2022年3月23日晚19:00-20:30,北京师范大学SSI-L项目团队在腾讯会议室举行在线视频会议,会议邀请美国内华达大学雷诺分校的柯立博士、助理教授进行以《社会性科学议题和新冠疫情》为主题的讲座。讲座内容包含了社会性科学议题 (SSI) 教学模型、围绕新冠疫情SSI教学的具体案例、讨论交流三大部分。会议由SSI-L项目组负责人、北京师范大学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老师主持。会议主要内容纪要如下:
1.社会性科学议题 (SSI) 教学模型
社会性科学议题(SSI)教学模型主要由六个元素围绕其展开,分别是:第一,探寻科学现象与概念,为SSI找到合适的切入点,将议题细化放在情境中;第二,参与科学建模,学生需要完成科学模型的开发、使用、评价以及修正活动,在这种科学实践中加深、巩固对科学知识的理解和运用;第三,考虑主题系统动态,SSI是复杂问题,涉及众多知识,学生需要整合这些碎片化的、不同学科的知识,从系统的角度把知识概念与议题结合在一起;第四,媒体和信息素养,SSI一般是较新、较热门的话题,其科学知识在不断更新突破,学生需要检索信息、甄别哪些信息有用;第五,对比多种观点,学生需要考量不同的利益相关群体,站在不同的立场思考,形成对议题体系的复杂认识;第六,阐明自己的立场,学生需要阐明自己的立场或提出问题的解决方案,并通过一定的证据来捍卫自己的立场、解释依据什么信息得到这个结论。
在教学过程中,这六大元素并没有固定的顺序,而是根据议题内容,将其有机的结合在一起。一般而言,探寻科学现象与概念会放在SSI教学活动的最前面,对比多种观点、阐明自己的立场对学生的要求比较高,适宜放在靠后的活动中。
2.围绕新冠疫情SSI教学的具体案例
柯立博士以新冠疫情的SSI为例,讨论了其中的教学设计。新冠疫情涉及到很多科学知识,具有科学性、时效性、争议性。柯立博士分别分享了美国和中国的一个案例。
在美国的案例中:第一,绘制概念图、因果关系图,做基于netlogo软件的多主体模型模拟,了解新冠传播的规律,第二,搜索有关新冠的信息并评价其时效性、可靠性、权威性、立场目的,第三,通过案例介绍了种族主义对新冠传播的影响,第四,基于证据写一封政策建议信。
在中国的案例中:第一,课程对应苏科版八年级下生物学第八单元,了解传染病的病因、传播、预防措施,第二,构建免疫系统的模型,了解计划免疫,第三,以马尔代夫为研究对象,让学生自主查阅资料,了解其旅游业、经济与新冠疫情政策的关系,第四,通过绘制因果图、角色扮演等形式,从文化、经济、政治、科学、宗教多角度分析新冠对当地的影响以及可能的应对措施。
3.讨论交流
参会的老师们踊跃提问,分别就SSI如何选定情境和案例、如何评价学生、如何设计和实现模型、如何改进课程设计等向柯立博士作提问,柯立博士给出了许多参考性建议。最后,林静老师希望柯立博士后续能与SSI-L团队多多合作交流,协同致力于提升中小学生科学素养。
From 19:00 to 20:30 on the evening of March 23, 2022, the SSI-L project team of Beijing Normal University held an online video conference via Tencent Rooms. We invited Dr. Ke Li, assistant professor from the University of Nevada, Reno, to deliver a lecture on SSI Learning issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. The lecture included three parts: SSI teaching model, specific cases of SSI teaching on the COVID-19 pandemic, and Q&A. The seminar was chaired by Lin Jing, head of the SSI-L project team and director of Science Development Department of Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment for Basic Education Quality at Beijing Normal University. The minutes of this lecture are as follows.
1.SSI teaching model
SSI teaching model is mainly developed around six elements. Those include the first, to explore scientific phenomena and concepts, and to refine the issue within certain contexts to find a suitable entry point for SSI. And second, to participate in scientific modelling. It requires students to complete the development, use, evaluation, and revision of scientific models. Through such scientific practice, it deepens and consolidates their understanding and application of scientific knowledge. Third, to consider the subject’s system dynamics. SSI are complex issues involving a great deal of knowledge. Students need to integrate fragmented knowledge from different disciplines, and systematically combine concepts with specific issues. Fourth, media and information literacy. In general, SSI are more nuanced and debated issues, around which the scientific knowledge is constantly evolving and ground-breaking. Students are supposed to retrieve information and identify which part is useful. Fifth, to compare different perspectives. Students need to consider different stakeholders, think from different positions, and develop a complex understanding of the issue system. Sixth, to justify one’s own position. Students need to clarify their own position or propose a solution to problems, and defend their position with evidence, and explain their conclusion on what ground.
In teaching, these six elements have no fixed order, but are organically intertwined based on the content of the issue. Generally speaking, the exploration of scientific phenomena and concepts will be placed at the forefront of SSI teaching activities, and comparing different perspectives, justifying one’s own position in the later activities as the requirements are relatively higher.
2.Specific cases of SSI teaching on the COVID-19 pandemic
Dr. Ke Li took the COVID-19 pandemic as an example and discussed the SSI teaching design. The COVID-19 pandemic involves great amount of scientific knowledge, which is of great scientificity, time-effectiveness and controversy. Dr. Ke Li shared the cases from the United States and China respectively.
In the US case: first, to draw a conceptual map and a causal relationship diagram, make a multi-agent model simulation based on netlogo software, and understand the spread pattern of novel coronavirus; second, to search for information of COVID-19 and evaluate its time-effectiveness, reliability, authority, and purpose of positions; third, to introduce the COVID impact on racism through cases; and fourth, to write a policy recommendation letter based on evidence.
In the Chinese case: first, the course corresponds to the eighth unit of Biology, 8th grade, the Jiangsu Science Edition, in understanding the etiology, transmission, and preventive measures of infectious diseases; second, to build a immune system model and understand planned immunization; third, to take the Maldives as research object, encourage students to independently look up information and understand the relationship between its tourism, economy and COVID policy; fourth, to analyse the local impact of COVID-19 and the possible responses from the perspectives of culture, economy, politics, science and religion, by means of causal relationship diagrams, role-playing and other forms.
3.Q&A
Teachers participating in this seminar actively raised questions to Dr. Ke Li on how to select contexts and cases on SSI issues, how to evaluate students, how to design and implement models, and how to improve curriculum design. Dr. Ke Li provided many referential suggestions. In the end, Ms. Lin Jing hoped that Dr. Ke Li could have more cooperation and exchanges with the SSI-L team in the future, and work together to improve the scientific literacy of primary and secondary school students.