TYPES OF INVESTIGATION

Types of investigations that I’ve observed at my host organisation so far:

→ Classifying and Identifying: this type of investigation has been observed within Living Labs to identify native trees using a dichotomous key. When taking educational groups around the site, worksheets are handed out to aid in tree identification. These worksheets consist of images and descriptions of the leaves and other defining characteristics the trees may have. The dichotomous key uses leaf descriptions and diagrams to help identify seven native trees found at the Pourewa Living Labs site; Tārata, Pūriri, Kāramu, Taraire, Ngaio, Kānuka, and Tōtara.

Classifying and identifying has also been observed in a small way while helping a PhD student with their research — more so looking at identifying. This has been observed through seeing what invertebrates we’ve found in a DNA extraction sample from soil collected from specific plots. So far, we have identified nematodes, but we are hoping to see more invertebrates (like tardigrades!) in the future.

Looking at nematodes through
a microscope

Nematodes -- can you spot any?

→ Pattern Seeking: this investigation has been observed through Living Labs with measuring tree length and circumference. Students from a local high school visited the Pourewa Living Labs site to carry out their own science investigations. One of these was measuring tree length and circumference. Groups would measure 5 trees that were roughly 2 metres away from each other in two different plots, record the data, then compare the different rates of growth across the two plots, looking for patterns and differences within the data.

→ Exploring: this investigation has been observed while helping a PhD student with their research. To assess rates of decomposition, green tea and rooibos teabags were planted in 24 plots, with each plot having one of four different treatments applied to it; water, compost tea, agri-sea, and blood and bone. The teabags were weighed prior to and post planting to see which treatment had faster rates of decomposition. This experiment also fits under the pattern seeking investigation to identify patterns in weights of teabags from same treatment plots.

Alongside assessing rates of decomposition, this investigation has also been observed through measuring the rate of soil respiration; seeing how much CO2 is being produced from each plot. This data was collected and measured throughout the entirety of the project and also fits within the pattern seeking investigation by identifying patterns in CO2 levels between each plot over time. 

Measuring the levels of CO2
in the soil

Weighing a teabag

Roots growing inside a reaped teabag

In terms of investigations that I feel I need more experience and understanding of, all of them except fair testing! In particular, I think I need more experience and understanding of the investigations I haven’t (yet) come across; making things or developing systems and investigating models. As I haven’t really come across these types of investigations within my host experience, I feel my understanding of them could be better. It may well be that I have seen them in action, but due to having a lack of understanding, I’m unable to identify them as those types of investigations. While I have the opportunity, I would like to seek out opportunities to explore these investigations within my host organisation to further my understanding and experience with them, so I can then bring this knowledge back into the classroom with me. I would also like to continue exploring the rest of the investigation types to further my understanding and experience with them.

Cultural Responsiveness

→ What might this look like in te Ao Māori?

Applying a mātauranga Māori lens to all science lessons and investigation — but more than just scattering te reo Māori within a lesson (which should be second nature at this point). The key here is being explicit. Teaching the different investigation types through Māori tikanga, exploring te Ao Māori through science. Weaving harakeke or looking into the properties of kawakawa, for example. We could look at these through a science lens while applying mātauranga Māori and tikanga. There are so many fantastic Māori and Pasifika scientists who are overlooked that could serve as great role models for our tamariki, hopefully inspiring the next generation of Māori and Pasifika scientists. It is so important to bring in and utilise Māori and Pasifika perspectives within science education so our Māori and Pasifika tamariki can see themselves in these roles, instead of being discouraged at such a young age thinking that they won’t be accepted or can’t make it, which is unfortunately more of a reality than fiction right now.

Personal Learning

→ What have you learnt so far or been surprised by?

The amount of science investigation types! Before learning about them, I didn’t really realise that there were different types, or just types in general. My view was more, “oh cool, science experiment. How fun!”

Aside from high school, where the investigation type wasn’t explained, my only experience with different investigation types was fair testing, which was my go-to. Every science experiment I did was through fair testing. Now that I’ve dove deeper into different investigation types, I’m excited to try them all out in my classroom, and explicitly teach the different types of investigations so my tamariki aren’t in the dark about them.

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

I definitely still need to think more about how I’m teaching science, and whether that is going to advantage or disadvantage my students. But, in terms of personal learning, I would like to continue to further my understanding of the different investigation types so I am able to identify them easier throughout the rest of my placement and be able to explain the different types and what they mean. There are still a lot of words and phrases that I don’t understand — big science words and concepts that I hear around my host organisation. I would like to learn more about these so I can engage further with my host and the PhD students that I’m working with. I need to ask more questions, and really engage my curiosity to soak up more scientific language.

Classroom Teaching

→ What do you need to adapt in your classroom practice?

I need to continue to further my understanding of the investigation types in order to bring them into my classroom. I’m going to adapt my classroom practice to include a range of investigation types, instead of solely carrying out fair testing like I did previously.

→ Which aspects will you need to make more explicit for students and how will you do this?

I want to make the move away from fair testing explicit, and ensure they know about the different types of investigations, too. At certain points, I will introduce a new type of investigation and we will look into how to properly carry that investigation out with lots of practical examples and modelling. I would like to get to the point with my students where they can decide which investigation they would like to conduct, and then they can carry out their own investigations.

Leading Science Development

→ What help might your staff need to discover more about this?

If I lead with the assumption that my staff have knowledge similar to my own, many of them won’t be aware of the different investigation types, or the differences between them. If they are aware, they may not be actively using the different investigation types to teach science. I may need to give them the information about the different investigation types, and guide them in implementing the different investigations into their science teaching.

→ How will you support them to identify and incorporate key aspects in their own classroom practice? 

I can run staff meetings delving into the different types of investigations, either one meeting to cover them all, or spreading it out over a couple of meetings. I would get my staff to do hands on experiments that fit into the different types of investigations so that they can see them in action to further their understanding, and give them ideas to take into the classroom. I would also offer for them to come into my classroom and observe me teaching an investigation type that they may not feel very confident applying to their own classroom practice.