Science teaching and learning in Years 7 to 11 has recently undergone considerable change as a fairly traditional programme has given way to one that is focused on studentsâ interests and the local environment. The changes were introduced to increase engagement, put students more in control of their own learning, and support students to actively process, interpret, and apply science understandings in different contexts.
The local environment provides students with numerous opportunities to engage in science in meaningful settings. They often have considerable science knowledge and interests gained from recreational and farming experiences. The school now uses this knowledge and these interests as a foundation for developing their science investigative skills.
In 2016, the newly appointed lead science teacher wanted to understand why some of their students had negative attitudes towards science and chose not to continue with it in Year 11. They wanted to make changes to the junior school programme to ensure that, as students went into the senior school, they had the required skills and were using them.
When reviewing the existing Year 7 to 10 programmes, it became apparent that students were repeating the same topics over the four years, and that teachers had limited scope to respond to the diverse strengths, interests, and needs of their particular students. The focus was on developing scientific knowledge, with some teaching of investigative skills. It was also clear that, by the end of Year 10, some students had very limited understanding of how to conduct a science investigation. These students were generally disengaged, did not expect to succeed with Year 11 science, and, unsurprisingly, were opting out of senior science.
Although some were initially hesitant, the teachers committed to implementing a more engaging teaching approach. They had to learn to allow students to try things for themselves even if this meant they might fail, or come up with alternatives, to be more flexible and less wedded to the plan book, and to introduce new material when the students were ready, not when the scheme or the plan told them to.
Further changes saw students being given greater responsibility for their learning, and agency to choose a focus context. Teachers were given freedom to determine when assessments should be undertaken and what should be assessed, based on the direction learning had taken.
At the end of 2016, teachers in the science department worked together to plan a curriculum that would increase engagement through the use of more authentic learning contexts, and build studentsâ confidence to:
The teachers discussed how they could better scaffold learning; they agreed what mastery of the science investigation skills looked like at each year level; they looked in-depth at the learning objectives for the Nature of Science, which reinforced for them why it was important that the different context strands should not be viewed in isolation.
Following collaborative revision, the science programme put less emphasis on one-off experiments and more on project-based learning, where students worked in groups to undertake longer-term inquiries. In Years 7 to 10, students focused on one broad theme each year. Teachers supported them to broaden theirperspectives and pursue multiple lines of inquiry linked to the theme. In this way, students were able to develop their science investigation skills in thematically-linked biology, chemistry, and physics contexts.
Following introduction of the yearâs theme, students began by brainstorming investigative possibilities.
As they began to value their own ideas, and as they realised their teacher would support them to test their theories, they would broaden their thinking and pursue more challenging investigations. They learned how to successfully work together in groups to try out and test their ideas.
The following table lists some of the directions that students have pursued for each of three themes.
Teachers could see that the studentsâ motivation increased when they were able to frame their own questions, make their own predictions, and suggest their own ideas for investigation or trialling. While some students initially had trouble making decisions and generating ideas, the authentic contexts meant that most soon discovered they could transfer what they already knew from first-hand experience over to their science learning.
The theme for Year 10 and 11 science was âsustainabilityâ. Students engaged in a range of projects that included trapping possums at various localities, using CO2-powered traps to control rats in a local reserve, propagating native trees, and monitoring water quality and fish life in the Mimihau River.
Following changes to the curriculum as described, the number of Menzies College students taking Year 11 science increased.
In 2019, all Year 11 students participated in one of the three science classes. In one, a weekly class for students who had not previously engaged with science, students pursued investigations and worked towards NCEA credits using contexts such as possum trapping, water quality monitoring, shearing, and whitebaiting.
Students in Year 8 designed tracking tunnels made from cardboard, which they deployed following a session with experts from Environment Southland. The students then identified the different footprints and tried to estimate the number of pests at each locality.
Recognising an opportunity, students in Year 10 undertook to create a 200-metre walkway to a local reserve. They contacted Environment Southland, met with roading and floodbank engineers to discuss possible issues, met with environmental planners to discuss suitable plantings, and met with the owner of the land to hear his concerns.
In another project, supported with a start-up grant from an environment fund, students carried out investigations into the giant kĹkopu population in an oxbow lake just five minutes from the school. Students set nets, caught and photographed individual fish, then weighed and measured them before releasing them. Ideas were generated for increasing the population. Weekly water analysis monitored pollutants in the habitat and a plankton net was used to see if there was sufficient suitable food for juvenile fish.
The students involved in this investigation were awarded Environment Southlandâs Action in Environmental Education Award for 2018.
One boy who had previously been somewhat disengaged in science was asked to lead the group collecting the trout catch data for one day. He was given the responsibility for determining if the river level meant it was safe to take the required measurements. The boy decided it was unsafe to get the data but worried that he had ruined the experiment because of the missing data set.
