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 43

PART 2 – ACTIVITIES IN THE INFORMAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (ILE) PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 44

Assignment 5 – I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore… (Group activity) • Students form groups of 3 -4 and acquaint themselves with the tasks within the current exercise prior to the tour of the informal learning environment. • Try to answer the questions on the handouts and when needed, use the referenced schemes/models. Take notes whenever necessary. See the handouts for more information. 45

PART 3 – ACTIVITY IN THE ILE AND THE FIRST SERIES OF POSTACTIVITIES PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 46

Assignment 6 – So, you fell into water – will you swim or sink? (1) Aim: to test out one possible method of experiential learning while combining it with SSIBL and raising research questions. Assignment: Relying on the exhibits, programmes etc in the ILE, create: • A study scenario – based on the content of the ILE create guidelines for studying according to the three step model with pre-activities, activities and post-activities that you can use to teach your students. Topic must be in accordance with the curriculum and can originate from a topic in the curriculum that has either social importance, or is based on a topic that is a motif in the curriculum. • A worksheet – that can be used during pupil’s visit to the ILE. To be continued on next slide…. 47

Assignment 6 – So, you fell into water – will you swim or sink? (2) How to approach the assignment: • Gather information from the ILE with your group, so you have enough material to create a study scenario and write a draft of the scenario. • Homework: finalize the obtained material to a study scenario and design materials (including the worksheet) that can be used with your pupils before, during and after the visit to the ILE. See the handouts for more information. 48

Next session will be held in an ILE • Homework: finalize the gathered material into a study scenario and design materials (including the worksheet) that can be used with your pupils before, during and after the visit to the ILE. 49

SESSION 3 PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 50

Part 4 – continuing with post-activities PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 51

Assignment 7 – Reality-check 1: Analysis of the Created Scenarios Swap your study scenario with another group. According to the study materials, answer the questions (also indicate the strengths and weaknesses). See the handouts for more information. 52

Assignment 8 a – Practice makes perfect According to the results of the analysis in Assignment 7, amend your scenario where necessary. Depending on how the previous assignment was done you can rely either on your own or on another group’s analysis of your work. 53

Before next session Homework for next session: finalize assignment 8 by updating the materials. 54

Next session (using part 5) If you are doing the optional part 5, meet at the ILE. How to plan next session, options: • Each of the students will find a time to go to the ILE with their class and do assignment 8 b. • The students and one class of pupils will meet in the ILE where the pupils try out the activities in some scenarios as groups and afterwards the groups of pupils give feedback to the students who created the activities. The students will be able to go through with assignment 8 b. See the handouts for more information on the assignment. 55

SESSION 4* PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 56

Part 5 (optional) PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 57

Assignment 8 b – Reality-check 2: Dive in! • • • Go through with the study scenario. Monitor how: the pupils progress and their relationship to the scenario. • Have a discussion with the pupils after completing the scenario to find out what they thought of the scenario. Which parts were: o Interesting o Difficult o Pleasant o Unpleasant • Use the applicability questions given in assignment 7 again after testing the scenario and discussing it with the students. • Based on the obtained information, decide on whether the aspects that were pointed out by the pupils, are: a) necessary to create the conflict situation needed for learning and b) errors in the scenario that need to be improved. 58

Next session Homework: Amend your scenarios where necessary Next session will be held as a seminar in a formal setting. 59

SESSION 5 PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 60

Part 6 –The final post-activities PARRISE (grant agreement 612438) is funded by the European Commission. 61

Assignment 9 – Sell your scenario! Take 25 minutes to prepare a short (3 -5 minute) intro/presentation on your group’s scenario. Cover the basics that will most likely interest a teacher who is thinking of using your scenario – make it interesting to them and convince them to use it! 62

Assignment 10 – Feedback Discuss which of the scenarios were most interesting and why with the whole group. What did you particularly like about them? 63

Assignment 10 – Reflection Take 15 minutes to reflect on how the process has influenced you: • Which new information did I obtain during this course? • Which was the most difficult assignment or task for me? • Why did I find it difficult? • Which parts of the course remain difficult or incomprehensible to me? • Is there anything that would require my special attention when applying the methods I have learned during this course? • Which other new ideas did I have that I would apply in teaching in the future? • Which skills or knowledge should I obtain to apply those new ideas sufficiently? 64

Assignment 11 – Discussion time Discuss your thoughts with the whole group. 65

Any other ideas or questions? 66

Thank you! 67