Thames Valley Science and Engineering Fair

Date: Saturday 28 March 2015 Time: Divisional Judges: 8:45 am Special Award Judges: 8:45 am Place: Somerville House 3345 26-Apr-20 TVSEF Judges Orientation 1

26-Apr-20

Organizing the Judging

TVSEF Judges Orientation 2

Judging Committee

Delfina Mazzuca Siroen Junior Life Science Phil Dean Junior Physical Science Jeff Regan Junior Technology Lynn Watson-Lee Judge Susan Koval Intermediate & Senior Life Science John Dickinson Intermediate & Senior – Physical Science & Technology 26-Apr-20 Spencer Seiler Special Awards Susan Lindsay Exhibition Caroline Whippey Deputy Chief judge Patrick Whippey Chief Judge TVSEF Judges Orientation 3

Projects 2015

Division Elementary Junior Intermediate Senior Total Life Physical

60 44

Engineering

23

Exhibit Only

63

Total

63 127 16 4 80 10 7 61 4 4 31 63 30 15 235 Students: 310 TVSEF Judges Orientaion 26-Apr-20 4

Divisional Judging

• • • Life Sciences Physical Sciences Engineering 26-Apr-20 TVSEF Judges Orientation 5

Age Categories

Category Elementary Junior Intermediate Senior School Grades 4 – 5 non-competitive 6, 7, 8 9, 10 11, 12, 26-Apr-20 TVSEF Judges Orientation 6

Three Types of Projects

Experiment

Undertake an investigation to test a scientific hypothesis by the experimental method.

Innovation

Develop and evaluate new devices, models, theorems, physical theories, techniques, or methods.

Study

Analysis of data using accepted methodologies from the natural, social, biological, or health sciences.

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Special (Interdisciplinary) Awards

Special Awards Chair: Spencer Seiler • A team of Judges will be assigned to each Special Award.

• The results are to be given to the Special Awards Chair as soon as they are available.

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Divisional Awards

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Divisional Timetable

8:45 9:00 9:30 – 11:30 11:30 – 1:30 1:00 – 2:00 12:30 – 2:00 Pick up folders from Auditorium Meet in Auditorium for Final Instructions Judging Round 1 Meet in teams of 3 or 4 who judged the same projects. Use the forms in the Team Folder to help you.

Each Team nominates their top 1 or 2.

All discuss until the winners are identified Lunch in UCC. No food in classrooms Second Round. Use this if needed. No students present.

11

Divisional Timetable

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Public Viewing 2:00 pm Final results given to Chief Judge. Discuss these with me individually.

2:00 – 3:30 Grand Awards Committee selects those going to CWSF 12

Break Out Rooms

Somerville House Intermediate & Senior Life Science Junior Life Science Junior Physical Science Junior Engineering Special Awards Intermediate & Senior Physical Science &Technology Chief Judge Cloak Room. NB Not Secure 3305 3315 3317 3307 3355 3M 3250 3350 3359 13

Evaluation Components

Item Scientific Thought Original Creativity Communication Display Interview Log book if any Max Score % 45 25 30 26-Apr-20 TVSEF Judges Orientation 14

Each Judge

• • • • • • Visits each exhibit for 15 minutes.

– Additional 5 minutes to record results.

Judges six exhibits typically.

Uses judging form to score your exhibits. Use the scores to decide if A is better than B.

Use rankings only in the discussion. Interviews from 9:30 am – 11:30 am.

Sign the student’s timetable after you have seen them.

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Ranking the Projects 1

• Meet in teams of 3 (or 4) • All have seen the same projects – up to 6.

• Use forms in Team Folder to help you rank them • Each Team nominates 1 or 2 projects • Write these on the board.

• Discuss until winners are identified.

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Ranking the Projects - 2

Judge

Alfred Betty Charles Daphne Total

1001

1 3 2 6 12

1014

4 2 3 4 13

1025

3 6 5 5 19

1046

5 4 3 3 15

1048

6 5 6 1 18

1115

2 1 1 2 6 26-Apr-20 TVSEF Judges Orientaion 17

Mixed Judging Teams

• • • Junior Engineering, Life Science & Physical Science – French (2) Junior Physical & Engineering Intermediate & Senior Physical Science • • • Challenges: You may judge a project not in your field After judging, meet quickly to rank each project as high – medium – low.

Send 1 or 2 members of your team to the appropriate breakout room to represent your project.

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Special Awards

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Special Award Judging

• • • • • Do a scan of titles & quick walk round to select projects for an interview.

Judge each exhibit for 8-10 minutes max.

Revisit the projects on your short list, if necessary.

If you are finished early, please be available to judge another award.

Interleave with the Divisional judges who have interviews at specific times.

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Report your Special Award Results

• • • • Fill in your winners plus two extra choices – Give in full: – – – Exhibit Number Name(s) of exhibitors Exhibit Title. The Team Captain signs the report.