The next day the class and the teacher congratulated the boy and the group and determined that safety should come first. A missing data set is not as important as harming a person, species, or the environment. The boy learnt that his common-sense leadership approach worked, and he became more confident about contributing to future science investigations.
Opportunities for authentic, project-based learning were enhanced as a result of relationships with community contacts and experts. for example:
In 2018, the science staff collaboratively reviewed and redeveloped their programmes with the aim of fully engaging students in highly authentic learning.
Teachers now make full use of resources and experts from the local community, and they work regularly with teachers from other learning areas to ensure that cross-curricular connections are reinforced, and students are able to apply their science learning in different contexts.
Science leaders and teachers describe their purpose in the following vision statement:
We will enable our students to have a level of scientific literacy which allows them to make sense of science in their everyday lives.
Each year the science staff establish goals linked to this vision together with strategies to achieve them. As an example, see the following goal (one of three) for 2019.
One goal has been to develop science-specific literacy tasks and use them to develop the literacy skills of Year 9 and 10 students. Another goal has been to make the teaching of skills that students learn in both science and mathematics more consistent. Science teachers worked with English and mathematics teachers to increase studentsâ confidence when reading and interpreting scientific texts, experiments, and graphs. Year 11 mathematics and science teachers coordinated the teaching of graphing and linear relationships. English teachers also worked on getting studentsâ writing skills up to the standard required by Level 1 science.
In Years 9 and 10, students were given targeted literacy tasks to assess and develop their scientific literacy. This included daily âquick writesâ, where they used teacher-provided words to write a brief explanation of a concept currently being taught in class. They then read their explanation to a buddy, and, if they wished, to the class. (This practice was also used in English classes and the local intermediate school.)
In Years 9 and 10, measuring and other practical tasks helped develop numeracy skills that are part of the number strand in mathematics. Science and mathematics teachers fostered such synergies. They would, for example, try to be consistent in their use of terminology, or ask how a particular mathematics strategy might be applied in science, or highlight that unknowns and variables in mechanics behave exactly the same as in algebra.
In Year 11, two NCEA courses were offered. The first was assessed using a mix of internal  and external standards; the second was entirely internally assessed. The teacher teaching the second course worked closely with colleagues teaching parallel courses in mathematics and English as the same students often took all three.
Many Year 11 students were able to complete two internally assessed standards (AS90935 and AS91036) that were jointly facilitated by their science and mathematics teachers. The science assessment required students to carry out a practical physics investigation, which they were then able to reuse to meet in part the requirements of the mathematics standard.
A mathematics teacher highlighted the benefits of working so closely across departments:
âUsing data gathered in science is much more meaningful as the girls can understand far better why they are doing it rather than us finding some spurious context to collect data that hopefully has a correlation. This allows us to collect data that has causality and allows us to teach the difference between correlation and causality. It is the control of other variables that is so important to this aspect of statistics and the scientific process does exactly the same thing we are aspiring to do. The fact that you have done teaching about the context makes it so much easier for the girls in our learning area to discuss what they see in the data and what it actually means.â
Teachers felt that strategies such as working across departments, differentiating teaching, modifying tasks and finding new ways to explain concepts to students had all contributed to the high retention rate for students taking science through into Year 12.
Engaging students, growing confidence, and building the science capabilities
Teachers used a detailed framework to plan units that would engage students and build their science capabilities. It required them to consider:
- the main focus of inquiry
- the learning intentions
- the NZC principles
- the schoolâs values
- the Key Competencies
- NZC achievement objectives
- home and community engagement
- MÄori and Pacific contexts, pedagogies, and practices
- Science-specific vocabulary.
Early information indicated that many Year 9 students were nervous about science and worried they were not well prepared to succeed. So, teachers planned for the first unit to focus almost exclusively on the Nature of Science, including activities that would engage students, build their confidence, and encourage them to think like a scientist.
This first unit covered:
- safety in the laboratory
- getting to know the laboratory equipment
- developing measurement and observation skills
- fair tests
- types of scientists
- famous new Zealand scientists
- creating and reading tables and graphs
- briefly reporting on a topical science issue.
At the beginning of Year 10, the emphasis was gain on Nature of Science and building the studentsâ science capabilities.
In 2019, 82 percent of Year 10 students taking the NZCERâs Thinking With Evidence test bettered their scores from the year before. The teachers arranged additional support for the 10 students whose scores had dropped.
Authentic place-based learning
Science programmes now aligned with the schoolsâ charter goals, which called for authentic, place-based learning and the fostering of resilience, independence, and life-long learning. Programmes were increasingly localised and contextual, providing experiential learning opportunities.
Students were engaging in science units that included some project-based learning.  for example, Year 9 students worked with a research scientist in connection with a unit focused on Oamaruâs little blue penguins, and they learned about energy transformations using playground equipment at a local park.
