2022年1月12日晚7:30-9:00，SSI-L项目初中组在腾讯会议室举行在线研讨活动，共议两所学校的议题设计。会议由初中学段负责人张涛老师主持，学科指导专家、基地校联络人与各校骨干教师参与了本次研讨。
山东省威海市望海园中学的李瑜老师分享了本校新议题“新能源汽车能否完全取代燃油汽车？”的设计和开展情况。该议题源自于学生之间的谈话，与学生日常生活密切相关。项目团队基于前期的资料分析完成了星形图设计，并基于各学科课标设计了相应活动。目前，学生已完成前四个活动，基本了解议题相关的背景知识，并自己动手制作发电机。团队拟在寒假期间持续开展活动，通过参加车展等方式开展调研并收集数据，为下学期的活动打下基础。
山西省临汾市解放路学校的吉青青老师指出该议题贴近学生生活，且是社会关注的争议性问题。议题星形图设计较为全面且深入，活动也富有新意，很期待接下来的活动开展。
张涛老师指出，望海园中学的选题符合社会性科学议题学习的基本特征，也是一个现实存在的问题。同时，张涛老师建议团队进一步聚焦、缩小议题，可以将原先较宏大的议题转变为“家里的燃油车是否要换成新能源汽车”，且活动设计需要进一步详细规划，明确每个活动在整体教学中发挥的作用。
浙江省杭州市余杭区仁和中学的高敏娜老师分享了本校议题“是否安装光伏电板？”的设计情况。该议题同样来源于学生的具体生活，目前项目团队已完成星形图和具体的活动方案设计。在活动中，学生将首先了解议题相关的背景知识，随后将分为五个小组分别针对该议题社会、科学、环保、经济和政策五个方面在当地展开调研，并基于调研情况做出选择并展开辩论。最终，学生将基于所学内容向当地政府或民众写一份倡议书，以将学习内容落实到现实生活。
山西省太原市尖草坪区实验中学校的张岚老师认为该议题较为聚焦，各科教师的分工明确，计划详细。同时，张老师指出该议题目前缺乏争议点，建议团队结合杭州当地的天气情况，提出该议题背景下具体的争议性问题。
张涛老师指出，虽然仁和中学加入项目时间较短，但已开展议题的选择和设计工作，且分组研究各维度的组织方式值得借鉴。张涛老师同样指出，争议性是SSI的突出特征之一，SSI-L活动中往往需要放大议题的争议点，以促进学生的议论。该议题的争议点需要团队进一步思考并明确。
彭梦华老师肯定了两个议题的选择都比较好。针对望海园中学的议题，彭老师指出虽然国家目前大力推广新能源汽车，但目前新能源汽车的制造还存在很多技术难题，并未达成完全的环保，且相比于燃油车售价更高，在科学和生活的角度均存在很强的争议性，彭老师建议该议题需要进一步结合家庭生活实际，避免将议题做得过大。针对余杭区仁和中学的议题，彭老师指出太阳能目前受到社会的重视，该议题具有很强的现实价值，太阳能具有经济、环保等诸多优点，但是也存在一定技术缺陷，且需要结合当地的实际气候情况进行选择。彭老师鼓励两所学校将议题深入研究下去，可以设计形式多样的实验和调研活动，以促进学生素养的全面发展。
于晓雅老师针对SSI-L活动的设计工作提出了三点建议：其一是各校需要充分领会专家建议的内涵，并落实到议题设计的改进上，体现出议题设计工作的“螺旋上升”；其二是需要在活动设计的基础上进一步重视活动的可行性问题；其三是教师团队需要对议题相关的领域知识具有深入理解，并整理相应的资料提供给学生阅读，以设计深入、有趣的议题学习活动。
SSI-L项目负责人、中国基础教育质量监测协同创新中心科学提升部主任林静对今晚的研讨内容做出总结。首先，林老师建议各校教师团队学习网站已公开的SSI-L项目资料，借鉴与反思团队已有经验，避免重蹈一些歧义理解，提升项目研究与实施质量。其次，林老师对两个议题进行了针对性点评。林老师指出两个议题都具有很高的科学价值，但是议题的立意需要再进一步提升。针对望海园中学的议题，林老师指出教师团队需要考虑当地的具体政策要求，可以进一步从政府、企业、环保人士等多角度思考该议题的立意，先确定议题的立意和顶层设计，再设计具体活动；针对余杭区仁和中学的议题，林老师指出SSI-L的顺利开展需要以跨学科的教研团队为基础，以促进跨学科融合式的学习，避免“拼盘式”的学习模式，同时需要避免将SSI-L做成单纯的科学探究活动。最后，林老师进一步指出，“议”是SSI-L的核心，学生站在多个角度，考虑多方利益后提出一个折中方案时，他们的综合素养也得到了提升。在SSI-L中，教师也需要站在学生的角度思考，以设计更适于学生卷入并展开议论的SSI-L活动。
本次研讨对两个议题的设计和开展提出了切实建议，并在此基础上深入分析了SSI-L开展中所需要注意的普遍性问题，为本学期初中学段的研讨工作画上了圆满的句号。希望在新的一年里，各校教师能够再接再厉，进一步提升对SSI-L的认识，设计更加深入且新颖的SSI-L活动。
On January 12, 2022, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm, the junior high school team of the SSI-L project held an online seminar via Tencent Rooms to discuss SSI-L issue design of two schools. The meeting was chaired by Zhang Tao, leader of the junior high school team and attended by discipline guidance experts, contact persons of partner schools, and core members from each school.
