Using ICT to teach

‘Hard to teach’ topics in science

■ Malcolm Oakes

Science is a wonderful subject to teach. phenomenon. The other terms used were
Box 2: Uses of ICT covered by
Often characterised as ‘hard’, it is a Practical Work (lack of, or difficulty),
case studies
subject that has evolved constantly over Mathematical Demand and Scale (time/size).
the years by adopting new practices. In Developing Communications In all cases, ICT was seen to have a
recent years, these have included many – 5 case studies contribution to make in addressing
■ Mind map software
aspects of ICT, which was the starting ■ Wiki spaces
the difficulty.
point for our work. ■ iPods Once the case studies were decided
The basic principles of the project ■ VLEs upon, they were grouped to reflect the
were that: Aspects of visualisation– 6 case studies sorts of benefit that the use of ICT makes
■ subject teaching and learning should ■ Simulation software possible. These groups cannot, however,
be the focus of the work; and ■ Flash animations be seen as mutually exclusive (see Box 2).
■ ICT should not be used for its own ■ Using video clips
■ Making video clips
sake, but because it promotes good Developing Communications
■ Digital microscopy
teaching and learning. ■ Visualiser The communications being highlighted
■ Using the Interactive whiteboard are teacher-teacher, teacher-pupil and
Invitations to attend a conference were Engaging attention – 4 case studies pupil-pupil. Benefits can include enhanced
issued to teachers who had been ■ Videos communications within departments,
identified as innovative users of ICT in the ■ Digital images leading to a more consistent teaching and
classroom. Prior to the conference they Assessment – 2 case studies performance across the department; the
were asked to reflect upon hard to teach ■ Videos and animations effective dissemination of information
■ Audio podcasts from teacher to pupils; and the
Box 1: Topics covered by the Modelling – 5 case studies opportunity for teachers to use feedback
case studies ■ Using Excel to assess where pupils are having
Particles ■ Using PowerPoint difficulties. In addition, pupil-to-pupil
■ Matter is composed of particles ■ X-Box interactions can lead to mutual support,
■ Particles behave differently as heat Data logging – 2 case studies with the positive benefit of enhanced
is applied – Changes of State ■ Data Logging learning opportunities. All this is
■ Particles interact with one another
– Chemical change/reactions underpinned
■ Bonding – ionic and co-valent bonding (H2T) topics and how ICT could help by distance learning, which can provide
■ Radioactivity in their teaching and learning. What opportunities for pupils to work at
Electricity and Magnetism emerged was a long list of topics their own pace on lesson material
■ Circuits and current flow covering all aspects of science, which, for homework.
■ Amps/volts/resistance because of the range included, defined Whilst the case studies in this section
■ Polarity of magnets the whole subject as a difficult one to do reference H2T topics such as Waves,
Forces teach. Both themes were explored further Particles, Cells, the essential point is that
■ Forces acting on an object in at the conference. the methodologies described have the
different situations
■ Movement – balanced and
After the conference, the participants potential for enhanced teaching and
unbalanced forces elected to write case studies based on learning experiences for pupils in any
■ Quantitative relationships – speed contexts taken from a list of the most difficult topic in science.
and acceleration commonly cited H2T topics. Some of Many of these benefits can be obtained
Energy (heat, light, radiation) these did not have the context of a single through the use of Virtual Learning
■ Energy transfer – Sound, Convection, topic, but were general approaches Environments (VLEs). All schools were
Conduction and Radiation applicable to all topics (see Box 1). encouraged to introduce VLEs by
■ Waves
In considering H2T topics of science, September 2008. These can be expensive,
Cells we also had to characterise the nature of large and complex to use, or they can be
■ Nature of the cells – plant and animal
– different types of cell/functions
the difficulties encountered. In doing so, developed more simply within a
a limited number of terms emerged, the department. In the examples given (Using
Environment
■ Livestock Husbandry
most frequent being Conceptual Demand, SMART Board Notebook to create a simple
which was often accompanied by a VLE, Developing communications with a VLE),
How Science Works
reference to the difficulty of visualising the the VLE sits inside the school VLE, or

