|
CONTENTS TEACHERS
PROBLEMS AND POSSIBLE
SOLUTIONS . . ..............ÉÉpage 5 1) Relationships
between pupil and teacher 2) Learning
resources 3) The
nature of Science 4) The
process of Evaluation THE OPERATION
AND FUNDING OF THE
PROJECT .......................................................................... page
7 1) How
the group formed. 2)
Problems encountered. 3)
Factors increasing the group effectiveness RESOURCES
PRODUCED IN THE MIXED ABILITY PROJECT ........................................................................ page
11 1)
High structured Resources 2)
Resources for enquiry learning 3)
Monitoring effects of resources. THE PROCESS OF
EVALUATION page 17 1) Methods
of Evaluation 2) The
value of the evaluation process (i) 3) The
possibility of improvement through evaluation 4) The
realisation of improvement through evaluation 5) The
value of the evaluation process (ii) 6) The
relation between evaluation and teachers
problems. IMPLICATIONS
OF THE PROJECT page 25 1) For
models of curriculum innovation 2) For
models of evaluation 3) For
educational research 4) for
in‑service education APPENDICES
............................................................................ page
30 1) Proposal
to Schools Council, Round I 2) Proposal
to Schools Council, Round II 3) Models
of curriculum innovation 4) Models
of evaluation 5) A
5‑year support programme and in‑service support
for Independent Learning in Science 6) Avon
Resources for Learning Development Unit 7) DES/ATO
in‑service support course for improving
learning in mixed ability science groups. |
|
3 INTRODUCTION Many teachers
are experiencing serious problems in their attempts to improve educational
standards in mixed ability groups. This report shows how one group of
teachers have tackled their problems and: (1) created a
network of in‑service support (2) organised resources for enquiry
learning (3) established a process of self evaluation. In tackling
their problems the teachers received one of the first local curriculum
development grants from The Schools Council in, "The Swindon Area Mixed
Ability Exercise in Science". Whilst this
report is addressed to teachers who are improving learning in mixed ability
science groups, it is hoped that other teachers, educational
researchers, and providers of in‑service support will find, in sections
2 & 3, useful guidelines for action. The report
begins with statements from teachers in mixed ability science lessons, of
their problems and possible solutions. These problems included the
improvement of relations between teachers and pupils and the organisation of
resources for enquiry learning. In response to these problems, the network of
in‑service support, described in section 4, was created. This network
involved a Resource Collection and Evaluation Service from Bath University
and financial assistance from Wiltshire L.E.A. and The Schools Council. A central focus
in the report is the process of self evaluation, by the teachers, of the
relationship between what they intended to do and what they achieved in
practice. The teachers were assisted, in this process of evaluation, by video
tapes of their classroom practice and interview data on their own intentions
and their pupils responses. This information was provided by the Science
Centre of Bath University. You will see that improvements in learning
occurred through the creative and critical powers of individual teachers and
a high degree of cooperative activity. If you feel that it may be helpful to
share your problems with the individual teachers, their names and location are
given on the back cover. Do please contact them. J. Whitehead
August 1976 |