Texts in chemistry classrooms Oslo Visions 19 May 2011 Kristina Danielsson Department of Language Education, Stockholm university / www.isd.su.se/danielsson_kristina ”Chemistry texts as a tool for scientific learning learning” • Interdisciplinary project financed by the Swedish Research council (2007-2010), studying chemistry education in Finland-Swedish Finland Swedish and Swedish classrooms (year 8/9; 14-15 year-olds) Stockholm/Linköping/Norrköping University (linguists, chemists, pedagogues) • Project leader: Inger Eriksson (SU/HiB) Final report in press: Eriksson, I. (ed.) 2011. Kemiundervisning, text och textbruk i finlandssvenska och svenska skolor – en komparativ studie. Stockholm: Stockholms universitets förlag ”Chemistry texts as tools for scientific learning learning” Project A • Classroom practices in general (pedagogues): what h are the h typical i l practices i off the h classrooms? l ? • Classroom practices focusing chemistry (chemists/pedagogues) • Assessment practices (chemists/pedagogues) Project B • Classroom practices focusing texts and text use Point of departure • Becoming part of a new social context always involves becoming part of the discourse used . • To learn a new (school) subject involves a gradual enculturation into the language of the subject The ( (verbal) ) language g g of natural sciences ”The evolution of science was, we maintain, the evolution of scientific grammar.” (Halliday & Martin 1993:12) ”…the …the mastery of … science is in large part mastery of its specialized ways of using language.” ((Lemke 1990: 21)) Genres in natural sciences (eg. (eg Martin & Rose 2008), examples • ”doing science”: procedure, recount of procedures • ”explain science”: causes, etc. • ”organising organising scientific knowledge knowledge”:: description or taxonomic rapport (’the atom consists of protons, neutrons and electrons’) • ”challenge science”: exposition, discussion each genre with its specific features The multimodality y of scientific language (verbal language, pictures, mathematical/symbolical language, g g , etc.)) • “not only must students master each separate disciplinary and media literacy at a high level, but they must also learn to co-ordinate and articulate multiple literacies simultaneously” (Lemke 2000) Multiple literacies: teacher’s notes Overall research question for text project • What possibilities are given the students to become part of the (written) discourse of science? Data collection in the project • Video recordings (teacher/focus students) • Digital photographs of all text use (’literacy events’, cf e.g. Barton) around focus students • Collection of all texts used in the classrooms • Interviews with teachers and focus students around text use Specific research questions • What literacy events occur and what texts are used in connection to them (extended, (extended multimodal concept of text)? • To what extent can explicit text work be seen in the classroom practice? • What characterizes the texts students encounter or produce in the classroom (SFG-analyses)? • Differences between classrooms/countries? E Example l off literacy lit eventt Fred draws a model of the atom on the blackboard and talks about its structure ”Dialogue” in connection to the literacy event • T: There are two central parts of the atom .. One is central and the other one is not so central, something in the middle and d something h around d it/…/ / / iff i draw d a small ll model d l here h .. these two parts /…/ what do we call this (points at the middle of the drawing)? • S: nucleus • T: yes. yes nucleus. nucleus And what do we call this (points at the ’electronic cloud’)? • S: atom • T: electrons. This electronic cloud around this atom .. It swirls around in a high speed, not in specific orbits (int i speciella banor) but at a certain distance . They swirl around freely around and around (makes gestures at the same time as he h draws) d ) (Fred (F d F2, F2 lesson l 2) Analyses • Distinguish recurring ’acitivities involving text use’ from literacy events • Map what kinds of texts that are used and analyse to what extent e.g. metatextual