Toward Effective Teaching and Learning: stories of primary schools'environmental science interest and action

This article provides some stories of primary school teachers' and students' experiences of implementing new science teaching and learning strategies through an action research process that have also led to more environmental education occurring in the schools' curriculum. The stories have been constructed from the coordinators' journals, observations and interviews with the teachers and students in the schools. The teachers in the schools are consciously engaged in an action research-based model of curriculum change in science teaching and learning. The stories also acknowledge the critiques of critical theory in environmental education and the possibilities for a socially critical approach in environmental education within a context of the limited opportunities for both science and environmental education in primary schools.     

The Science Thought Experiment: How Might it be Used Profitably in the Classroom?

It is well established that thought experiments are both scientifically and philosophically significant, and even that they are pedagogically significant. However, the basis and methodology for their pedagogical use is not as well established. Pedagogical thought experiments are defined as mental simulations with special features to isolate certain conceptual elements. It is argued that thought experiments are made pedagogically effective through the process of re-enactment of the thought-experimental process. The process of re-enactment is best captured by rewriting thought experiments as stories. Several examples of thought experiments are analysed for their narrative content and an example is given of a pedagogical thought experiment re-written as a story. Recommendations are made as to how such thought experimental stories can be used effectively.     

Promoting mental model building in astronomy education

While astronomy has recently re-emerged in many science curricula, there remain unresolved teaching and learning difficulties peculiar to astronomy education. This paper argues that mental model building, the core process in astronomy itself, should be reflected in astronomy education. Also, this crucial skill may promote a better understanding of the nature of science by pupils and it resonates with current understandings about pupils' learning in science. However, three practical questions to be considered are: the expressed reservations about the connection between mental model building and meaningful learning; the earliest age of pupils for whom mental model building is appropriate; and the lack of research into pupils' prior ideas about the role of models in science. The paper describes how a four-phase general pedagogical strategy was adopted to create an astronomy teaching and learning package to promote mental model building. The package consists of notes explaining the mental model building followed by an overview of the teaching-learning approach and suggested outlines of the 12 lessons. Research investigated whether that package can help Year 7-8 pupils interrogate and refine their mental models of the Sun-Earth-Moon system within the constraints of an ordinary class of 33 pupils. The results showed that all four phases of the general strategy were necessary and effective in that most pupils were able successively and successfully to critique their mental models of the Sun-Earth-Moon system while also achieving traditional astronomy knowledge goals. Implications are that pupils as young as Year 7-8 may be able to construct other appropriate mental models, such as those for biological populations, atomic structure and plate tectonics.     

Intuition and insight: two concepts that illuminate the tacit in science education

Tacit knowledge, that is knowledge not expressible in words, may play a role in learning science, yet it is difficult to study directly. Intuition and insight, two processes that link the tacit and the explicit, are proposed as a route to investigating tacit knowledge. Intuitions are defined as tacit hunches or feelings that influence thought with little conscious effort. This paper examines conceptualisations of intuition as embodied cognition, and as abstracted rules before examining reports of intuition in the work of scientists and in science education. Insight is described as an explicit awareness of novel relations between concepts that arrives with little conscious control. Insight is related to rapid conceptual change and the development of conceptual connections. Reports of insight in the work of scientists and in the science classroom are discussed. The manner in which insight and intuition may promote and hinder learning is considered and conditions that affect the use of both processes are suggested. Strategies that might encourage students’ use of intuition and insight in the classroom are proposed. The paper concludes with a call for a greater focus on the concept of tacit knowledge in science education and suggests areas for future research.     

An augmented reality-based learning approach to enhancing students’ science reading performances from the perspective of the cognitive load theory

Reading has been regarded as a medium for learning science, revealing the importance of enhancing learners’ reading competence in science education. The critical features of science texts are their multiple representations, such as text and visual elements, which assist the representation of science concepts. A multimedia learning environment can present relevant materials in various formats and help students to process the materials in meaningful ways, for example, by integrating learning materials with relevant prior concepts, and organizing them into a consistent and coherent cognitive structure. However, some issues with multimedia instructional design have been proposed, such as students’ cognitive load and learning motivations. In this study, an augmented reality-based science learning system was developed based on the contiguity principle of multimedia learning in order to promote students’ science learning. Moreover, an experiment was conducted on a natural science course in an elementary school to assess the effectiveness of the implemented system on students’ learning. The experimental results display that the students learning with this approach found made significant gains in their learning achievements and motivations compared to those learning science with conventional multimedia science learning; moreover, their perceptions of extraneous cognitive load were significantly reduced during the learning activity.     

