Transcript VCAA Study Design

VCE Physics
Implementation 2009–2012
© Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2007
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Purpose of VCE Physics Implementation Workshop
Note: Full implementation will begin in 2009 for all Units 1 to 4
1.
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2.
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To inform VCE Physics teachers of changes to the existing
VCE Physics Study Design (PowerPoint)
Why were changes made?
What has not changed?
What’s new?
What has been modified?
To provide ideas re: the implementation of the new VCE
Physics Study Design for planning teaching, learning and
assessment activities (group work/discussion)
considering student alternative views of Physics concepts
planning teaching and learning sequences
assessing outcomes
VCAA processes:
Monitoring the 2004–2008 VCE Physics Study Design
In 2006, a number of activities were undertaken as part of regular
VCAA monitoring processes of VCE studies:
•analysis of enrolment data for VCE Physics
•running of educator focus groups (metropolitan and rural) re: VCE Physics
•online survey re: VCE Physics
•consideration of national and international research re science education
Two major practical concerns arose for teachers of VCE Physics
which the VCAA Board wanted to address:
•high teacher workloads, particularly in Units 2 and 3
•lack of clarity in the dot points in the study design
The VCAA Board determined that a minor review of
Physics would proceed in 2007
VCAA processes:
Minor review of VCE Physics (1 of 2 slides)
In 2007, a minor review of Physics commenced
•Review panel and writer established after online
applications were received
•Nature of the minor review was established
- address concerns of teacher workload/lack of clarity of study design
- one-year implementation (i.e. all Units 1–4 to begin in 2009)existing units
were to be retained
- the order of Units 3 and 4 were to be unchanged
- no new concepts to be introduced, unless to contribute to clarification of
existing dot points
VCAA processes:
Minor review of VCE Physics (2 of 2 slides)
• Review panel prepared a consultation draft
• Feedback sought through online surveys and hardcopy
responses
• Review panel prepared final draft following consideration of
feedback
• Published study design, including ‘Advice to Teachers’, mailed to
schools in February 2008
VCAA processes:
Review outcome – revised – VCE Physics Study Design
• The current VCE Physics Study Design has been
reviewed, revised and reaccredited for the period
2009–2012
• The revised study design has addressed issues
related to:
- clarity of content
- student and teacher workloads
• A revised VCE Physics Assessment Handbook will be
available by end Term 3 2008
VCE Physics Study Design 2009–2012
What has not changed?
•
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Rationale and Aims (in Introduction) unchanged
No new content for ‘core’ Areas of Study
No new content for Detailed Studies
Nature of School-assessed Coursework unchanged
Units 3 and 4 examination format and allocation of
marks across areas of study unchanged
VCE Physics Study Design 2009–2012
What’s new?
• A set of key skills which apply across all Units 1–4 (page 12)
• Formulae have been specified
• Teachers may teach any one of six Detailed Studies in each of Units 1
and 2 (provided the Detailed Studies are different)
Advice to teachers
• Definition of verbs used in the study design (pp. 47–48)
• Classification of verbs used in the study design on the basis of
conceptual complexity (p. 47)
VCE Physics Study Design 2009–2012
What has been modified from current study design?
(1 of 2 slides)
Editing of dot points
– formulas, variables and constants have been italicised
– dot points in Unit 4, Detailed Study 3.1 have specified The Australian
Synchrotron
– one dot point has been shifted from one Area of Study to a Detailed
Study and appears in Unit 4, Detailed Study 3.2, p 41 (moved from Unit 4,
Area of Study 2) : “describe the production of incoherent light from wide
spectrum light sources, including the Sun, light bulbs, and candles, in terms of the
random thermal motion of valence electrons when atoms collide”
– some dot points
- have been simplified
- have been split into two to separate different concepts
- have been removed (to reduce teacher/student workloads)
- specify what is not to be included
- which were previously implicit have been made explicit
VCE Physics Study Design 2009–2012
What has been modified from current study design?
(2 of 2 slides)
•Reordering of Areas of Study and Detailed Studies in
Units 1 and 2
•Reduction of number of verbs used in dot points
•Re-naming of some Areas of Study and Detailed
Studies
•Employability skills
•Updating of resources list
VCE Physics Study Design 2009–2012
Practical investigations
• have been strengthened in the new study design by
- including a set of key skills specific to undertaking investigations
- increasing opportunities for undertaking investigations
• allow students to demonstrate key skills at progressively higher
levels
Unit 1 Students must complete a practical investigation (student designed or
adapted)
Unit 2 Students must complete a practical investigation (student designed,
adapted or extended)
Unit 3 Assessment task: a student-designed extended practical investigation
(one entire outcome)
Unit 4 Assessment task: a summary report of selected activities from the
student’s log book (one entire outcome)
VCE Physics Study Design 2009–2012 – What’s new?
