Motion on an Incline: Student-Designed Lab

1. QFT Science Examples

2. Instructional Purpose • Student- Designed Lab • Driving Question Board or Unit Framing • Research • Discussion • Assessment • Peer Review • PBL

3. Student- Designed Lab

4. Classroom Example:High School Physics Teacher: Rachel Riemer, Cambridge, MA Topic: Relationship between angle of incline and acceleration Purpose: For students to develop their own question to investigate in a lab

5. Question Focus Motion on an incline

6. Student Questions • What is the maximum speed of the cart? • What forces are affecting the cart? • How much force is required to push the cart off the ramp? • Is the ramp linear? • What is the width of the cart? • How does the mass of the cart affect the motion of the cart? • What is the initial velocity of the cart? • What is the final velocity of the cart? • How steep is the incline? • How would the angle of the incline affect the motion of the cart? • How does the weight of the cart affect it going up the ramp? • How do the size of the wheels affect the cart? • How does the incline affect the acceleration of gravity? • How much friction does the cart have? • How much momentum does the cart have? • How long is the ramp? • How tall is the ramp? • Does the shape of the cart matter? • Do the magnets work?

7. Next Steps with Student Questions • Students categorized their questions into topics using color-coding • Within those categories, students’ identified a “lead question” and the questions they’d have to answer first to get at the lead question • Students then prioritized with the instructions, “If you were to design a lab, which question would you design a lab around, and why?” • Students turned the lead question they chose into a “purpose statement”. This became their hypothesis to test in the lab.

8. Priority Question • How does the mass of the cart affect the acceleration of the cart?

9. Next Steps with Student Questions • Most groups ended up choosing very similar questions, either: How does the mass of the cart affect the motion? Or how does the angle of incline affect the motion? • Partner groups identified dependent variable(s), independent variable(s), and the set up for their experiment, all groups using the same materials. • Over the course of the next few days, they experimented and collected data. • They gathered their initial questions, thought process in designing a lab, and results in a final Powerpoint presentation that they each presented to the class.

10. Teacher Reflections • “At first, they weren’t buying in. They would say, ‘Just tell us what you want us to do.’ It took them awhile to trust each other too. Now, most of the students will say they really like the flexibility in the labs, that because not everyone is doing the same thing they learn more, and being in the lab is their favorite part.” • For quiet groups: • “Give them time to sit quietly, come up with their own questions individually, then go around in a group and record, and give some time to keep adding questions as a group after their initial questions.” • “One group sat there with 5 questions, other groups went a lot further, so we did a quick gallery walk so they could look at the other groups, and then gave them another 2-3 min to add a few more questions.”

11. Classroom Example:IB Biology Teacher: Ali Swanson, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Topic: The end of a unit on the carbon cycle Purpose: To help students develop a testable question for an individual lab investigation

12. Question Focus The Carbon Cycle Image Source: https://scied.ucar.edu/imagecontent/carbon-cycle-diagram

13. During the QFT • Students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of open and closed questions relative to the nature of the IB task: to design a lab investigation to answer an interesting, relevant, and testable question. • Students prioritize questions that interest them and that relate to the IB values of global mindedness and a connection to your local region.

14. Selected Priority Question How does acid rain affect the environment?

15. Next Steps with Priority Questions • Students, in groups or pairs, turn their interesting question into a testable question • Teacher asks the students to consider… • How you could reframe your question to include both an independent and dependent variable • What else you have to decide in order for this research question to really work • The challenges to carrying out this particular experiment  • Who or what benefits from asking this particular research question • Students then identify additional questions or decisions they will have to make to turn it into an experiment

16. Next Steps with Student Questions Interesting Question: How does acid rain affect the environment? Testable Question: How does the amount of acid affect the growth of plants? Further Decisions: What type of plant to use, what acid to use and why, how to might measure growth

17. Driving Question Board & Unit Framing

18. Classroom Example: Middle School Teacher: Nicole Bolduc, Ellington, CT Topic:Living organisms Purpose: To engage students at the start of the unit so their questions guide the learning agenda

