Category Archives: Science

What’s Worth Solving? An Expert Study to Identify Problem-Finding Strategies Within Socio-Scientific Issues

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Summary of SyMETRI Meeting: February 12th, 2024 by Qiaochu Xu

Presenter/Guest Speaker: Balraj Rathod from Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, UBC
Date: February 12th, 2024
Host: Dr. Cynthia Nicol

In the SyMETRI meeting on February 12th, 2024, PhD student Balraj Rathod presented insights from his work conducted in India at the International Society of the Learning Sciences Annual Meeting 2022.

Balraj’s paper is titled: ‘What’s Worth Solving? An Expert Study to Identify Problem-Finding Strategies Within Socio-Scientific Issues.‘ The complexity of socio-scientific issues permeates through society’s social, political, cultural, environmental, and economic fabric. However, the question arises: how do we navigate these intricacies to identify the problems that require action? Balraj explores problem-finding processes through a modeling study wherein three STEM domain experts negotiated the controversial issue of a plastic ban in Mumbai, India. His findings indicate that the strategic use of collaborative argumentation and socio-scientific reasoning competencies can aid in identifying problems worth solving.

Here are some slides from his presentation:

Balraj also generously shared his strategies for proceeding from a paper to a conference and ultimately to publication. SyMETRI members actively engaged in the discussion, asking questions regarding his methodology, reasons for choosing the experts in his study, and suggestions for improving the research method. As his doctoral dissertation builds on this work, conversing with the SyMETRI members provided a valuable venue for garnering new ideas.

Bio

Balraj Rathod is Ph.D. student in Curriculum Studies focusing on science and environmental education. His research interest is understanding how critical literacies can be extended to foster emancipatory agency for youth climate action in Mumbai, India (i.e., how to go from concern for the environment to action). He uses narrative inquiry and phenomenological approaches to draw the essence of what it means ‘to protect the natural world.’

The Pedagogical Opportunities of PhET Interactive Simulations in Secondary Science Education in Bangladesh

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Summary of SyMETRI meeting September 26, 2023 by Qiaochu Xu

Presenter/Guest Speaker: Mohosina Sabin Toma from Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, UBC
Date: September 26th, 2023
Host: Dr. Cynthia Nicol

In the SyMETRI meeting on September 26th, 2023,

Mohosina shared her research on the Pedagogical Opportunities of PhET Interactive Simulations in Secondary Science Education in Bangladesh. Bangladesh, being a developing country, faces numerous educational challenges, particularly in science and mathematics, such as limited access to labs, outdated teaching strategies, and a high student-teacher ratio.

PhET ((Physics Educational Technology) Interactive Simulations, a research-based, non-profit open educational resource project based at the University of Colorado Boulder, creates and hosts explorable simulations for science and mathematics. Mohosina’s study delves into the role of PhET Interactive Simulations in addressing the challenges faced by Bangladeshi teachers and students, aiming to cultivate heightened student interest in science and mathematics.

Mohosina’s research extends to teachers’ challenges in learning and integrating PhET into their teaching practices. To overcome these challenges, she proposes recommendations for the development of teachers’ professional development (PD) programs. Tailored Teacher PD workshops were designed and implemented for this study, with the specific goal of encouraging Bangladeshi science teachers to incorporate PhET simulations into their teaching methodologies.

Her findings reveal that teachers recognize the potential of PhET simulations as a valuable supplement to secondary science education in Bangladesh. Teachers believe that PhET simulations have the potential to bring revolutionary changes to how Bangladeshi students learn science.

Here are some slides from her presentation:

Symmetry members inquired about the design and methodology of Mohosina’s research. Some expressed interest in the development of educational technology and how it enhances learning while supporting teaching. Drawing from their own experiences, they engaged in discussions about pedagogical approaches that are feasible for today’s classrooms and students.

Bio

Mohosina is a first-year PhD student in Science Education at the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia. She has recently completed her MA and has chosen to continue her studies at UBC.

