Suite Science Practices: Investigations

I have been slowly trying to implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into my classroom. Our new Wisconsin State Science Standards were designed with the NGSS in mind. They align very well. So please forgive me if my language focuses on the NGSS in this post.

In a previous post I discussed tools for dealing with models in science class. This post will focus on Planning and Carrying Out Investigations.

As the name indicates, there are two major components to this practice 1) planning investigations 2) conducting investigations. Before looking closer at each aspect, we need to look at the purpose of investigations in science and engineering. To quote the practice according to Appendix F of the Next Generation Science Standards:

Scientific investigations may be undertaken to describe a phenomenon, or to test a theory or model for how the world works. The purpose of engineering investigations might be to find out how to fix or improve the functioning of a technological system or to compare different solutions to see which best solves a problem. Whether students are doing science or engineering, it is always important for them to state the goal of an investigation, predict outcomes, and plan a course of action that will provide the best evidence to support their conclusions. Students should design investigations that generate data to provide evidence to support claims they make about phenomena. Data are not evidence until used in the process of supporting a claim. Students should use reasoning and scientific ideas, principles, and theories to show why data can be considered evidence.
NGSS Lead States. (2013). Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (insert specific section title(s) being used if not referring to entirety of the NGSS). Retrieved from http://www.nextgenscience.org/

Planning an Investigation

There are a few key aspects the standards highlight when planning an investigation. Rather than looking at each one in isolation, I’d like to point out how different tools could be used to walk through the planning process. The key aspects embedded in the standards are the investigations should be planned individually & collaboratively. Manipulated, measured, and controlled variables should be identified as a part of planning an investigation. When designing a procedure, learners should address how data will be collected across multiple trials. I’m sure there are many other tools that could be used for this process. Please let me know. I’d love to hear about them!

Planning with Google Docs

Google Docs is well beloved because the are collaborative and free. So, let’s start here. When students could be working individually on a doc or have a shared doc within their group to collaborate on when designing a procedure. When designing a procedure in docs, the use of drawings is essential in communicating out a procedure. Within drawings, students can then insert and annotate images to give a better idea of their intended set-up for the lab. 

Once variables have been identified and a mode of data collection has been identified, creation of a data or observation section will help students be more concrete about the data they will be collecting. An easy thing to set up for collecting and reporting out qualitative or quantitative observations is table will make it easier to input data. Google Sheets may be a better way to collect data if it quantitative. But it may be easier to have students create a table in docs and then paste the data into sheets later.

Planning with Google Slides

Much like Google Docs, Google Slides is a powerful tool for collaboration. But I think it can do even more in terms of providing multiple ways to communicate a procedure. Like Docs, students can add text to describe a procedure. But I like how images and drawing are better integrated in slides. Images imported could be clipart students use to create a diagram or photos/scans of hand drawings.
In addition, students can record video to help illustrate a procedure and insert it. Video doesn’t just have to be for procedures. It can also be a part of observations recorded during the experimentation. With the new ability to insert audio into slides, now students could add an image or drawing and narrate their procedure.

Planning with Jamboard

Google Jamboard is a collaborative whiteboard that is housed in Google Drive. Students have the ability to draw, insert images, and add text notes. Since the drawing is freehand, it might be best used on touchscreen devices. But it allows learners to quickly sketch out their ideas in written text and visuals. Students have the ability to add frames. This means that instead of writing a traditional numbered procedure list, students could create a storyboard walking through the steps of the process. 

Planning with Pear Deck

Another tool that allows for text and drawing is Pear Deck. While it might not be considered a traditional tool in lab reports, it can be helpful in the planning process. Students can be presented with a variety of different questions as the relate to an experimental situation to respond to

• What is the independent variable? (drawing or text slide)
• What is the dependent variable? (drawing or text slide)
• What are some variables that would need to be controlled? (drawing or text slide)
• What tools could be used to collect data in this experiment? (drawing or text slide)
• What would a sample data table look like for this experiment? Drawing Slide
• Outline a simple procedure to complete this experiment? (drawing or text slide)

Even a simple prediction of how variables affect each other is a simple question that could be put to students using Pear Deck. Check out the Critical Thinking Slide Templates here.

Chemix

Chemix is another tool students can use to create visual procedures. It is most applicable to chemistry labs. Students can add different types of equipment to their canvas. From there they can customize sizes, shape, and color. In addition they can add labels to provide instructions. These canvases can then be exported as images. Learn more at chemix.org.

Individual vs Collaborative

A key aspect to this science practice is being able to plan an investigation as an individual or collaboratively. Google Docs, Slides, and Jamboard are very easy to view as individual or collaborative based on sharing settings. When looking at Pear Deck, each student is working on their own version of the slide. The collaborative nature of the process could be discussing in small group as they answer the prompt. But, Pear Deck makes more sense as a collaborative tool when working as a large group. That takes us into a more evaluative phase.

