Nelson ARP Talk Take 2 Part 2

Action Research Project: Chemistry Science Talk:

Action Research Project: Chemistry Science Talk Brian Nelson SCE 5740 Spring 2010 Dr. Nancy Davis Part 2 of 2

Review of Part 1:

Review of Part 1 Discussion of the objectives of the project Review of the literature Research methodology Research question Description of the students

Dialogue Highlights and Analysis:

Dialogue Highlights and Analysis An abridged and annotated version of my Science Talk can be viewed on the Palm Beach District’s Video on Demand site using the link: http://vodcast.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/player.php?key=HYP4D580CE0E7908 The debate was lively and orderly without any ground rules being mentioned. After only one minute of initial silence two girls opened the discussion. Stacey: “Does anyone have any ideas?” Nicole: “Claude thinks we should find the pressure.” After only 2:49 a different girl voiced the basic strategy to solve half of the problem. Almost immediately there was a group consensus to accept the proposal as a formal hypothesis- students spontaneously began writing her statement into their lab notebooks. Sara: “We need to find the pressure, the volume, and the temperature. Then we can calculate the number of moles using PV= nRT .”

Dialogue Highlights (con’t):

Dialogue Highlights (con’t) At 8:45 they have mentioned just about everything they need to do to find the answer in theory. Then begin a slow and chaotic period of brainstorming to devise a way to conduct the experiment. We uncover several misconceptions from this point on. Sara (at 10:30): “If water has something to do with it, it’s probably hydrogen or oxygen.” Steven (at 15:30): “We need to use that thingy to capture it, then we need to put it in that thingy.” Someone else (after Steven says thingy five times): “I love our vocabulary!” At about 17:30 I stepped into the discussion and changed the group dynamic from discussion to lecture. For all practical purposes when my demonstration began the Science Talk ended.

Demonstration and Lecture:

Demonstration and Lecture At about 17:30 the demonstration begins and focus shifts from discussion to lecture.

Dialogue Highlights and Analysis (con’t):

Dialogue Highlights and Analysis (con’t) Within about the first five minutes it appeared that four or five of the most assertive students could have solved the problem if they had been given a chance to start working with the equipment. Over all the discussion was informally dominated by approximately 9 student. Approximately 8 students remained silent for the entire discussion. Word count: The terms “thing” or “thingy” was used 17 times by six different students. There was a noticeable disparity between understanding what needs to be done and knowing how to do it (they lack lab experience).

Weaknesses and Strengths:

Weaknesses and Strengths Misconceptions The pure gas has to be an element. All gases are in a mixture. The molar mass can simply be calculated using the periodic table. Mixed gases will separate due to differences in densities. They don’t need to know the mass of the sample. Recall of prior knowledge PV= nRT is used to find the number of moles of a gas. A gas will fill the entire volume of its container. The state of a gas depends upon pressure and temperature. How to collect a gas over water. The gas will mix with the air unless it is in a closed system. The definition of molar mass is “mass divided by moles.”

Commentary: Thirty minutes is too long.:

Commentary: Thirty minutes is too long. Heads are hanging. Focus is elsewhere. Bottoms are tired of sitting. Teacher is controlling the discussion.

Conclusions:

Conclusions My teaching provided adequate background knowledge and a good foundation for teamwork. My students showed an ability to recall lab experience, but limited ability to express it. My choice of questions and duration of the talk was difficult for the students. My students are much more actively engaged when they are working together as opposed to listening to my lecture.

Action Plan for Next Semester:

Action Plan for Next Semester I need to conduct at least two Science Talks per semester. The talks need to be limited to less that twenty minutes, followed by a hands on activity. For lab experience it would help if aspects of each Science Talk were related to one another. “If Science Talks are held regularly, once every 1 or 2 weeks, ways of co-constructing knowledge spill over into other areas of the curriculum, and sophistication of all classroom discussions increase.” ( Gallas , 2007)

Acknowledgements:

Acknowledgements I would like to thank following for their support in helping me complete making this project: The students and staff of Wellington Community High School. My classmates in SCE 5740 for their ideas and feedback. Ms. Twila Chafai, chemistry teacher at WHS. Dr. Nancy Davis, FSU College of Teacher Education.

References:

References Gallas, K. (1995). Talking their way into science: Hearing children’s questions and theories, responding with curricula, Teachers College, New York Levy-Nahum, T., Hofstein, A., Mamlok, R., and Bar-Dov, Z. (2004). Can final examinations amplify students’ misconceptions in chemistry? Chemistry Education: Research and Pract ice, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 301-325. National Research Council (2005). National Science Education Standards, Washington, DC. National Academy Press.