In another unit, students selected and researched a sustainability issue of interest. They were supported to develop research skills to:
- spot misinformation
- disprove some scientific claims
- present their learning in a compelling way.
Another unit was inspired by a topical local issue. following the closure of Oamaruâs landfill, rubbish was being trucked to Christchurch. Year 9 students researched the materials used to create a landfill site, costed the build, and then constructed a model. Acting as civil engineers, each with different roles, their brief was to plan a site that would hold the maximum amount of fill with the minimum amount of leachate.
Year 9 students also explored pseudoscience and how it is used to market products and ideas. They explored climate change misinformation and how and why it is spread. They critically examined websites to evaluate their trustworthiness, and then tried their hand at marketing their own âproductâ using persuasive techniques and pseudoscience.
At the end of the year, Year 9 students were challenged to come up with their own projects, based on the sustainability theme, to be completed individually or as a group. Projects included rubbish clean-ups, auditing rubbish in a local park often visited by tourists, and visiting a supermarket to get ideas for palm oil-free snacks.
Students sharing their findings from project-based learning
The Year 10 enviro agriculture programme focused on agriculture through an environmental lens, which required students to engage with a wide variety of farmers and professionals. The course started at the top of the catchment area for Waitaki River, took in a major irrigation scheme (The north Otago Irrigation Company) and ended at the Students sharing their findings from project-based learning mouth of the local awa. Along the way, students met and worked with farmers on different types of farms. The aim was to build a holistic view of farming in the community, and of north Otagoâs agricultural sector. The girls also gained insight into the range of science and other careers available in the rural sector.
The Year 11 programme built on this local knowledge. Wherever possible, teachers involved farmers and relevant professionals. for example, in conjunction with AS90160 (demonstrate knowledge of the impact on the environment of primary production management practices), farmers and environmental managers spoke to the students about farm environment plans and their relevance for day-to-day farming. This enabled students to explore farming from both production and environmental perspectives.
Year 11 students studied microbiology in the context of cheese making, by visiting a local cheese maker. The microbiologist explained how milk from local farms was turned into award-winning cheese â all this in a factory just ten minutesâ walk from the school. Students saw how a new blue cheese was created using mould found in baleage from a nearby farm.
Enthusiastic and able Year 10 students participated in various extension activities, both in and out of school. The STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) club met once a week to co-construct activities and experiments that members then undertook. They investigated STEM career opportunities and pathways. Two STEM club members worked with students from other schools in a course facilitated by Otago university. One student did a project on microplastic ingestion by bivalves; another investigated crab behaviour and whether it influenced group size.
10.   Catering for studentsâ interests, strengths, and learning needs
Located in Winton in rural Southland, Central Southland College is a co-educational secondary school catering for students in Years 9 to 13.
Teachers in the science department worked collaboratively to ensure that the junior science programme was structured to enable the maximum number of students to succeed in senior science.
high numbers in senior classes and consistently good results were attributed to high-interest learning activities and effective learning partnerships.
Collecting and responding to achievement information
Teachers used reading data from Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning (AsTTle) and data from the NZCERâs Thinking with Evidence test to give an indication of Year 9 and 10 studentsâ science and literacy strengths and needs. differentiated programmes built on the studentsâ current science understanding and skills and made appropriate demands on their literacy capabilities.
Regular assessments identified how students were progressing in terms of skills and knowledge, and reinforced high expectations.
Year 9 assessments focused on strands from Levels 3 to 5 of the New Zealand Curriculum while Year 10 assessments covered skills and knowledge from Levels 4 to 6. Teachers developed assessment schedules for each curriculum level and introduced exemplars to provide staff and students with clearer guidance. Assessment data was regularly discussed and moderated at departmental meetings.
The primary purpose of assessment was to monitor studentsâ developing scientific skills and capabilities and to inform future teaching, but assessment data was also used to evaluate the impact of programmes on student outcomes.
Sources of assessment information included:
- research assignments
- written or digital tests
- group work
- videos
- posters.
Students were involved in and valued the assessment process. They used a template to keep track of their achievements on each module. They learned to recognise when they had achieved the designated specific learning outcomes (SLOs). In science, they were also given an effort grade every week, which was then shared with their parents. These grades linked back to the schoolâs values and the Key Competencies. Students, spoken to by ERO, said the effort grades were useful for keeping them on track and motivated. They liked the system that was in place to reward those who achieved positive comments and results.
In line with the schoolâs decision to adopt a bring your own device (BYOD) policy, science teachers had successfully adapted to digital learning. They were teaching digital skills in all classes and ensuring that all students could use the relevant applications. They were using the google suite of applications and were subscribed to Education Perfect (EP) for both classroom and homework activities. All Year 9 and 10 students completed an introductory digital skills assessment at the start of the year. Year 9 students also completed a digital test on science skills. Research topics were available online. The end-of-year exam for junior year groups was digital. While senior classes were being taught in a digital environment, teachers were mindful that external NCEA assessments were still paper-based.
