Conceptions of Science Teacher Mentoring and Mentoring Practice in an Alternative Certification Program

Conceptions of mentoring held by six mentors and six beginning science teachers in an alternative certification program were explored qualitatively by means of case studies and phenomenography. Interviews with the six mentors and six beginning teachers produced 379 statements that were grouped into six conceptual categories. The categories of apprenticeship, personal support, and colearning revealed the variation in how mentors and beginning teachers conceptualized school-based mentoring. The conceptions functioned as referents for their mentoring practice. Mentoring as apprenticeship was the dominant conception among both the beginning teachers and mentors. The findings of this study imply that conceptions of mentoring held by mentors and beginning science teachers should be considered when organizing the school-based component of alternative certification programs.     

Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching a New Topic: More Than Teaching Experience and Subject Matter Knowledge

Teaching experience has been identified as an important factor in pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) development. However, little is known about how experienced teachers may draw on their previous experience to facilitate their PCK development. This study examined how two experienced high school biology teachers approached the teaching of a newly introduced topic in the curriculum, polymerase chain reaction and their PCK development from the pre-lesson planning phase through the interactive phase to the post-lesson reflection phase. Multiple data sources included classroom observations, field notes, semi-structured interviews and classroom artefacts. It was found that the teachers’ previous experience informed their planning for teaching the new topic, but in qualitatively different ways. This, in turn, had a bearing on their new PCK development. Subject matter knowledge (SMK) can not only facilitate but may also hinder this development. Our findings identify two types of experienced teachers: those who can capitalise on their previous teaching experiences and SMK to develop new PCK and those who do not. The critical difference is whether in the lesson planning stage, the teacher shows the disposition to draw on a generalised mental framework that enables the teacher to capitalise on his existing SMK to develop new PCK. Helping teachers to acquire this disposition should be a focus for teacher training in light of continuous curriculum changes.     

教书育人 育于汉语教学之中

作为汉语教师应该把汉语教学作为学生德育教育的重要载体,在教学过程中自然而然地、不留痕迹地对学生进行品德教育。笔者结合自己多年的汉语言教学经验,从政治责任、教材内容、专业特点这三个方面,就如何使“教书育人,育于汉语教学之中”,进行了探讨。     

中职学校计算机专业校内实训的切问——综合能力培养维度

中等职业学校校内实训存在"单项技能取向"的问题,对中职学校计算机专业学生和教师进行深入调查发现,"单项技能取向"主要表现在教授内容孤立、训练内容单调、考核内容单一。从综合能力培养维度提出综合技能解读,综合技能训练,综合技能考核来建构校内实训体系,并举出项目实训设计方案实例。     

A Multi-Year Program Developing an Explicit Reflective Pedagogy for Teaching Pre-service Teachers the Nature of Science by Ostention

This investigation delineates a multi-year action research agenda designed to develop an instructional model for teaching the nature of science (NOS) to preservice science teachers. Our past research strongly supports the use of explicit reflective instructional methods, which includes Thomas Kuhn’s notion of learning by ostention and treating science as a continuum (i.e., comparing fields of study to one another for relative placement as less to more scientific). Instruction based on conceptual change precepts, however, also exhibits promise. Thus, the investigators sought to ascertain the degree to which conceptual change took place among students (n = 15) participating in the NOS instructional model. Three case studies are presented to illustrate successful conceptual changes that took place as a result of the NOS instructional model. All three cases represent students who claim a very conservative Christian heritage and for whom evolution was not considered a legitimate scientific theory prior to participating in the NOS instructional model. All three case study individuals, along with their twelve classmates, placed evolution as most scientific when compared to intelligent design and a fictional field of study called “Umbrellaology.”     

Learning from Rookie Mistakes: Critical Incidents in Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching Science to Teachers

While there is a growing literature focused on doctoral preparation for teaching about science teaching, rarely have recommendations extended to preparation for teaching science content to teachers. We three doctoral students employ self-study as a research methodology to investigate our developing pedagogical content knowledge for teaching science to teachers during a mentored internship in an elementary teacher professional development program. With our mentor, we examine critical incidents in the experience that supported new insights about teaching teachers and about ways in which beginning teacher educators need to develop their existing pedagogical content knowledge for teaching science to students in order to teach science effectively to teachers. We emphasize ways in which doctoral internships can support this learning and how our respective cultures shaped our interactions with and perceptions of teachers as learners.     

