This session will explore: • Teachers and students’ perceptions on the effectiveness of student-led questioning and feedback in engaging students in science. • Share a more effective model of classroom discourse and how it has enhanced teaching and learning in the science classroom. • Provide participants opportunities to share ideas and knowledge on pedagogical approaches to authentic assessments and opportunities for collaboration.
To address the underlying concerns regarding students’ learning in science, a more responsive teaching approach and assessments are relevant. This must be student-led to promote self-regulation, feedback, identify areas of weaknesses and support peers in the process (Chen & Chang, 2022). This can be facilitated through a constructivist learning environment where students can collaboratively share knowledge and ideas whilst making meaning from different concepts (EEF, 2024), with added benefits of reducing cognitive load.
This presentation will: • Share how we trained students to use taxonomy of learning to create questions for their peers through modelling and locating these question types within their epistemological framework for learning (Elby & Hammer, 2010). • Discuss how the OSLA (2012) model was used to assess and grade students’ presentations and implications on learning. • Highlight teachers’ roles as facilitators of learning and reviewers of epistemological resources and framing (Elby & Hammer, 2010). • Discuss how problem-based learning (PBL) was used to develop problems and scenarios used in the study, and how this promoted pedagogy and students’ learning.
By attending the session, participants can learn from the approach to this study as discussed above and would be able to contribute other areas not mentioned, share knowledge and network with others for future research collaboration.
Background information: Working with various secondary schools and teachers has enabled me to provide different types of support ranging from research to pedagogy and linking theory to practice. This presentation is inspired by research conducted in a secondary school with science teachers and their students. At the time, the school was concerned about students’ lack of interests in science and poor outcomes from GCSEs. This became an opportunity for me to conduct research and find possible means to improve teaching and learning at the school. I was familiar with the school due to insider knowledge in the science department and from working with the science teachers. The school was in one of London’s deprived Boroughs where achievements is below the national average and fewer students move on to post-16 let alone studying science subjects at A’ levels and BTEC.