Assessment results were analysed and used as the basis for annual science department goals. In 2019, data showed that most students were achieving well on Processing and Interpreting Evidence but not so well on Evaluating the Scientific Process. goals for 2019 included:
- continue to give priority to further raising achievement for boys and MÄori students
- determine and implement new ways to teach the skills needed to evaluate the trustworthiness of data
- develop digital learning opportunities to improve studentsâ outcomes.
Engaging science programmes
Students engaged in learning carefully structured to link to the Principles, Values, Key Competencies, and Strands from the New Zealand Curriculum. The teaching plans also outlined exemplars and progress indicator descriptions for each aspect of the Nature of Science included in the module. The module plans deliberately provided the flexibility to focus on the Nature of Science through using contexts that linked to studentsâ interests and also took account of recent news items and events.
Students were given many opportunities to use local experts and resources to engage with science in a range of different settings.
Some students investigated how a local industry was using native plantings to remove sediment and nutrients from water before it entered a stream. They also investigated the geology of the area, along with the history of the rock types and how the waterway had changed over time.
Younger students investigated the health of local streams and the influence of farming over time.
Students working with dry iceÂ
As part of a microbes unit, Year 11 students investigated the Mycoplasma Bovis outbreak in dairy cattle and measles outbreaks in the community.
Teachers fostered a wide range of partnerships and contacts, locally and nationally, to extend studentsâ science learning. They sought scholarships and other additional funding so that students from this small rural community could widen their field of interest.
As a result, many students participated in extension learning activities such as camps, field trips, competitions, and national forums. They also benefitted from participation in the Otago Waterwise Programme and Rotary Science forum in Auckland and from activities facilitated by the universities of Otago and Canterbury.
The heads of the science and English departments set out to see what they could achieve by collaborating closely to teach a Year 9 class. They focused on improving the studentsâ literacy skills by teaching them how to structure writing, using science explanations as the context. They used similar starter activities and tried to use the same terminology when describing text features. By doing this, they were able to support students who needed more time, and extend the able students, and the students learned that literacy skills are not just for the English classroom.
While science was not compulsory in Year 11, it was clearly prioritised. The deans encouraged all students, except those with valid alternate pathways, to continue with science well into the senior school. Students were well supported by the Careers department to ensure they understood what learning they needed for a particular vocational pathway or career. Many came from, and would work on, family farms; these students were well supported to see the importance of all aspects of science for their future working life. Others were enthusiastic about employment options in the community and region if they achieved science qualifications. The practice of entering all Year 10 students for one NCEA Level 1 Achievement Standard further motivated students by showing them they could succeed. All students spoken to by ERO were very positive about science and clear about the importance of science for their futures. few students did not take science in Year 11 and high numbers continued into Year 12.
Students were supported to see themselves as capable learners of science. Their opinions were asked for and valued; regular surveys were used to improve teaching and learning. for example, teachers wanted to know what students thought of recently introduced digital assessment practices. The students said they took up too much time, so the teachers made changes that reduced the time involved.
Students told ERO that they had many opportunities to talk with their teachers about any learning concerns. They said that their teachers made learning fun, and that they really appreciated their teachersâ efforts and care.
11.   Developing responsive and well-structured science programmes
Taikura Rudolf Steiner School is a co-educational integrated school in Hawkeâs Bay catering for students from 6 to 18 years of age.
Over the past two years, science teachers at the school had worked closely with teachers from other Rudolf Steiner schools to improve their programmes, with the aim of responding more fully to the diverse strengths and needs of the students. As part of this redevelopment, they tried to describe the skills that the students needed to be successful in senior secondary school science and beyond.
The teachers also wanted to ensure that students had greater clarity about which Science Capabilities to focus on and what was required of them. They believed that, if their learning objectives were clear, their teaching would be more sharply focused, and the students would have greater agency in their own learning.
Note that although the school has students in Classes 1 to 12, this study focuses on Classes 6 to 10. To avoid confusion, ERO refers to these classes as Years 7 to 11.
Back mapping the curriculum to scaffold learning
Although many students were achieving high levels of success in science before the recent changes, it was realised that this success may have been overly dependent on the experience and knowledgeability of the current teachers, who had been able to get by with fairly minimal guidance from their departmentâs curriculum document. This document briefly outlined the topics to be covered and what teachers should do. It described outcomes and expected test results, and the likely content of bookwork. To promote continuing, effective, responsive teaching, it was clear that more detailed guidance should be provided.
The teachers worked together to make the links between the Rudolf Steiner curriculum and the five strands of the New Zealand Curriculum.
When discussing how to structure their revised curriculum, they focused on the following:
- What do we want our students to know and be able to do?
- What knowledge and skills might be missing?
- What do teachers need to know and be able to do to support student learning goals?
- What are the critical benchmarks for studentsâ progress?
