Reconceptualising inquiry in science education

Decades of discussion and debate about how science is most effectively taught and learned have resulted in a number of similar but competing inquiry models. These aim to develop students learning of science through approaches which reflect the authenticity of science as practiced by professional scientists while being practical and manageable within the school context. This paper offers a collection of our current reflections and suggestions concerning inquiry and its place in science education. We suggest that many of the current models of inquiry are too limited in their vision concerning themselves, almost exclusively, with producing a scaffold which reduces the complex process of inquiry into an algorithmic approach based around a sequence of relatively simple steps. We argue that this restricts students’ experience of authentic inquiry to make classroom management and assessment procedures easier. We then speculate that a more integrated approach is required through an alternative inquiry model that depends on three dimensions (conceptual, procedural and personal) and we propose that it will be more likely to promote effective learning and a willingness to engage in inquiry across all facets of a students’ school career and beyond

Biallelic and Genome Wide Association Mapping of Germanium Tolerant Loci in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Funding: This project was partially funded by a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) grant (BB/J003336/1) awarded to AHP. The work was also supported by a self-funded studentship (PT). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Introduction of the New Curriculum and Senior High School System in the Philippines : report of the consultation exercise undertaken in November 2015

Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (STEM) as critical determinants economic prosperity. Indeed, STEM educated and trained individuals have been shown to be major determinants of innovation and, thus, contributors to significant economic productivity. Capitalising on such reports, countries such as China and India have developed key policy strategies aimed at increasing the number of scientists and engineers in an attempt to reap the benefits of a STEM-educated workforce. Also, SEAMEO member countries are currently investigating proposals for a common curriculum and educational standards. The SEAMEO Basic Education Standards initiative is aiming to develop a common curriculum framework which reflects those of world class performing countries identified through international assessment tests such as PISA. The focus is science, mathematics, English and entrepreneurship at secondary schooling level and will be anchored by ASEAN values and culture. There is a clear commitment to STEM education in the region and the reported Philippine initiative is well placed to provide the necessary STEM education experiences for students that will lead to an increase in participation in STEM study and careers. In the Philippines, the education system has initiated an increase from ten years to twelve years of study and introduced a new science curriculum to enhance the teaching and learning of science and science related subjects. The Sheffield Institute of Education (SIoE),Sheffield Hallam University was asked by the CHED K to 12 team to conduct a consultation on aspects of the move to the K to 12 curriculum and the introduction of the Senior High Schools initiative. Two senior researchers from SIoE visited Manila in November 2015 and worked directly with the CHED team, invited teachers and HEI academics through informal discussions and workshops to gain an understanding of the K-12 and SHS initiative. The SIoE team developed a series of tools to aid reflection and analysis of the science curriculum. These are included in this report in the appendices. This White Paper will present findings from the consultation process based on the evidence gathered. It also sets out a list of recommendations aimed to support effective development and progress of the initiative. These recommendations emerge from the consultancy process

A study into the use of computer aided assessment to enhance formative assessment during the early stages of undergraduate chemistry courses

A Virtual Learning Environment (WebCT and latter Moodle) was used to provide students with instant, meaningful feedback on their study of chemistry units during their first semester at University. Short multiple choice questions (MCQ’s) were written covering each segment of material delivered in lectures and made available to students over the University computer intranet to allow “24/7” access. The most important aspect of the work was the feedback offered to students within the questions, which was written by undergraduate students to ensure its usefulness. The vast majority of the cohort used the MCQ’s, most to gain formative feedback and some as a revision aid prior to summative examinations. During the evaluation, students reported that they found the ready access useful and helpful in learning the material. Some students used the MCQ’s in preference to visiting tutors face to face (f2f) but most expressed a preference for the usual tutorial programme over such CAL methods. Most of the cohort used the feedback from the MCQ’s to guide their revision, but again were not prepared to use CAL to replace f2f contact with tutors. Our work meets a number of the published conditions for effective feedback to occur. For example, it is immediate, timely and allows students to receive frequent feedback at a level which means that it can be used to inform further study. In the first year of using the MCQ’s, there was a significant increase in the average marks in the end of unit examinations and a decrease in the drop-out rate during Semester 1. Although firm conclusions cannot be drawn from one year’s data, these results together with the very positive reaction from the students encourage us to further develop the approach into the open source VLE Moodle, which allowed us to address some of the issues