Ms. Li Yu, from Wanghaiyuan Middle School in Weihai City, Shandong Province, shared the design and development of the new issue “Can new energy vehicles completely replace petrol-fueled ones?”. This issue stems from conversations in between students and is closely related to their daily lives. The project team completed the star chart design based on the previous data analysis, and designed corresponding activities as per the curriculum standards of various subjects. At present, students have completed the first four activities, gained a basic understanding of the background knowledge around this issue, and made engines by themselves. The team plans to continue SSI Learning activities during the winter holiday, conduct research and collect data by participating in automobile exhibitions, so as to lay the foundation for carrying out activities in the next semester.
Ms. Ji Qingqing of Jiefanglu School in Linfen City, Shanxi Province, pointed out that this project is close to students’ life and a controversial issue of social concern. Star chart design is comprehensive and in-depth. All activities are also innovative. Therefore, she’s looking forward to the coming activities.
Mr. Zhang Tao commented that the issue selection of Wanghaiyuan Middle School is in line with the basic characteristics of SSI-L, and it is also a problem existed for real. Meanwhile he suggested that the team should further focalize and narrow down the issue. The original broader question could be modified to “whether the petrol-fueled vehicle at home should be replaced by a new energy vehicle”. Activity design needs further planning in detail, so as to ensure that each activity plays a part in the overall teaching.
Ms. Gao Minna from Renhe Middle School in Yuhang District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, shared the issue design of “whether to install photovoltaic panels?”. Similarly this issue comes from students’ daily life. At present, the project team has completed star chart design and specific activity plan. Through activities, students will first understand background knowledge. Then they will be divided into five groups to conduct local research on five aspects: society, science, environmental protection, economy, and policy. Based on their fieldwork they will make their decision and have a debate around this issue. In the end, they will write a proposal to the local government or the public based on what they have learned, in order to implement their learning content into real life.
Ms. Zhang Lan from the Experimental Middle School in Jiancaoping District, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, believed that this issue is rather focused, and there is a clear division of labor between teachers of different disciplines, as well as a detailed plans. In the meantime, she pointed out this issue lacks controversial points, and suggested the team should combine local weather conditions in Hangzhou and come up with specific controversial concerns within this context.
Mr. Zhang Tao indicated, although Renhe Middle School joined the project for a short period of time, they have done the selection and design of SSI-L issues, and their organization approach — group research from various dimensions is worth learning from. He also stated that controversy is one of the prominent features of SSI, and SSI-L activities often need to magnify the controversial points to encourage students’ discussion. The controversial points of this issue require further consideration and clarification by the team.
Mr. Peng Menghua affirmed that the choice of the two issues is good. Regarding the issue of Wanghaiyuan Middle School, he pointed out, though the government is currently promoting new energy vehicles, there are still many technical problems in manufacturing these vehicles. Absolute environmental protection hasn’t been achieved yet, and the selling price is higher than petrol-fueled vehicles. There is a strong controversy from the perspectives of both science and everyday life. Therefore, he suggested that this issue should be further integrated with the reality of family life, to avoid making it too broad. As for the issue of Renhe Middle School in Yuhang District, he pointed out that solar energy is currently being valued by the society, so the issue has strong practical value. Solar energy has many advantages such as being economical and environment friendly. But it also has certain technical defects, and the choice needs to be combined with local climate. Mr. Peng encouraged the two schools to conduct in-depth research on the two issues, and design various forms of experiments and research activities to promote the all-round development of students’ literacy.
Ms. Yu Xiaoya put forward three suggestions for the design of SSI-L activities. First, each school needs to fully understand and implement the implications of experts’ suggestions when improving their issue design, and thus display a “spiral uplift” of SSI-L issue design. Second, it is necessary to pay more attention to feasibility based on activity design. Third, the teaching team needs to have a deeper understanding of the issue-related domain knowledge, organize the corresponding materials for students to read, and further design in-depth and interesting SSI Learning activities.
Lin Jing, head of the SSI-L project and director of the Science Promotion Office of the Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment for Basic Education Quality at Beijing Normal University, made a summary of the discussion. First of all, she suggested that both teams should study the SSI-L project information that has been published on the website, learn from and reflect on their existing experience, avoid repeating some ambiguous understandings, and improve the quality of project research and implementation. Secondly, she made targeted comments on the two issues. It was pointed out that both issues are of high scientific value, but the conceptual value needs to be further improved. In regard to the issue of Wanghaiyuan Middle School, she pointed out that the teaching team should take into account the specific local policy requirements, and further consider the conception of the issue from the perspectives of the government, enterprises, environmentalists, etc. The team should first determine the concepts and top-level design of the issue, and then design specific activities. In response to the issue of Renhe Middle School in Yuhang District, she indicated that the smooth implementation of SSI-L project needs to be based on an interdisciplinary teaching and research team, in order to promote interdisciplinary integrated learning and avoid the “plattery” learning model. At the same time, it is necessary to avoid making SSI-L a pure scientific inquiry activity. In the end, she further commented that “discussion” is the core of SSI-L. When students consider the interests of multiple parties and come up with a compromise plan from multiple perspectives, their comprehensive literacy will also be improved. In SSI-L project, teachers need to think from students’ perspective so as to design SSI-L activities that are more suitable for students to engage and discuss.
This seminar put forward practical suggestions for the design and development of the two issues. On such basis, it further analyzed some general problems that need paying attention to in the development of SSI-L. It also drew a successful conclusion for the middle school SSI-L project discussion of this semester. It is hoped that in the new year, teachers of all partner schools can make continuing efforts to further enhance their understanding of SSI-L and design more in-depth and novel SSI-L activities.