Team Actions / Investigation Report
About this page
Kew High School Science KLA
Learning Focus:
The Science program at Kew High School aims to promote interest and investigation into the natural world. Students are encouraged to think independently through class, group and individual activities. In years 7 to 10, the necessary knowledge and skills for progress to senior Science subjects (Physics, Biology, and Chemistry) is developed.
Science at work
The scientific process requires an activity centred Science curriculum. At Kew High School, we adopt the experimental approach which allows students to plan and perform experiments and to draw conclusions from experimental evidence.
Professional Action Learning Team: IT
This PALT was formed through the work were doing in the Deacon University IMYMS Project.
After the component mapping of staff, student surveys and a curriculum audit, the area that was identified as lacking was the use of learning technologies to enhance student learning in science.
Over the past two years we have steadily been increasing our use of IT through Applets, software programs (Crocodile Clips), Excel, PowerPoint, videoflex, etcetera but as a faculty we have been wanting to improve our use of data logging and thought this was a wonderful opportunity to have some time allocated to be able to this.
Concurrently with this was a desire to utilise the ROBOlab equipment to introduce a robotics to Year 8 students through the Simple Machines unit.
Our philosophy was not to design our curriculum around the data logging but to look at what we currently do and see where we could incorporate it into our existing program.
What goals had you set for yourselves?
Students:
(a) Increased skills and confidence in applying ICT to data collection, collation and presentation.
(b) Increased capacity for analysis and interpretation of data.
(c) Enhanced ability to use ICT tools.
(d) Improved levels of engagement as a result of hands-on activities.
Teachers:
Staff will have greater access to and ability to use ICT and thus be able to apply it with confidence in the classroom setting.
What have we done?
Data Logging
1. Data Logging equipment was purchased. Explorer units and temperature and pH probes.
2. Potential Curriculum links were identified.
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YEAR
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UNIT
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DATALOGGING ACTIVITY
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7
|
White powders and measuring.
Particle Model
Light and Sound
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Measuring temperature
Temperature probe – cooling, “design the best insulator”; radiation; heating water.
Sound levels/decibels; sound waves; light level/intensity
|
|
8
|
Nutrition
Electricity
Simple Machines
|
Burning nut prac (demo)
Crocodile clips
ROBOlab
|
|
9
|
Ecology and energy systems
Acids and Bases
|
Fermentation practical (temperature sensor); compost heaps; determination of oxygen (oxygen sensor).
pH probe
|
|
10
|
Sports science (Physics)
|
Heart rate monitors
|
- Professional development of staff
- External: Staff Professional Development by Doug Bail on how to use the explorers Staff PD on use of hand held explorer units.
- Internal:
- PD on the use of the temperature probes with the insulators and cans to prepare for this year 7 experiment.
- Staff use of pH probes in preparation for year 9 class on pH of solutions.
Our laboratory technician has been involved in all professional development activities to ensure that she is familiar with the equipment. In her role she provides invaluable assistance to teachers by preparing the probes and explorers and being available to help students learn the ropes..
- Data logging has been implemented at year 7 and year 9. It is now documented in the curriculum outlines for these subjects.
Year 9: Unit: Acids and Bases
Year 7: Unit: Particles - Heating and Cooling
- Graphs of data have been produced and included in student reports and workbooks.
Robotics
- Professional development of staff: the Science KLA attended a PD session at the Lego education Centre
PHOTOS
- The ‘Introduction to Mechatronics’ unit has been implemented across all classes and year 8. This unit also involves the use of the portal.
PHOTOS