Documenting Science Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge Through PaP-eRs

This paper examines science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge and ways in which that knowledge might be captured, articulated and portrayed to others. The research from which this paper is drawn has involved interviews with experienced science teachers in an attempt to make the tacit nature of their practice explicit. Initially, case methodology was envisaged as being a way of documenting these teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. However, over time, the form of knowledge and information that we were gathering and attempting to portray extended beyond that which could reasonably be described as being case-based. Hence we have developed an approach to articulation and portrayal based on what we call the CoRe (Content Representation) – which represents the particular content/topic of the science teaching – and PaP-eRs (Pedagogical and Professional experience Repertoire) – which help to illuminate specific aspects of the CoRe and therefore offer insights into pedagogical content knowledge itself. The results of this study offer new ways of conceptualising what pedagogical content knowledge is and how it might be captured, documented and disseminated.     

Teachers' Beliefs and Self-Reported Use of Inquiry in Science Education in Public Primary Schools

This paper describes Ecuadorian in-service teachers and their science teaching practices in public primary schools. We wanted to find out to what extent teachers implement inquiry activities in science teaching, the level of support they provide, and what type of inquiry they implement. Four questionnaires applied to 173 teachers resulted in the identification of high context beliefs and moderately high self-efficacy beliefs. Teachers declared to implement activities mostly to develop understanding of the material, as contrast to actual manipulation of data and/or coming to conclusions. They adopt rather a strictly guided approach in contrast to giving autonomy to learners to work on their own. Finally, teachers keep control with regard to question formulation and choice in solution procedures, which constrains the development of real inquiry. When comparing teacher beliefs, we found that teachers' context beliefs make a difference in the level of support that teachers provide to their students. Teachers with lower context beliefs ask students to perform inquiry activities on their own to a lesser extent when compared with teachers with higher context beliefs. This implies that further research on the implementation of inquiry in science teaching should take into account teachers' differences in their context beliefs. We also found out that the use of high or low support in inquiry activities remained the same for teachers with either higher or lower self-efficacy beliefs.     

Enhancing Teachers' Use of Technology Through Professional Development on Electronic Concept Mapping

The majority of public school teachers do not feel well prepared to use instructional technology. Professional development on computer-based concept mapping responds to this concern through focusing on a tool/software that has many applications and is not difficult to master. A subset (n = 18) of science teachers in a Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA) completed a workshop on electronic concept mapping and were provided with school site licenses and other follow-up support (summer institute). They utilized the software in academic enrichment for underserved students, regular classroom instruction, and inservice training for colleagues. Triangulation of findings from data sources (electronic conferencing, lesson plans, workshop evaluations) revealed that HSTA teachers embrace electronic concept mapping as a versatile educational tool. Factors contributing to this enthusiasm included the ease with which students use the software, the transparent nature of the learning process for these students, and the positive attitudes of colleagues whom they have inserviced. The findings from this project are congruent with what experts contend to be critical features of effective teacher professional development: facilitating a community of learners and providing sustained support. This project now funds software use in over 45 public schools.     

Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Understanding of Web-based Scientific Inquiry

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

走自制设备之路 提高师生实验创新能力

在新的历史条件下,人才的培养模式发生了深刻的变化,其更加注重素质教育,特别是对学生创新精神和实践能力的培养.除了通过加大对创新性、设计性实验设备的投入,还可以利用现有设备,走设备自制之路,师生共同设计创新实验项目.     

Enhancing and Assessing Preservice Teachers' Integration and Expression of Mathematical Knowledge

The construction of concept maps and the writing of interpretive essays in mathematics courses for preservice and continuing teachers provide students with rich learning experiences and yield substantial insights into the degree of connectedness of their knowledge with respect to a given topic. With this dual approach students are given the opportunity to express their knowledge in different ways, which allows for individual differences in learning styles and verifies the relationships illustrated. As students actively participate in the task of developing connections between related concepts, reflect on their thinking, and become engaged in mathematical discourse, students are provided with an opportunity to mature mathematically and to experience an alternative approach to instruction and assessment. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On Enhancing Teachers' Knowledge by Constructing Cases in Classrooms

This study was designed to enhance teachers' knowledge by constructing cases as part of a school-based professional development project in Taiwan. Cases, involving episodes and issues from real classroom events, were constructed collaboratively by a school-based team consisting of the researcher and four classroom teachers. The process of constructing cases, characterization of teachers' understanding of cases, and their skills for case writing were developed in the course of the study. In the process of constructing these cases, teachers improved their awareness of and their competence in dealing with the difficulties students encountered in the learning of mathematics; they enhanced their pedagogical content knowledge and their ability to reflect on classroom practices.     

Enhancing Hypermedia Through the Use of Templates

No abstract available for this article.     

Knowledge Integration in Science Teaching: Analysing Teachers' Knowledge Development

This paper tests the utility of a new sociocognitive frame for analysing the development of teachers' knowledge – the knowledge integration perspective (Linn, Eylon, & Davis, in press; Linn & Hsi, 2000). In doing so, the paper describes one prospective elementary teacher's developing knowledge and highlights its complexity. The prospective teacher demonstrates relatively well-integrated science subject matter knowledge, but she makes some problematic links to lessons and develops some instructional representations that show where she needs to distinguish between different scientific ideas. She also, however, links science concepts to appropriate real-world experiences, indicating that she has nascent useful pedagogical content knowledge. The paper discusses what teacher educators can learn about their learners from this analysis, argues for the utility of the knowledge integration perspective for conducting similar analyses, provides ideas to help science teacher educators apply the perspective easily as they teach their students, and points to areas ripe for future research.     