 

Science Learning Through YouTube Comments on Science Videos

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Summary of SyMETRI meeting May 24th, 2023 by Qiaochu Xu

Presenter/Guest Speaker: Conan Chung Man Lee from the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, UBC
Date: May 24th, 2023
Host: Dr. Cynthia Nicol

In the SyMETRI meeting on May 24th, 2023,

Conan presented his MA thesis to SyMETRI members, focusing on science learning through YouTube comments on science videos. Conan highlighted the declining interest in science and the transformative learning approaches that have given rise to innovative forms of science education in the 21st century. Traditionally, movies have been valuable tools in science education, but a recent trend has emerged on video sharing and social media platforms, where movies are embedded within science videos to enhance the learning experience. YouTube, as the dominant video sharing platform, features numerous science videos that integrate entertainment and education by incorporating movies into their content.

The main objective of Conan’s study was to explore the potential impact of embedding movies in science videos on the learning process, as well as examine how the post-video comments on these videos could either facilitate or reflect science learning. To achieve this, Conan employed the grounded theory methodology. Through qualitative content analysis, he compared the types and characteristics of comments, as well as identified the learning opportunities and challenges they presented. He compared the comments from two science videos: one that embedded a movie and one that did not. The first video he investigated was from the Because Science (BS) channel, which merged the Harry Potter universe with the physics concept of quantum tunnelling. The second video belonged to the Up and Atom (UA) channel and explained the same concept using a traditional teaching approach.

By closely examining in total of 990 comments, Conan aimed to identify any patterns or distinctive characteristics that could shed light on the learning experience facilitated by these videos. He uncovered insights into how movies incorporated into science videos can enhance or influence the learning process, as well as how viewers’ engagement in the form of comments might contribute to their science learning journey.

The findings indicate that comments on the UA video were more formal and focused on the specific scientific concept, whereas comments on the BS video were more casual and diverse, showing greater engagement with the science and video topic in general. While comments on conventional science videos can create an effective space for knowledge exchange and collaborative learning, they may also present challenges, such as the potential spread of misinformation due to a lack of knowledge justification. On the other hand, embedding movies offers unique learning opportunities within the comments section, including critical and creative thinking.

The challenges surrounding misinformation in the comments section of science videos resonated strongly with SyMETRI members. By encouraging students to cultivate a critical mindset when engaging with comments, educators can foster meaningful and thought-provoking discussions in the classroom. One of the SyMETRI members also talked about the value of media literacy, which can be extended to curriculum connections, specifically addressing the pressing issues of climate and nature emergency and the propagation of disinformation by climate change deniers. Integrating media literacy into the curriculum equips students with the essential skills to critically evaluate sources, discern reliable information from misinformation, and navigate the complexities of societal and environmental challenges with confidence and clarity.

Here are some slides from Conan’s presentation:

Bio

Conan Chung Man Lee recently graduated from the MA program in Science Education. He is passionate about science education and has been creating free educational content available on YouTube.

Exploring the Potential of Modeling Kits in Understanding Small and Big-Scale Science Phenomena

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Summary of SyMETRI meeting May 8th, 2023 by Qiaochu Xu

Presenter/Guest Speaker: Suresh Ghimire from the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, UBC
Date: May 8th, 2023
Host: Dr. Cynthia Nicol

In the SyMETRI meeting on May 8th, 2023,

Suresh began his presentation by stating that the aim of science education is not only to teach scientific content knowledge but also to develop scientific literacy and understanding of scientific inquiry skills. Educators have proposed various activity-based approaches to incorporate inquiry into science classes, but not all of them have been successful. Furthermore, the curriculum worldwide has long been criticized for being overstuffed and undernourished (AAAS, 1989, 1993), as it tends to provide a superficial overview of scientific concepts without delving deeper into understanding the scientific inquiry process. Suresh spoke about the science curriculum overly emphasizes scientific concepts while neglecting scientific process skills in many countries and including Nepal. Based on his 12 years of experience working with teachers, Suresh said it is evident that they are neither adequately trained nor supported in adopting inquiry-based teaching methods.

In responding to the inadequacy of inquiry-based learning and lack of hands-on activities in science classrooms, Suresh introduced the model-based inquiry (MBI) proposed by Windschitl et al. (2008), which centers on generating, testing, and revising scientific models. They argue that MBI can support science learning across all academic levels. Jonas Hallström and Konrad J. Schönborn (2019) also agree that models and modeling can be utilized to promote authentic STEM education and literacy. The potential of model-based inquiry seems particularly promising in Nepali schools with limited resources.

Suresh is interested to investigate the following questions:

  • What are the perceptions of Nepali science teachers on the use of hands-on activities facilitated by scientific modeling kits in science classrooms?
  • How can scientific modeling kits be effectively integrated into Nepali science classrooms to enhance student learning of big and small-scale scientific phenomena?

