USING PRIMARY INVESTIGATIONS TO ADDRESS THE NATIONAL SCIENCE STATEMENT
by Clare MacDermott, St Patrick's Primary School, Bundaberg, Qld

The national science statement (published as A statement on science for Australian schools, Curriculum Corporation, 1994) includes five strands and related substrands (called organisers), which are used to expand the information to be taught. The strands are: Earth and beyond, Energy and change, Life and living, Natural and processed materials, and Working scientifically.

This article looks closely at the Working scientifically strand and discusses how a classroom teacher can cover concepts and processes from this strand using Primary Investigations and other practical activities from the WOW! Science workshops (Diezmann and Watters, 1997). These are organised and presented by the Early Childhood Teachers Association and the Queensland University of Technology School of Early Childhood and School of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education.

There are many educational issues facing teachers today. One of the most public of these issues is our accountability for the learning of each child. In order to cover ourselves and feel we are doing our job to the best of our ability, there is now a focus on assessment. This focus is not on testing at the end of each term or year, but on an ongoing process where children are given the opportunity to show that they have been exposed to a concept and have attained a level of understanding unique to themselves. Each student is considered an individual capable of understanding and learning to their potential.

The national science profile (published as Science curriculum profile for Australian schools, Curriculum Corporation, 1994) has been developed to detail the outcomes of various skills and content knowledge that students should acquire as they become more proficient in each area. Malcolm (1993:16) believes that 'the science profile is an important development in Australian science education. The profile is a reporting framework, to help teachers plan for, identify and report on student progress in science.' However, unless you have a full understanding of the concepts that are to be covered and have a wide variety of activities that address the topics, the profile itself may appear daunting.

This is where a science program such as Primary Investigations, developed by the Australian Academy of Science, can help achieve the prescribed outcomes. To further highlight this, the Academy has produced a document which links the national science profile with Primary Investigations (Australian Academy of Science, 1995).

The classroom examples given in this article are from Book 5 of Primary Investigations. The following table shows two Primary Investigations lessons, but they provide a range of activities. The table does not show the overall planning, but highlights the fact that as busy classroom teachers, we can still present lessons that address the national science profile outcomes.

Working scientifically

Organiser (substrand)	Specific classroom examples
Conducting investigations 1.14 Carries out instructions and procedures involving a small number of steps. 2.14 Conducts simple tests and describes observations. 3.14 Organises and uses equipment to gather and present information.	Book 5, Lesson 1 MAKING A BALLOON ROCKET (from Unit 1, Introducing systems) The children thoroughly enjoyed this activity and did it three times instead of once. After each test flight of the rocket, they came up with ways of improving the distance over which it travelled and designed improvements to decrease the failure rate. When they were happy with their rockets we organised a test flight in front of the whole school. After the demonstration the children described what they had done and the adjustments they had made, and asked the assembled group for further ideas on how to improve performances.
Processing data 1.15 Talks about observations and suggests possible interpretations.
Evaluating findings 2.16 Cooperatively suggests possible improvements to investigations in the light of findings.
Conducting investigations 1.14 Carries out instructions and procedures involving a small number of steps. 2.14 Conducts simple tests and describes observations. 3.14 Organises and uses equipment to gather and present information.	Book 5, Lesson 8 WHICH ONE WOULD YOU BUY? (from Unit 2, Interactions and variables) This activity presents the idea of variables in the context of television advertisements, and the testing of different brands of washing powder. The children first compared several brands of roller blades from information supplied by Choice magazine. They then suggested ways of ensuring that our tests on the washing powder would be fair. In other words, the children were discussing the variables in the testing process. Working in teams, the children followed the steps set out in the Primary Investigations student book. They tried to remove oil from cloth using three different types of washing powder, as well as plain water to see if they needed to use detergents. Each group reported back using a format similar to that used for the roller blades example. The name of each product was then revealed and the children checked the manufacturers' claims against their findings. The children were amazed that the information and claims on the packaging were not absolutely correct. They went home to watch advertisements with a completely different outlook!
Processing data 1.15 Talks about observations and suggests possible interpretations. 3.15 Argues conclusions on the basis of collected information and personal experience.
Evaluating findings 2.16 Cooperatively suggests possible improvements to investigations in the light of findings.
Using science 1.17 Identifies ways science is used in daily life 2.17 Describes the ways people in the community use science.

