TEACHER STEP 1

STEP 1

Professional Learning & Preparation

STEP 2

Phase 1 – High Direction

STEP 3

Phase 2 – Mentored Exploration

STEP 4

Phase 3 – Independence

STEP 5

Presentation & Celebration

Goals for STEP 1

  1. Know and understand TEACHER ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
  2. Know and understand how to TEACH your students the process of INVESTIGATING SCIENTIFICALLY
  3. Plan ahead using the WEEKLY SEQUENCE below
  4. Begin SOURCING mentors with science expertise from the local community (1 mentor : 6 primary students) for visits in WEEKS 3, 5 & 7 of your implementation sequence (can be across Terms)
  5. Conduct a BRIEFING SESSION for Mentors/MySTics (before School Visit #1 in Week 3 of Implementation)
  6. Test your KNOWLEDGE before moving on to STEP 2
Scroll down for more information.

STEP 1 – Plan Ahead

  1. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES: gain awareness
  2. MYSCIENCE STEPS: gain awareness
  3. THINKING & WORKING SCIENTIFICALLY: gain awareness
  4. TEACHING STUDENTS ABOUT FAIR TESTING: plan
  5. MENTORS/MySTics: source, recruit and brief
  6. KNOWLEDGE: test your own

STEP 1 is BEFORE School Implementation

 

Plan ahead to SOURCE and make BEST USE of your mentors’ expertise

Planning
  • MyScience takes approximately 10 weeks @ 2 hours/week.
  • A typical classroom program sequence (following your own PL) is shown in the WEEKLY SEQUENCE below.
  • MENTORS are required for WEEKS 3, 5 & 7, so you need to start sourcing them now.
Sourcing Mentors/MySTics
  • MENTORS are required for WEEKS 3, 5 & 7.
  • You will need 1 mentor for 6 students = 5 mentors for 30 students (5 mentors/class).
  • We have researched using fewer mentors per class but found that this causes high stress levels in mentors and hinders the development of the Community of Practice.
  • Try the following places for Mentors:
    • local secondary school
    • local businesses/industry
    • local community members
  • Resource Buttons ‘1.7 & 1.8 Mentor Recruitment Poster/Ad’, provide some examples that may be useful for recruiting Mentors/MySTics.
Briefing Mentors/MySTics

Inviting mentors/MySTics into the school/your classroom for a short BRIEFING SESSION before the first school visit has many benefits for participants who:

  • gain awareness of the physical layout of the school and classrooms,
  • have a chance to ask questions about the program, their role, the class theme, student needs … ,
  • meet teachers and other Mentors/MyStics who will be working with primary students, which promotes a sense of belonging and focus around the purpose for them coming into the school,
  • gain awareness of any school requirements related to working with children, signing in when arriving at the school etc.

An example of a teacher-generated Mentor Briefing Invitation is available via Resource Button ‘1.9 Mentor Briefing Invitation’.

PLAN to conduct the Briefing Session BEFORE the first school visit in WEEK 3 of Implementation.

 

Using Mentors/MySTics

Read information at Resource Button ‘1.10 Effective Use of Mentors’ for ways to effectively use mentors, and why their presence will be so valuable for you and your students.

 

STEP 1 – Information

Specific Teacher Information
Roles and Responsibilities
Professional Learning Toolkit

For each of SIX domains in the process of Thinking and Working Scientifically, there are TWO levels of Professional Learning Pathways.

The six DOMAINS and LEVELS are:

  • Knowing and Thinking: Level 1 & Level 2
  • Planning Investigations: Level 1 & Level 2
  • Conducting Investigations: Level 1 & Level 2
  • Processing Investigations – analysing and concluding: Level 1 & Level 2
  • Processing Investigations – explaining and publishing: Level 1 & Level 2
  • Evaluating and Assessing: Level 1 & Level 2

AND

  • Integrating ICT: Level 1 & Level 2

The MYSCIENCE EDUCATIONAL MODEL has five critical elements, which are incorporated into the MYSCIENCE TEACHING PHASES.

These phases then form the IMPLEMENTATION STEPS for Teachers, Mentors and MySTics.

Thinking and Working Scientifically

The PROCESS of Investigating Scientifically aims to provide you with a GOOD DATA SET when you include the following:

  • FAIR TESTING,
  • taking ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS,
  • REPEATING the investigation several times.
Fair Testing
  • In a FAIR TEST scientific investigation only ONE factor is CHANGED, ONE factor is MEASURED and all of the other factors are kept the SAME.
  • The ‘Poster Ideas for Your Classroom’ and the mnemonic ‘Cows Moo Softly’ may help students to remember what to do:
  • Cows = CHANGE one thing
    Moo = MEASURE something
    Softly = keep everything else the SAME
 
 
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Test Your Knowledge

1: Steps in MyScience Investigation

2: The Scientific Method

3: Different Types of Investigations

4: Working Scientifically

5: Is it a Fair Test?

Resources

1.1 Specific Teacher Information
1.2 Roles and Responsibilities
1.3 Model-Phases-Steps
1.4 Thinking and Working Scientifically
1.5 Measuring Accurately
1.6 Measuring Reliably
1.7 Mentor Recruitment Poster
1.8 Mentor Recruitment Ad
1.9 Mentor Briefing Invitation
1.10 Effective Use of Mentors
1.11 Professional Learning Toolkit

Poster Ideas for Your Classroom