This newsletter and the Secondary Student Achievement Professional Learning and Development initiative is funded by the Ministry of
Education. The providers are The University of Auckland and Te Tapuae o Rehua consortium.
National Newsletter: All Sciences including
Agricultural and Horticultural Science
Information and resources for middle leaders in secondary schools | Term 3 2013
Greetings to you all, Kia ora, Kia orana, Fakaalofa lahi atu,
Malo e lelei, Talofa lava, Talofa ni
For some schools, the term begins with the challenges of open
nights and presenting science to their community in engaging ways.
In this process the focus should be on building curiosity and inquiry
through a science challenge rather than the ‘wow’ of spectacular
demos with little science basis and limited links to secondary school
science.
Supporting local clusters
The science facilitators are continuing to support local clusters to
develop a network of teachers in the sciences. The clusters have a
focus on sharing resources, discussing latest updates in sciences and
can also develop assessment tasks around local contexts. If you
would like support to establish a local cluster, focused on science
generally or on one of the specialist areas, contact the regional
facilitators from your region.
Scientific literacy
An aspect of the Nature of Science in the New Zealand Curriculum
that science teachers need to be building in students is scientific
literacy. Scientific literacy is defined by PISA (OECD 2009, p.14) as
“an individual’s scientific knowledge and use of that knowledge to
identify questions, to acquire new knowledge, to explain scientific
phenomena, and to draw evidence-based conclusions about sciencerelated issues, understanding of the characteristic features of
science as a form of human knowledge and enquiry, awareness of
how science and technology shape our material, intellectual, and
cultural environments, and willingness to engage in science-related
issues, and with the issues of science, as a reflective citizen.”
A scientifically literate person is further defined by PISA as one who
has the capacity to think scientifically and to use scientific
knowledge and processes to both understand the world around us
and to participate in decisions that affect it.
The skill of being able to think scientifically about evidence and the
absence of evidence for claims that are made in the media and
elsewhere is vital to daily life. It is important for students to be able
to identify scientific issues underlying national and local decisions
and express positions that are scientifically and technologically
informed. This involves their ability to ask, find, or determine
answers to questions derived from curiosity about everyday
experiences. It will be seen in their ability to describe, explain, and
predict natural phenomena, and read and view with understanding
articles about science in the news and to engage in social
conversation about the validity and reliability of the conclusions.
Most importantly school leavers should have the ability to pose and
evaluate scientific arguments based on evidence and apply
conclusions from such arguments appropriately.
Secondary Student Achievement Professional Learning and Development - National Newsletter
National Co-ordinators
Mikhal Stone
Northern and Central North regions
m.stone@auckland.ac.nz
Mob: 021 1871 664
Kate Rice
Central South and Southern
regions
kate.rice@otago.ac.nz
Mob: 021 793 771
Regional Facilitators
Northern region
Cindy Wynn
The University of Auckland
c.wynn@auckland.ac.nz
Central North region
Simon Taylor
The University of Auckland
sp.taylor@auckland.ac.nz
Central South region
Stephen Williams
Te Tapuae o Rehua
stephen.williams@otago.ac.nz
Kerry Parker
Te Tapuae o Rehua
kerry.parker@otago.ac.nz
Southern region
Sabina Cleary
Te Tapuae o Rehua
sabina.cleary@canterbury.ac.nz
Judith Bennetts
Te Tapuae o Rehua
judith.bennetts@canterbury.ac.nz
Central South, Southern regions
Kate Rice
Te Tapuae o Rehua
kate.rice@otago.ac.nz
These aspects of scientific literacy are clearly located within the NoS
criteria at Levels 6-8 and are also indicated within the Achievement
Standards of the Sciences in Level 1-3. Clearly then, teaching and
learning programmes must build student scientific literacy capability. As
this literacy is specific to science it will not be developed in English or
Mathematics.
One way to build scientific literacy will be to locate the learning of different
aspects across a range of learning contexts during the year. This will allow
students to develop their understanding of these different aspects of
scientific literacy and use them in a range of contexts.
Within a faculty or department this may involve a reflection on programme
design from Year 7/9 to Year 13 to identify the key scientific literacy
aspects and ways to build student capability in these at different levels.
For example the NZCER Thinking with Evidence resource identifies the
need for students to be able to identify key information from a range of
complex texts – graphs, written, pictures, diagrams, and apply this to a
situation in Test 4; while in Test 1 the requirement is to identify
information from a simple representational drawing or a short paragraph
plus supporting table. Does your existing science learning programme
incorporate the building of this capability for students?
More ideas about formative assessment:
Using exemplars to promote student success
Research into what aids student learning and achievement has shown that
an important way for teachers to help students understand what needs to
be learned is through the use of exemplars to support learning. This is in
addition to talking about the learning outcomes, setting clear criteria for
success, or using a rubric that describes quality over time.