The teachers wanted to ensure that teaching was consistently of high quality and that it had a stronger practical emphasis. They also wanted to ensure that learning objectives were inclusive of the Nature of Science as well as content knowledge.
By starting with Year 11 learning objectives and working backwards, they restructured the science programme so that it would challenge students while building on knowledge and skills gained in previous years.
After deciding the learning objectives for each year level, they devised a number of different topic studies to match the objectives. They then developed guidelines to be shared with the students. These included learning objectives, content, relevant key capacities, and achievement criteria. (The Steiner School uses Key Capacities which are similar to key competencies).Â
Responsive programmes
ERO observed a Year 11 science lesson where all students were highly engaged. In the introductory discussion, the students asked many questions and extended the topic well beyond what the teachers had originally planned. The teacher avoided answering the questions, instead inviting the students to suggest answers or question further. While a short practical activity was in progress the teacher talked with individual students, checking their use and understanding of new terminology. At the end of the lesson the teacher briefly checked how the students felt they were progressing in relation to the objectives, which they had in their guidelines, and foreshadowed the next focus. Students confidently shared what they had achieved and what they still needed to work on. Most of the students, spoken to by ERO, said they enjoyed science and were keen to continue with science in Year 12.
Using local resources
Science programmes were revised each year to respond to the strengths and needs of the students in each year group. Before planning the Year 11 programme, teachers would collate and analyse information about the progress and achievement of the current Year 10 students. They also had access to an online document used to track the strengths and needs of Year 10s. Teachers would also estimate how much support the students would need with literacy and numeracy to succeed in the science programme.
Preparing Year 8 students for future success in science
Although the school is basically separated into primary and secondary sections, the Year 8 teacher worked closely with secondary science teachers to support a seamless transition to Year 9. In Year 8, students learned science in the context of integrated units. Twice a week they also undertook investigations in the science laboratories, with a secondary science specialist and their own teacher. When ERO was in the school, Year 8 students were engaged in a chemistry unit that integrated science, technology, and mathematics. The unit had been planned by Year 8 teachers with the support of a secondary teacher.
Laboratory lessons were planned and taught collaboratively by both the primary and secondary teacher. ERO observed two teachers teaching a Year 8 class. They worked together seamlessly, with one making links to what the students had learned previously and the other ensuring that they understood the safety requirements and were confident about managing the chemicals and the task. during the lesson, students were encouraged to think deeply into the reactions taking place when making charcoal. They recorded and then described what they had observed.
Year 8 students, spoken to by ERO, said they liked science and did lots of experiments. They used lots of equipment and liked working together in small groups. Many of the students at the school were achieving success in science, with all Year 13 science students achieving excellence or distinction in NCEA in 2018.
12.   Scaffolding learning through a spiral curriculum
Marist College is an integrated Catholic secondary school for girls situated in Mount Albert, Auckland that caters for students from Year 7 to 13.
The science curriculum was developed through a sustained period of review and improvement. The biggest improvements in the Years 7 to 11 science programmes were introduced to reduce senior studentsâ barriers to achievement.
The science teachers worked together to implement engaging, hands-on programmes for all students. Teachers accessed or developed resources to introduce students to basic concepts and then encouraged them to undertake investigations to support their skill and knowledge development.
Science in Years 7 and 8
The changes introduced during the past few years were designed to increase the number of students achieving success in science in the senior school. Teachers recognised that to do this they had to ensure students were engaged in, and enthusiastic about science through having their interests and strengths catered for from the time they started at the school. As a result of the improved science programmes, the interest shown in science, along with the number of students gaining success in the senior school, has increased.
The first changes occurred for Year 7 and 8 students. Before the changes, Year 7 and 8 science programmes  were included in integrated topic units taught by homeroom teachers. The science teachers reviewed the content of the integrated units and saw that, while science was included, often the focus was more on the other curriculum areas. This meant that students in Year 9 and 10 were introduced to a lot of new science skills and contexts in order to prepare them for science courses in the senior school. Leaders decided to have science taught by specialist teachers in Years 7 and 8. This led to the development of a spiral curriculum allowing for the more gradual introduction of skills across an increased range of contexts.Â
Teachers in the science department wanted to introduce a programme that focused on the Nature of Science and where students learnt what science was all about and could see ways to apply their science learning to life situations. After investigating a range of resources, the teachers selected the Spotlight books and Exploring Science (two series of resources from the united Kingdom) to use and adapt for their students. The teaching resources that accompanied the Spotlight books supported the teaching of the Nature of Science objectives and provided detailed planning ideas and notes that teachers adapted to suit their students.
Teachers guided studentsâ learning in science with instruction of basic concepts before encouraging them to pursue their own or group enquiries to support their developing knowledge. for example, Year 7 students investigated natural and synthetic fibres. Initially, students tried simple experiments. They used a shell to rub and extract harakeke fibres. Working in small groups they tested the strength of the fibre.
