Scientific Investigations

Learning and Teaching In scientific investigations, students are actively involved in making

observations, developing relevant questions, conducting experiments to verify predictions and solving problems they encounter. These hands-on experiences and problem-solving processes can further develop students’ basic science process skills, including observing, predicting, measuring, recording, classifying, identifying variables, inferring and communicating during the investigation process. Such training can help students find evidence to support their understanding of phenomena in daily life and the natural world and use reasonable methods to solve problems.

Example

Theme: Investigation of Electric Circuits KS2

Process in scientific

investigation Contents Science

process skills

Setting questions

In a closed circuit, if the number of batteries remains unchanged and the light bulbs are connected along one route, what is the relationship between the number of light bulbs added to the circuit and their brightness?

Predicting results/

Making assumptions

(Provided that the type and number of batteries remain unchanged) Students predict the change of brightness of the light bulbs. For example, the more the light bulbs, the brighter the bulbs. Teachers can invite students to share the reasons for their predictions.

Teachers should provide opportunities for students to think and explore the answers themselves instead of giving them the correct answers directly.

Predicting, communicating

Process in scientific

investigation Contents Science

process skills

Conducting investigations

Students work in groups to connect three different sets of closed circuits with one/ two/ three light bulb(s).

The type and number of batteries of the three circuits are the same. The light bulbs are connected along one route.

Students discuss and record the results of the experiments.

In order to help students identify the variables in the test, teachers guide students through questioning:

• In the experiment, what are the differences among the three closed circuits?

• What do we need to measure?

• Which parts of the circuit remain unchanged?

Observing and recording

Identifying variables

Interpreting results

Students are asked to explain the results based on the evidence.

(Explanation: when the number of batteries in a closed circuit remains unchanged, and the number of light bulbs increases, the brightness of each light bulb decreases.)

Inferring, communicating

Learning and Teaching 4.2.4 Project Learning

Project learning usually starts with a challenging question or a problem, which allows students to conduct a study on a designated theme individually or in group. Project learning can complement the theme-based teaching in order to widen students’ learning scope and enable students to direct their own learning more effectively.

Teachers should take students’ prior knowledge, interests and abilities into consideration when guiding students to work on projects through diversified learning activities (e.g., reading, interviews, scientific investigations, case studies, field trips, design and product creation, and use of IT to collect information). Students can obtain and work with a range of learning materials from various channels by integrating and applying the knowledge and skills, and learning hence becomes more effective and meaningful. During the process of project learning, teachers should monitor the performance of students and give timely and concrete feedback for improvement. As the learning process and learning outcomes are of equal importance, students should be encouraged to be more independent, to monitor and evaluate on their own in order to improve learning effectiveness.

The three stages of project learning

There are three stages in project learning: Preparation Stage (Idea Initiation), Implementation Stage (Enquiry Process) and Concluding Stage (Presentation and Reflection of Learning Outcomes).

(1) Preparation Stage (Idea Initiation)

• Students own their learning. First, teachers should set clear targets and objectives with students, in order to increase their learning motivation.

• Teachers may arrange various activities, such as talks by experts, discussions on an issue, site visits, concept-mapping, to increase students’ concern for and understanding of a topic. Teachers may then encourage students to actively participate in discussions and guide them to formulate researchable and challenging questions.

(2) Implementation Stage (Enquiry Process)

• Students collect various types of necessary information through different channels to build up their knowledge of the topic, and strengthen their project learning skills.

• Teachers should help students develop information processing skills, including collecting, reviewing and selecting information. They should help students understand the need to tailor and consolidate the information collected into useful knowledge to cater for the problems to be addressed in the project topic.

• In the process, teachers may gradually give students less guidance and encourage them to become more independent and to engage in reflection.

• The knowledge acquired is “transformed” into learning outcomes.

(3) Concluding Stage (Presentation and Reflection of Learning Outcomes)

• Apart from analysing and consolidating information, students have to make conclusions and reflect on the whole project.

