Making Phenomena-Based Science a Success for Educators and Students

Seminar Overview and Housekeeping Items

This EdWeb webinar is titled "Making Phenomena-Based Science a Success for Educators and Students," sponsored by Savvas Learning Company.
Presenters include Dr. Chris Moore and Rami, a representative from Savvas.
Participants joined from diverse locations including Nebraska, Texas (Dallas), North Carolina, South Dakota, San Diego, New York, New Jersey, and internationally from Portugal (represented by attendee Miss Torcato).
Continuing education certificates are available to attendees who join the EdWeb community.
Educational resources and further information on science offerings can be found at savvas.com/science.

Introduction to Dr. Chris Moore

Dr. Chris Moore holds a joint appointment as the Haddix Community Chair of Physical Science and Professor of Physics at the University of Nebraska Omaha, specifically within the teacher education department.
His research focuses on chemistry and physics education, teacher preparation, and institutional change processes.
He has been conducting research in these fields since $2007$ , spanning nearly $20$ years.
He is the author of the books Creating Scientists and Teaching Science Thinking, which provide frameworks for implementing modern science standards.

Pedagogical Philosophy: Chaos with Constraints

The central theme of Dr. Moore’s approach is "chaos with constraints."
The goal is to create a classroom environment that allows for "chaos" so students can engage in discovery, yet remains "constrained" to keep learning focused and implementable across large groups of students and diverse instructors.
Effective science instruction should move away from students saying, "I guess we did it right because that's what the book said," toward students saying, "Woah, that was weird. Why did that happen?"

Case Study: The Condensation Phenomenon

A phenomenon does not need to be complex; it only needs to be relevant to the student’s lived experience.
Example Phenomenon: A glass containing clear liquid with liquid also appearing on the outside of the glass.
Pedagogical Approach: - Encourage "crazy ideas" to give students a "license to be wrong." - One common "crazy idea" is that liquid leaks through the glass.
Hypothetico-Deductive Reasoning: - This process is made explicit through the use of "If-and-Then" statements. - Experiment 1 (Testing Leaking): "If the liquid leaks through the glass (hypothesis), and we fill the glass with a different color liquid (testing experiment), then the liquid on the outside should also be a different color (predicted result)." - Experiment 2 (Testing Air Origin): "If the liquid comes from the air (hypothesis), and we weigh the glass before and after the liquid forms (testing experiment), then the weight of the glass should increase (predicted result)." - Scientific scales are sensitive enough in the classroom to confirm that mass increases as condensation forms.

The 5E Curriculum Model

The 5E model is a standard framework for creating "structured chaos."
The five stages are: 1. Engage: Capture student interest with a phenomenon. 2. Explore: Students conduct hands-on investigations (the "lab"). 3. Explain: Students develop mental models based on their observations. 4. Elaborate: Students connect findings to broader concepts and other disciplines. 5. Evaluate: Assessment of understanding.

The Role of the Laboratory in Science Instruction

Research indicates that labs are most effective when their goal is to teach experimental practices rather than simply reinforcing classroom instruction.
Traditionally, labs are done after a lecture to confirm facts, which can actually solidify "novice-like" views of science.
Dr. Moore advocates for doing the lab before the formal explanation to drive discovery.
Example Lab (Evaporative Cooling): - Thermometers are wrapped in paper towels and dipped in water, isopropyl alcohol, or left dry (control). - Observations: Isopropyl alcohol temperature drops rapidly, water drops slowly, and the dry thermometer remains at room temperature (approximately $72^ ext{o} F$ or $20 ext{ to } 22^ ext{o} C$ ). - This leads to the exploration of $\Delta H_{\text{vaporization}}$ and molecular structures (e.g., hydrogen bonding in water vs. dispersion forces in acetone).