These experiments gave them a starting point to design their own investigations such as comparing harakeke fibre with silk thread. Later, students chose to determine whether natural or synthetic fibres kept you warmer or drier. They were expected to make predictions and justify how they had made their results reliable to ensure a fair test.
Differentiated teaching and learning also helped motivate and engage students. Students were able to work in small groups and select from three different learning levels. The amount of instructions provided for each activity varied to take account of the studentsâ confidence with science. for example, when investigating burning times, some Year 7 students selected  a worksheet focused on word equations about burning fuels. These students followed and completed detailed, step-by-step instructions and records related to the simple investigation. Other students investigated different burning times depending on the amount of air available. The most confident students planned their own investigation without using the prompts on the worksheet.
Years 9 to 11 Science
Considerable changes were introduced in Years 9 and 10 to build on the success of the for Years 7 and 8 students. Teachers across the science department revised the Years 9 and 10 programme to enable the same high interest, multi-level teaching that emphasised the Nature of Science, that the students had enjoyed earlier. Teachers developed lesson plans and student workbooks for each topic, similar to those used in Years 7 and 8. The programme also focussed on developing studentsâ knowledge of key concepts and vocabulary from the Living World, Material World, and Physical World strands. Teachers also continued to ensure the curriculum successfully built on learning from the previous year. Each year students revisited previous learning related to laboratory skills, scientific methodology, thinking, symbolism, and knowledge, to deepen their scientific understanding of the material world. Students had regular opportunities to reflect on their learning and engage with the Science Capabilities.
They were provided with Specific Learning Objectives for each topic.
The example here shares the Specific Learning Objectives students reflected on at the beginning and end of the Year 10 studentsâ study on âchanges in new Zealand rocks and plants over timeâ. Teachers used these responses to compare with other assessment data and determine the next teaching steps.
Specific Learning Objectives
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By the end of the unit, I should be able to: |
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New Zealand rocks |
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Recall a theory of how Earth formed. |
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Describe the processes that change rocks and form new rocks. |
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Classify New Zealand rocks as sedimentary, volcanic or metamorphic. |
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Understand why sedimentary rock is likely to contain fossils. |
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Our changing planet |
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Explore evidence for tectonic plates and movement at plate boundaries. |
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Explain tectonic plate movement in terms of convection currents in the mantle and sinking crust. |
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Understand that earthquakes and volcanoes are evidence that the tectonic plates are moving. |
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Give evidence that suggests the todayâs continents once formed super continents: Gondwana and Pangaea. |
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Understand how rocks break down over times when exposed to the weather. |
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New Zealandâs plants and animals |
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Know the difference between an epidemic and a native species. |
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Describe some special features of New Zealand fauna and flora. |
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Understand how New Zealand plants and animals evolved their special features. |
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Describe the threats to the diversity of species in NZ today. |
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Plan some activity to protect the Auckland regionâs to protect native fauna and flora |
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Target/ Goal for this Topic:
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Teachers recognised they could help keep students engaged in science by highlighting what they had learned during each topic, to increase their sense of optimism about how well they could succeed in future science activities.
Students had many different options to select from when deciding the best options for them in Year 11.
In Year 11, science was compulsory at the school. Students were able to select from three different science courses that were open to all students. Most students undertook a general science course to develop an understanding of the Living, Physical, and Material Worlds through an investigative approach. Science at this level used everyday life examples and challenged students to use scientific methods in their thinking.
Some students could do one or more of the extension sciences courses that were designed for those students who intended to study tertiary science. The third option, a Life Science course, had a human and mammalian theme, covering topics from microbes, digestion and respiration in mammals, investigating and reporting skills, and genetics. All three options enabled students to continue into NCEA Level 2 Biology or Life Science courses in Year 12.
A focus on equity and excellence
Teachers in the science department identified an equity issue where many students who enrolled at the school in Year 9 (new students) were not as confident in science as the students who had begun at the school in Year 7. historically, anywhere between three and 30 students began at the school in Year 9 while the remainder mostly enrolled at Year 7. The teachers recognised that the inequity occurred because the cohort of students starting at the college in Year 7 had regular and high-quality science that may have differed considerably from what the new students had experienced.
One teacher looked in-depth at the issue to try to reduce the disparity so all students could experience success in senior science. In 2016, the teacher undertaking the inquiry carefully tracked all 122, Year 9 studentsâ assessment results for one year. Very few ânew studentsâ were ranked in the list of the top 50 students by the end of Year 9. The teacher then focused on new students in one Year 9 cohort to:
- critically evaluate what was currently being done in one class
- develop strategies to improve the success of low-achieving new students
- evaluate the success of these strategies throughout the year.
The teacher identified that the new studentsâ assessment results were similar to other students when considering the end of topic results but were lower than others when comparing all results from the end-of-year test. The findings suggested that more time was needed for the new students to consolidate new skills and information, and that they would also benefit from learning useful study skills.