19. Before the QFT • The class watchedvideos of people raising chickens, harvesting eggs, and chicks hatching. • They discussedobservations and why people raise chickens. • They made a list of items theyneeded in theirclassroom to raise chickens. • They drewinitial models of phenomenon. • They discussed their initial models and came up with one consensus model. • They made a list of other related phenomena. [Class Consensus Model]

20. Case 1 Question Focus Some eggs hatch into chicks while others do not. Case 2

21. SelectedStudent Questions (there were over 200!) • What happens when the egg is not in a certain environment? • Can other eggs relate to the same process? • Do both of the eggs in both cases start the same way? • How are the shells formed? • Do different eggs need different temp? • How is the egg made in the chicken? • Why do eggs hatch at certain time? • Do female chickens lay eggs or also male? • What does fertilizationhave to do with the way the egg hatches? • Do the eggs change anyway during hatching? • How are eggs fertilized? • How are other animals’ eggs relate to the chicken eggs? • How do chicken eggs start off edible on the inside? • Does Kinetic Energy/Potential Energy/Thermal energy relate to eggs in any way?

22. Next Steps with Students’ Questions • Students categorized their questions according to the different parts of their consensus model: A) The egg at first B) Inside the egg over time C) The egg after a period of time has passed D) *PARKING LOT • Students chose 4 questions they believe would best help them figure out the phenomenon and/or related phenomena.

23. Next Steps with Students’ Questions • Students added (and continued to add, throughout the unit) their questions to the Driving Question Board (DQB)

24. Next Steps with Students’ Questions • Students reflect on their priority questions and use them to plan ideas for class investigations

25. Next StepsWith Students’ Questions • Students raised chicks and conducted other investigations • As the class figured out parts of their model, they revisited the Driving Question Board to decide on which questions they had or had not answered

26. Classroom Example:7th Grade Life Science Teacher: Angela Miklavcic Brandon, Chicago, IL Topic: Introduction to Animal and Plant Cells Purpose: Toengage students at the start of the unit so their questions guide the learning agenda • And to find out what they already know

27. Question Focus "The living cell is the most complex system of its size known to mankind."

28. Student Questions [One group’s questions] • How big is the cell? (O) → Are cells big? (C) • How long have we known cells? • What is a cell? (C) → What does it do? (O) • How many cells are in the body? • Does the cells change in a woman and man? • Are cells intelligent? • What do cells do? • Do cells help us survive? • Are there different types of cells? • How many different types of cells are there? • Do cells have different characteristics? • Can you see cells? • Where are cells located? • Are cells only in humans? • Do other things (besides animals + humans) have cells? • What conditions can cells live in? • Are cells only on earth? • Are cells in hair, in ears, feet, eyes? • What makes cells survive? • What makes a cell a cell? • What color is a cell? • Do cells have families? • Do cells die? • Do cells thrive in dying organisms? (C) → How do cells die if they do?

29. Next Steps with Students’ Questions • The teacher printed out their questions and every couple days throughout the unit students returned to them and crossed out ones that had been answered. • By the end most had crossed off all questions. • On the last day of class when students were finishing up projects at their own pace they could choose a question that was left and research it on their own.

30. Research

31. Classroom Example:9th Grade Teacher: Ellen Gammel, Fitchburg, MA Topic: An interdisciplinary unit on bioethics and a nonfiction text, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Purpose (2x in the unit): • To engage students at the beginning of the unit • To help students form research questions ahead of a culminating debate

32. Question FocusStart of the Unit (& after reading the first few pages of the book)

33. Students Questions Why her? Why does it matter that she’s black? Why did they call her Helen Lane? What was her personality like? Why were her cells the best for research? Was her story forgotten/ignored because she was black? How come nobody knew anything about her? Do you think she would be happy with what people have done with her cells? Why did the author have a photo of HeLa on their wall? What do you think the biggest problem that her cells solved was? Why is this one of the most important things that has happened to medicine in the last 100 years?

34. Next Steps with Student Questions • Posters remained on the classroom walls during the unit so that students could revisit their questions, answer them, or add more to the lists. • Questions also led to a rich follow up discussion on Day 2 of the intro lesson in which students discussed how one might use a specific type of question, what a question's purpose might be, and in what 'order' they might ask the questions.

