Salters Workshop 2010 Student Introduction to the Individual Investigation

1. Salters Workshop 2010Student Introduction to the Individual Investigation

2. What is the Individual Investigation? • This is the way your practical skill are assessed in the A2 Year

3. What is the Individual Investigation? • It is a unique experience • You won’t be doing anything similar in any of your other classes

4. What is the Individual Investigation? • It is an opportunity for you to spend all of your chemistry classes for the equivalent of 4 weeks carrying out experiments

5. What experiments will I do? • You will choose a topic that interests you and explore it in great depth • You will become an expert on this topic

6. Why am I spending so long on this coursework? • The Individual Investigation is worth 15% of your full A level mark • This is the same as module F334 which tests the work in 4 different teaching modules • All the work that you do on your project is taken into account when awarding it marks

7. How do I get started? • There is much to do before you even begin your practical work

8. How do I get started? • The sequence of events is: • You choose your investigation topic • You devise an overall plan • You devise a detailed plan for the first week of practical work • You hand it in for checking • Now you can begin your experiments

9. How will I know what topic to choose? • You will be given information about several possible investigation topics • You might want to choose something different. You can discuss this with your tutor

10. Will I get any help? • You will get help from your tutor at every stage • Help will be focused on what is important at each particular stage

11. How will my work be assessed? • You will produce a written report • The report is assessed using descriptors which indicate what is required to get marks at different levels • You will be given a copy of these descriptors

12. How will my work be assessed? • Your report will contain • Background theory that you have looked up to help you devise your plan • Details of all the experimental methods you have used • The results that you have obtained • Manipulation of data using calculations and/or graphs • Conclusions based on your results • An evaluation of what you have done

13. When do I write up my report? • You need to write up your report as you go along • It is best to word process it • It will be a sizable document in the end • You will spend a long time on it to ensure that you do justice to all the practical work you have done and to get the best mark possible

14. What will I get out of it? • It is a unique experience – there is nothing else like it at A level • You will become an expert on your topic which will help in written exam papers • Your practical skills will improve dramatically • You can achieve a high mark which will contribute to your overall chemistry A level grade

15. Salters Workshop 2010Teacher Introduction to the Individual Investigation

16. Key Features • It is an ‘Individual’ investigation • Students need to spend about 18 hours on practical work

17. Key Features • Students need to plan their investigation before they start practical work • Students produce a comprehensive written report

18. Things to ensure • Students spend the expected 18 hours on practical work • That the method works • That the project can be explored to an A2 depth

19. Things to ensure • They spend sufficient time planning what they will do before they start to do it • They make at least some measurements

20. Things to ensure • That the experiments can be done in a school or college • That it can be done safely

21. Things to ensure • Remember that Quality counts

22. Things to avoid • Changing it to a biology or physics project • Treating the project at a GCSE level

23. Examples of Investigations • Any topic of chemistry • Can be preparative • Need to include observations and/or measurements

24. Examples of Investigations • Wide range of physical chemistry (not just kinetics) • Inorganic preparations • Organic preparations

25. Range of topics within a school or college • Doing their own thing is highly motivating for students • Introducing new topics is motivating for teachers • It is OK to have some students doing similar investigations

26. Support and Resources Further guidance is available: • OCR Salters Practical Skills Handbook • OCR Coursework consultancy • Salters A2 Support Pack (student notes and teacher notes)

27. Support and Resources • Starter Sheets • Suggestions for extending starter ideas

28. Salters Workshop 2010Marking the Investigation

29. Authentication • Authentication is designed to prevent students cheating • Authentication means initialling the work to say that as far as you are aware the work is that of the student

30. Authentication • Teacher authenticates draft plan before start of practical work - returns it to the student. • Tip: keep an electronic copy of draft plan • Teacher takes in final plan as soonas practical work is complete • If there any concerns, check that the final plan builds on draft plan

31. Authentication • Teacher takes in a copy of results as soon as practical work is complete and authenticates them • If there are any concerns, check that the results in the final report are not changed

32. Authentication • After student has had appropriate time teacher takes in analysis, conclusion and evaluation sections and authenticates them • Simple question. As far as you know, is this the students own work?

33. Overview of Marking • Assessment is in groups of marks • Groups are independent of each other • You know what to look for

34. Overview of Marking • All skill areas marked against descriptors on a ‘Best Fit’ basis • Total of marks for all sections (out of 45) sent to OCR • Moderated by post

35. Skills • Chemical ideas (Skill A) • Methods (Skill B) • Communication (Skill C) • Observations and measurements (Skill D)

36. Skills • Analysis and interpretation (Skill E) • Evaluation (Skill F) • Manipulation (Skill G) • Demand (Skill H)

37. How the skills are marked

38. Skill A – Chemical Ideas • Range (Key issue) • Depth • Accuracy • Relevance

39. Skill B – Experimental Methods • Aims • Choices • Fine detail (Key issue)

40. Skill C - Communication • Risk assessment • References • SPAG and Clarity (Average the 3 marks)

41. Risk Assessments • Should be relevant to the concentration of solution actually used (Key issue) • Should be devised by the student and not just be the complete Hazcard • Should include reference to products where appropriate

42. Risk Assessments • Are some, most , all hazards identified? (1,3,5 marks) • Are some, most , all hazards relevant? (1,3,5 marks) • Is appropriate detail included for some, most, all assessments? (1,3,5 marks) • Are some, most , all assessments accurate? (1,3,5 marks)

43. References • At least 2 references (1 mark) • At least 5 references (3 marks) • At least 8 references (5 marks)

44. References • Include detail in some, most, all references (I, 3, 5 marks) • References must be linked to sections of text to get 5 marks

45. References • Appropriate detail: • Paper documents – title, author, page number • Electronic source – web address, brief description of content (when accessed)

46. Skill D – Observations and Measurements • Amount (Key issue) • Range • Quality (Also important) • Clarity

47. Skill E – Analysis and Interpretation • Make use of observations and/or measurements • Describe outcomes and Draw conclusions (Average the 2 marks)

48. Skill F - Evaluation • Limitations of procedures (Key issue) • Percentage error calculations and/or reliability of observations • Evaluation of choices

49. Skill G - Manipulation • Safe working • Manipulative skills • Organisation

50. Skill G - Manipulation • Keep a working document to record useful points about each student as you go along • Use as an aide – memoire to help decide on the mark you award in Skill G • Send to moderator with students work