Preparing the Next Generation of Science Teacher Educators: A Model for Developing PCK for Teaching Science Teachers

Science education doctoral programs often fail to address a critical piece—the explicit attention to the preparation of future science teacher educators. In this article, we argue that, in addition to developing skills and a knowledge base for research, doctoral students must be given the opportunity to observe, practice, and reflect on the pedagogical knowledge necessary to instruct science teachers. In particular, we contend that the construct of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) can be adapted to the context of knowledge for teaching science teachers. We use the PCK construct to propose a model for the development of knowledge for teaching science teachers, grounded in our experiences as doctoral students and faculty mentors. We end by recommending a vision for doctoral preparation and a new standard to be included in the ASTE Professional Knowledge Standards for Science Teacher Educators.     

Professional Knowledge Standards for Science Teacher Educators

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Designing a Curriculum for Teacher Educators

This article describes the experiences of a small group with designing a curriculum for beginning teacher educators in teacher education institutes as well as in schools. Based on the Dutch professional standard for teacher educators, literature study, case studies and discussions with colleagues and experts, six groups of competences were formulated and an educational approach consisting of three learning tracks was developed.     

Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Elementary Science Teacher Educators: Knowing our Students

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

When Nature of Science Meets Marxism: Aspects of Nature of Science Taught by Chinese Science Teacher Educators to Prospective Science Teachers

Nature of science (NOS) is beginning to find its place in the science education in China. In a study which investigated Chinese science teacher educators’ conceptions of teaching NOS to prospective science teachers through semi-structured interviews, five key dimensions emerged from the data. This paper focuses on the dimension, NOS content to be taught to prospective science teachers. Among a total of twenty NOS elements considered by the Chinese science teacher educators to be important ideas to be taught, five were suggested by no less than a half of the educators. They are (1) empirical basis of scientific investigation, (2) logics in scientific investigation, (3) general process of scientific investigation, (4) progressive nature of scientific knowledge, and (5) realist views of mind and natural world. This paper discusses the influence of Marxism, a special socio-cultural factor in China, on Chinese science teacher educators’ conceptions of NOS content to be taught to prospective science teachers. We argue the importance of considering ideological traditions (mainly those in general philosophy and religion) when interpreting views of NOS or its content to be taught in different countries and regions and understanding students’ conceptual ecology of learning NOS.     

Initial Science Teacher Education in Portugal: The Thoughts of Teacher Educators About the Effects of the Bologna Process

Between the 1980s and 2007, Portugal used to have one-stage (5-year period) initial teacher education (ITE) programs. In 2007 and consistent with the Bologna process guidelines, Portuguese teacher education moved toward a two-stage model, which includes a 3-year undergraduate program of subject matter that leads to a licenciatura (or bachelor) degree and a 3-year professional master in the teaching of a subject. The way that teacher educators perceive the ITE programs effects the education of prospective teachers and consequently the future of science education. This paper aims at analyzing how science teacher educators perceived the changes that took place in this formal way of educating junior school (7th–9th grades) and high school (10th–12th grades) science teachers in Portugal, due to the implementation of the Bologna guidelines. To attain the objectives of the study, 33 science teacher educators including science specialists and science education specialists answered an open-ended online questionnaire, which focused on the strengths and weaknesses of the pre- and post-Bologna ITE programs, the overall quality of teacher education and measures for improving ITE. The results indicate that science teacher educators were quite happy with all of the ITE models, but they expressed the belief that both the science and the teaching practice components should be strengthened in the post-Bologna masters in teaching. Meanwhile, changes were introduced in Portuguese educational laws, and they proved to be consistent with the opinions of the participants. However, the professional development of teacher educators along with evidence-based ITE programs seems to be necessary conditions for overcoming the challenges that teacher education is still facing in Portugal and worldwide.     

Developing Practical Knowledge of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Next Generation Science Standards</Emphasis> in Elementary Science Teacher Education

Just as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSSs) call for change in what students learn and how they are taught, teacher education programs must reconsider courses and curriculum in order to prepare teacher candidates to understand and implement new standards. In this study, we examine the development of prospective elementary teachers’ practical knowledge of the NGSS in the context of a science methods course and innovative field experience. We present three themes related to how prospective teachers viewed and utilized the standards: (a) as a useful guide for planning and designing instruction, (b) as a benchmark for student and self-evaluation, and (c) as an achievable vision for teaching and learning. Our findings emphasize the importance of collaborative opportunities for repeated teaching of the same lessons, but question what is achievable in the context of a semester-long experience.     