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alongside, or is based on software such as alone stimulus material (Visualising on Excel are to be found in the case
that provided by Smart Board. All of them sounds – a new approach using ICT). studies (Making use of Excel to teach science).
have the characteristic of having been The microscope has always offered These cover topics such as: Plant cells,
created to meet needs perceived by the an entry point into a world of awe and Principle of moments, Type 2 levers, Resistance
science department and met by using wonder, but what are the pupils seeing? in a wire, Radioactive decay curves (Modelling
tools that were to hand. The advent of the digital microscope radioactivity), ‘How Science Works’ and
A common result of an Internet search means that one digital microscope can Hooke’s Law. It is not, however, our
is a link to Wikipedia. This vast make a significant contribution to class intention to suggest that simulations are a
compendium of information is a activities with microscopes (Using the substitute for hands-on practical work,
wonderful free resource. However, you digital microscope). It offers the but where appropriate they can be a
can have your own Wiki space (Promoting opportunity to record short video significant support for such work.
collaboration between students using shared sequences, or single images, which form
websites). This is a set of web pages, a library, to be drawn upon for lesson Data Logging
accessible only to those members of the introductions and support. This application of ICT was the first to be
group that owns them. These members of associated with science teaching and yet,
the ‘club’ can add to the pages and Engaging Attention paradoxically, recent surveys find that it is
modify them as they wish, whilst the Visualisation (Using a Visualiser to enhance not widely used in many science
administrator (teacher) can control science teaching) is also at the heart of departments and is rarely used uniformly
membership and review who is doing engaging attention and, in this section, across the department. Upon further
what. This means that it can be used as a the case studies explore many ways of investigation, one finds that there are
forum for students to work collaboratively using of images to enhance pedagogy. many perceived barriers. Lack of kit;
on difficult topics, and through their equipment, if present, does not work; lack
interactions support each other’s learning. Assessment of access to the software through
The iPod is ubiquitous and can, for Assessment is a constant feature of our classroom computers; systems too
instance, be used by pupils to produce lessons and there are many references to difficult for teachers to master; lack of
their own SATs revision material that they it across the case studies (Using ICT to confidence in teachers’ use of the kit; and
can share with each other (iPod in the teach and assess the understanding of a managing a classroom activity with the
classroom). They can produce PowerPoint- particle model with lower set pupils). The pupils, are some of barriers
style presentations, audio files and two examples listed under assessment (Data logging – avoiding the barriers and
quizzes to highlight key concepts of H2T encourage the pupils to reveal their developing higher order thinking skills).
topics. Using the iPod as a conduit, a understanding of the subject through This is most unfortunate, as data logging
teacher can create anytime, anyplace the creation of electronic products can be an exciting and powerful learning
learning opportunities – whether it be on (Recharge the Battery – using videos and tool and is used extensively in the real
the bus to school, on a train or waiting audio podcasts). world of science, allowing pupils to
for friends. explore real data as it is being recorded as
Modelling well as being a positive means of
Visualisation Within science there are many aspects presenting graphs to pupils (Using the Alba
Images have always been central to the to modelling (Modelling by pupils). A two- Ranger to help with motion graphs), without
craft of science teaching and within the dimensional diagram is a simple means of the attendant difficulty of first drawing
history of science there is a wonderful modelling the essential features of a them by hand, and allowing more time
tradition of illustration. Through ICT, system, likewise a three-dimensional for discussion.
images have become more readily object can be used to model parts of the The case studies are snapshots in
available to both teacher and pupils and, body. Systems such a weather system can time, revealing current uses of ICT, and
in particular, the images can move, be described in words, but often contain a wide range of very interesting
which means that, at the click of a observations are quantified to describe approaches to teaching science.
mouse, a moving image that simulates how a system or concept works, and Whether or not you use ICT extensively,
a phenomenon can be used to help these can be used in a computer to create the collection is an interesting read and
explain a difficult concept (Using simulations where the model can be may provide worthwhile ideas for your
simulation software in science teaching). analysed, tested or used for training. future teaching.
An added dimension is that the use of Much of the multimedia software used in
ICT provides teachers with many ways of science teaching provides simulations of
doing this, thus enhancing a range of concepts and systems that can be very This article is based on a Becta-funded
pedagogies. Multimedia software has helpful in developing an understanding of project of the same title. Its product
been around for many years. Many the concept. The hugely popular games was a set of 24 case studies, which are
examples provide fully worked-up market is also based on simulations available on a CDRom. If you would like
teaching packages, but they do not have constructed using mathematical models. X a free disc, please contact Kathryn
to be used like that. It may be that a Box has an example of such a game where Thomson at ASE HQ on 01707 283000
short snippet of a simulation is all that is it is possible to explore velocity – time or [email protected]
needed to make a teaching point. graphs and all the relationships involved
Alternatively, videos (Use of YouTube video in the movement of cars (Using X Box in Malcolm Oakes was the Director of this
clips in science teaching) and Flash science teaching). Project and was formerly Director of ASE
animations can be inserted into a Spreadsheets are also ideal tools for
Inset Services.
presentation or simply used as stand- modelling and a number of models based

EiS ■ February