Units 1 – 4 Key skills
A set of key skills applicable to each unit appear on page
12 of the study design These key skills
• extend the skills developed by students through the VELS
• are integral to each area of study
• must be assessed
Key skills are listed under three headings
• Investigate and inquire scientifically
• Analyse and apply physics understanding
• Communicate physics information and understanding
VCE Physics Study Design 2009–2012 – What’s new?
Verbs used in the study design
The following ‘cognitive triangle’* lists the cognitive processes required for
the purposes of the study design. Definitions of these terms are provided
on pages 47 and 48 of the study design, as part of the ‘Advice for teachers’.
Design
Evaluate
Analyse
Apply
Compare
Describe
Explain
Calculate
Convert
Investigate
Model
Select
Interpret
Identify
Note: Higher order cognitive processes in the above pyramid include capacities of those
cognitive processes which appear below them
* adapted from Bloom’s revised taxonomy
VCE Physics Study Design 2009–2012 – What’s new?
Employability skills
Nationally agreed employability skills are:
•
•
•
•
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•
•
Communication
Planning and organising
Teamwork
Problem solving
Self-management
Initiative and enterprise
Technology
Learning
VCE Physics provides opportunities for students to demonstrate not only
understanding of key knowledge and skills as specified in the study design, but
also to develop the above employability skills.
Note: Refer to page 50 of the study design for further information related to
employability skills.
VCE Physics Study Design 2009–2012 – What’s new?
Structure of Units 1 and 2
Unit 1
Unit 2
Nuclear physics and
Area of Study 1 radioactivity
Motion
Area of Study 2 Electricity
Wave-like properties of
light
Detailed Study
Choice of:
Note: Detailed
Study selected in
Unit 1 must be
different from that
selected in Unit 2
•Astronomy
•Astrophysics
•Energy from the
nucleus
•Investigations: Flight
•Investigations:
Sustainable energy
sources
•Medical physics
Example of wording changes:
Nuclear physics and radioactivity (Unit 1, Area of Study 1)
The dot point
Some dot points have been split
into two to separate different
concepts.
• describe nuclear transformations and decay
series
has become two dot points
• explain nuclear transformations using decay
equations involving α, β and γ radiation
• analyse decay series diagrams in terms of type
of decay and stability of isotopes
Example of wording changes:
Electricity (Unit 1, Area of Study 2)
The dot point
Some dot points have
been simplified …
• apply charge conservation and energy conservation
models to electrical phenomena to describe relationships
between charge (Q), electric current (I), voltage (V),
energy (U) and power (P) in electric circuits
has become
… and formulae,
variables and constants
have been italicised.
• apply the concepts of charge (Q), electric
current (I), potential difference (V), energy (E) and power
(P), in electric circuits
Example of wording changes:
Motion in one and two dimensions (Unit 3, Area of study 1)
Formulae have been specified
The dot point
when quantitative analysis is
expected!
• analyse impulse, and momentum transfer, in collisions
between objects moving along a straight line
has become
• analyse impulse (momentum transfer) in an isolated
system, for collisions between objects moving along a
straight line (FΔt = mΔv)
Example of wording changes:
Motion (Unit 2, Area of Study 1)
New dot points include
•
•
•
•
•
Concepts which were
previously implicit in some dot
points have now become
explicit.
identify parameters of motion as vectors or scalars
apply rate of energy transfer, power, P = E/t
apply the concept of momentum, p = mv
analyse Hooke’s Law for an ideal spring, F = -kΔx
analyse impulse (momentum transfer) in an isolated
system, for elastic collisions between objects moving in a
straight line
Example of wording changes:
Electronics and photonics (Unit 3, Area of Study 2)
The dot point
Some content has been
removed, to reduce teacher
and student workload.