Practice stories in natural resource management continuing professional education: springboards for learning

The use of stories from professional experience in continuing professional education has been on the rise in many fields, often aimed at bolstering capacity through sharing professional knowledge and/or supporting reflective practice. Practice stories are also suggested to be beneficial in supporting professional learning of new concepts. These uses of practice stories are not evident in public natural resource management (NRM) continuing professional education. In light of greater public involvement in NRM practice over the last 20 years, however, the use of practice stories could now be particularly beneficial to NRM professionals. This study examines the use of practice stories in workshops aimed at deepening public NRM professionals' understanding of social science concepts suggested to be valuable in making sense of the social and political complexity intertwined in public involvement practice. Feedback from workshop participants suggests that practice stories may be able to support NRM professionals in reflecting on previous experiences, learning from colleague's practice experiences and serving as a springboard for learning by fostering linkages between social science knowledge and practice. The study also finds that the perceived benefits of sharing practice stories were comparatively less for some more experienced participants.     

A case study on the formation and sharing process of science classroom norms

The teaching and learning of science in school are influenced by various factors, including both individual factors, such as member beliefs, and social factors, such as the power structure of the class. To understand this complex context affected by various factors in schools, we investigated the formation and sharing process of science classroom norms in connection with these factors. By examining the developmental process of science classroom norms, we identified how the norms were realized, shared, and internalized among the members. We collected data through classroom observations and interviews focusing on two elementary science classrooms in Korea. From these data, factors influencing norm formation were extracted and developed as stories about norm establishment. The results indicate that every science classroom norm was established, shared, and internalized differently according to the values ingrained in the norms, the agent of norm formation, and the members’ understanding about the norm itself. The desirable norms originating from values in science education, such as having an inquiring mind, were not established spontaneously by students, but were instead established through well-organized norm networks to encourage concrete practice. Educational implications were discussed in terms of the practice of school science inquiry, cultural studies, and value-oriented education.     

The effectiveness of a highly explicit, teacher-directed strategy instruction routine: changing the writing performance of students with learning disabilities

This study examined the effectiveness of a highly explicit, teacher-directed instructional routine used to teach three planning strategies for writing to fourth and fifth graders with learning disabilities. In comparison to peers who received process writing instruction, children who were taught the three planning strategies-goal setting, brainstorming, and organizing-spent more time planning stories in advance of writing and produced stories that were qualitatively better. One month after the end of instruction, students who had been taught the strategies not only maintained their advantage in story quality but also produced longer stories than those produced by their peers who were taught process writing. However, the highly explicit, teacher-directed strategy instructional routine used in this study did not promote transfer to an uninstructed genre, persuasive essay writing. These findings are discussed in terms of their relevance to effective writing instruction practices for students with learning disabilities.     

Developing students' ability to engage critically with science in the news: identifying elements of the ‘media awareness’ dimension

Worldwide, science education reform movements are stressing the need to promote ‘scientific literacy’ among young people. Increasingly, this is taken to include empowering students to engage critically with science-related news reporting. Despite this requirement now featuring in statutory curricula throughout the UK, there has, to date, been a dearth of research-informed advice to assist science teachers as they identify appropriate instructional objectives in this regard and design relevant learning activities through which these might be achieved. In this study, prominent science communication scholars, science journalists, science educators and media educators were interviewed to determine what knowledge, skills and habits of mind they judged valuable for individuals reading science-related news stories. Teachers of science and of English from nine secondary schools in Northern Ireland addressed the same issue. A striking – and significant – finding of the study was the very substantial number of statements of knowledge, skill and disposition offered by participants that relate to ‘media awareness’, an issue largely overlooked in the science education literature. The school-focused phase of the research suggests that cross-curricular approaches involving teachers of science collaborating with those of English/media education or media studies may best serve to address this important curricular goal.     

