Step by Step Guide
The guide provides a basic understanding of the open science schooling methodology, of the concepts of missions as well as a basic knowledge of climate change
The Commission has for many years invited experimentation with engaging the young students in real-life science and innovation activities, going far beyond traditional classroom teaching. The project thus relies on an open science schooling methodology, which is about student teams’ long and immersive and full engagement in science activities and processes in the community – and this is quite demanding.
At the same time, the Commission strongly urges all citizens, and the young generations in particular, to engage in climate change prevention: in school, in the families, in the community and globally. The Climate Change Education project is based on this framework. The project has five overall Outcomes, where Outcome 1: The school guide to climate change education, is the focal point here
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PRE-STEP 0: Before the Climate Change Mission
Before starting the Climate Change missions students must learn about the Open Science Schooling methodology about missions and the terms Science, Climate Change (and what is not climate change) and Learning on demand, if these terms are not already known.
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STEP 1: Identify problem
Here the students, probably with guidance from the teacher, identify the climate change problem/challenge/issue related to the local community, which is to be solved through the climate change mission. The step ‘identify problem’ starts with a problem searching phase and ends with the exact problem that the mission should solve. Therefore, firstly students carry out an analysis of climate change related issues with a connection to the local area that actual concern the students. The students may look at their local community for identifying issues in which they can play a critical investigative role. Therefore, they have to leave the “safety zone” of the classroom.
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STEP 2: Plan of action
Once the problem/issue/challenge is identified and formulated, and the foundation of the student's climate change missions are clear, considerations regarding how to find the information needed to fulfil the mission must be incorporated in a plan. For that purpose, five general types of methods of investigation in science could come in handy; 1. Read, Ask and Search for information, 2. Trial and error, 3. Observation, 4. Using models, 5. Experimentation.
The students will most often use a broad combination of these methods, as an investigation also may conduct of both fieldwork and lab-work, together with observations and searching for data/information through various canals. Nevertheless, it is important that the students can plan their investigation, before actually conducting their investigation.
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STEP 3: Data collection
Using their plan of action (step 2) students most then collect relevant data in order to be able to solve their climate change mission. Teachers are to scaffold the students as they design their own research and collect data in a scientific way, in order to provide them with the kind of information that they ask for, and that it will support their mission. It is of significant importance that the teacher conducts constructive dialogue with the students in order to develop their understanding of how to collect data, and their purpose. In general, a key role of the teacher is to encourage students to take critical views on both methods of data collection and on the data themselves in order to be able to develop as critical science students. Ongoing reflections upon and revision of their designs support this development and must be seen as a natural part of the students’ learning process.
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STEP 4: Data processing/analyse
The purpose of student’s investigations is to produce information that can be processed to become knowledge in order for them to be able to understand both general and specific aspects of their climate change mission. Thus, an important part of their work is to organize and analyse the information they have collected and the data they have produced. The processing of the information they have searched and asked for will in most cases be analysed and reflected upon instantly. When keeping a record of what, where and how they came across this information as well as their reflections upon it makes it possible for them to go back and see their process. Likewise, the teacher can get opportunities to follow their development as they proceed. The teacher’s role is to ask questions and challenge their reasoning, thus stimulating their critical thinking. Whether the students are producing data from an observation or an experiment, data must be organized and interpreted to become knowledge for the students. However, it may be relevant to ask the students to revise their plan of action and to reconsider their methods, so that their conclusion will stand on more solid grounds. This is especially important if they are to engage with the local community and in all cases, it will provide them with a better understanding of the nature of science.
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STEP 5: Solution to problem
Once the mission is accomplished, the students would probably have a conclusion or a solution to the problem. However, solving the identified problem is often a difficult process. Completing the climate change missions the student teams must have produced documentation of the long process they worked through – from the first phase of identifying the problem all the way to ‘mission accomplished’.
Some missions will in reality not be fully accomplished; this is not necessarily a failure. Teachers need to make students aware of that any step towards a successful mission is a victory, because the students will probably have learned a lot of science in the process.
Perhaps the students need some guidance in making a conclusion. Between “identify problem” and “solution to problem” the students have done a lot of investigation. Teachers can help the students organize the collected and analysed data, in a way so it is clear that they support the solution to the problem. If there are many possible solutions, help the students in going for a simple one, which requires least explanation and is the easiest to present to others in a clear way. Furthermore, help the students to be aware of how to argue for their conclusion, perhaps asking “How strong is your data supporting the conclusion?”
