SEEING THE 'NATURE OF SCIENCE' - COMMUNICATING IN SCIENCE

Links explored: The Communicating in Science Strand, Indigenous Knowledge has Value, Whakairo, Scientific Modelling

Cultural Responsiveness

→ What te Ao Māori connections/practices have you seen?

Te Ao Māori connections/practices were prominent within two of the pieces I looked at; Indigenous Knowledge has Value and Whakairo. Within Indigenous Knowledge has Value, connections were made to Māori way of life and survival, detailing how Curtis Bristowe’s ancestors faced and overcame challenges, and then applying those principles to modern-day life. In Whakairo, the article looks at how carving and other art forms tell pūrākau (stories), historical events and hold the whakapapa of the iwi. It goes into detail about the importance of whakairo (carving), how they have become taonga tuku iho (a divine gift), and the process of becoming a tohunga whakairo (master carver) as this art form is considered tapu (sacred).

→ How might you whakamana (give prestige to/empower) te Ao Māori in this substrand?

By using pūrākau and pūtaio Māori to guide and connect scientific ideas and further increase understanding. Ensuring that there is a connection between science and mātauranga Māori and all perspectives are being valued. Utilising resources from Māori scientists – whether these are videos, articles, activities, etc. There were three principles mentioned in Curtis Bristowe’s TEDTalk, Indigenous Knowledge has Value, that I would like to apply to different areas of my practice. By using the flight of the kuaka as one example, these three principles were created. Kawa, the guiding philosophy or collective goal. Tikanga, supporting practice. Kaupapa, collective endeavor. The three of these principles are used as a whole, not individually, and is something that I would like to use to guide my leadership and science teaching once I step into that position within my kura.

Personal Learning

→ What have you learned so far or been surprised by these clips, readings, resources?

Communication in science is absolutely essential, and is how scientific ideas and understanding is fostered. There is a specific type of language associated with science that includes symbols, diagrams, graphs and equations that helps with effective scientific communication. Models also underpin research and communicating explanations within the science world, and are just one of the many ways we encounter representations of ideas in communicating in science. I was surprised by how abstract some of the pieces I looked into were, how some weren’t explicitly about communicating in science, yet they all connected with scientific ideas and, in a way, did relate to communicating in science.

→ What do you need to think or learn more about?

I think I definitely need to continue advancing my knowledge of communicating in science and interpreting representations in order to accurately bring it back to my kura and tauira. Although I have a base understanding of this strand and how it relates to the nature of science, I’d like to dive deeper into all of the different ways we see communication in terms of science and all of the different ways representations show up – specifically how both of these can be utilised to further develop understanding in science.

Classroom Teaching

→ What might interpreting representations feel like for students in your classroom when they are unsure of what they are looking at?

If they are unsure of what they’re looking at, it might feel quite confusing and frustrating to not understand what is being represented. It could be very disengaging for them, which could lead to them being disinterested in trying to understand in the future.

→ What ideas do you have for explicitly teaching the skills necessary to assess (critique) the meaning and value of science representations?

Having a variety of models and representations that cater to different learning needs. Starting off with something small and familiar that students can assess/critique the value and meaning of. Integrating and making connections to interpreting representations through reading and writing skills that students are already doing – possibly without even realising that they’re transferable. Utilising resources shown to us during our workshops, such as questioning to gather more information about what is being represented, getting students to draw diagrams relating to the specific learning/task and then refine them when they get more information.

Leading Science Development

→ What help might your staff need to discover more about the place and importance of interpreting representations?

Utilising the readings/clips/media/resources provided for writing this blog would be great for advancing my staff’s knowledge of interpreting representations and communicating in science. Although my staff have some understanding of interpreting representations, giving them tangible resources and information about it will help to consolidate what they already know and further drive the importance of it being taught within the classroom. Getting them to take on the position of tauira and learn about interpreting representations through activities and tangible examples would help, too. Giving them the why in terms of importance and the overall goal to show them what we’re working towards.

→ What help might your staff need to consider more about how to teach interpreting representations in a way that students will be able to transfer to other contexts?

Definitely giving them examples, activities and modelling the teaching of interpreting representations, but also showing them how easily it can be integrated and transferred to something like reading in particular. Explicitly showing where the links are and giving them the easiest ways to achieve this without putting extra stress/pressure/work on them. Providing examples of how easily it can be integrated across curricular.