WEEK 5

REFLECTION 1

Group Members:

Prathana Prakashni Singh- 2021003380

Shania Shayal Prakash- 2021003592

Rishika Kumar- 2020001987

Sanjesh Sudhesh Sharma- 2020008537

1. Describe an activity/experience you have had in the course. 

One activity or experience that was most meaningful for us throughout workshops 1-
4 activities was activity 4: Planning your own fair test. Through this activity not only
we became aware of how to carry out a fair test but also got to identify all the needs
of children that needs to be addressed in a science classroom. This activity not only
provided us with the needed hands on experience but also guided us as how to plan,
investigate and carry out scientific processes in order to understand scientific
concepts. The fair test activities that we carried out were different however the
process and underlying idea was the same. The steps were followed as given:

1. We picked up our groups

2. We chose a problem that we needed to solve.
3. We wrote our hypothesis
4. We figured out our variables (planned)
5. We carried out the fair test
6. We observed the results, discussed and figured out whether we proved our
hypothesis or not.
7. We presented our report.

However, it cannot be overlooked that in order to prove a scientific concept such as

‘the greater the bounce height, the more the number of bounces’ we underwent
many scientific processes that included observations, measuring, inferring, predicting
and communicating.

2.Identify the topic learning outcome(s) that this activity /experience is achievin
g. 

As such the following learning outcomes were achieved by this activity:

(a)Identify science process skills and give suitable examples of developing these
skills in children

The science process skills are the things that scientists do when they study and
investigate. Some of the skills are observing, classifying, communicating, measuring,
inferring, and predicting are among the thinking skills used by scientists, teachers
and students when doing science. Doing fair testing enabled us to practice these
skills. For example in the tennis ball activity we did use observing, predicting,
communicating and measuring as follows:

>Measuring quantities- counting the number of times the ball bounced.

Measuring the different heights from which the ball was dropped.

>Communicating- sharing ideas through talking and listening, drawing and labeling
pictures, drawing and labeling graphs, acting things out, discussing and debating
ideas.

(b) Design and carry out fair test and write report using scientific convention of
representing observation in the forms of diagrams, tables and graphs

> The fair testing was designed and carried out using the experimental investigation
approach and observations were tabulated. Tabulating results helped to later discuss
and compare the results easily. Instead of diagrams the procedure was recorded as a
video which helped all members to observe all the different data that was collated
and come to a conclusion. Pictures of members undertaking the task was posted in
the report.

(c) Acknowledge the importance of maintaining focus on the science concept

behind any scientific investigation through appropriate teacher questioning - it
is important to have focus on the science concept or experiment so that it is easy and
better to answer the related questions that are given after the concept is done. It is
important because it gives good understanding when the teacher is questioning
about the concept. As it is used to introduce new ideas or to clarify puzzling aspects
of topics with which students typically struggle and if the result of the experiment is
surprising yet convincing, students are in position to build ownership of the new idea
and use it to scaffold learning. Also through the activity teacher should ask questions
which help children to think such as open ended questions.
3.
Write a justification/reflection of why the chosen activity /experience are valua
ble to the identified learning outcome. 

The following questions need to be answered: 

(i)Why do you consider this to be an important activity /experience we consider fair

testing to be an important activity or experience because it taught us the following:

 Firstly, we are not all science students and doing fair testing helped us to learn
how to carry out experiments, what variables to keep constant, what to
measure and what to change.
 It helped us identify that not all experiments are the same and to get accurate
results fair testing is a must.
 It helped us learn that not all problems need to be answered by memorization
but instead need to be investigated in order to strengthen our conceptual
knowledge or accommodate conceptual change.
 Helped us to explore constructivism and realize that it is easy to assimilate
new ideas within our schema when it is done hands on.
 It helped us to learn within a collaborative and contextualized environment
and understand that learning is a socially active process and more meaning is
made when discussions are carried out and that effective questions are a
means of developing higher order thinking skills.

(ii)How has your own ideas evolved as a result of that activity /experience? 

Our own ideas have evolved as we have come to the realization that learning is truly
construed when it is experiential. Moreover, we have come to realize that for
experiments to be fair we need to really go over the variables and determine the
factors to be controlled in order to get fair and accurate results. We also came to
realize that collaborative learning really helps to boost our thinking process as it did
when we were doing our fair testing. Furthermore, our idea of critical thinking has
also evolved as we can now understand that critical thinking and questioning does
not mean criticism. In fact, it helped out to bring and view ideas from all perspective.
I also came to realize that hypothesis is important in order to reflect on later and to
assimilate and accommodate any conceptual change. All in one I learnt to enjoy
science, think science, do science and question science through this fair testing
activity.

(iii)In what ways does this activity/experience develop you as a teacher who will 
teach science in primary classrooms in Fiji?   

We agreed on to become teachers who would utilize the ‘hands on, mind on and
hearts on ‘approach in science. This activity developed us to become teachers who
would teach students how to investigate and get accurate results. We believe that we
will not be the teachers for whom ‘silence would be golden’ but rather we would
encourage our students to discuss, talk and debate scientific concepts. We would
also present students questions as problems after properly analyzing their prior
knowledge so that they find it easy to fit in new concepts within their schema. It will
help us in teaching science more effectively as it actively involves students in their
own learning and helps students to develop a conceptual framework as well as
develop problem solving skills. It helps teachers promote students discussions
through effective questioning techniques, group activities which helps students
experience science in a more interesting, enjoyable, collaborative and contextualized
environment.

As such carrying out a fair test has really given us some great insights and we are
thankful for this learning opportunity which had enabled us to gauge, experience
and understand that if such an approach is so rewarding for adults like us then it
would definitely be so fulfilling for the students as well.

REFERENCE:

 Hackling, M. (2007). INQUIRY AND INVESTIGATION IN PRIMARY SCIENCE in Allen &

Unwin (Eds), The Art of Teaching Primary Science (pp. 127-148).