Students working in pairs

Part 2. Students working in pairs

After the whole class demonstration, the students were asked to work in pairs and design their fish (Figure 3.2). Below are extracts from the discussion of one group of students that was video recorded.

Jessica I bet you mine isn’t gonna last five minutes. Oh, what’s going on? Where’s he gone? Liam

Give him food, he’s going crazy. He is going crazy. He’s getting really thin.

54 What does the research tell us?

Teacher [in background] One minute thirty seconds. Well done Marcus. Fantastic. Sunita

Give him some food! Liam

No let him go. When our fish dies . . . Sunita

. . . Don’t die! We gotta beat people. [. . .] Sunita

It’s going, it’s going for two minutes. Two minutes Miss. Teacher Fantastic. Jessica

I know I am. Teacher What do you think is very good about this fish? Liam

This is Sabah’s fish. Teacher What do you think is good about your fish? Jessica

It’s because, I can’t remember. I think it’s shy.

Liam It’s at the top of the tank . . . Sunita

. . . so he gets more food. Teacher So if you can’t remember what should you have done? [. . .] Teacher I’ve given you a piece of paper because lots of you have

created fantastic fish and you’ve got over four minutes. But you’re not recording, first of all what was your prediction – what did you think was going to make a good fish and also then what type of fish you’ve created. Was it shy, was it fierce? And more importantly now, what are the conditions you are giving to your fish to try and make sure it’s got a long life. So I want you to jot down some of your learning that is happening. OK?

. . . 4 minutes 30.

[. . .] Sunita

Jessica Oh no. Mine’s trying to eat a shark. What’s wrong with it.

Pete I’d laugh if it did. Sunita

Give it food. Jessica

I have. Sunita

We’re still going. Jessica

We need to beat five minutes. [. . .] This is really boring. [. . .] Liam

I wonder if anything happens to the castle if you click on it. Jessica

No, nothing.

Learning and technology 55

Liam I just want him to eat it. Jessica

It’s taking ages. Jessica

Oh don’t eat mine, eat him. Oh it’ll be really stupid if we spent the whole lesson just doing this, just waiting for it to die. It’s still not dead.

Jessica Oh my gosh. 14 minutes. Liam

I wanna see Tom’s get eaten. Jessica

Yeah that would be really funny. Liam

[writing on a sheet on paper – properties of fish] Is it shiny or not shiny?

Jessica It’s shiny but being shiny means it attracts more attention which is kind of stupid. I shouldn’t have made it shiny. Imagine if I didn’t make it shiny it would be even longer than this.

Liam 20 minutes. Tom what are you on? Tom

21:35. I just got killed! Liam

You just got killed? Yes! Tom got killed! Jessica

We have to beat Tom. Tom’s an idiot! Eat that one, don’t eat me. It’s called competitiveness . . . died on 21:30 or something.

[. . .] Teacher Can I just say, I don’t know what you did but your fish

lasted an awful lot longer than the other group’s fish did. What was it that you think you did to your fish that the other group obviously didn’t?