I need ideas for teaching and learning strategies that arent worksheets. secondary sciemce

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

Currently a PGCE student.

Currently spend too much time standing at the front talking or dishing out worksheets.

I need ideas of strategies that can be adapted to different topics. Particularly looking for ideas for the main. I do have a variety of starter and plenary ideas even if I don't use them...

I'm asking here cos you are more friendly than TES :)

Expert and home groups. Students identify experts on particular subjects, who go off and learn about different aspects of a topic, then cone back and pool their combined knowledge to answer some questions. It's preparation intensive, but I like it (am using it twice tomorrow!).

Search for formulate tarsia. It allows you to create jigsaws that they solve by matching question and answer. It is more aimed at maths but I am sure you can adapt it.

Putting cards in order to give a list of instructions to carry out a process.

True or false cards

My HOD doesn't like the jigsaw activities.

Have used tarsia before....hmm I wonder if I could use it for my observation tomorrow...

I do lots of cut and stick but not done putting instructions in order which could work well for science.

Thankyou.

I'm on a literacy kick at the moment (OFSTED due any minute ) and I have been getting my year 8s to make a teen health magazine over a sequence of lessons. We have two learning objectives each lesson, one science, one literacy. So we write about why smoking damages health, but with an emphasis on using connectives to improve their explanations.

Have a look for the Kagan book on cooperative learning. It's aimed at American primary, but very transferable.

My favorite activity is Quiz Quiz Trade, good for revision. Make a set of cards each with a question and its answer. Students start with one card, mill around the room, pair up with someone ask each other their questions then swap cards. Eventually they should have asked and answered all the questions.

I get them to high five each other too!

Have you tried hexagonal learning? We use the strategy quite a lot in English Lit, but I'm pretty sure it could be adapted for 'deep' learning in any subject.
learningspy.co.uk/2012/01/28/hexagonal-learning/

Ooh, Madonna, I like that. Wonder if it would work for my bottom set yr8 tomorrow... "too much writing miss!"

I'm a technician, so probably won't use all the correct pedagogwotist terms, but my hod had great fun with year 8 and an apprentice style challenge. The class was split into two teams and each had to make a magazine that had information about the current topic in it.

They also get the students to make fact files or leaflets for some of the topics.

Do you do demo practicals to show things as well? I know there's not always enough time / resources to do practical every lesson, but often can find a way to sneak a demo in :)

God yes. However, they know know I am all about the writing!

It's wierd. I have used a few of these before.

I guessing I'm looking for those 'written activities' that aren't just answer these questions.

None of the activites suggested here involve standing in front of a class talking or completing worksheets.

Where you do ask students to complete questions, it's a good idea to get them to work out what the mark scheme would be. They can discuss in pairs, groups, class, to build up detail. Then write a model answer. When doing peer marking, get them to highlight particular devices (use of connectives, key words used correctly etc).

There are lots of writing activities where the students take the lead on assessment.

Does it have to be writing? Our basic lesson structure is broadly:

1. Research- set students a task. Give them resources (be it books, Internet access, information sheet) to find out answers for themselves.
2. Students present ideas/answers (depending on task) to rest of class, thereby giving evidence if both independent work and progress.
3. Class offers feedback following presentation (peer assessment)
4. Students return to groups to improve their work, based on feedback (more independence)

Our Deputy has encouraged all depts to follow it.

Written activities:

• Write a newspaper report about XYZ
• Write a letter to your friend in another class explaining what you've learnt today
• Write an interview with the person who discovered this theory (what would you like to know about it?)
• Write questions you still have about this topic (then pass them to other students and/or you to
• Write a Twitter feed describing the experiment and what you discovered in short 'tweets'

HTH