• describe the operation of the transistor in terms of current
gain and the effect of biasing the base-emitter voltage on
the voltage characteristics, in terms of saturation, cut-off and
linear operation, including linear gain (Δvout/ vin) and
clipping, of a single stage npn transistor voltage amplifier
has been replaced by
• analyse voltage characteristics of amplifiers including linear
voltage gain (Δvout/ vin) and clipping
Example of wording changes:
Sound (Unit 4, Detailed Study 3.3)
Sometimes, dot points
specify what is not
included!
The dot point
• calculate sound intensity at different distances from a
source using an inverse square law
has become
• calculate sound intensity at different distances from a
source using an inverse square law (knowledge of
acoustic power is not required)
Example of wording changes:
Photonics (Unit 4, Detailed Study 3.2)
This is the only dot point
which has shifted location.
The dot point previously from Unit 4, Area of Study 2,
‘Interactions of light and matter’
• explain the production of incoherent light from wide spectrum
light sources, including the Sun, light bulbs, and candles
(descriptive), in terms of thermal motion of electrons
has moved to Unit 4, Detailed Study 3.2, ‘Photonics’ and
is re-worded as
• describe the production of incoherent light from wide spectrum
light sources, including the Sun, light bulbs, and candles, in
terms of the random thermal motion of valence electrons when
atoms collide
Example of wording changes:
Synchrotron and its applications (Unit 4, Detailed Study 3.1)
The dot point
The dot points in this detailed study
have specified The Australian
Synchrotron.
• describe basic synchrotron design including electron
linac, circular booster, storage ring, beamlines
has become
• describe the basic design of The Australian Synchrotron
including the general purpose of the electron linac (details
about drift tubes and RF cavities are not required),
circular booster, storage ring and beamlines
VCE Physics Study Design 2009––2012
Summary of included/clarified dot points
Unit
Area of Study/
Detailed Study
1
Title
Included/clarified detail
AoS 2
Electricity
‘potential difference’ used instead of ‘voltage’
AoS 1
-circular motion broadened
Motion in
-qualitative description of air resistance in projectile
one and
motion
two
dimensions -apparent weight, apparent weightlessness,
weightlessness
3
AoS 2
Electronics
and
photonics
-‘potential difference’ used instead of ‘voltage drop’
-modulation and demodulation have been elaborated
-thermistor included as circuit component
3
DS 3.3
Further
electronics
the effect of circuit components on ripple voltage has
been made more specific
4
DS 3.1
Synchrotron
specific consideration of The Australian Synchrotron
4
DS 3.2
Photonics
production of incoherent light (from Unit 4, AoS 2)
3
Summary of deleted dot points and/or concepts
Unit
Area of Study/
Detailed Study
1&2
Title
Removed detail
DS 3.4
Investigations: Flight
computer modelling
3
AoS 1
Motion in one and
two dimensions
absolute nature of time and space
3
AoS 2
Electronics and
photonics
‘voltage drop’ has been replaced
with ‘potential difference’
3
AoS 2
Electronics and
photonics
transistor amplifier
AoS 2
Interactions of light
and matter
‘production of incoherent light’ has
been moved to the Photonics
detailed study, Unit 4, DS3.2
4
VCE Physics Study Design 2009–2012 – What’s new?
Errata (refer to March 2008 VCAA VCA, VCAL and VET Bulletin March 2008, No. 57 p. 9)
1.
Unit 3, the second sentence in the second paragraph on page 27 should
read
‘They design and carry out an extended practical
investigation.’
2.
Unit 3, Detailed Study 3.1, the formula in the fifth dot point on page 31
should be:
m = m 0γ
3.
Unit 4, Area of Study 1, the second dot point on page 37 is incomplete.
The dot point should read
‘calculate magnitudes … parallel to each other.’
4.
Unit 4 Area of Study 3, Detailed Study 3.1, the formula in the sixth dot
point on page 40 should be:
qvB = mv2/r
Other errata which may be identified prior to 2009 implementation will be published in the
Bulletin in December 2008.
Working with the VCE Physics Study Design 2009––2012
Learning: alternative student views of Physics concepts
Learning
- may be seen in terms of conceptual development or change,
rather than the accumulation of (often disconnected)
information
- documented alternative views (sometimes called
misconceptions) of physics concepts may be considered
when planning teaching, learning and assessment activities
- students’ conceptual understandings were considered in
revising dot points for the 2009-2012 Physics Study Design
References: 1. For resources on identifying and overcoming stuents’
misconceptions refer to
http://www.education.monash.edu/research/groups/smte/projects/cups/
2. DEECD’s Science continuum includes information about alternative ideas held
by students and contrasts these views with the scientific view. Example http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/science/
scicontinuum/l6newton.htm#1 looks at Newtonian forces and motion
Learning: research
Longitudinal research studies in the area of
students’ alternative views conclude that
alternative views about specific concepts in
Physics have persisted.
