S4 Changing Matter Elementary Science Task

<h3>Project Overview</h3>
In this four-year project called Developing Preservice Elementary Teachers' Ability to Facilitate Goal-Oriented Discussions in Science and Mathematics via the Use of Simulated Classroom Interactions (GO Discuss), Educational Testing Service and Mursion developed, piloted, and validated a set of performance-based tasks delivered within a simulated classroom environment in order to improve preservice elementary teachers’ ability to orchestrate discussions. These tasks provided opportunities for preservice teachers in science and mathematics to facilitate discussions with five upper elementary student avatars (fifth grade) where the focus is on disciplinary argumentation within two content domains: fractions (mathematics) and structure/properties of matter (science). The overall goal of this research was to develop a validity basis for the use of such tools as formative assessment tasks that can be integrated within educator preparation programs to increase the amount, variety, and quality of clinical practice opportunities currently available to preservice elementary teachers.<br><p>

<p>For this project, we developed eight performance-based tasks, four in mathematics and four in science, designed to be used by pre-service elementary teachers as they practice leading classroom discussions in the simulated classroom. Each task provides a scenario and specific details about the discussion, including the student learning goal, students’ background information, and what happened prior to the discussion. We also included the student work related to the mathematics problem or science investigation that was the focus within that task and a summary of important things that we wanted the pre-service elementary teachers to notice about the student work. <br>

<p>This specific data project includes materials for one elementary science task called Changing Matter. In this task, students in small groups mixed together different combinations of substances and determined whether each combination produced a new substance. The pre-service teacher leads a discussion on the various claims each group made about whether new substances were formed and the types of evidence that can support or refute the students’ claims. Materials for pre-service teachers, resources for teacher educators, including sample videos, and task-specific simulation specialist training materials are included.<br>

<p>For a complete description of the broader “Go Discuss” project, including a list of files for each task, as well as to read the detailed Terms of Use, please start by reading the <a href="https://doi.org/10.5064/F6QPV2QK/5PLNNH">Data Overview</a> file. Some files appear in different formats with identical content. This is intentional. ETS wants to encourage adaptation of the deposited materials (which might be easier to implement in Word documents), but also wants to ensure that images and math notations are rendered correctly for secondary users (best preserved in PDF).

<h3>项目概况</h3>
本项目为期四年，全称为“通过模拟课堂互动培养职前小学教师开展科学与数学学科导向性讨论的能力”（GO Discuss）。教育考试服务中心（Educational Testing Service，以下简称ETS）与Mursion共同开发、试点并验证了一套基于表现的任务（performance-based tasks），该任务依托模拟课堂环境开展，旨在提升职前小学教师组织课堂讨论的能力。此类任务为科学与数学学科的职前教师提供了与五位五年级小学高年级学生虚拟形象开展讨论的实践机会，讨论聚焦两大内容领域的学科论证：数学学科的分数，以及科学学科的物质结构与属性。本研究的总体目标是为这类工具作为形成性评估任务（formative assessment tasks）的应用构建效度依据，此类任务可整合至教师培养项目中，以增加当前职前小学教师可获得的临床实践机会的数量、类型与质量。<br><p>

<p>本项目共开发了八项基于表现的任务，数学与科学学科各四项，供职前小学教师在模拟课堂中练习主持课堂讨论使用。每项任务均包含讨论场景与具体细节，包括学生学习目标、学生背景信息，以及讨论开展前的相关情况。我们还提供了与该任务聚焦的数学问题或科学探究相关的学生作业，以及职前小学教师需重点关注的学生作业要点总结。<br>

<p>本专属数据项目包含一项名为“物质变化”的小学科学任务所需的全部材料。在该任务中，学生以小组为单位混合不同物质组合，并判断每种组合是否生成了新物质。职前教师需主持一场讨论，围绕各小组关于是否生成新物质的主张，以及可支撑或驳斥学生主张的各类证据展开。材料涵盖供职前教师使用的资源、供教师教育者使用的资源（包括示例视频），以及针对该任务的模拟课堂专家培训材料。<br>

<p>如需完整了解“GO Discuss”整体项目，包括每项任务的文件清单，以及查阅详细的使用条款，请首先阅读<a href="https://doi.org/10.5064/F6QPV2QK/5PLNNH">数据概况</a>文件。部分文件以不同格式呈现但内容一致，此设计为有意为之。ETS希望便于大家改编所提交的材料（Word文档更便于使用），同时也希望确保图像与数学公式可被二级用户正确渲染（PDF格式可最佳保留此类内容）。