Teachers who use samples of student work as exemplars can provide even
more support for learning. Using exemplars can help students visualize or
picture success. Exemplars can be constructed using the annotated
exemplars downloadable from NZQA:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/science/annotated-exemplars/
Useful links and
resources
Literacy and Numeracy
page on NZQA site
There is a new Literacy and
Numeracy landing page live on
NZQA.
It was developed in order to
have all of the information
from NZQA and TKI sites
accessible in one place - worth
bookmarking for easy access.
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/quali
ficationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/s
ubjects/literacy-andnumeracy/
Upcoming subject
association
conferences
NZIP Physikos conference
September 27-30
Nelson
www.eiseverywhere.com/ehom
e/62198
Technicians’ Conference
October 7-9
Rotorua
www.constanz.wikispaces.com
or from previous students’ work samples (when student permission has
been obtained). It is not necessary to use full responses, just extracts that
demonstrate specific aspects of learning. Once students know what quality
looks like, they are more likely to be able to self-monitor their way to
success.
Secondary Student
Achievement
professional
development
Some tips on effective use of exemplars in teaching and learning:
•
Select exemplars that show development, a range of quality, or
different ways to show what you know.
•
Ask students to describe ways the exemplars help them
understand the task, its requirements, what is good quality or
effective work.
•
Ask students to list one or two things that would have helped take
each exemplar to the next level of development, quality, or
effectiveness.
•
Use the exemplars to help students learn more by assessing their
work against them to see what they need to add to make their
work reach ‘success’.
The Secondary Student
Achievement professional
development is funded by the
Ministry of Education. The
Government goal is that 85%
of all 18-year-olds will have
achieved NCEA Level 2 or an
equivalent qualification by
2017. Support is available to
all middle leaders in the form
of workshops, clusters and enewsletters in every learning
area and in a range of
subjects. Intensive, in-depth
support is also being provided
for selected schools or
departments allocated by the
regional Ministry of Education
offices.
Once teachers and students have analysed the exemplars, continue to
revisit the exemplars during the learning programme to use them to
inform ongoing learning. This reflection process is an essential part of the
on-going feedback-feedforward component of learning from formative
assessment.
Using these teaching strategies helps teachers support student learning.
Thoughtful use of exemplars as a formative assessment strategy can
improve student learning.
Secondary Student Achievement Professional Learning and Development - National Newsletter
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Agriculture and Horticulture alert
The latest newsletter from the Moderator gives important updates:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/ag-and-hort-science/moderator-snewsletter/june-2013/
When preparing assessment tasks, ensure you refer to both the Conditions of
Assessment on TKI and the Ag-Hort clarifications of the internal achievement
standards published on NZQA’s website. These provide interpretations of the
standards from a moderation perspective, and tasks should reflect this:
http://ncea.tki.org.nz/Resources-for-aligned-standards/Science/Agriculturaland-Horticultural-Science/Level-1-Agricultural-and-Horticultural-Science
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/ag-and-hort-science/agriculture-andhorticultural-science-clarifications/
Biology alert
The BioLive conference in Christchurch, July 14-17 provided an informative and
challenging time for participants. Thanks to the biologists in the Canterbury
region for organizing this successful biennial conference. It was great to be
updated with latest ideas from some of the region’s researchers and scientists.
Teachers need to refer to the Biology clarifications of the internal achievement
standards published on the NZQA website. These provide interpretations of the
standards from a moderation perspective, and tasks must reflect this guidance.
The latest Moderator newsletter, July 2013, contains updated clarifications for
91155 and 91607 as well as info about Conditions of Assessment and student
resource material.
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/biology/moderator-s-newsletter/july2013/
Additional detail on Conditions of Assessment can be found at:
http://ncea.tki.org.nz/Resources-for-aligned-standards/Science/Biology/Level2-Biology
Chemistry alert
ChemEd 2013 was held in Dunedin, July 14-17. Thanks to the Otago Chemistry
educators for planning and bringing together such an interesting range of
speakers at the conference. Participants were challenged in their thinking as
well as taking away great ideas to incorporate into their programmes. Make
sure you bookmark the NZQA site to keep up with information from the
Moderator on the achievement standards. The May 2013 newsletter referred to
the updated clarifications for Level 2 and 3:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/chemistry/moderator-s-newsletter/may2013/#L3
Earth and Space Science alert
A reminder that Jenny Pollock has set up a dropbox for sharing of Earth and
Space Science resources. If you are interested in accessing this please email
jenny.pollock@xtra.co.nz
The June 2013 Moderator newsletter carries information on 91187, 91188, and
91189 and a link to clarifications for Level 2 achievement standards:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/earth-and-space-science/moderator-snewsletters/june-2013/
Links to moderator
newsletters
Remember to keep up with
these for latest information on
the assessment tasks and
achievement standards.