Sometimes during their investigation, students will get answers to questions that do not directly contribute to answering their main problem/ accomplishing their mission. Students should therefore occasionally be helped to focus their conclusion so that they are actually concluding on what the mission was all about, and not on matters that may not be particularly important in that context.
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STEP 6: Communicate/share solution
The students have now completed their missions, and if the mission is accomplished, the students have a result to be communicated to others; the students critical interaction could include renewed dialogues with citizens, municipality administration services, with the students’ families and peers. The student teams can choose any form of relevant communication media; oral and/or visual (a model, poster, slide show, website, video. local press, Facebook etc.), in order to communicate how they accomplished the climate change mission. Considerations on who are relevant parties for the information must be conducted; other students?, parents?, the students’ social and gaming networks?, the school board?, the headmaster?, the mayor? Etc.
The teacher can help students organize the information so the target audience buys the message, and changes will appear.
Final evaluation
The mission is accomplished, but to what extent was the mission a success? Did the students use and learn science during the climate change mission? As a perspective look at the students missions, the teacher and/or peers could ask the students; “If you had to do the mission over again, what would you change, and why?”, “Do you see any weak spots in your mission?”, “In which ways can you improve your methods in order to complete your mission in a satisfactory way?” etc.
Remarks on teachers role in general throughout students climate change missions
The role of the teacher will be to support and guide the students rather than to be the communicator of academic knowledge. It is therefore crucial that the teacher stimulates the students to be active and reflective. This can be done through open and constructive dialogue. The work with climate change missions aims to give students more autonomy and influence. However, that does not mean that the teacher plays a less important role in the teaching.
Communication is an essential focal point in this approach to learning. It can be constructive dialogues between teacher and students, with four important elements:
1. Ask questions
Asking good questions can be the beginning of what is called exploratory conversations, where the teacher and students can wonder together and explore a topic through conversation;
- Opening questions, e.g. "what do you find out?"
- Follow-up questions, e.g. “what do you think, it may be due to?"
- In-depth questions, e.g. “why, how can you explain that?”
- Silence to give students space to reflect
- Interpretive questions e.g. “there may be other explanations: How can it be related?"
2. Having exploratory conversation
3. To train the use of professional concepts
4. Provide feedback
When the teacher facilitates the students' work, it is especially important that the teacher:
- takes into account the students' academic and personal abilities, thereby adapting the teaching so that all students can play an active, investigative and reflective role in the missions.
- draws threads between different concepts and subject areas to provide students understanding of the field of science across topics and disciplines.
- stimulates students' reflection through a constructive dialogue based on open-ended questions, feedback, and a focus on training professional language and professional concepts.
General, it is critical that the teachers provide quick formative feedback to the students, supporting them in focussing on the mission.
In summary
- The teacher must accept that he/she does not know all in the field in which students carry out their climate change investigation.
- The teacher should avoid correcting the student with direct answers, but instead make questions that will make the students think about/act towards a solution. The teacher guides the students.
- The teacher provides opportunities for learning on deman
What is Climate Change and Climate Change Education?
Basically, the definition is very simple; if the climate is changing, we got climate change!
In its basic meaning, climate and climate change education is a relatively broad subject category that, naturally, deals with teaching about and with climate issues. Traditionally, teaching has centred on understanding the link between climate zones and living conditions, including the use of climate graphs, and understanding the link between the Earth's tilt and seasons.
What is a mission?
In teaching and learning, the term 'project' is familiar, but we use “mission” instead of “project” for several reasons:
The term “project” was once very innovative, such as in project based learning; however, today the term is used in so many senses that it can create uncertainty about the actual meaning. The term “mission”, however, is used in all sorts of video games, and therefore most young people are familiar with the term mission: working through levels and steps to be allowed to advance in the game and to finally accomplish the mission.
Mission is in this guide defined as a specific real life and long term task conducted by a group of persons in order to solve a specific challenge.
Therefore, it is characteristic of a mission that the goal is already known from the beginning of the mission. Students are fully aware of this, as they have experience from films and games of being given missions such as: find the treasure, free the hostages, get to the top first, etc. Therefore, a successfully completed mission will always end with mission accomplished.
It’s also characteristic for a mission that a group of people are sent to another place to do a particular job.
Critical Thinking in Science Education
Science is based on critical thinking. Science is defined as any system of knowledge that is concerned with the physical world and its phenomena and that entails unbiased observations and systematic experimentation.
Critical is to make an objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.
To be critical is very much to ask questions, either to oneself or to others. At the same time it is also important to be critical in a nuanced and well-argued way.