The new studentsâ opinions were also sought and considered in order to contribute to changes to improve the science programmes. The students suggested the need for more practical activities, teacher notes and study guides as well more opportunities to find things out for themselves.
In a subsequent inquiry, the teacher targeted a small group of 10 new students by working closely with them and monitoring their progress from Year 9 to 11. The aim was to determine how well changes introduced across the science department, had benefitted the new students who were not confident with science in Year 9. When the inquiry was undertaken teachers of Years 9 to 11 students in the science department had introduced the following changes to improve outcomes for all students. Teachers were:
- differentiating their teaching to cater for all studentsâ interests and prior knowledge
- regularly checking in with new students and others needing additional support to help them understand what was happening and what they could do next
- providing students with resources they could use during class and then as study guides in the future
- focusing more on developing studentsâ science vocabulary.
The results for one Level 1 NCEA standard showed changes had impacted positively on the new students. The five students in the class that had started at the school in Year 9 achieved the standard, two gained merit passes, and two achieved excellence in Year 11. The remaining student had left the school.
High numbers of students study science in the senior school. The girls who achieved particularly well in science at the NCEA level, talked to ERO about their learning and success. Many acknowledged that they believed they might not have continued with science if the programmes had not been as interesting and the learning had not been presented in ways they could easily understand or ways that could challenge them. Students viewed science as an integral part of their learning. Almost all students ERO spoke with could talk about the place of science in their daily lives and their desire to know how things work. Some students spoke about problem solving and being able to think about problems in a local and global context. They made links with science across learning areas and explained the importance of science for them both through and beyond school.
Year 9 students investigating light while using their teacher made workbooks
13.   Raising studentsâ engagement and achievement in science
Kerikeri High School in northland, has a roll of over 1500 Year 7 to 13 students.
The recent improvements in Year 7 to 11 science were developed to ensure a high number of students were enthusiastic about science through all year levels. Teachers wanted to make sure that no students had their career aspiration blocked through a lack of science qualification necessary for their future education and/or employment beyond school.
The science programme changed to ensure students:
- could learn in a structured way where learning built on the skills and contexts that they had encountered previously
- had many engaging and hands-on learning and assessment opportunities
- had choices to enable them to learn new concepts through undertaking experiments and investigations that interested them
- had opportunities to work across the age groups to benefit their own and other studentsâ learning
- had different pathways to select options that matched their interests and future aspirations.
The assessments had also changed to focus more on the Nature of Science and ensure assessment activities were contributing to learning and were not demotivating students.
High-quality self-review effectively contributed to the improvements and the monitoring of new practices. Teachers looked in-depth at studentsâ achievement results across all year levels to fully determine what was working for students and what required changes. Even when a small number of students had not succeeded, emphasis was given to determining the areas students had found difficult or had enjoyed before modifying or not continuing a course. As part of the self-review, studentsâ workload was also carefully considered along with their views about content, assessments, and text choices.
Some goals teachers focused on as part of their curriculum review and improvements are listed here. Teachers aimed to:
- continue to review and develop the teaching programmes to find a balance between preparing students for NCEA progression without programmes becoming repetitive and losing their originality
- develop an overview of courses without too many structural constraints that clearly related to New Zealand Curriculum and fostered progress and flexibility for students
- focus on pedagogy and good practice to ensure work is relevant to New Zealand Curriculum
- and included Key Competencies, especially at junior levels
- continue the work on assessments for junior students to focus more on the Nature of Science and to further motivate students.
Developing coherent transitions to keep students engaged and succeeding
The curriculum was carefully designed to ensure students could manage the amount of new learning that built on what they had learnt previously. Students in Year 9 repeated and extended topics they had already explored in Year 7. Likewise, Year 10 students revisited topics from Year 8. The teachers had worked collaboratively to ensure new activities and experiments that were introduced to Year 10 students were not merely repetitions from Year 8, but further extended studentsâ thinking. They also ensured students had opportunities to briefly recall what they had learnt two years ago before introducing the more complex skills and knowledge.
The practice of carefully scaffolding learning to ensure success in future years, effectively supported early success for many Year 11 students. for example, in Year 10, as part of a medical science topic, all students investigated their different breathing rates. Students were able to select the physical activity they wanted to do to test their own breathing rates. Teachers carefully mentored students to develop ways to use and share their developing scientific, mathematics, and literacy skills as they designed, undertook, and presented their investigations. Students received feedback about their work which fully explained their
strengths and possible next steps. In Year 10, the students worked as a group in preparation for completing the actual standard individually in Year 11.
In Year 11, the students also completed work related to a medical science topic. however, this time they focused on investigating heart rates. Teachers found students required little mentoring and worked more independently to design and complete an investigation to achieve the relevant NCEA standard. The early and considerable success with the Level 1 NCEA standard also helped build studentsâ confidence with their own science ability. Additionally, the topic also successfully linked to and supported students gaining literacy and mathematics NCEA credits early in the year.