work is going on • Text analyses (SFL, both for verbal texts and pictures e.g. pictures, e g Halliday 2004, 2004 Kress & van Leeuwen 2006) • later: greater focus on different semiotic resources, e.g. Danielsson, 2011 Results: Recurring activities involving texts • Teacher’s exposition of new content (”theory”) • Experimental work • Answer questions from e.g. textbook • ”Private” text use (not further analysed) – Typical side activity for short time and in parallel with other activities Activities involving text • Teacher’s exposition of new content – Teacher ”lectures” and makes written notes on blackboard (verbal and pictures), students copy notes into their notebooks, use of periodic chart • Experimental work – Teacher’s oral or written (blackboard) instructions (S, FS), copied by students (FS) – Students read labels etc., make short notes (FS) – Teacher review on blackboard, copied by students (FS) – (Students write experimental reports) Activities involving text • Working with (textbook) questions – Students work individually or in pairs: quick reading searching for answers, reading of own or classmates notes, writing few words or short phrases/drawing h /d i models d l in i notebook t b k – (runthrough of questions: teacher makes blackboard notes,, students copy/make py complements p in notebooks) Students’ note taking • Mostly more or less direct copies of teachers’ notes Students’ notes: signs of learning, signs of difficulties • A scrutiny of students’ ”copies” from teachers’ blackboard notes revealed that – some students (though very seldom) added information that made the notes more useful than the teachers’ original – some students were so close to the teachers’ notes that they copied teacher mistakes, mistakes and sometimes mis-spellings revealed clear signs of difficulties (like ’the nucleus’ (Swe ’kärnan”) > ’the corner’ (Swe hörnan ) ’hörnan’) Metaphors p in the classrooms • Metaphors part of classroom discourse and textbook texts ((’electronic electronic cloud cloud’, atoms that want to have or give away electrons, etc.) • Especially in classroom practice, atoms and ions are talked about as having human feelings, etc. • If teachers use metaphors in blackboard notes, students copy these (e.g. noble gases have ”reached their Nirvana”) Genres in the classrooms • ”doing science”: procedure, recount of procedures (seldom, (seldom only stages/parts) • ”explaining science”: causes, etc. (scarcely – in textbook which is seldom used in the classroom) • ”organising scientific knowledge”: description or taxonomic rapport (’the atom consists of protons, neutrons and electrons’) (scarcely, but to some extent in blackboard notes) • ”challenge science”: exposition, discussion (never) Metatextual discussions • Very unusal (regardless of activity), and they deal with the surface level – ”it’s important that you write this down” – ”write ’working g with ions’ as a heading g to make it easier to find” – ”do we have to write?”, ”now you have to write down a few things things” – ”I try to be as symmetrical as possible”, ”you must understand that this is a simplified model” – ”I read the text but I couldn’t understand” >> ”but those of you who did read?” Similarities/differences FS – S, some tentative conclusions • No great differences, but – In all classrooms students are reading and writing with ”tweezers” (cf. Lövland), especially in FS classrooms – Teachers combine their oral expositions with written notes on the blackboard – more structured in FS; students always y copy py in FS – FS classrooms overall more similar to each other than are Swedish classrooms • • • • • • • • • • • LIST OF PUBLICATION FROM THE PROJECT Berg A., Berg, A Löfgren Löfgren, R., R & Eriksson, Eriksson I. I (2007). (2007) Kemiinnehåll i undervisningen för nybörjare. nybörjare En studie av hur ämnesinnehållet får konkurrera med målet att få eleverna intresserade av naturvetenskap. Nordina 3 (2). Berg, A., Eriksson, I., & Löfgren, R. (2010). Observationer i kemiklassrummet – en studie om att lära sig se kemiska reaktioner. Ingår i I. Eriksson (red.) Innehållet i fokus – kemiundervisning