Evaluate Methods

The standards do not stop at students being able to design a procedure, they are also asked to be able to evaluate a procedure. Pear Deck is a great tool to have a class discussion around a proposed procedure. With Pear Deck, the teacher can present proposed student procedures without having to display names. Then the class can provide feedback on those. The great thing about the feedback is that it can also be provided without students having to raise their hands.
In Google Docs or Slides, Once the students have completed their procedure and created a place to collect data. It’s a good time to get some feedback from their peers. With docs, students could simply share out the link and allow people with the link to comment. With this setting, peers will only be able to provide feedback via comments and not actually edit the groups work.
In Google Slides, teachers could share a presentation with all students and assign students or groups of students to a specific slide to work on. Once students have completed designing the procedure on their slide, the teacher could then use Pear Deck to present the slides with each slide having a text response interaction. This would allow for an easy workflow to provide peer feedback on student designed procedures.
Flipgrid is another great tool that allows students to provide & receive feedback on experimental design. Teachers could start with a single grid topic addressing a proposed experiment. Students could work individually or collaboratively to post a video to Flipgrid explaining their proposed procedure. The level of detail or focus would be up to the teacher. Students could speak directly to the camera, narrate over a sketch they drew, or even record a demonstration of the procedure visually. 

Once the video is posted to Flipgrid, students could provide replies evaluating the procedure in terms of strengths or areas for improvement. Beyond that, I could envision students posting an intentionally incomplete or incorrect procedure and asking others to reply with areas for improvement.

Conducting Investigation

The other major aspect of the standard is carrying out the investigation. While the investigation may take a variety of different forms the key to carrying out an investigation is the ability to collect data. Data collected can be quantitative or qualitative in nature. There are a variety of different tools that allow students to document the observations made while conducting an investigation.

Google Science Journal

Google Science Journal is a fantastic app for collecting lots of different forms of data using the tools on a smartphone. It works on both Android and iOS devices. It has a very clear GSuite friendly interface. Students can record text observations, take photos as observations, or take sensor data such as acceleration, barometric pressure, light intensity, compass direction, magnetic field, sound frequency, and sound intensity.

Here is some data that I collected using my phone during takeoff and landing on an airplane.

Phyphox

Phyphox is a free data collection tool available for iOS and Android phones. Although it is not as visually appealing as the Google Science Journal, it has many different applications that use the phone sensors in unique ways.

Vernier Digital Probes & Graphical Analysis

There are several different manufacturers of digital probes for the science classroom. At my school, we use Vernier Probeware. Their line includes probes which can be connected to desktops, laptops, and Chromebooks via usb and bluetooth. Data can then be collected using the free Graphical Analysis app or Graphical Analysis Chrome extension. The Bluetooth setup is easy and is a great way to collect data at a distance or from a moving object. The only downside is that only one sensor can be connected at a time. 

The iOS or Android app can also use the built in sensors on a smartphone or tablet to collect data as well. 

This is some data I took while taking off and landing on a flight. 

The app has the ability to do bestfit curves and analysis as well. 

Taking Photos

In addition to collecting quantitative data, qualitative data is important and may be the only data collected in some experiments. Taking photos is easy enough using the native camera on a device. Also the Google Drive app has a feature that allows for using the camera. This makes it easy to choose a destination folder first and then add media directly when capturing.

It’s one thing to take a photo, it’s even better when that photo can be annotated. Depending on phone usage rules at your school, using Snapchat can be a quick way to allow students to make add annotations to their images. Google Slides is another great annotation tool for images. Just insert an image and use text boxes, lines, and shapes to clarify observations being made. In addition, a teacher could create a slideshow and share it out with all the students having edit rights. Then, each group is assigned a slide or series of slides to post their observations. This is a quick way to create a collaborative set of data for the class. Jamboard is another great way to capture images and annotate them on a smartphone or tablet.

Video

While the native camera and Google Drive can both be used to capture video of an experiment, there are a couple of other ways to document the work so that it could be instantly shared with other. Flipgrid is a great place for learners to record real time observations using video and audio. Setting up a topic for a specific lab is a great way to collect all the observations for a class in one place.
The YouTube app also is a quick way to take and share observations. 

In addition, putting these videos on YouTube or in Google Drive makes it easy to insert them into a Google Slideshow to report out or a Google Site as part of a portfolio.

Collaborative Data Collection

Using Google Slides or Flipgrid are great ways to share visual information. But when sharing quantitative data as a class, there is no better solution that Google Sheets. Sharing a sheet which has space for multiple groups to collect data is a great way to collect a large number of trials and explore different independent variables. In the sheet below, the class was investigating which factor(s) affected the time it takes a pendulum to complete 1 cycle. After collecting potential factors, groups were asked to perform 3 trials looking at a single independent variable. 
Each group was given a different color of cells to complete and all groups entered their data in real time. In the end, we were able to get great results in a relatively short amount of time.

In Pear Deck, the class can submit text responses of wha they observe during an experiment. Then, the class can view and discuss.

Digital Simulations

The practice of designing and carrying out procedures can also be applied to digital simulations. Sites like PhET, offer many simulations that provide a sandbox environment in which students have control over a variety of variables and can monitor results.


Asking students to design and implement investigations in these digital spaces can help learners practice these skills when supplies or time for physical investigations are not available. Students can document their work visually by taking screenshots in addition to completing data tables. Using screenrecording apps like Screencastify, can allow learners to record their work in real time while providing audio narration.