YEARS 7–12 IDEAS FOR THE CLASSROOM
Year 7 Practical Skills for Inquiry Learning – Part 4 (continued)
introduced as a refinement at a later date. Describing it as a
‘testable question’ based on their Aim may be helpful.
• If you are trying to discuss and explain the Scientific Method
and lots of red, or red and orange discs appear in front of
students, you know you have a problem! You would have a
different problem if a load of green discs appeared! You then
know you have to adjust your approach.
The final copy of each group’s experimental write-up could be
done on coloured paper (possibly using different colour for each
part, but consistent across all groups), stuck on white cardboard
and put up in the lab. All students in the group should share the
copying. They can then examine all of the ‘Aims’ and ‘Methods’,
for example, and see what they have in common. They can serve
as points of reference for writing ‘Aims’ and ‘Methods’ in the
future.
• If groups are working on designing an experiment, for example,
or working on some sort of task, putting a red disc into view
signals to you where your help is most immediately needed,
whilst a green disc means they are ready to get on with the
practical or need more problems to extend them.
This ‘writing up’, using the correct headings, can only be done
if the class (or individual group) has gained a reasonable
understanding of how to do a scientific investigation. If not they
will need more examples to try. They can still write up their efforts
in their own words using prompts such as ‘What were we trying
to do?’; ‘How did we do it?’; ‘What did we see happening?’; ‘What
decision did we make about the answer to our question?’
• Red or orange discs coloured in at the end of written homework
will indicate where more help is needed when you take them
in for checking. You may then decide to help them by getting
them together to talk through the problems or to give written
help on individual scripts.
• At the end of a short quiz or in-class written task ask students
to place their named ‘papers’ into the red, orange or green
box for checking. This gives you an indication of where they
think they are at.
Their efforts in carrying this out will tell you how they are
progressing towards mastering the ‘Scientific Method’.
• Some activities lend themselves to groups which comprise a
mixture of ‘red, orange and green’ students working together.
‘Green’ students can gain from this too, as helping others can
deepen their own understanding.
Traffic Lights
Traffic lights provide a simple, quick and easy way of finding
out how well, or otherwise, students have understood science
ideas you have been discussing. Students can ‘deploy’ them to
indicate where they are at as far as their understanding goes at a
particular time in a less obvious way than putting up their hands
for example. They are a helpful tool in formative assessment.
• A range of activities on the same theme but with differing
degrees of difficulty can be put up as red, orange or green for
students to select based on their levels of confidence. The aim
is that having worked at their chosen level successfully, they
should try to move up a level. Students selecting ‘green’ tasks
should be looking for extension activities and not just sitting on
their laurels!
What are they?
A set of 3 objects coloured red, orange and green. I prefer circles
of laminated cardboard about 10cm in diameter for each colour;
you may be more imaginative! However, you need enough sets
for every student in your class. If you choose carefully they will
last for years, and a single set will do all your classes in any year.
They are really helpful for formative assessment.
• Students assessing their own understanding of ideas helps
their learning and also helps you get to know their strengths
and weaknesses. This can give insights into how you can
help encourage and improve the learning abilities of all your
students.
• Once you start using traffic lights you will find loads more
ways to use them! Students may be reluctant at first, (a few a
bit stupid about it!), but they usually come around when they
realise it is a useful way of helping you to help them as well as
helping them to help themselves!
Stop! I’m lost! I don’t understand!
I sort of get it, but am not really confident I understand.
I do get it!
Starting with a new Year 7 class, in lesson 2 I would be aiming
to do Activities 2-6 immediately, following on from each other.
Personally I would aim to do Activity 7 also, and then move onto
a series of activities based on Separation – CW3 Mixtures ....
Parts c, b!
How can you use them? There are so many ways to use them,
and the more you, and your classes get used to them, the more
ways you will find. Here are a few examples:
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SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 68 NO 4