Teachers demonstrated high expectations that encouraged all students to succeed in science. Teachers successfully developed an additional process to reduce Year 11 studentsâ dependence on internal assessments. Starfish (catch up) assessments at Year 11 were introduced for those students who needed additional support to earn Level 1 NCEA. These catch-up assessments were offered after the Year 11 science examinations were completed.
Thinking about science assessments
The assessment practices changed to considerably reduce testing, help increase learning time, and avoid demotivating some students. The newer assessments were designed to increase the focus on the Nature of Science techniques, to assess communicating, reporting, and research skills in portfolio type or open book assessments. Other assessment strategies were introduced such as those involving records of teacher observations, assessing studentsâ presentations, and assessing completed posters and other work. Most written test in Years 9 and 10 changed to the âopen bookâ tests to encourage students to revise their previous learning. Year 7 and 8 common assessment types are shown here.
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Year 7 Common Assessments
| Term |
Name of topic |
Assessment type |
| 1 |
Laboratory Skills and Safety |
Written Test |
| 2 |
Physical World: Forces and Levers |
Build a model & booklet |
| 3 |
Material World: Materials Science fair |
Portfolio Assessment Science Fair board |
| 4 |
Living World: Habitats & Biodiversity   |
Build a model & booklet |
Year 8 Common Assessments
| Term |
Name of topic |
Assessment type |
| 1 |
Material World: Everyday Reactions |
Written Test |
| 1 or 2 |
Living World Classification
Physical World: All charged up |
Research Assessment
Written Test |
| 2 |
Physical World: Sound |
Sound system design/ Purihua Practical |
| 3 |
Science fair
Physical World: Magnetism  |
Science Fair board
Research Assessment |
| 3 or 4 |
Technology: Biotechnology |
Portfolio Assessment |
Engaging and practical learning and assessment opportunities
Students were provided with many practical science learning experiences. Teachers recognised that students learnt more when they were interested in the contexts. As a result, they could see how the learning linked to their everyday lives and had opportunities to test their own hypotheses and ideas. The programme provided considerable practical learning opportunities.
A Year 9 community-studies project in science successfully fostered tuakana/teina relationships and linked to the parts of the Nature of Science. The annual project, developed in partnership with the community, involved clearing an area around a local stream and planting new species. As part of the scrub clearing, the Year 9 students made and used pitfall traps and collected a wide range of insects. Before trapping the insects, students had a Skype meeting with scientists from the Ministry for Primary Industries to discuss their scientific method. Students also made pooters to help them catch and collect small insects.
The trapped insects were later taken to Year 7 studentsâ classes where together the students from the two different year levels classified and studied the different insect types. The insects were also taken to Year 8 classes where students from the different year levels together investigated how insects thrive together in different communities.Â
Year 7 students also had opportunities to pass on their learning to younger students. As part of their science they had two visits to the local primary school to help them to collect and classify beetles.
An example of a highly practical science project occurred in Year 7 where students had to use their own ideas and make a model of a playground as part of the forces and Levers study. They had to explain the force or the levers of each of the apparatus they had introduced into their playgrounds. Most students put considerable effort into their models and parents were often fully involved in learning with and supporting their child with the project. The models and the explanations were assessed, and prizes were awarded for the most outstanding presentations. Year 7 students also designed boats and waka as part of the water studies.
Keeping Year 11 students engaged in science
Although science was compulsory in Year 11 at Kerikeri high School, the teachers wanted all students to be enthusiastic about their continued involvement in science. The course options were carefully designed to cater for studentsâ learning preferences, and future education and careers. Students were also made aware which options could help them gain future qualifications for their chosen careers. Many students kept their options open by enrolling in the general Science course that used observation and experimentation to describe and explain the world around them.
One option was specifically targeted for students who were not keen on writing. The Physical Science option was often taken by students wanting careers as engineers, mechanics, electricians, and in architecture and some aspects of medicine. however, it was also an option for students wanting additional science qualifications. for example, they could also take the other stand-alone Biological Science option designed to support students wanting future careers in science, technology, medical and veterinary practices, forestry, biotechnology, food technology, conservation, genetics, physiology, and forensics.
A further option was an internally assessed science course where students were supported to successfully use basic science concepts in their everyday lives. Students could take this course before undertaking a Level 1 science course in Year 12. The course also had considerable emphasis on plants, cuttings, and grafting which could assist students to gain employment in the local horticultural industries.
ERO observed a range of Years 7 to 9 science lessons and found students highly engaged in hands-on independent and group learning activities. Students felt their teachers had high expectations of them and had adapted their course to help them succeed. The students appreciated the opportunities to learn from each other and older students. They also recognised the benefits they gained from teaching younger students.