Suresh’s research aims to investigate the perceptions of Nepali science teachers who use Karkhana’s scientific modeling kits in their classrooms, specifically focusing on the potential of model-based inquiry facilitated by these kits. Karkhana is an education enterprise in Kathmandu working with schools to bring hands-on STEM experience for kids aged 0 to 18. Karkhana designs learning experiences that provide learners with opportunities to make things and shape their own worlds. Karkhana’s experiences allow children to practice and perfect the 21st-century skills of creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication while using science, arts, and technology. The Hands-on science program designed by Karkhana is being implemented in more than 50 schools by around 180 teachers and reaching to 10,000+ students.

Additionally, his research will explore teachers’ views on the effectiveness of scientific modeling kits in enhancing students’ understanding of various scientific phenomena, ranging from atomic and planetary scales, which significantly differ in magnitude, such as size, distance, weight, temperature, motion, and other related variables. Suresh will return to Nepal for his data collection, we look forwards to hearing more about his study once he come back from Nepal.

Here are some slides from his presentation:

Bio

Suresh is an educator based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He co-founded an education enterprise Karkhana in 2012 and has been designing hands-on Science learning kits for middle schools since then. Currently, he is pursuing an MA in Curriculum Studies at UBC. He is a passionate tinkerer and spends his free time walking, hiking, and enjoying the woods.

 

Breaking the Vicious Circle of Student Disengagement: From Undergraduate Physics Teaching to Teacher Education

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Summary of SyMETRI meeting April 11th, 2023 by Qiaochu Xu

Presenter/Guest Speaker: Dr. Marina Milner-Bolotin from the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, UBC
Date: April 11th, 2023
Host: Dr. Cynthia Nicol

In the SyMETRI meeting on April 11th, 2023,

Dr. Marina Milner-Bolotin began our meeting stating that learning science and math is often mistakenly thought of as simply memorizing formulas, equations, and procedures. However, in reality, it is about visualizing concepts by utilizing constructive help from the technology and tools available to us. Dr. Milner-Bolotin, Professor in EDCP, presented several innovative examples from her research to engage students in learning science, physics, and math, utilizing smartphones and other online interactive tools. For instance, using the slow-motion camera setting on a phone to record waves, she demonstrated how students can visualize the properties of wave interference. Another example shared focused on the image produced when a slab of chocolate is heated using a microwave with a turn-table that didn’t rotate. In this example students can observe the entire chocolate becoming a two-dimensional wave plate and recognize the need for a rotating plate. Dr. Milner-Bolotin’s spoke about how she hopes to encourage educators to think creatively about how to motivate students and promote hands-on, inquiry-based learning instead of solely completing the worksheets.

Technology tools mentioned and discussed in the meeting to support student inquiry where students can use apps on their cell phones included:

  • Desmos is an advanced online graphing calculator that offers various opportunities for digital math activities.
  • Phyphox which functions as a sensor in the phone for physical phone experiments. For example, students can produce a sound of a certain frequency and record it with a second phone. This enables students to not only hear the sound but also see how it looks, helping them visualize the difference between frequencies of 250 hertz and 500 hertz. This activity teaches students about the mathematical representation of the speed of the wave, which is equal to the frequency times the wavelength.
  • PhET Interactive Simulations, which creates and hosts explorable explanations for science studies. It can help to reinforce and clarify scientific concepts such as electricity, gravity, and energy transfer in a safe and engaging way.

Finally, the SyMETRI members discussed the challenges of adopting these technologies and tools in the classroom, including the need for educators to reconsider how they teach, and to be comfortable and confident with questions to which they may not have answers. Using technologies suggests requiring a willingness to make mistakes and the ability to model problem-solving with students. This practice also offers opportunities for interactive and hands-on learning and to develop of critical thinking skills.

Below are some of the slides from her presentation:

Presenter Bio

Dr. Marina Milner-Bolotin

To learn more about Dr. Milner-Bolotin, visit her research web site at: http://blogs.ubc.ca/mmilner/.