• What are the difficulties in changing students’
views about Physics concepts?
• How can the research findings about students’
alternative views be applied more effectively in the
classroom?
Working with the VCE Physics Study Design 2009––2012
Addressing alternative student views of Physics concepts
When working with the VCE Physics Study Design to
develop teaching, learning and assessment programs,
teachers should consider:
- What are the prior conceptions and attitudes held by
students? (research/ pre-testing)
- How can the research about students’ ‘alternative views’
be utilised in planning curriculum?
- Which teaching strategies may be helpful in modifying
students’ alternative views related to specific concepts?
- What are the intellectual and emotional demands
involved for students to develop or change their
identified views?
Working with the VCE Physics Study Design 2009-2012
Flexibility of curriculum design (1 of 2 slides)
The VCE Physics Study Design provides a variety of
opportunities for planning for individualised student learning:
- choice of one of six Detailed Studies in each of Units 1
and 2
- combine specific Areas of Study 1 or 2 with appropriate
Detailed Studies to develop thematic approaches to the
study of Physics related to student interests e.g. issues
related to nuclear power, sustainability, medical
technology
- teach multiple Detailed Studies in the one class
- develop key skills in a variety of contexts, sequenced
appropriately for the needs of students and allowing
teachers to best use available school resources
Working with the VCE Physics Study Design 2009-2012
Flexibility of curriculum design (2 of 2 slides)
- develop employability skills which may be relevant to
particular learning and assessment activities, and which
may assist students in determining preferred career
pathways
- use multiple assessment formats (appropriate to students’
learning styles) to determine students’ prior views
(diagnostic assessment) and monitor development
(formative assessment) of conceptual understanding, in
addition to summative assessment
- utilise human and other resources external to the school
- investigate possibilities for specialist delivery of study
design content (in schools having multiple Physics
teachers at one year level or who have formed a network
with Physics teachers in nearby schools)
Working with the VCE Physics Study Design 2009-2012
Curriculum design: Case study – topic selection
Selection of topics
When planning for Unit 2, a Physics teacher
decided to combine ‘Motion’ with ‘Medical Physics’.
In particular, the teacher felt that this combination
would appeal to students who:
• were interested in sport and sports injuries
• intended to pursue further interests in the
medical sciences
Working with the VCE Physics Study Design 2009-2012
Curriculum design: Case study – stimulus material
Stimulus material included
• newspaper articles which referred to a broad range of
motion and impact injuries
• statistics related to the nature and frequency of sports
injuries
• advertisements for new sporting equipment and materials
for improved performance
• X-ray, CT, MRI and PET images related to sports injuries
• case study – rehabilitation after injury: medical imaging as
a diary of progress
Working with the VCE Physics Study Design 2009-2012
Curriculum design: Case study – topic sequence
The teacher planned a sequence of lessons involving:
• use of the stimulus materials
• POE (predict, observe, explain) activities related to motion in
sport to explore student views about motion
• selected key knowledge related to sport and impact (dot
points 1 to 9 and 14 to 18 in study design)
 selected relevant key skills (from page 12 of the study
design) which support understanding and application of key
knowledge
• pre-organised visit to hospital to look at medical imaging in
situ: different perspectives e.g. radiographer/doctor/patient
• appropriate assessment as, of and for learning, including the
opportunity for students to study their selected sport in more
detail
Working with the VCE Physics Study Design 2009-2012
Curriculum design: Case study – considerations
In determining topic sequence and selection, the
teacher considered:
•student interests
•student prior knowledge and skills, including
mathematical capacity
•availability of school resources
•availability of external resources: human, physical,
educational programs and facilities
•dealing with possible sensitivities to topics
selected
Acknowledgments
Australian Institute of Physics (Vic Branch)
Education Committee
Science Teachers Association of Victoria (STAV)
Contact Details
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
(VCAA)
Website: www.vcaa.vic.edu.au
Maria James, Curriculum Manager – Science
Ph: (03) 9651 4655
[email protected]
Kris Allen, Examinations Project Manager
Ph: (03) 9225 2356
[email protected]