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VCAA Update: Senior Science February 2012

VCAA Update: Senior Science February 2012. Key messages. National curriculum - Years F-10 Science content and achievement standards approved by state/territory/federal education ministers - substantial implementation in Victoria from 2013 - an inquiry-based curriculum

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VCAA Update: Senior Science February 2012

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  1. VCAA Update: Senior ScienceFebruary 2012

  2. Key messages • National curriculum - Years F-10 Science content and achievement standards approved by state/territory/federal education ministers - substantial implementation in Victoria from 2013 - an inquiry-based curriculum - public consultation draft national senior science subjects expected from ACARA in Term 2, 2012 - Victoria is the only Australian state/territory that holds mid-year examinations • VCE Sciences - current study designs accredited until 2014 - mid-year examinations will be discontinued from 2013 - mid-cycle amendments to study design will apply from 2013

  3. Science participation rate - Australia With thanks to the Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee http://www.vicphysics.org/edresearch.html

  4. Science participation rate - Victoria Physics is the 11th most popular VCE study! With thanks to the Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee http://www.vicphysics.org/edresearch.html

  5. Science enrolments - Victoria

  6. Popularity of VCE science studies in 2011

  7. Strands and sub-strands in the Australian Curriculum strands sub-strands

  8. Inquiry-based science curriculum • The Australian Curriculum: Science emphasises inquiry-based teaching and learning • Opportunities for student-led open inquiry should be provided within each phase of schooling Years F-4: SIS strand Student-driven inquiry Semi- structured inquiry Teacher-led inquiry ??????? Years 5/6: With guidance, select appropriate investigation methods to answer questions or solve problems… decide which variable should be changed and measured in fair tests Years 11 and 12: What are the implications for curriculum and assessment of an inquiry-based approach to science education? Years 9/10: Formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scientifically… plan, select and use appropriate investigation methods… select and use appropriate equipment Years 7/8: Collaboratively and individually plan and conduct a range of investigation types…in fair tests, measure and control variables, and select equipment to collect data with accuracy appropriate to the task

  9. Effective instructional strategies Strategies that improve student achievement: • identifying similarities and differences (45%) • summarising and note-taking (34%) • using non-linguistic representations (27%) • incorporating cooperative learning effectively (27%) • setting objectives and providing feedback (23%) • generating and testing hypotheses (23%) Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering and Jane Pollock, 2001 Refer also: • James Stigler and James Hiebert: the Teaching Gap (1998) • Anne Tweed: Designing Effective Science Instruction (2007) - John Hattie: Visible learning (2009)

  10. Bloom’s revised taxonomy Reflection: Which of these cognitive skills can be effectively assessed through exams? SACs?

  11. VCAA consultation feedback: general science • Too much content for a single examination • Weighting exam:SACs of 66:34 overemphasises contribution of examination (‘bad day’ = ‘bad score’) • Weighting exam:SACs of 66:34 is not equitable with other VCE studies • Students will no longer receive mid-year feedback so that they can make changes to improve their performance • Study designs require further minor ‘tweaking’ re clarity and scope

  12. VCE consultation feedback: Physics Stakeholder feedback: • More information needed about examination format • Consider assessing only one Detailed Study in the exam, or no Detailed Studies in the exam (only by coursework) • Allow choice of two from the six available Detailed Studies • Trial examination paper should be prepared sooner rather than later

  13. Further consultation The VCAA is eager to receive further feedback about specific proposals developed to address issues identified through the February online consultation process:

  14. Contact Maria James Curriculum Manager, Science VCAA Telephone: 9651 4655 Email: james.maria.m@edumail.vic.gov.au

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