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 Interdisciplinary project financed by the Swedish Research council (2007-2010), studying chemistry education in 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 Project A Classroom practices in general (pedagogues): what are the typical practices of the classrooms? 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 of natural sciences The evolution of science was, we maintain, the evolution of scientific grammar. (Halliday & Martin 1993:12) the mastery of science is in large part mastery of its specialized ways of using language. (Lemke 1990: 21)
Genres in natural sciences (eg. Martin & Rose 2008), examples doing science : procedure, recount of procedures explain science : causes, etc. organising scientific 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 of scientific language (verbal language, pictures, mathematical/symbolical language, 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, 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?
Example of literacy event Fred draws a model of the atom on the blackboard and talks about 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 something around it/ / / if i draw a small model here.. these two parts / / what do we call this (points at the middle of the drawing)? S: nucleus T: yes. 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 draws) (Fred F2, lesson 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. Halliday 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 models in notebook (runthrough of questions: teacher makes blackboard notes, students copy/make complements 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, and sometimes mis-spellings revealed clear signs of difficulties (like the nucleus (Swe kärnan ) > the corner (Swe hörnan )
Metaphors in the classrooms Metaphors part of classroom discourse and textbook texts ( electronic 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, 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 with ions as a heading to make it easier to find do we have to write?, now you have to write down a few 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 copy in FS FS classrooms overall more similar to each other than are Swedish classrooms
LIST OF PUBLICATION FROM THE PROJECT Berg, A., Löfgren, R., & Eriksson, I. (2007). Kemiinnehåll i undervisningen för 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. Trondheim: Tapir Akademisk 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 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. 2010. Läroboken i ett kemiklassrum. I: Falk, C., Nord, A. & Palm, R. (red) Svenskans beskrivning 30. Stockholm: Institutionen för nordiska språk vid Stockholms universitet. S. 70-81
Ekvall, Ulla & Berg, Astrid (2010). Lärobok och kemipraktik. Ingår 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. Eik Eriksson, I. (red.) d) (2011). Kemiundervisning, i i text t och textbruk tb i finlandssvenska 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, 2010. Vetenskapsrådets 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. 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- rapport 8. Stockholms Universitets Förlag.