论教师教育者及其专业发展

教师教育者在教师教育乃至整个教育发展中发挥着至关重要的作用。他们是专门从事教师教育工作的人,是帮助师范生实现正式社会化的人,是教师教育实践者和教师教育研究者的统一。教师教育者应该根据自身劳动任务的基础性和艰巨性、劳动对象的成人性和期待性、劳动过程的复杂性和创造性、劳动方式的师范性和示范性、劳动价值的潜在性和长效性等方面特点,通过树立专业理想增进身份认同、开展自我研究融合教学和科研、增进合作交流创建教师教育者发展共同体等方式积极促进专业发展。     

Our Practice, Their Readiness: Teacher Educators Collaborate to Explore and Improve Preservice Teacher Readiness for Science and Math Instruction

Since many preservice teachers (PTs) display anxiety over teaching math and science, four PT educators collaborated to better understand the PTs’ background experiences and attitudes toward those subjects. The research project provided two avenues for professional learning: the data collected from the PTs and the opportunity for collaborative action research. The mixed method study focused on: the relationship between gender and undergraduate major (science versus non-science) with respect to previous and current engagement in science and math, understanding the processes of inquiry, and learning outside the classroom. A field trip to a science center provided the setting for the data collection. From a sample of 132 PTs, a multivariate analysis showed that the science major of PTs explained most of the gender differences with respect to the PTs’ attitudes toward science and mathematics. The process of inquiry is generally poorly interpreted by PTs, and non-science majors prefer a more social approach in their learning to teach science and math. The four educators/collaborators reflect on the impacts of the research on their individual practices, for example, the need to: include place-based learning, attend to the different learning strategies taken by non-science majors, emphasize social and environmental contexts for learning science and math, be more explicit regarding the processes of science inquiry, and provide out-of-classroom experiences for PTs. They conclude that the collaboration, though difficult at times, provided powerful opportunities for examining individual praxis.     

Toward Collegiality: Competing Viewpoints Among Teacher Educators

A series of recent speeches, articles, and books have outlined a radical perspective on physical education derived from critical theory, feminism, and postmodernism. This radical discourse has been particularly critical of what it describes as positivistic approaches to research and technocratic views of teaching and curriculum. This article outlines our concerns with this literature, including (a) polemical presentations and vitriolic language, (b) zero-sum arguments that polarize, (c) cartooning, (d) a lack of evidence to defend assertions, and (e) assumptions that it alone occupies high moral ground. We acknowledge that the radical literature has not only brought moral issues to the ongoing forum among physical educators but has also had a direct, positive influence on our work. Areas where we might engage in a collegial discourse include the nature of the subject matter called physical education, the basis underlying a moral perspective on professional work, and the nature of teaching skill development.     

Movement Toward Interdisciplinary instruction: Teacher Educators Respond

Tracy completes her laboratory assignment and gathers her books as her second period science class draws to a close. As she leaves the room and heads to her next class, Tracy stops by her locker to drop off her science text and pick up an English literature book for third period. For her, the separation between science and English is both physical and mental. In the time it takes to move from one room to another, Tracy has also moved from one ‘mind set’ to another, exit science, enter English.     

在教师教育者中创建网上学习社区

网上授课在全球各教育机构尤其是开放和远程学习机构呈迅猛发展的态势。网上学习为远程学习者提供了大量的师生互动、生生互动的机会。他们分享感受,共同协作。通过学习者之间的交互学习,网上学习较独立学习能产生更好的学习效果。斯里兰卡开放大学教育系利用Moodle学习系统开设了“作为教育技术人员的教师教育者”网上课程。课程设计使用协作学习模式,为远程学习者提供了大量积极参与学习过程的机会。学习者借助学习资源和教师的引导完成学习和评估任务,通过讨论会的方式进行协作学习并共同分享感受。本文采用个案研究的方法,对设计者、教师以及学生在网上学习环境中共同加强社区构建所实施的具体策略和技术进行了调查,并进一步探索了社区建设对远程学习者即网上学习的初学者的影响。本文同时讨论了建构网上学习社区的发展进程并强调了设计者、教师和学习者在成功创建网上学习社区中所起的作用。     

外语教师教育者发展新动向——英国文化教育协会《教师教育者持续专业发展框架》探析

外语教师教育者特殊的专业角色决定了其持续专业发展的独特性。英国文化教育协会《教师教育者持续专业发展框架》描绘了外语教师教育者的十大专业实践、七项执行力和五大自我意识。强化反思实践导向、理解和服务教师学习、提升专业能力、增进角色意识等为其显著特点。它为外语教师教育者指明了专业发展方向、可能的专业实践活动及其范围,亦可为我国外语教师教育者的持续专业发展提供有益的经验和启示。