Developing Understanding of the Nature of Science Within a Professional Development Program for Inservice Elementary Teachers: Project Nature of Elementary Science Teaching

Establishing literacy in science is often linked to building knowledge about the Nature of Science (NOS). This paper describes and evaluates an inservice program designed to build elementary teachers’ understanding of NOS and an awareness of how NOS impacts science classroom instruction. Data sources consisted of surveys, action research plan documentation and classroom observations. Program participants tended to demonstrate some gains in understanding more about NOS and they linked positive experiences in the program to the explicit and activity-based NOS instruction provided. Yet, participation in the professional development project might not have been equally beneficial for all teachers. The understanding of NOS may have been restricted to certain NOS aspects, and the demonstration of the participants’ understanding of NOS may have been short-lived with a somewhat limited impact on sustainable, long-term NOS-based classroom instruction. Implications for designing NOS related professional development programs and suggestions for improvements to further develop teacher understanding of NOS are discussed.     

Hopes and Fears for Science Teaching: The Possible Selves of Preservice Teachers in a Science Education Program

Given the high attrition rate of beginning science teachers, it is imperative to better prepare science preservice teachers, so that they can be successful during the early years of their teaching. The purpose of this study was to explore science preservice teachers’ views of themselves as a future teacher, in particular their hopes and fears for science teaching and the experiences that help to shape their possible selves. Employed were qualitative methods, which included open-ended surveys and face-to-face interviews. Eleven preservice teachers who enrolled in a secondary science teacher preparation program participated. Findings showed six categories of future selves with the most frequent category being for effective/ineffective science teaching. When their hoped-for and feared selves were not balanced, participants articulated more fears. Regarding the primary influence in shaping their hopes and fears, diverse past experiences related to teaching and learning appeared to be more salient factors than science teacher education program. Given the enriched understanding of the science preservice teachers’ perceptions, we provided suggestions for science teacher educators.     

A Window for a Purpose: Developing a Framework for Describing Effective Science Teaching and Learning

This paper describes the development of a framework – the SIS Components – for describing effective teaching and learning in science, to support a system wide change initiative. The methodology used and the analysis that led to their refinement, is traced to expose the different issues involved in constructing the notion of effective practice. These issues have to do with purpose, politics and audience. They determine features of the framework such as specificity, elements focused on, and the support structures that are put in place to establish the particular discourse being promoted. The paper describes the different research methods used to establish, to promote and to validate the components, and outlines the different senses in which this and any framework can be seen as contingent on the setting for which it is intended.     

Advice to a New Science Teacher: The Importance of Establishing a Theme in Teaching Scientific Explanations

In the Humanities, my most memorable teachers were those who did more than teach the subject matter of some discipline. They espoused an underlying theme that established a perspective or framework within which to structure the details of the subject being taught. This paper will describe a particularly useful theme that reveals the structure of certain scientific explanations relevant to a study of chemistry. Because it emphasizes the structure of certain scientific explanations found in chemistry, it usually helps a student to distinguish a sensible explanation from one that is not. Some might suggest that the Scientific Method as proposed by Roger Bacon is particularly suitable for such a theme. I disagree. The Scientific Method—no matter what model is used—is too generic. It lacks the specificity necessary to be useful in the role of a theme. This paper is intended to provide an example of a theme for an introduction to chemistry that I have found particularly useful. However, before continuing, let me put in an immediate disclaimer. The theme that I have found most useful is neither the only possible theme nor necessarily the best. However, it does demonstrate what a theme in a science course means to me. Hopefully its usefulness will be apparent to the reader.     

