Get Newswise

1. Get Newswise Advancing scientific literacy in an interdisciplinary context Dr Billy McClune;* Dr Ruth Jarman. School of Education. Queen’s University Belfast Science-related news reports play an important role in informing and influencing public understanding. Young people should be equipped to engage critically with science in the media. This project was based on collaborative work in a programme of curriculum development with science and English teachers in Northern Ireland. Aims & Context • To develop cross-curricular programme elements integrated within the KS3 curriculum in each of the project schools. • To evaluate the effectiveness of the programmes in terms of pupils’ engagement with and capability for learning from science-based media. • The development of teachers’ confidence and capability in using science-based media, and the promotion of authentic and effective models of cross-curricular collaboration. Critical engagement with science in the news relies on a number of elements. in the context of science news reporting, this should not be underestimated. Science news cannot be isolated from its media roots. Unlikely allies: a recent study of media awareness suggested - Science teachers and English teachers do think differently • Science teachers focused on the accuracy of the language - English teachers focused on how language is used to influence the reader. • Science teachers challenged the credibility of the sources - English teachers valued the voice of a first hand witness. • Science teachers were more likely to look for links between conclusion and evidence. Recent curriculum renewal programmes have promoted interdisciplinary or connected learning. Responding critically to science in the media is recognised as one strand of science literacy. Frameworks to structure teaching and support curricular provision for critical reading of science related media have been suggested. Fig. 1 illustrates the complexity of teaching about critical reading and media awareness What we did The ‘Get Newswise’ curriculum project supported the development of school-based teaching initiatives and curricular programmes for pupils at key stage 3. The programme involved14 teachers from 7 secondary schools. The Science and English departments in each school jointly sponsored the project with one science and one English teacher from each school taking a lead role. To assess critical reading all pupils completed an end of project task based on a news report ‘Can music jog your brain into gear’. There was evidence that they used science knowledge, literacy skills and media awareness more extensively. Teachers planned collaboratively for a sequence of lessons and presented science and English lessons as complementary elements to support pupils developing their critical response to science in the news. “Is it just classical music that works?” “Does it depend on what age they are?” “How did they choose the people?” “Facts and statistics were put in – very interesting and told us a lot in a short article”. “Easy to read – interesting facts and not many opinions”. ‘I know what they (other teachers) intended to do but I haveno idea how they did it.’ The language and the ideas traveled down the corridor with the pupils They (pupils) learnt strategies to draw out more from the text It really engaged pupils with poor writing skills they seemed to have fewer inhibitions “If this could have an impact on the way people jog. It could help them do well at other things”. “Are there plans to extend the research?” They (pupils) focused on the task and delivered the goods. Can music jog your brain into top gear ? Outcomes & Conclusions Pupils enjoyed topics with a science in the media component. There was evidence of increasing capability to engage critically with science in the news. Science and English teachers have different but complementary perspectives on critical reading. Science-related news stimulated the use of a wide variety of teaching strategies. Teachers took opportunities for creativity and variety in teaching with these resources. The benefits for teachers and their pupils of exploring classroom practice outside their subject specialism are worth pursuing. Teachers noted pupils’ readiness to integrate learning from different subject areas. Schemes of work embedded learning intentions and teaching strategies related to ‘science in the news’. Working together there is potential for synergy and a more comprehensive classroom experience for pupils. This project highlights how collaborative efforts might be promoted. Involvement in the cross-curricular project influenced teachers’ professional interactions, curricular planning and classroom practice. Interdisciplinary knowledge was limited to awareness of the topic. It did not extend to emphasis given to the subject content, the presentation and structure of a lesson or how the suggested strategies could be used. *Dr Billy McClune w.mcclune@qub.ac.uk School of Education Queens University Belfast