Record+of+Findings

  Science is a way of answering questions about the natural world.  Drawing on the local context enabled the children to make develop an understanding of their own environment. An important consideration was ensuring the young children were able to make connections with the needs in their own environment before making connections on a global scale. Being able to provide the children with investigation time in their local environment allowed them to develop an understanding of their local context.  Using experts in the local community added authenticity to the unit and enabled the children to contribute to their local environment needs through programs established by community groups.  Throughout the inquiry the children were keen to access community experts to draw on their knowledge to assist them with their questions- marine biologists, scientists, feedback through personal learning network. This was a benefit to the learning and teaching process as the children were easily and instantly able to connect through digital mediums. They also drew on their personal learning network (PLN) to get feedback from and expanded the PLN to form new partnerships with to assist in raising the community’s awareness of local and global issues.  Scientific inquiry involves planning and carrying out investigations, seeking answers from a variety of sources of information (including books and the internet), making observations and subsequent predictions or propositions, and analysing data and evidence gathered personally or provided by others.  Science inquiry poses questions, involves planning and conducting investigations, collecting and analysing evidence and communicating findings. This element is concerned with evaluating investigations and claims and making valid conclusions. It also recognises that scientific explanations change as new or different evidence becomes available from investigations. Storyboard || Amanda talking about Manly and Tangalooma || || Snippets of children talking about scientist access || || Children cutaways at beach || || Children questions posed || ||
 * Engaging with the Contemporary World **
 * Accessing and interacting with community **

 <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The students built relationships with a number of scientists and experts within this unit- Educational Unit at Tangalooma, Scientist studying environmental problems, Marine biologist <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">As we are living in an instant world with an immediate connectivity to varying sources the 2M Gem children are continually drawing on their PLN to seek answers or guidance for questions that arose from their inquiries- the feedback drives their learning- and builds a sense of motivation and authenticity for learning. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Richness to learning outcomes and the contacts provide a new perspective. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">They are no longer limited by the teacher’s expertise and form relationships with key people to help in their inquiries. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The richness and colour that these experts brought to the students’ learning through direct relationships could not be sourced as effectively from a book or web page. The interaction with authentic researchers built a sense of importance and motivation for learning, and furthered a sense of ownership of student learning within this unit. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In this unit the children built relationships with local experts- Tangalooma, EPA. They also use their PLN to seek out global responses to clarify justifications and opinions formed. Storyboard || Amanda talking about PLN and deepening learning through accessing experts || || Screen shoots email- ranger Mel and David Bellwood || || Skype cutaways || || || || <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Building relationships **

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The teacher’s role becomes less involved with direct teaching and more involved with modelling, guiding, facilitating and continually assessing student work. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Science inquiry poses questions, involves planning and conducting investigations, collecting and analysing evidence and communicating findings. This element is concerned with evaluating investigations and claims and making valid conclusions. It also recognises that scientific explanations change as new or different evidence becomes available from investigations. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Inquiry-based learning involves children questioning, theorising, hypothesising, discussing, recalling, interpreting, and with support, analysing and deciding on future action. Sustained (substantive) conversation between children and between teachers and children builds understanding of concepts and ideas through the five main contexts for learning: <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">• Play <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">• Real-life situations <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">• Investigations <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">• Routines and transitions <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">• Focused learning and teaching. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The 5 E's is an instructional model based on the <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">[|constructivist approach to learning,] <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> which says that learners build or construct new ideas on top of their old ideas. The 5 E's can be used with students of all ages, including adults. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Each of the 5 E's describes a phase of learning, and each phase begins with the letter "E": Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. The 5 E's allows students and teachers to experience common activities, to use and build on prior knowledge and experience, to construct meaning, and to continually assess their understanding of a concept. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Engage: This phase of the 5 E's starts the process. An "engage" activity should do the following: <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Make connections between past and present learning experiences <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Anticipate activities and focus students' thinking on the learning outcomes of current activities. Students should become mentally engaged in the concept, process, or skill to be learned. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Explore: This phase of the 5 E's provides students with a common base of experiences. They identify and develop concepts, processes, and skills. During this phase, students actively explore their environment or manipulate materials. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Explain: This phase of the 5 E's helps students explain the concepts they have been exploring. They have opportunities to verbalize their conceptual understanding or to demonstrate new skills or behaviours. This phase also provides opportunities for teachers to introduce formal terms, definitions, and explanations for concepts, processes, skills, or behaviours. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Elaborate: This phase of the 5 E's extends students' conceptual understanding and allows them to practice skills and behaviours. Through new experiences, the learners develop deeper and broader understanding of major concepts, obtain more information about areas of interest, and refine their skills. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Evaluate: This phase of the 5 E's encourages learners to assess their understanding and abilities and lets teachers evaluate students' understanding of key concepts and skill development. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> Storyboard || Process of 5es explained by Amanda || <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">17sep 2009_09_18_10_29_32 || Cutaways of children engaging during 5 e’s || || Being scientists- children ideas from the unit- maybe script || || <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Learning process **

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Planning Phase In planning phase- What we know about our learners <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Young learners- multimodal approach to collect authentic evidence- video, audio, learning logs Group interactions Students self reflection <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> Storyboard || What types of learners- Amanda || || Cutaways of children || || <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Assessment **<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">