Give it to the Special Awards Chair.

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Spread the Wealth

• It is the Policy of the TVSEF to Spread The Wealth, and limit the number of awards given to one project. Thus the Chief Judge reserves the right to give an award to your second choice should one project end up with multiple awards.

• Example: The winner of a trip to the CWSF is unlikely to be given the Children’s Museum Award.

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The Art of Judging

23

Facilitator

• • • • • • • Introduce yourself.

– Where you come from, what you do.

Ask the exhibitor to introduce her or himself.

Listen respectfully to the presentation.

Ask graded questions Stop when the limit of knowledge is reached.

Find two things to praise.

Give a full 15 minute interview.

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Motivator

• • • • • Focus on the exhibitors.

Ask questions in an upbeat tone.

Listen intently.

Give lots of encouragement.

– I liked … – I enjoyed … Thank them for sharing their project with you.

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Role Model

• • • You are – – – – Judge Scientist Educational Leader Business Leader You represent all of these aspects.

Let the exhibitors say

That was a fantastic judging experience

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Counselor

• • • Use the Feedback to Exhibitors form.

Find one thing to praise in each section.

Make one suggestion for further improvement.

– I suggest … – A technique I have used… 26-Apr-20 TVSEF Judges Orientation 27

Judges must not…

• • Tell a student “You will get an award”.

Convey by body language or otherwise a sense of dismay.

• • Judge an exhibit seen elsewhere.

Discuss their opinions in public areas. Especially the UCC • Treat this as a university examination. Over half the students are in elementary school. • Judge an exhibit beyond their level of expertise. Contact the Division Chief for help.

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Cultural Sensitivity

• In Muslim communities, it is not appropriate for girls to shake hands with men, and vice versa.

• Let the student guide you in appropriate ways of greeting.

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Coaching

• Coaching is encouraged during judging. If a student does not know kinetic energy, explain.

• BUT • Keep good notes of the coaching you do, so you can describe the information you gave during your discussion of your rankings.

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Feedback

• We will not be giving either written or verbal feedback after judging is over.

• Because: • It is not possible to provide consistent and high quality feedback to students.

• Feedback will no longer be given at the Canada Wide Science Fair.

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Elementary School Students

• • • Most judges will see only elementary school students.

One of them may be turn into one of the best young scientists in Canada.

The three rules: – – – Encourage Encourage Encourage • Many will be studies, not experiments.

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The Solar System

How are you going to spend your 15 minutes?

- What science have you learned in school?

- What do you like most about science?

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OOPS

• The following slides show various ways a judge might convey non-verbal information.

• Which is the most appropriate?

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Body Language 2

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OOPS 1

Had a call this afternoon from a parent of a senior finalist who said that his son was "

devastated

" at the award ceremony because the judges had told him he had "

an amazing project

," that "

it was likely to win a First Place

" and that his project was "

one likely to be chosen to go to the CWSF

."

The project received an Honourable Mention

.

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OOPS 2

• How did you get selected to come to the Thames Valley Science & Engineering Fair?

•

You woudn’t get selected from MY school.

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Body Language

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OOPS 3

• You would have won First Place if you had just thought to measure the resistance as a function of temperature.

Would you bother to go to the Awards Ceremony

?

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Body Language 3

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Best

• I enjoyed meeting you.

• I particularly liked the idea of measuring magnetic properties of bacteria – very creative.

• The measuring circuit was a clever application of this type of amplifier.

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Body Language Which do you Prefer?

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Cerebral Palsy

One judge was so “appalled” that the student used “retarded” in the presentation, he gave him a 6.

I was quite shocked as to how unprofessional their judging comments were and how hard they were on the students. I did not write down this judge’s comments in the amalgamated feedback form as his comments were cruel and would have crushed a little child’s spirit. I have children that are just beginning school and I would never let them enter a competition that so unfairly judges them Be aware of your own biases 26-Apr-20 Some details have been changed to preserve anonymity TVSEF Judges Orientation 44

Funding

Cost to run the Regional Fair: Cost to send 10 students + 2 delegates to the CWSF: Funds raised in 2015 Shortfall: 15 000 19 200 30 000 4 000 We need 16 additional Companies, groups and individuals to give us $250 each to run the program.

If you work for a company, please consider asking for support as part of their community outreach program .

We know that we will have $10 000 less in 2016 26-Apr-20 TVSEF Judges Orientation 45

Name Badge

• Please hand these in before you leave so we can use them next year.

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Last Minute Announcements

If you have questions during judging, find: • Your Division Chief • Patrick Whippey • Caroline Whippey Registration Announcements - Caroline 26-Apr-20 TVSEF Judges Orientation 47

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank these participants who have allowed elements of their superb science fair projects to be used in this workshop.

• Kartic Madiraju - Montreal • David Wang – London 48 26-Apr-20 TVSEF Judges Orientation