Primary Investigations is a vehicle through which we can ensure our children are being exposed to, and achieving, prescribed outcomes while being involved in and enjoying interesting lessons. As the Australian Academy of Science (1994, p. xiv) states: 'In Primary Investigations the philosophy of assessment goes hand in hand with the philosophy of learning. Students develop their knowledge and skills over time and progress at different rates. They need benchmarks against which to measure what they understand and do at a given time.'

Many of the organisers from the Working scientifically strand connected with my classroom lessons and were touched upon several times, while others were not addressed at all. However, many of the organisers such as conducting investigations, processing data and evaluating findings are similar to the underlying philosophy and organisation of Primary Investigations. For example, ideas of building upon children's knowledge, their organisation of the equipment and presentation of findings are complementary to the national science profile.

I do not wish to dwell on the background of Primary Investigations – you discover this (with considerable excitement) for yourself as you become more familiar with the program. I do, however, want to present to other teachers the benefits of this user-friendly and very practical program.

The Australian Academy of Science (1994, p. x) offers this caution: 'As a teacher, you are the most important resource in the classroom, responsible for creating a dynamic learning environment. While the lessons in Primary Investigations contain a great deal of information, including teaching strategies and commentaries, regard it as advice only. Be flexible – adapt, modify and enrich the program according to the needs of your students and your school. Many lessons contain lesson extensions, some of which you can substitute for a particular lesson.'

Primary Investigations does not have to become your only resource or replace your own effective lessons. It is a good resource and with locally based and worthwhile inservices, we can offer successful science lessons to our students. The WOW! Science workshop organised and presented by the Early Childhood Teachers Association and the Queensland University of Technology allows us to learn more background information about the concepts we teach, and gives us lessons and activities we can slot into the Primary Investigations program. Two of the objectives of this workshop are:

1. To facilitate the implementation of the Working scientifically strand of the national science profile;

2. To establish networks between schools and other groups as the basis for ongoing professional development.

WOW! Science workshops are held in regional areas, allowing teachers of science an opportunity to come together to share. They create a comfortable environment in which to ask questions to develop our knowledge.

It is important that as educators today we know exactly what we are expected to teach, and are aware of the outcomes of the lessons as well as the thinking skills of our students. In an NPDP Newsletter (Fortino, NPDP News, Vol 1, April 1996), it states that 'today educators need to be concerned with more than knowing what facts and skills students have obtained. They need to be able to assess what students really think.' (De Leuil and Malcolm, 1994).

I believe that in order to do our job effectively we need access to a program that addresses the national profiles and is backed up by practical inservice workshops which help equip us with the skills and knowledge to present science lessons competently. Having been trained as a Primary Investigations trainer and having attended the WOW! Science workshops, I can say I know this goal is achievable.

For more information on the WOW! Science workshops, contact:

Dr Julie Davis
School of Early Childhood Studies
QUT – Kelvin Grove Campus
Victoria Park Road
Kelvin Grove QLD 4059
Phone: (07) 3864 3808; Fax: (07) 3864 3989
Email: j.davis@qut.edu.au

References

Australian Academy of Science. (1994). Primary Investigations teacher resource book, Canberra, ACT: Australian Academy of Science.

Australian Academy of Science. (1995). Curriculum profiles for Australian schools in the areas of science, technology, and studies of society and environment in relation to Primary Investigations. Canberra, ACT: Australian Academy of Science.

De Leuil, L., and Malcolm, C. (1994). Using the science profile. Carlton, Victoria: Curriculum Corporation.

Diezmann, C., and Watters, J. (1997). Science is working out the world. A handbook of activities for children and teachers of early childhood science. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology.

Fortino, C. (1996). Project objectives. Kelvin Grove, Brisbane: Early Childhood Teachers Association/STAQ.

Fortino, C. (1996). NPDP News. Vol 1, April.

Malcolm, C. (1993). The science profile and its uses. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 18(4), November.

Science – a curriculum profile for Australian schools. (1994). Carlton, Victoria: Curriculum Corporation.

A statement on science for Australian schools. (1994). Carlton, Victoria: Curriculum Corporation.

This article was published in The Queensland Science Teacher, 1996, Vol. 22, No. 3, pages 4-9. It has been updated by Academy staff.