Dr. Marina Milner-Bolotin is a science educator within the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. She specializes in science (physics and mathematics) teaching and studies ways of using technology to promote student interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Decolonizing STEM Education through Culturally Based Practices and Indigenous Knowledge

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Presenter/Guest Speaker: Dr. Dawn Wiseman from the School of Education at Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada and Dr. Lisa Lunney Borden from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Date: October 17th, 2022
Host: Dr Cynthia Nicol

In the SyMETRI meeting on Oct 17, 2022,

During the meeting, Dr. Dawn Wiseman shared how Indigenous and Western ways of knowing, being, and doing circulate together in STEAM teaching and learning. She also introduced how she involved in the creating of locally relevant STEAM education, unlearning colonialism, and building her role and responsibility of educator in terms of connecting between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and communities. She walked SyMETRI members through her lived experience by looking at how interactions and interrelationships between policy, practitioners, and practices.

SyMETRI members asked some critical questions of Lisa such as how might we understand the nature of Indigenous knowledge? What are the sources? And what are some ways we as teachers could bring that knowledge into our teaching?Lisa discussed how many Indigenous languages are verb-based rather than English which is more noun-based. She presented her research on decolonizing mathematics education through culturally based practices and experiences that are rooted in Indigenous languages and knowledge systems.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Dawn Wiseman 

Dawn Wiseman is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Bishop’s University in Ktinékétolékouac (Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada). She has engaged in thinking about STEAM with young people and educators for over three decades, most often alongside Indigenous people, peoples, and communities in what is currently Canada. Her research exams how Western and Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing, might circulate together in STEAM education, student-directed STEAM inquiry, the distinctiveness of Canadian science education research, and the possibilities of teaching and learning within the context of human-driven climate change. She teaches courses in science and research methods, interdisciplinary teaching and learning, and teaching and learning in uncertain times.

Dr. Lisa Lunney Borden

Lisa Lunney Borden is a Professor of mathematics education at St. Francis Xavier University in Canada and holds the John Jerome Paul Chair for Equity in Mathematics Education. Having taught 7-12 mathematics in a Mi’kmaw community, she credits her students and the community for helping her to think differently about mathematics teaching and learning. She is committed to research and outreach that focuses on decolonizing mathematics education through culturally based practices and experiences that are rooted in Indigenous languages and knowledge systems. Lisa teaches courses in mathematics education and Indigenous education. Lisa has helped to create the Show Me Your Math program that inspired thousands of Mi’kmaw youth to share the mathematical reasoning inherent in their own community contexts, and an outreach program called Connecting Math to Our Lives and Communities that brings similar ideas to Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian youth as an afterschool program.

Research in STEM Teacher Education: Examining Teachers’ Knowledge

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Presenter/Guest Speaker: Prof Marina Milner-Bolotin, Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, UBC
Date: April 28th, 2022
Host: Dr Cynthia Nicol

Marina shared her recently published study on preservice physics teachers’ understanding of sound. In her presentation she discussed three questions:

  1. Why do we study teachers’ knowledge?
  2.  How do we study it?
  3. What do we do with the results?

A few slides from the presentation are below. The full presentation can be found here.

Abstract of the study

This study examines the knowledge for teaching of prospective secondary physics teachers as related to the subject of sound waves, specifically the topics of sound level and sound intensity. The data is comprised from future teachers’ responses to the task in which they had to compose a script for an imaginary dialogue between a teacher and a group of students and provide a commentary elaborating on their instructional choices. The topics selected for the task were chosen intentionally as they provide authentic and rich opportunities to bridge mathematics and science concepts while challenging future teachers to consider logarithmic measurement scale and its role in science. The task provided the beginning of the dialogue, that featured a student’s confusion related to the measurement of the sound level using a decibel scale. Future physics teachers were asked to extend this dialogue through describing envisioned instructional interactions that could have ensued. The instructional interchange related to the relationship between sound intensity and sound level, and particular teachers’ responses to the student ideas related to the meaning of a decibel sound level scale were categorized as featuring superficial or deep, conceptual or procedural knowledge for teaching. We describe each category using illustrative excerpts from the participants’ scripts. We conclude with highlighting the affordances of scriptwriting for teachers, teacher educators, and researchers.

Milner-Bolotin, M., & Zazkis, R. (2021). A study of future physics teachers’ knowledge for teaching: A case of a decibel sound level scale. LUMAT: International Journal on Math, Science and Technology Education, 9(1), 336-365. https://doi.org/10.31129/LUMAT.9.1.1519