开放学习视角下的公众科学发展研究——以“萤火虫守望”为个案

近年来公众科学作为一种基于网络的开放式研究和学习模式已在一些发达国家快速发展。通过对“萤火虫守望”这一公众科学项目发展历程的整理分析,可以看到公众科学项目是通过大规模志愿者的参与形成持续不断的知识生成来维持和发展的,其发展的实质是学习网络的不断扩大与复杂化。个案研究发现：公众科学项目本质上是扩大了的组织化学习系统,在项目运行中具有分布式认知责任与认知过程模式化相统一、技术支持下共同探究和共享知识库在交互中共同发展、线上线下无缝衔接等特点;项目管理的基本经验是通过技术支持落实“学习者中心”理念,培养、激发志愿者创新学习行为以推动项目发展。总之,学习和科研相互促进并在互动中推动公众科学发展,发展公众科学可以在推动科学发展同时实现人才培养模式创新。因此,我国有必要大力发展公众科学,并推动知识管理体制创新和创建更加开放的新型教育生态。     

Students' learning in science lessons: towards understanding the learning process

Constructivist views of learning have been applied to science education largely as a response to attempts to understand the origins of students' misconceptions in science, and therefore the learning process. As part of this effort to understand learning in science lessons, Appleton (1989) proposed a learning model drawn mainly from Piagetian (1978) ideas and generative learning theory (Osborne & Wittrock, 1983). This paper explores the development and evolution of the learning model as other constructivist view were applied, and as the model was tested against students' responses in science lessons. The revised model finally arrived at is then examined. It was found to be a useful means of describing student's learning processes during a science lesson. Specializations: primary teacher education, teaching strategies in science, cognitive change and learning theories. Specializations: secondary science teacher education, chemical education.     

Using the Internet to Enhance Student Understanding of Science: The Knowledge Integration Environment

We have developed the Knowledge Integration Environment (KIE) to promote lifelong learning. We believe that science courses can promote lifelong learning by offering students science models that apply to problems they encounter in their everyday lives and by engaging students in personally relevant science projects where they connect science models to typical science resources such as those found on the Internet. Our instructional framework, Scaffolded Knowledge Integration (SKI), guides the design of the Knowledge Integration Environment. In this paper we describe the Knowledge Integration Environment and report results of “design experiments” carried out to guide improvement of Knowledge Integration Environment instruction as well as to help us improve our understanding of lifelong learning.     

构建中小学教师教育的有效在职培训模式

在全球终身学习的背景下,有利于提高教师教育质量的各种模式,将直接影响科教兴国的策略进程.其中,有效在职培训模式是推动中小学教师教育的一种范式.为此,本文通过对我国教师教育现状的解析,以及合理培训理念的建立,从而建构有效在职培训模式,促进教师教育逻辑体系的发展.     

What Teachers of Science Need to Know about Models: An overview

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the nature of models and their uses in the science classroom based on a theoretical review of literature. The ideas that science philosophers and science education researchers have in common about models and modelling are scrutinised according to five subtopics: meanings of a model, purposes of modelling, multiplicity of scientific models, change in scientific models and uses of models in the science classroom. First, a model can be defined as a representation of a target and serves as a ‘bridge’ connecting a theory and a phenomenon. Second, a model plays the roles of describing, explaining and predicting natural phenomena and communicating scientific ideas to others. Third, multiple models can be developed in science because scientists may have different ideas about what a target looks like and how it works and because there are a variety of semiotic resources available for constructing models. Fourth, scientific models are tested both empirically and conceptually and change along with the process of developing scientific knowledge. Fifth, in the science classroom, not only teachers but also students can take advantage of models as they are engaged in diverse modelling activities. The overview presented in this article can be used to educate science teachers and encourage them to utilise scientific models appropriately in their classrooms.     

Reconceptualising inquiry in science education

Decades of discussion and debate about how science is most effectively taught and learned have resulted in a number of similar but competing inquiry models. These aim to develop students learning of science through approaches which reflect the authenticity of science as practiced by professional scientists while being practical and manageable within the school context. This paper offers a collection of our current reflections and suggestions concerning inquiry and its place in science education. We suggest that many of the current models of inquiry are too limited in their vision concerning themselves, almost exclusively, with producing a scaffold which reduces the complex process of inquiry into an algorithmic approach based around a sequence of relatively simple steps. We argue that this restricts students’ experience of authentic inquiry to make classroom management and assessment procedures easier. We then speculate that a more integrated approach is required through an alternative inquiry model that depends on three dimensions (conceptual, procedural and personal) and we propose that it will be more likely to promote effective learning and a willingness to engage in inquiry across all facets of a students’ school career and beyond.     

