Science Learning Doctors - using diagnostic assessment
in the science classroom
The Science Learning Doctor approach is designed to support science teachers
who wish to develop their use of diagnostic and formative assessment in the
classroom, and to understand the way students' ideas can sometimes act as
impediments to learning the science in the curriculum.
The 'Science Learning Doctor' idea derived from a project for the Royal
Society of Chemistry (leading to the publication of 'Chemical misconceptions
: prevention, diagnosis and cure'), and then related talks given to
ASE meetings and for the Institute of Physics.
The basic idea is very simple:
Teaching and learning are complex enough that motivated
students often fail to learn what well-prepared teachers hoped they would.
This seems an universal experience in science teaching!
The science teacher as learning doctor sees these 'failures
to learn' as bugs in the teaching-learning system: bugs to be diagnosed
and treated.
Whilst accepting that it is in the nature of teaching that we seldom
get a whole class to understand the science as we would like, the science
learning doctor mentality is that:
- there are causes for the learning bugs which can in principle
be understood
- it is possible - at least in principle - to identify the
causes of learning bugs
- identification provides the basis for devising and putting
in place treatment (remedial action)
There are a number of potential causes of students not learning what
we hoped, and the Science Learning Doctor approach
(download
the Learning Doctor 'guidebook') is based upon a simple classification
(a typology of learning
impediments) that can act as a heurisitc tool that teachers can use.
Since the original model was proposed, the approach has been discussed
with science teachers and others. Discussion and feedback has led to a slightly
modified set of categories. These are outlined in a powerpoint presentation.
The tool has been developed and used with teachers in initial teacher
education and at teachers' meetings. There has been enthusiasm for the
approach from those attending meetings. The next stage in this work is
to build a community of science teachers who wish to take on the approach,
be science learning doctors, and share their experiences.
For this reason an internet discussion group has been established.
The Science Learning Doctors discussion group (at http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SciLrnDrs/
) is open to those who are interested in learning about the 'science learning
doctor' approach, and trying it out in their teaching.
The criteria for membership will be:
- being a classroom teacher of science (any science, any level)
- an interest in discussions about science learning - and
overcoming learning bugs in science teaching
- being open to being part of a 'research and development'
project (as it is intended that discussion on the group will help test and
refine the model/approach).
Anyone wishing to join this discussion group should email me (kst24@cam.ac.uk),
briefly outlining their teaching role