Agriculture/Horticulture
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualif
icationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/s
ubjects/ag-and-hortscience/moderator-snewsletter/june-2013/
Biology
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualif
icationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/s
ubjects/biology/moderator-snewsletter/july-2013/
Chemistry
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualif
icationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/s
ubjects/chemistry/moderators-newsletter/may-2013/#L3
Earth and Space Science
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualif
icationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/s
ubjects/earth-and-spacescience/moderator-snewsletters/june-2013/
Physics
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualif
icationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/s
ubjects/physics/moderator-snewsletter/may-2013/
Science
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualif
icationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/s
ubjects/science/moderatorsnewsletter/february-2013/
Clarifications
Also refer to the clarifications
for science:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualif
icationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/s
ubjects/science/scienceclarifications/
Remember to use the exemplars on NZQA’s site for both teacher guidance and
as a teaching tool to help students understand the type of response and the
depth of response they should be aiming to develop in their assessment task.
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/earth-and-space-science/levels/
Secondary Student Achievement Professional Learning and Development - National Newsletter
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Physics alert
It’s time to register for the NZIP conference to be held in Nelson, 27-30
September.
Check the latest Moderator’s newsletter for Physics clarifications of the internal
achievement standards published on the NZQA website.
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificationsstandards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/physics/moderator-s-newsletter/may2013/
An important quote from the clarification for AS91169 Demonstrate
understanding of physics relevant to a selected context:
“Generally speaking, for students to reach Merit or Excellence they will need to
have been given formal teaching of the physics concepts required for the
explanation of the context. The context may be chosen by the teacher or by
the student. It is the responsibility of the teacher to ensure the physics
involved in the context is at the appropriate curriculum level and that the
student has received the necessary teaching to enable understanding of the
physics to be demonstrated. Therefore, if the application is chosen by the
student, the teacher must give approval to the application before the research
is started.” (NZQA)
With this clarification in mind, it will be important to include focused teaching
and learning with students on a selected context prior to students commencing
the assessment task. It would also be inappropriate to give the task as a
homework task without teacher guidance or teaching, as it will be difficult to
attest to the validity and reliability of student responses.
Heads up: Subject specific literacy exemplars
Literacy on Line web pages has a new section on annotated exemplars. The
five exemplars of student work (from Biology, History, Technology, Maths and
PE) have been annotated to show how teachers might identify features of
literacy and language from student writing, and provide feedback within each
subject area:
http://literacyonline.tki.org.nz/Literacy-Online/Secondary-Literacy/Teacherneeds/Literacy-in-the-learning-areas2
NCEA reminder
Teachers are required to ensure that tasks are valid. Using authentic and
locally-related tasks is a good way to reduce the possibilities for plagiarism and
may also stimulate interest and motivation. Unmodified exemplar tasks from
www.ncea.tki.org.nz are generally not appropriate because students are able to
access exemplar materials, thereby undermining the validity of the
assessment. The NZASE Level 1 Science tasks are on a secure site
www.nzase.org.nz/ncea/
and can be used unmodified.
Important links and
resources
The Science Teaching and
Learning Guide Part 2
This guide is now live on:
http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.
nz/Science
The new sections cover
learning programme design,
connections and pedagogy.
The Agricultural and
Horticultural Science
Teaching and Learning
Guide
The link for this guide:
http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.
nz/Science/Ag-and-hortscience
National newsletters
These national newsletters are
developed for every learning
area by National Co-ordinators
from The University of
Auckland and Te Tapuae o
Rehua consortium (University
of Canterbury, University of
Otago and Te Runanga o Ngāi
Tahu).
To download the latest
newsletter or for more
information about Ministryfunded professional
development for secondary
middle leaders, visit this page
on TKI:
http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/
Secondary-middleleaders/Professional-learningand-development
New literacy and numeracy requirements for NCEA
Level 2 and Level 3
The NCEA Level 1 literacy and numeracy requirement must be met to achieve
the Level 2 NCEA qualification from 2013 and the Level 3 qualification from
2014.
Science teachers will possibly have students in their classes who might be at
risk of not achieving literacy and/or numeracy requirements. It is important to
remember that Science achievement in Level 1 achievement standards can
contribute to these requirements. View further information at:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/about-us/publications/newsletters-andcirculars/secqual/new-literacy-and-numeracy-requirements-for-ncea-l2-and-l3/
Secondary Student Achievement Professional Learning and Development - National Newsletter
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