Teaching elementary science methods to women: A male professor's experience from two perspectives

This is an action research study using an N of one (a case study) from the theoretical stance of symbolic interaction. This study of one male science education professor's experience teaching elementary science methods to females is told from two perspectives: the perspective of the professor and of a female coresearcher. In this study, the coresearchers present their perspectives of studying the gender difference between the male professor and his female elementary science method students and the attempts he makes to implement gender inclusive pedagogy. Discussion focuses on what each has learned through this study of examining the professor's practice as he takes action to improve the teaching and learning in his science method classes predominately populated by women. A key implication from this study is the assertion that male science methods professors have a special obligation to break the cycle of inequity in science teaching and learning for females by taking action to foster a female-friendly classroom climate and to encourage females to become engaged in class conversations and activities. However, professors should be aware that both female and male elementary teachers socialized in a system privileging men may not value efforts, or may even actively resist efforts to promote gender-inclusive science education during science methods. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 919–949, 1998.     

The Construction and Analysis of a Science Story: A Proposed Methodology

Science educators are beginning to establish a theoretical and methodological foundation for constructing and using stories in science teaching. At the same time, it is not clear to what degree science stories that have recently been written adhere to the guidelines that are being proposed. The author has written a story about Louis Slotin, which deals with the beginnings of radiation protection, to serve as a case study. In this paper, the story is dissected and evaluated with the view to begin to establish a method of literary criticism for science stories. In addition, student responses to the story are investigated and interpreted.     

学习科学视域下的e-Learning深度学习研究

深度学习是学习科学的主旨,也是现阶段所要破解的e-Learning难题,因此,对学习科学视域下的e-Learning深度学习进行研究,追溯起源,把握热点对推进e-Learning学习意义深远。在梳理e-Learning的现状及主要问题的基础之上,剖析了学习科学领域深度学习的重要性,以深度学习的内涵与特征、有意义学习是深度学习的主旨、高水平思维是深度学习的核心等理念为依据构建了e-Learning环境下深度学习分析模型,继而又以此为据,对e-Learning深度学习的研究现状进行述评。研究发现,为了进一步推动学习科学的发展,深度学习的研究必须在学习过程的评估与分析、情感体验等方面进一步加强,在研究方法与研究视角方面进行多角度创新,研究应该更精细深入,多进行相关的量化研究,以充分利用学习评估技术对深度学习的现状进行把脉。     

Connecting Soccer to Middle School Science: Latino Students’ Passion in Learning

Building on a pedagogical model designed to support the teaching and learning of the language of science investigation practices with middle school emergent bilingual learners, we developed a series of soccer and science investigations to promote interest and engagement in science learning. We used assemblage theory to study how students engaged in and acted within this bilingual curriculum situated in an afterschool soccer practice context. We found that soccer, a passion for several Latino students, can be used as a cultural tool for science teachers to support the emerging bilingual students’ learning process. Implications for educators and researchers considering ways of integrating diverse students’ cultural practices and passions with culturally sustaining pedagogies for science teaching and learning are discussed.     

Dramatising Science Learning: Findings from a pilot study to re-invigorate elementary science pedagogy for five- to seven-year olds

This article reports on a pilot intervention that helped teachers of five- to seven-year-old pupils (re)develop their practice to teach science in a more active and participatory way. Science is sometimes perceived as elitist, accessible to only the most able. Drama, however, offers a more lively, none traditional way to learn, that can appeal to, and involve all children in a science classroom. Dramatising science learning appears not only to promote engaging learning activity, but also to support children to conceptually grasp challenging ideas. In this study, 20 teachers from 10 Staffordshire schools experimented with new pedagogical approaches to enhance their practice. Reflective journal extracts, interviews and classroom observations indicated how the drama was enacted and augmented teachers’ scientific understanding. A survey and several focus group discussions were carried out to explore how over 200 children (that responded) felt about learning through drama. There were many success stories, but some aspects of the approach required more development than others.