Novice vs. Expert Views of Science

The "Views About Science Survey" measures the gap between novice students and expert scientists across several dimensions: - Structure of Knowledge: Students see a loose collection of facts; experts see a coherent framework of mental models. - Methodology: Students believe methods are discipline-specific; experts see cross-disciplinary scientific practices. - Validity: Students believe knowledge is exact, absolute, and final; experts see it as evolving and evidence-based. - Reflective Thinking: Students equate understanding with memorization; experts equate it with the evaluation of models.
Traditional instruction often trends students away from expert views and toward novice views.

Research Findings on Inquiry-Based Instruction

2007 Study (South Carolina): Used "Physics by Inquiry" (University of Washington curriculum).
Content Gains: The study achieved "large learning gains," reaching approximately $40\%$ average normalized gains (where traditional instruction is typically around $20\%$ ).
Scientific Reasoning Gains: Despite high content gains, there were negligible improvements in scientific reasoning as measured by the Lawson’s Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR).
Key Takeaways: - Learning to do science is not the same as learning science content. - Doing science does not automatically lead to understanding how it is done. - A student's initial reasoning ability impacts their "learning potential."

The Three Pillars of Improving Scientific Reasoning

To improve reasoning and practice abilities, instruction must follow three rules:

Be Explicit: Do not leave reasoning patterns or scientific practices implied; state them clearly.
Be Reflective: Encourage students to think back on the patterns they used and how they apply elsewhere.
Make it Count: Assess students on their reasoning and practice abilities, not just content knowledge. If only content is tested, students will only value content.

Strategies for Instructional Change at the District Level

Research identifies four categories of change strategies:

Enacting Policy: Top-down mandates (generally ineffective).
Disseminating Materials: Providing high-quality instructional materials (necessary but not sufficient).
Developing Reflective Teachers: Focusing on teacher inputs rather than just student outputs.
Developing a Shared Vision: Aligning with the beliefs of the individuals involved through long-term intervention.

Combinations of strategies $3$ and $4$ are most effective.

Barriers and Success Factors in Implementation

Concerns-Based Adoption Model: Change must address the specific concerns of teachers.
Top Barriers Identified: - Time: Curricula must support teachers with limited prep time. - Resources: Materials must be flexible enough to allow expert teachers to use their own resources while providing enough structure for novice teachers to succeed.
Teaching Networks: Research shows that teachers seek advice from "collegial" peers, who are not always the masters of inquiry-based teaching. Districts must intentionally insert experts into these social networks.

Savvas Experience Science Program Features

The "Experience Chemistry" and "Experience Physics" programs are co-authored by Dr. Moore and designed to be "phenomena-driven."
Two-Tiered Phenomena: - Anchoring Phenomena: The "big idea" or storyline for a unit. - Investigative Phenomena: Chapter-level phenomena that bridge back to the anchor.
Partnership with Flinn Scientific: Provides lab kits and four versions of every lab: 1. Short: Focuses on core concepts in about half the time. 2. Guided: Provides more structure for classes needing control. 3. Open: Student-directed exploration. 4. Advanced: Higher rigor for honors-level students.
Virtual Supports: - FET simulations are embedded at the point of use. - Virtual labs allow for variable manipulation (e.g., precipitate formation in chemistry or wave pool depth in physics). - Multi-modal math supports include instructional videos to prevent the science teacher from having to "stop everything to be a math teacher."
Digital Equity: The eText can be translated into over $100$ different languages.

Questions & Discussion

Question: What is a reasonable timeline for shifting to an evidence-based approach? - Response: It depends on teacher adeptness, but a grassroots approach where ready teachers lead the way is effective. It typically takes a minimum of one year to adjust to a new curriculum, with the second year becoming stronger as teaching networks form.
Question: What is the difference between using a phenomenon occasionally versus building a course around it? - Response: Occasional use is better than none, but building a course around phenomena improves "affect" (student engagement and perceived relevance). Scientists naturally explore phenomena; therefore, students should learn the process of science by doing the same, rather than just learning a collection of facts.