i finlandssvenska klassrum. SKIP-rapport 8. Stockholms Universitets Förlag. Danielsson, K. (2010): Chemistry learning – text use and text talk in one Finland-Swedish chemistry classroom. I: IARTEM e-journal 3(2). Danielsson, K. (2010). Läsa kemi – textanvändning och textsamtal i ett finlandssvenskt kemiklassrum. Ingår i I. Eriksson (red.) Innehållet i fokus – kemiundervisning i finlandssvenska klassrum. SKIP-rapport 8. Stockholms Universitets Förlag. Danielsson, K. (2011). ”Då blir de fulla och glada”. Multimodala representationer av atommodellen i kemiklassrum. Ingår i B. Aamotsbakken, J. Smidt & E. Seip Tønnessen (red ) Tekst og tegn. (red.). tegn Trondheim: Tapir Akademisk Forlag. Forlag (preliminär titel) Danielsson, K. (2011): Text och textanvändning i svenska och finlandssvenska klassrum. Ingår i I. Eriksson (red.): Kemiundervisning, text och textbruk i finlandssvenska och svenska skolor – en komparativ tvärvetenskaplig studie. Stockholm: Stockholms universitets förlag. (preliminär titel) Danielsson, K. & Ekvall, U. (2008). Kemi som skriftspråkspraktik å i svenska och finlandssvenska skolor – en projektpresentation. Ingår i M. Lindgren m.fl. (red.). Femte nationella konferensen i svenska med didaktisk inriktning. Forskningens tillämpning i skolan. Växjö den 29-30 november 2007. Växjö University Press. S. 43–54. Ekvall,, U. ((2011): ) Svenska och finska läroböcker i kemi. I: I. Eriksson ((red.): ) Kemiundervisning, text och textbruk i finlandssvenska och svenska skolor – en komparativ tvärvetenskaplig studie. Stockholm: Stockholms universitets förlag. (preliminär titel) Ekvall, Ulla. (2011). Lärobokstext och kemilektion. I: Amnert N. (red) Att spegla världen. Läromedelsstudier i teori och praktik. s. 117-138 Ekvall Ulla Ekvall, Ulla. 2010 2010. Läroboken i ett kemiklassrum. kemiklassrum I: Falk, Falk C., C Nord, Nord A. A & Palm, Palm R. R (red) Svenskans beskrivning 30. Stockholm: Institutionen för nordiska språk vid Stockholms universitet. S. 70-81 • • • • • • • • • Ekvall, Ulla & Berg, Ekvall Berg Astrid (2010). (2010) Lärobok och kemipraktik kemipraktik. Ingår i I. I Eriksson (red.) Innehållet i fokus – kemiundervisning i finlandssvenska klassrum. SKIPrapport 8. Stockholms Universitets Förlag. Eriksson, I. (red.) (2010). Innehållet i fokus – kemiundervisning i finlandssvenska klassrum. SKIP-rapport 8. Stockholms Universitets Förlag. E ik Eriksson, II. (red.) ( d ) (2011). (2011) Kemiundervisning, K i d i i text t t och h ttextbruk tb k i finlandssvenska fi l d k och svenska skolor – en komparativ tvärvetenskaplig studie. För utgivning på Stockholms Universitets Förlag. Eriksson, I., Ståhle, Y., & Lindberg V. (2011) Tre undervisningspraktiker i svenska och finlandssvenska kemiklassrum. Ingår i I. Eriksson (red). Kemiundervisning, text och textbruk i finlandssvenska och svenska skolor – en komparativ tvärvetenskaplig studie. (manus) Eriksson, I., Berg, A., Danielsson, K., Ekvall, U., Lindberg, V., Löfgren, R., & Ståhle, Y. (2010). Vilket kemiinnehåll görs tillgängligt i finlandssvenska och svenska klassrum? Ingår i Resultatdialog, Resultatdialog 2010 2010. Vetenskapsrådets rapportserie, rapportserie 1651-7350. Lindberg, V. & Löfgren, R. (2010). Provkonstruktion och bedömning som aspekter av kemilärares bedömningspraktik. Ingår i I. Eriksson (red.) Innehållet i fokus – kemiundervisning i finlandssvenska klassrum. SKIP-rapport 8. Stockholms Universitets Förlag. Förlag Lindberg, V. & Löfgren, R. (2010). Vilket kemikunnande efterfrågas och görs tillgängligt för eleverna? – Frågor, svar och feedback i kemiklassrummet. Ingår i I. Eriksson (red.) Innehållet i fokus – kemiundervisning i finlandssvenska klassrum. SKIP-rapport 8. Stockholms Universitets Förlag. Lindberg, V. & Löfgren, R. (2011). Prov, vitsord och bedömning som aspekter av kemilärares bedömningspraktik. Konferensrapport från Ämnesdidaktisk konferens i Linköping, 2010. In press. Ståhle, Y. (2010). En minnestränande undervisningspraktik. Ingår i I. Eriksson (red.) Innehållet i fokus – kemiundervisning i finlandssvenska klassrum. SKIP SKIPrapport 8. Stockholms Universitets Förlag.