35. Question FocusEnd of the Unit Debate Resolve: Doctors should be able to do what they want with human tissue after the patient gives consent for removal of the tissue.

36. Student Questions A Team Against Debate Resolve: A Team For Debate Resolve: Are our bodies truly our property? How much consent? How much information should a patient receive in order for them to give informed consent? Consent for removal or consent for research? Should the patient be paid? How should patients be paid?  What for? What counts as tissue? Consent for removal of tissue or other body parts? How about animals? Are owners in charge of their pet’s tissue? Are parents in charge of their kids’ tissue? Can kids give informed consent? Do gives give their parents consent? How about teeth? Do teeth count as bone donations? What percent of compensation should patients receive? How have tissue ownership laws changed over the years? Is there a law? Do doctors owns the tissue after patients give consent? Should patients be able to perform their own research? Do doctors come up with the idea? (A focus) Do doctors need consent for tissue that doesn't belong to humans? Can patients take back consent once they find out what the doctors are doing with their tissue?

37. Next Steps • In teams, students researched their priority questions • Students prepared their debate arguments and rebuttals, using research • Students practiced public speaking and rhetorical skills

38. Next Steps: the Debate • The 3 Judges: administrators, teachers and a former student • The Audience: students, parents, teachers, school & district leaders

39. Classroom Example:College Biology Professor: Emily Westover, Ph.D., Brandeis University Topic: Molecular Mechanisms of Disease Purpose: To generate a research topic

40. Question Focus Background reading on Sickle Cell assigned before class HbSis the molecular cause of Sickle Cell Disease, a heterogeneous and devastating disease

41. Next Steps with Student Questions • Groups generated questions about Sickle Cell Disease and chose their top 3 questions • Each group chose a question to research • Students researched the literature and made a 15-minute presentation on their findings

42. Student Reflections • Students reported the QFT helped them feel ownership of the assignment and generated excitement during the research process • The QFT helped Professor Westover assess the level of students’ content knowledge and conceptual understanding and informed her instruction

43. Discussion

44. Classroom Example:AP Physics Teacher: Rachel Riemer, Cambridge, MA Topic:Bias in science Purpose:To open up discussion and critical thinking around an important issue

45. Question Focus Bias in Science

46. Student Questions • How important is the fact that there is bias? (O) Is it important that there is bias? (C) • When in history did bias in results of experiments affect the public? • How do you quantify bias? • What increases/decreases bias? • What is the trend of bias in science? More? Less? • Are certain groups of people more easily biased? (C) What are the certain groups of people? (O) • How can we eliminate bias in high school experiments w/o high tech? • What’s in place now to reduce bias? • What are some occurences? • What topics in science have most bias? • How is bias defined? • Are there different types of biases in science? • How does bias affect experiments and results? • How does bias influence data collection? • Is it possible to be completely bias free? • How to reduce bias? • Why is there bias? • Is bias intrinsic? • Is bias necessarily bad?

47. Next Steps with Students’ Questions • Students identified patterns that emerged from their questions • They categorized their questions into those patterns • Students priority questions were used as a class discussion activity

48. Examples What are some occurences? What topics in science have most bias? Are there different types of bias in science? Students’ Categorization Impact • How does bias affect experiments and results? • How does bias affect influence data collection? History/definition • How is bias defined? • Why is there bias? • Is bias intrinsic? • Is bias necessarily bad? • When in history did bias in results of experiments affect the public? • How do you quantify bias? Help/reduce • Is it possible to be completely bias free? • How do you reduce bias? • What increases/decreases bias? • How can we eliminate bias in high school experiments w/o high tech? • What’s in place now to reduce bias? Patterns/trends • What is the trend of bias in science? More? Less? • Are certain groups of people more easily biased? (C)  What are the certain groups of people? (O)

49. Classroom Example: College Biology Teacher: Rachel Woodruff, Assistant Professor of Biology, Brandeis University, MA Topic: Molecular Biology Purpose: To open up discussion around the homework, and the attributes of a good biological question

50. Before the QFT • Students were assigned a complex molecular biology article for homework and asked to generate and submit questions as a part of their homework