Developing Content Knowledge in Students Through Explicit Teaching of the Nature of Science: Influences of Goal Setting and Self-Monitoring

Knowledge about the nature of science has been advocated as an important component of science because it provides a framework on which the students can incorporate content knowledge. However, little empirical evidence has been provided that links nature of science knowledge with content knowledge. The purpose of this mixed method study was to determine if both nature of science knowledge and content knowledge could be increased with an explicit, reflective nature of science intervention utilizing self-regulation over an implicit group. Results showed that the explicit group significantly outperformed the implicit group on both nature of science and content knowledge assessments. Students in the explicit group also demonstrated a greater use of detail in their inquiry work and reported a higher respect for evidence in making conclusions than the implicit group. Implications suggest that science educators could enhance nature of science instruction using goal setting and self-monitoring of student work during inquiry lessons.     

Changes in Korean Science Teachers' Perceptions of Creativity and Science Teaching After Participating in an Overseas Professional Development Program

This study investigated changes in Korean science teachers' perceptions of creativity and science teaching after participating in an overseas professional development program. Participants were 35 secondary science teachers. Data were collected from open-ended questionnaires and interviews. Results indicated that participants showed a growing awareness that creativity can be expressed by every student; creativity can be enhanced; science has a much wider range of activities that foster creativity; and creativity-centered science teaching can be implemented in Korea. The major elements of the professional program that promoted these perceptual changes included hands-on creativity activities, observation of creativity-centered classrooms, and discussion with other teachers. Follow-up study revealed that their perceptual changes have been reflected in their teaching practices.     

The Dissertation Process and Mentor Relationships for African American and Latina/o Students in an Online Program

To examine the problem of underrepresentation of minority students in doctoral programs, the author utilized a mixed-methods case study of an online doctoral program in which large numbers of African American and Latina/o students were enrolled. Themes uncovered in the study centered on specific academic and nonacademic challenges, the important role of mentors, and the impact of degree completion on students. Recommendations include effective mentor–mentee matching and increased sensitivity to particular challenges for underrepresented minority students in doctoral programs.     

大数据时代环境科学与工程教学的机遇与挑战

伴随云计算、千万亿次存储等信息技术的飞速发展,大数据正以前所未有的方式冲击着社会的发展与人们的日常生活.作为朝阳学科的环境科学与工程如何应对大数据时代催生的机遇与挑战,是一线高校教师面临的重要课题.文章介绍大数据的概念和基本特征,探讨大数据在环境科学与工程教学中的渗透作用:提升教学内容的前瞻性,促进教学方式的改变,发展精、准的个性化教学体系.     

Improving Opportunities for Bridging Social Capital: The Story of a Full-Service Community School Initiative at an Alternative High School

Abstract

This article describes the collective efforts educators and multiple community partners are taking to transform one alternative urban high school into a full-service community school. The article presents preliminary findings on the opportunities for bridging social capital that the full-service initiative has created and the impacts such opportunities have for students in urban alternative settings with multiple risk factors stacked against them.     

基于成人教育的对外汉语多媒亿教学资源库建设的思考

随着对外汉语教学事业的发展,成人对外汉语教学对多媒体教学资源的需求日益增加,基于成人教育的多媒体教学资源库的建设已被提上议事日程。素材型多媒体资源库建设应以教学为本,体现资源建设的实用性;应以人为本,体现资源建设的人文性;应适应并发展新型的、现代化的教学模式,体现资源建设的前瞻性;应强调“人人参与、共建共享”的建库理念,体现资源建设的开放性。     

From Words to Concepts: Focusing on Word Knowledge When Teaching for Conceptual Understanding Within an Inquiry-Based Science Setting

This qualitative video study explores how two elementary school teachers taught for conceptual understanding throughout different phases of science inquiry. The teachers implemented teaching materials with a focus on learning science key concepts through the development of word knowledge. A framework for word knowledge was applied to examine the students’ level of word knowledge manifested in their talk. In this framework, highly developed knowledge of a word is conceptual knowledge. This includes understanding how the word is situated within a network of other words and ideas. The results suggest that students’ level of word knowledge develops toward conceptual knowledge when the students are required to apply the key concepts in their talk throughout all phases of inquiry. When the students become familiar with the key concepts through the initial inquiry activities, the students use the concepts as tools for furthering their conceptual understanding when they discuss their ideas and findings. However, conceptual understanding is not promoted when teachers do the talking for the students, rephrasing their responses into the correct answer or neglecting to address the students’ everyday perceptions of scientific phenomena.