K-12 Education
Research Skill Development (RSD) in Schools resources are in development, so we are interested in how you might use them or adapt them.
Contact John Willison if you are interested in piloting RSD resources in a school context.
Browse by education sector
The RSD has been adapted to fit the early childhood education context.
Example 1: Research Mountain
Example one is by Marsha Seebohm from Elizabeth North primary school, who wrote 'Research Mountain', based on the six facets of the RSD.
Listen to the audio of the Research Mountain song below:
Example 2: One, Two, What do I do?
Example two is One, Two, What do I do? based on the nursery rhyme, 'One, Two, Buckle My Shoe', and adapted by John Willison to mirror the facets of the RSD.
It’s early days of use of this framework, and we’re interested in collaborating with teachers who may choose to use these examples, or to adapt the RSD in their own way. If you are interested in piloting the RSD resources, contact John Willison.
Classroom resources
writE Science Sheets for Primary School
writE stands for "writing and reading integrated with talking about experiments".
writE Science texts are intended to drive students from merely hands-on experiences to minds-on experiences as well. The worksheets are always well-structured, in a way that students can attack the text to extract meaning in hierarchical note form. Each writE activity requires all the facets of research represented in the Research Skill Development Framework and is structured to allow you to differentiate your classroom. Learners who are progressing well through a sequence of writE Science worksheets may be encouraged to forgo some early activities and to engage explicitly with the RSD facets in the pentagon version.
Primary
- Research Mountain 1, 2, What do I do? pentagon
- 3-level RSD framework for Primary Schools
- Active Cognitive Engagement (ACE) pentagon
- Active Cognitive Engagement (ACE) framework
- IF? Investigating Framework for Primary School (teachers’ matrix; draft)
- IF? Investigating Framework for Primary School (teachers’ matrix; draft)
- IF? Investigating Framework for Primary School (students’ pentagon; draft)
- IF? Investigating Framework for Primary School (students’ pentagon; draft)
Classroom Resources
writE Science Sheets for Year 8
writE stands for "writing and reading integrated with talking about experiments".
writE Science texts are intended to drive students from merely hands-on experiences to minds-on experiences as well. The worksheets are always well-structured, in a way that students can attack the text to extract meaning in hierarchical note form. Each writE activity requires all the facets of research represented in the Research Skill Development Framework and is structured to allow you to differentiate your classroom. Learners who are progressing well through a sequence of writE Science worksheets may be encouraged to forgo some early activities and to engage explicitly with the RSD facets in the pentagon version.
- Safety in the Laboratory
- Observation
- Inference
- Hypothesis
- Muddy Mixtures and Salty Solutions
- Metal Reactivity Experiment
- Variables
- Copper Sulfate Experiment
- Bicarbonate of Soda Experiment
- Design Your Own Seed Experiment
Frameworks
Secondary
- RSD for Year 10 Distance Education (Sarah Creeper)
- RSD Pentagon
- RSD Pentagon without descriptions
- Scientific Method Design Template
- Discovery Learning Skills for High School Students (teachers’ matrix; draft)
- Discovery Learning Skills for High School Students (teachers’ matrix; draft)
- Discovery Learning Skills for High School Students (students’ pentagon; draft)
- Discovery Learning Skills for High School Students (students’ pentagon; draft)
Please contact Dr John Willison if you know of any other research skill development resources for schools, or would like to add a reciprocal link to the RSD website on your own site.
- I-MELT schooling papers:
Papers from the 2017 International Conference on Models of Engaged Learning and Teaching (Adelaide) addressing the use of MELT in the context of primary and secondary schooling, as well as teacher training. - Oakland Schools' Independence Continuum:
A framework designed to address the needs of students and teachers in years 6-12, based on the RSD's levels of autonomy.