What is STANSW?
The STANSW is project run by the Science Teachers' Association of New South Wales (STANSW) to encourage students to undertake and present an authentic scientific investigation.
The first level of judging the Young Scientist Awards takes place in schools, followed by the best entries from the schools sent to the state.
The major winning entries of the Young Scientist Awards will be forwarded to the BHP Billiton Science Awards.
The criteria
Students in NSW schools carry out scientific investigations as part of their school’s science program in line with the NSW Board of Studies K-12 science syllabuses. The Young Scientist categories and judging rubrics are designed to support the investigation elements of these syllabuses.
I was given the opportunity to judge Chemistry, year 10-12.
The judging was based on the following criteria: (Note: a level 4 project will have met all the criteria mentioned below)
· described the purpose of the investigation
This means that the student conducted a valid scientific investigation. Note, the word valid refers to whether the investigation answers the aim. Therefore, to begin with, the investigation should contain an aim and hypothesis.
· were creative in the selection of the subject for investigation or in the methodology
How creative/innovative the investigation is with respect to its approach, content, methodology or communication.
· analysed prior research in the area selected for the investigation
Includes background information that is relevant. Here, the assessor needs to look at the kind of resources used, books, websites etc. and assess its reliability.
· designed a scientific investigation using safe, reliable and valid procedures
Is the investigation fair? Has the student been able to identify variables and controls? Has the student used test trials?
· conducted the investigation efficiently by working scientifically, recording results appropriately
Have the observation been recorded in a systematic manner with correct units?
· demonstrated knowledge and understanding of science content linked directly to the investigation
The use of scientific principles and ideas in relation to an understanding of the investigation. This includes extensive and correct use of scientific terms.
· justified the appropriateness of the procedure including the choice/s of technology
For a very good project that I was assessing, what helped me decide what level it belonged to, apart from the rubric, was the NSW glossary of keywords. I was able to decide if the student really justified the appropriateness of the procedure.
· analysed the evidence gathered to assess the validity of the conclusion
Uses critical thinking skills to synthesis information and justify the conclusion.
For this criterion, I referred to the NSW glossary of keywords once again for the definition of the word ‘analyse.’ This helped me understand whether the student was able to Identify components and the relationship between them; draw out and relate implications or evaluated with clear and concise explanations using scientific models.
· communicated the investigation and understanding successfully using appropriate language.
The communication is convincing through clear, consistent and meaningful use of language appropriate to the purpose and audience.
· evaluated the investigation, discussing alternatives and modifications.
Creative and worthwhile directions for future research have been succinctly suggested.
Apart from the above criteria, the assessors also had to look at whether
· The investigation was conducted within an appropriate time frame.
· The presence or absence of a log book.
· Ethical issues and issues concerning animals.
Holistic marking: an acquired skill! And its implications
Holistic marking is a technique that rests on the assumption that trained markers will respond to a piece of work in the same way if they are given a set of characteristics to guide them. A set of criteria, generally in the form of a marking rubric assist markers to assess writing ability at different levels and then a single mark is given, which is different from analytic marking wherein each element is assessed separately against a marking rubric. Holistic marking has the advantages of being quick and reliable if done by more than one trained markers in ample time. This type of marking allows appreciation of a students work as a whole, so that students are not disadvantaged by small mistakes. In addition, the list of encouraging comments and suggestions for improvements reinforced this quality.
This made it difficult at first to judge the projects. Some of the projects were of an extremely high standard in terms of analysis and content. Some of them demonstrated extremely creative ideas. It was initially difficult to categorise the projects despite the marking rubric as each project was unique and contained some element or the other that stood out. However, after reading a few projects and consulting my colleagues and senior assessors, I was able to gain an understanding of what the assessing required. Making a note of the criteria while marking helped me to have a reference when making the final call.
Benefits to teachers
The opportunity to assess scientific investigations provides teachers with valuable resources and professional learning opportunities. The collaboration during the training gave me an opportunity to get trained and experienced teacher’s perspectives on marking and quality. Furthermore, I am more aware of what goes in to about with planning and conducting first hand investigations at a stage 6 level. I was also able to network with professionals in the field.
Comparing it to MyScience
The ‘MyScience’ mentoring program enables us to interact with primary students to gain an understanding of the level of knowledge and skills that they possess. For my experience, we lacked the expertise on how to develop the skills that these students bring to them to the STANSW competition. From the STANSW marking experience, it is evident that these investigation writing and analysing skills should be fostered at a primary stage.
Module 9.6: Biotechnology
The biotechnology arena in the stage 6 syllabus offers a plethora of information on the applications of biotechnology. One idea that I found that could be extended to a scientific investigation for STANSW was
-Developing a natural homemade fertiliser to replace chemical ones.
References:
STANSW Young Scientist . (2011). Retrieved from http://www.stansw.asn.au/ys/pdf/ys_AssessmentCriteriaAndRubrics_10_12.pdf
Milanovic, M. Saville, N. (2009).Performance testing, cognition,and assessment. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.au/books?id=q82vhSnA3jwC&pg=PA94&lpg=PA94&dq=what+is+holistic+marking&source=bl&ots=Im3j98n4vr&sig=LsoRnwb5dPEezqAhl4zqGWphc_w&hl=en&ei=sIF1Tqv3D4bFmAXUrIjxDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CE8Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false
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