The Engage phase is all about capturing the interest of students.
Engage also:
- Introduces aspects of the scientific concepts under consideration
- Seeks to explore what the students already know about these concepts
- Seeks to establish links between past learning experiences
Engagement activities can be open ended and challenge pre-exisiting conceptualisation for example:
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- Press the palm of your hand flat on a table
- Spread your fingers a little
- Roll your middle finger under your palm so that the first two joints are flat on the table
- While your other fingers are pressed firmly on the table try lifting each one finger independently
- Which finger is impossible to lift?
- Why do you think this is so?
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- Get a glass or plastic cup and a ping pong ball
- Put the ping pong ball into the cup
- Put your lips against the edge of the cup
- With a firm breath blow across the top of the glass
- What did you notice happen?
- Why do you think this happened?
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Engagement can take other forms eg via movies or other multi-media content.
You can also probe the student's understandings for example:
