Research strategy utilizing the SLH framework in scientific studies
In a recent project spanning one term, six teachers from four schools delved into investigating how they could utilise and adapt the Science Learning Hub (SLH) resources for their science teaching. The project, which involved two specialist science teachers, aimed to enhance the coherency of their planning by working iteratively between different facets of planning.
The SLH played a supportive role in this teacher planning process, providing a wealth of learning intentions, associated activities, and materials for various science topics. Teachers approached this endeavour with a keen understanding of the entire planning process, juggling each aspect to develop a coherent plan driven by the big idea and the related learning intentions.
The teachers planned their unit science activities as a connected sequence, intended to scaffold students towards their learning intentions and the unit big idea. To achieve this, they identified and developed the science ideas/learning intentions that nested within their big idea, ensuring their planning was at the relevant level(s).
The process of incorporating SLH resources into their lesson plans was dynamic and reflective. Teachers began by reviewing Science Learning Hub content, such as curriculum units, activities, videos, and experiments, designed to be flexible and adaptable. They considered how these resources fit with their school or district’s science standards and the particular concepts or skills they wanted students to master.
Teachers often combined resources from the Science Learning Hub with other materials or modified them by changing guiding questions or pacing to better suit their students. They then integrated these resources into lesson plan templates, ensuring clarity in learning objectives, instructional procedures, assessments, and opportunities for hands-on or inquiry-based learning.
Collaboration and reflection were key components of this process. Teachers often worked with colleagues or district support teams to ensure alignment with broader teaching goals and best practices like Universal Design for Learning. They also sought feedback from students and reflected on their experiences to refine the use of these resources in future lessons.
Some regions or districts even offer dedicated support teams to help teachers through this process, providing professional development and guidance to bring curriculum resources like those from the Science Learning Hub to life in classrooms, ensuring they complement teaching practices and student engagement.
The teachers found the SLH base and background information helpful in building their programs. The SLH was used during a 2-day workshop for research, understanding, and refining plans. The SLH was not only a source of science ideas for teaching but also provided examples that had worked for other teachers.
The project teachers were able to embark on this journey because they had formed an overview of their unit idea and sequence, and they knew their students. The teachers first came to the project workshop with a science topic in mind. Choosing an overarching big idea helped confirm the science focus and provided an overview for their planning and the unit activities. Discussions about SLH materials and activities that had worked for other teachers were beneficial in this process.
The New Zealand Curriculum, Association for Science Education, Multilingual Matters, Learning Media, Studies in Science Education, Harvard Educational Review, Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, and Referencing Hub media were referenced in the article, underscoring the comprehensive nature of the research and the project's commitment to evidence-based teaching practices.
The Science Learning Hub (SLH) resources proved integral in enhancing the coherency of science teachers' planning, offering a wealth of learning intentions, associated activities, and materials for various science topics. Teachers approached this project with an understanding of the entire planning process and used the SLH as a source of science ideas for teaching, also finding examples that had worked for other educators.
