TAN Kok Siang

Learning in the 21st century is focused on information management and students are expected to be developed as inquiry learners instead of just knowledge gatherers. As inquiry learners, they have to be observant, for example when conducting experiments in the laboratory, and to make use of information to solve or complete science-related problems or tasks. Traditionally, science practical skills are assessed through single-session laboratory-based examinations and students are prepared through drill-and-practice strategies. However, school systems around the world today have chosen to adopt course-based science practical assessment which assesses students on their abilities to identify and select appropriate hands-on skills when conducting laboratory experiments. Thus, there is a need to help students prepare for this change in practical assessment format and one established way is the use of scaffolding strategies. Although scaffolding is a tried and tested method to help students master new knowledge and skills in many school subjects, its effectiveness in school science practical work has not been thoroughly investigated. This paper reports some of the current work done in Singapore schools where the use of scaffolding strategies in preparing students for school-based practical assessment is being studied. The findings from these studies are significantly positive and do indicate the potential of scaffolding strategies in helping students become more motivated and skilful in science practical work.

Curricular changes in secondary school science lead schools to introduce more reflective practices in the form of project work, portfolio assessment, inquiry-based activities and creative-critical thinking components in classroom or laboratory pedagogy. This paper reviews some of the trends and practices in the science classroom, particularly in the learning of experimental science. The discussion includes a sharing of reflective practices by in the teaching of science and reflective learning opportunities for students in preparation for them to be life long learners in society. Examples of teaching strategies and experiences gleaned from classroom and professional training practices will also be shared.

In classrooms, science is usually taught within the cognitive domain while the psychomotor learning domain is achieved through performing science experiments in the laboratory. Although students attend civic and moral education and pastoral care classes where values and life skills are often taught directly, learning experiences in most school subjects such as science are still centred on preparing for high stakes examinations. It is therefore not surprising that affective domain learning outcomes are often the least considered when teachers plan or conduct their science lessons. This paper is a report on three school-based trial lessons in which students from two Singapore secondary schools were taught science concepts and skills in the usual manner with follow-up reflective activities requiring them to draw from their learning experiences parallel scenarios in their daily lives. The students were taught chemistry topics like reactivity of potassium metal (taught to a secondary 4 normal technical class), sedimentation as a separation technique (taught to a secondary 3 express class), and reaction characteristics of weak and strong acids (taught to a secondary 2 express class). At the end of each lesson, students had to discuss, reflect and respond to an everyday event or scenario which has characteristics similar to the chemistry topic or skill they had just learnt. This cognitive-affective integrative teaching approach aims to help students surface important values, positive social habits or effective life skills. Although this is not a research project but an exemplary teaching practice, observations of students' reflective responses to the tasks and feedback on learning experiences frotn students and teachers show great potential for this teaching approach to be a possible way in helping raise the profile of affective learning objectives in school science lessons.

Key to renewed concern on the affective domain of education (Fensham, 2007) and on school graduates’ readiness for a world of work (DEST, 2006; WDA, 2006) is the student’s inclination-to-reflect when engaged in a learning or problem-solving task. Reflective learning and assessment are not new to education (Dewey, 1933; Ellis, 2001). Since the inclination-to-reflect may not be strong even for adults at work (Seibert & Daudelin, 1999), what more can educators expect from school students? This paper presents part of a research on secondary school students’ inclination-to-reflect while engaged in chemistry learning tasks. The instrument used is the three-part Chemistry Learning and Thinking Instrument, or CLTI. The first part seeks to characterize students’ inclination-to-reflect while attempting chemistry learning tasks and the other parts aim to characterize their learningthinking preferences in the subject. This paper shares the construction of the learning tasks and how students’ reflective responses to these tasks are encouraged, scored and analyzed. Since assessment is said to drive teaching and learning, an alternative form of assessment, such as these CLTI items, may help students become more reflective in their learning habits and hence more adaptable to the world of work.

The classroom is a second home to students. Unless students have a comfortable and secure learning environment, they may develop learning problems. The preference of seat location of 22 Secondary 5 (Normal) Science students were sought. Three factors were found to have influenced the choice of seats - physical location of seats, personal habits and peer influence. Four target students were also identified for observation. The frequencies of their off-task behaviours were then related to their seating positions. Results show that seat location does contribute to students' classroom learning problems. A knowledge of seat preference will help teachers manage and counsel students' seat-related problems.