Die naturwissenschaftsbezogenen Arbeitsweisen im Lehrplan 21

Rekonstruktion einer Typologie aus naturwissenschafts-didaktischer Perspektive

Abstract

Background: Curricula are state-issued instruments of governance in education. They mandate what and to which extent it should be taught and which competencies the students should accomplish. Composing curricula involves experts from diverse branches of schools’ subjects. Necessarily, curricula result to be documents of compromise. Expertise that has been condensed in them is frequently not explicated, and some of the curricula’s governing potentials are forfeited. Teachers may not be able to realize easily the experts’ implicit suggestions. Consequently, they cannot necessarily profit from the experts’ advice to structure their teaching.

The current article aims to reconstruct some of the implicit expertise for a specific aspect of the Swiss German curriculum for the lower secondary level (Lehrplan 21 – referred to as Curriculum in this abstract): namely, its suggested modi of thinking, working, and acting (Denk- Arbeits- und Handlungsweisen – DAH – ‘Modi Operandi’ in this abstract). These are referenced in the context of the subject NMG (Natur, Mensch, Gesellschaft), which covers both natural and social science content and methods.

Purpose: The article suggests that the derived list of Modi Operandi can be organized in a structured typology. In doing so, it proposes that learning individual Modi Operandi is differentially difficult for students depending on a specific Modus Operandi’s locus in the typology. Validating the typology empirically could ultimately lead to improving science education by sketching learning progressions on Modi Operandi which respect the increase of difficulties between individual Modi Operandi.

Design and Methods: The typology is derived theoretically. First, relevant scientific Modi Operandi are identified from the Curriculum and operationalized for the purpose of sketching a typology drawing on current literature from science education research. The typology aims at distinguishing between Modi Operandi by as few criteria as possible. Recent modeling studies on student competences from Austria, Germany and Switzerland inform this approach. Finally, a typology for science-related Modi Operandi of the Curriculum is proposed and the outline for an empirical validation study is developed.

Results: The typology suggests science-related Modi Operandi to be distinctive with regard to: (1) their being invasive or non-invasive, i.e., if objects of study need to be manipulated substantially or not; (2) their approach being holistic or selective; (3) how taxing they are in terms of Cognitive Load, i.e., if they require the handling of numerous items of information at the same time or if teachers provide scaffolding. Concerning criteria (1) and (2), nine science-related Modi Operandi can be clustered into four groups: (I) Reconnaissances (non-invasive, holistic), (II) Explorations (invasive, holistic), (III) Observations (non-invasive, selective), and (IV) Experiments (invasive, selective). Within these groups, further distinctions apply with regard to increasing Cognitive Load.

Conclusions: The typology is meant to form the basis for an empirical validation study that is to investigate empirical difficulties of tasks with year 3–6 students (ages 9–12). The typology will inform item construction. Subsequent analyses of students’ performance data will outline the development of empirical difficulties between individual Modi Operandi. Should the typology prove to be a valid derivation, i.e., should empirical difficulties manifest in the hypothesized way, this could form the basis for developing learning progressions that align with students’ potentials. This, in turn, could greatly contribute to the development of science education at the lower secondary level.