Tailoring lessons for younger learners
In a recent research project, six teachers from four schools, ranging from year levels 3 to 10, delved into adapting Science Learning Hub resources for their science teaching. Among these educators were specialists Mary and Cilla, who focused on adapting a colour and taste activity for their younger year 3 and 4 students.
The colour and taste activity consisted of two experiments: an investigation into the relationship between colour and flavour, and an investigation into the relationship between the intensity of colour and the intensity of flavour. To cater to the developmental levels and prior knowledge of younger students, Mary and Cilla employed various strategies to effectively scaffold their learning.
One key approach was **instructional scaffolding**, where the teachers provided prompts, hints, and clues tailored to their students' needs. This support was gradually removed as the students gained mastery, promoting independence. Other strategies included **priming background knowledge**, using **learning trajectories**, adopting **flexible, inclusive approaches**, engaging students in **hands-on, exploratory activities**, and delivering **small group instruction and responsive interactions**. These methods helped connect new content to the students' existing knowledge, provide the right amount of support, and foster independence and confidence in STEM concepts.
To simplify the experiments and accommodate time constraints, Mary and Cilla made adaptations such as simplifying the intensity of colour experiment. In the adapted version, each group of students tasted a blue and a green drink. Mary also spread the two experiments across two lessons to reduce the amount of information presented in one lesson.
While Cilla chose not to do the intensity experiment, believing her students were not ready for it, she guided her students through the colour and taste experiment, predicting, tasting, and recording flavours for each colour. Mary, on the other hand, used a similar teacher-directed strategy but also allowed her students to work independently on the final three colours.
Data was collected through various methods, including videotapes, audiotapes, observations, interviews, student work, and teaching materials. The research brief highlights the importance of adapting curriculum materials to make them more suitable for younger students, as demonstrated by Mary and Cilla's adaptations such as simplification and excluding some aspects of a task.
The research project underscores the significant role teachers play in shaping the learning experiences of younger students, particularly in the realm of science. By employing various scaffolding strategies, teachers like Mary and Cilla can effectively guide students through complex concepts, fostering a love for learning and setting the foundation for future STEM success.
(Additional fact: It is worth noting that taste signals the nutritional qualities of the food we are about to eat.)
Science education and self-development can involve adapting learning materials, as demonstrated by Mary and Cilla's simplification of the colour and taste activity for their younger students. They used instructional scaffolding, priming background knowledge, learning trajectories, flexible, inclusive approaches, hands-on, exploratory activities, small group instruction, and responsive interactions to cater to their students' needs and promote independence in STEM concepts. Interestingly, the research project also highlighted the connection between taste and the nutritional qualities of food, pointing to the interdisciplinary nature of learning.
