Predict-Observe-Explain (POE) is a teaching strategy that probes understanding by requiring students to carry out three tasks. First the students must predict the outcome of some event and must justify their prediction; then they describe what they see happen; and finally they must reconcile any conflict between prediction and observation.
Champagne, Klopfer and Anderson (1979) were the first to design this strategy as ‘demonstrate-observe-explain’ according to Mthembu.A secret balot ensures that students articulate their pre existing ideas so that they are open to challenge.
Educational rationale
* identifying student ideas
* encourage risk taking
* identifying common misconceptions and misunderstandings of students
* establishing a learning conversation
* articulation of ideas
* making observations
* hypothesising
* reflection on practice
Concerns
This is certainly engaging teaching and engaging teaching is effective teaching but does its effectiveness go beyond the engagement. Is the time productive? Does it enhance problem solving skills? A cycle of predict/observe/explain elsewhere called a debug cycle can be a lot tighter, but how much time is actually spent predicting and explaining? How much time does the showmanship take? Is skill in creating runnable mental models increased unless a lot of time is spent on predicting. The role of the facilitator in predicting?
Links
http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/snackintro.html
http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/index.html
http://www.ed-dev.uts.edu.au/teachered/poe/tasks/poehome.html
http://educ.queensu.ca/~russellt/howteach/p-o-e.htm