Promotion of Cultural Content Knowledge Through the Use of the History and Philosophy of Science

Historical excurse was suggested as a beneficial form of using the history and philosophy of science in the modules of learning materials developed within the History and Philosophy in Science Teaching project. The paper briefly describes the theoretical framework of the produced modules, addressing ontological and epistemological aspects of historical changes in physics knowledge with regard to several particular concepts relevant to school course of physics. It is argued that such excurses create Cultural Content Knowledge which improves the Pedagogical Content Knowledge in teachers and are appropriate to facilitate the meaningful learning by students. The modules illustrate the new aspect of the scientific knowledge not sufficiently addressed in the current science educational discourse??the constructive diachronic discourse that took place in the history. Historical excurse makes explicit the paradigmatic conceptual changes in physics knowledge and thus creates the space of learning in which the ??correct?? knowledge (type I) emerges in a discourse with the alternates (type II knowledge). Some of the previous conceptions show certain similarity to students?? misconceptions which further motivates essential use of both types of scientific knowledge to support the meaningful learning of physics curriculum. The epistemological aspects of the developed materials illuminate the nature of scientific knowledge and its major features: objectiveness and cumulative nature. Teachers found the developed modules interesting, important but challenging their background and requiring special preparation.     

加强师德教育 提高馆员素质

高校图书馆是学院精神文明的窗口,其职能决定了馆员应具有良好的师德,即优雅文明的语言、率先垂范的行为、高雅端庄的仪表、厚实广博的知识等.为此,图书馆需加强馆员的师德教育,构建图书馆师德建设的长效机制,树立"读者第一,服务至上"的理念,不断学习,不断自省,完善人格,做好读者服务工作.     

Connecting Inquiry and Values in Science Education

Conducting scientific inquiry is expected to help students make informed decisions; however, how exactly it can help is rarely explained in science education standards. According to classroom studies, inquiry that students conduct in science classes seems to have little effect on their decision-making. Predetermined values play a large role in students’ decision-making, but students do not explore these values or evaluate whether they are appropriate to the particular issue they are deciding, and they often ignore relevant scientific information. We explore how to connect inquiry and values, and how this connection can contribute to informed decision-making based on John Dewey’s philosophy. Dewey argues that scientific inquiry should include value judgments and that conducting inquiry can improve the ability to make good value judgments. Value judgment is essential to informed, rational decision-making, and Dewey’s ideas can explain how conducting inquiry can contribute to make an informed decision through value judgment. According to Dewey, each value judgment during inquiry is a practical judgment guiding action, and students can improve their value judgments by evaluating their actions during scientific inquiry. Thus, we suggest that students need an opportunity to explore values through scientific inquiry and that practicing value judgment will help informed decision-makings.     

美国中小学教师ICAN探究教学培训项目的实证调查

美国ICAN探究教学培训项目旨在加强中小学教师关于科学探究和科学本质教学的专业化发展,本文对该项目培训前后的教师的观念和教学行为进行了实证调查,以此评价该项目的实施效果,并反思了我国中小学教师探究教学培训的相关问题。     

Mitigating Resistance to Teaching Science Through Inquiry: Studying Self

This is the report of a qualitative emergent-design study of 2 different Web-enhanced science methods courses for preservice elementary teachers in which an experiential learning strategy, labeled “using yourself as a learning laboratory,” was implemented. Emergent grounded theory indicated this strategy, when embedded in a course organized as an inquiry with specified action foci, contributed to mitigating participants’ resistance to learning and teaching through inquiry. Enroute to embracing inquiry, learners experienced stages resembling the stages of grief one experiences after a major loss. Data sources included participant observation, electronic artifacts in WebCT, and interviews. Findings are reported in 3 major sections: “Action Foci Common to Both Courses,” “Participants’ Growth and Change,” and “Challenges and Tradeoffs.”     

高校图书馆馆员继续教育的探讨

继续教育的内容应随着教育目标的重新定位而加以调整。当前 ,在进行图书馆学专业基础理论和图书馆科学管理知识教育的基础上 ,要针对现代化图书馆发展的需要 ,注重现代技术及其网络服务手段等方面的继续教育 ,使图书馆馆员不仅提高专业理论水平 ,而且提高信息收集、加工、处理和网络服务的能力。     

Promoting Preservice Science Teachers' Awareness of Community-Based Science Education Resource Centers

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

在化学教育中应加强环境保护的教育

本讨论了在化学教育中加强环境保护教育的必要性，并提出了在化学教育中渗透环境保护教育的思考和做法．这有利于培养和提高中学生的环保意识和综合素质乃至有利于提高全体公民的环保意识．     

知识的道德与教师的知识

知识的道德是知识主体对知识所秉持和恪守的一种道德态度。它包含尊重知识、追求知识、创生知识、传播知识四个层面的内在规定。对待知识的道德态度,要求教师在知识传承和递交的历史过程中,扮演好自己的“角色”,了解知识更新的道德内涵,“与时俱进,不断以新知识更新和充实自己”。