K NOWLEDGE B UILDING QCS503 Innovations in Design and Practices for Primary Science (2 AUs)

S OUND OF M USIC C ENTRAL S TATION A NTWERP (B ELGIUM )

A SSESSMENT TASKS a) Group-based Component (70%) b) Individual Component (30%) - Conduct and reflect a science lesson that follows KB during TP - Submit lesson plans and critique - Deadline: 31 March 2010, 1700 hr - Key ideas in Knowledge Forum - Group’s discussion at end of week 3, 4 and 5 on Trigger Activity 45% - 12 min presentation on KB / scientific ideas25%

How is learning in school different from learning at work/daily life

W HAT IS K NOWLEDGE B UILDING ? Production and continual improvement of ideas/concepts by learners to be of value to a community eg in business or school These ideas will themselves be catalysts to increase further knowledge for themselves and others eg how technology advances Diverse and initial ideas, no matter how “weak” are valuable as long as they are “improvable” that is, can be built-upon

T WO WAYS OF KNOWING In school, knowing is often taught transmissively and is reproductive is content Kids are instructed to learn just A, B, & C, which is both necessary & sufficient Non-learning is due to deficits on the learner and motivation is a problem In KB, ideas are always refined, whatever stage of Ss development, young & old With guidance, all will pursue emergent questions in deeper cycles for understanding Non-learning is due to deficits on the initial question, time not motivation is the main obstacle

H OW DOES KB DIFFER FROM S CIENCE I NQUIRY ?

I NQUIRY - LEARNING Involves activities and skills, focus on active search for knowledge Reflects constructivist model of learning Knowledge is built in a step-wise fashion Teacher begins with a question Topic, problem to be studied and methods used to answer the problem are determined by the student and not the teacher

I NQUIRY ACTIVITIES ARE OFTEN TASK - CENTERED. Task Idea

E XAMPLE OF TASK - CENTRED ACTIVITY Gently push a pin through the sticky tape and then pull it out.) (a) Describe what you observed. (b) Did you guess correctly? (c) What can you say about air from this experiment?

W HAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT : Whose information that is being learnt? The type/form of authentic knowledge that is being learned? The amount of knowledge that is being learned? Any room for collaboration and lifelines? The end-point & utility of the learning? Assessment modes? Individual or collective?

K NOWLEDGE B UILDING IS IDEA - CENTERED. Idea Task

Learning predetermind content from textbook and Tr Testing of fixed variables to learn a fixed theory Can be fun if there is a lot of hands-on See themselves as a student of science in learner/teacher centered environment Learning emergent content assisted by textbook & Tr & any other authoritative sources Learning whatever theories (JIT)(through testing variables) Both minds-on & hands-on See themselves as doing work similar to scientists, both Tr & learners are in the same position Science classroomsKB classrooms

K EY F EATURES OF K NOWLEDGE B UILDING An activity of producing and continually improving ideas NOT just learning stuff Asking problems of understanding not answering questions Through discussions and shared goals Building ideas that are valued and of interest by a community All individuals contribute to and advance the understanding of all community members

12 P RINCIPLES OF K NOWLEDGE B UILDING 1. Real ideas, authentic problems 2. Improvable ideas 3. Idea diversity 4. Rise above 5. Epistemic agency 6. Community knowledge, collective responsibility 7. Democratizing knowledge 8. Symmetric knowledge advancement 9. Pervasive knowledge building 10. Constructive use of authoritative sources 11. Knowledge building discourse 12. Embedded and transformative assessment

W HY K NOWLEDGE B UILDING Practice of science Become producers of knowledge: inventions, discoveries, planning Nature of science Human endeavor, creative, social, subjective, values & beliefs, evidence-based & interpretive and no single –method Deeper understanding of content knowledge

S OME THOUGHTS ON K NOWLEDGE FORUM

U SE OF K NOWLEDGE F ORUM

K NOWLEDGE F ORUM Graphical Interface

K NOWLEDGE F ORUM Sentence openers

W HAT HAPPENS WHEN MEAT ROTS ?

T RIGGER A CTIVITY FOR E ACH G ROUP Grow the seeds provided Record what you did and make daily observations of the growth of each kind of seed Bring them all on Second Lesson next week

T YPES OF SEEDS GIVEN Chinese Flowering Cabbage Egg Tomato Radish White Sweet Corn Water Spinach Kankon Wheat Grass Zinnia (Dahlia Flora)

B RING LAPTOP NEXT L ESSON F OR KF