• Finally, they can present, share and reflect on the outcomes of the project. This may be done in a variety of forms such as written reports, oral presentations, exhibitions, dramas, videos, models, web-pages, video games and seminars.

Learning and Teaching Example 1

Theme: Making Models of Tall Buildings KS2

Objectives:

Students are able to

• design and make a tall building model that passes structural tests by integrating STEM-related learning elements of GS and Mathematics.

• develop their collaborative problem-solving skills, science process skills and mathematical skills, as well as innovation and creativity.

STEM-related

learning elements: Learning activities GS

• Hands-on and minds-on scientific investigation activities

• Uses and

characteristics of some daily materials

• Concepts and application of the design cycle

(1) Preparation Stage

• Ask questions and discuss:

How do people construct tall buildings?

What sorts of tests are needed to ensure that the building is firm and stable? (e.g., tests for loading capacity, tests for wind strength)

• Set learning objectives:

Students can integrate and apply their skills and knowledge to make a tall building model that passes structural tests.

(2) Implementation Stage

• Carry out load test for strength of blocks in different shape and materials.

• Discuss in groups and draw a sketch for the model design.

• Select blocks in suitable shapes to make a model of a tall building and form slabs and pillars using different materials. Then, test the model’s loading capacity by weights.

• Observe and keep a record of all the problems encountered during the enquiry process.

Then, discuss and share with others and apply the design cycle to improve the design of the building model.

STEM-related

learning elements: Learning activities Mathematics

• Recognising the characteristics of cylinders and prisms

• Make nets of cylinders and prisms

(3) Concluding Stage

• Analyse data and consolidate information (e.g., Draw conclusions on what materials and block shapes are the most suitable for making a stable model based on the test results).

• Share the model with other groups, perhaps through online presentations of photographs and explanatory notes.

• Reflect and evaluate (e.g., What have we learned from this project? Was there any improvement in the second test? What are the strengths of other groups’ models?)

Learning and Teaching Example 2

Theme: Green Living KS2

This project learning aims to help students understand that cultivating environmentally-friendly habits in daily life can help reduce carbon emissions and to encourage them to commit to practicing green living and combating climate change.

Prior Knowledge:

Students learned about ways of “waste reduction”, and have basic understanding of climate and weather changes in Hong Kong.

(1) Preparation Stage

• Teachers provide students with videos or reading materials to help them gain a basic understanding of the relationship between carbon emissions and climate change.

• Teachers help students set a sub-topic under the topic “Don’t be the Big Waster” (e.g., How to reduce food waste, Environmentally-friendly transports) in order to nurture students’ sense of responsibility regarding environmental protection.

• Students’ self-learning: On the behaviour evaluation template, students record their own or families’ environmental protection habits as a basis for project learning.

(2) Implementation Stage

Students collect information from newspapers, books or related webpages:

• What kinds of phenomena are related to climate change in Hong Kong? (e.g., hotter weathers/ rising temperatures/ increasing number of extreme weather events). Students collectively analyze and integrate the information collected to find out the impact of climate change on Hong Kong. They can also interview their families or friends to understand their views about climate change.

• In groups, students can search for ways to respond to climate change and propose practical environmental protection measures in four aspects namely “clothing”, “food”, “housing” and

“transportation”. They can also discuss the effectiveness of governmental, groups’ and individual actions in reducing carbon emissions and interview families or friends for their opinions about these measures.

• Students compare and analyse the changes in parents’, peers’ and individuals’ attitude, behaviour and commitment towards practising green living after the project learning.

(3) Concluding Stage

• Students use different formats (e.g., study reports and dramas) to present their research results on the day of results sharing.

• Designing posters or slogans with the theme “Don’t be the Big Waster”.

• Extended learning: Students collect information according to their own interests to understand more about the impact of climate change on human life in different parts of the world.

4.2.5 Developing Computational Thinking through the Application of Coding