小学阶段开展科技教育初探

多年来,科技教育一直是我国基础教育的＂盲点＂,社会和教育自身对小学科技教育的重要性认识不足,作为小学三大核心学科之一的科技教育,远没有像语言和数学教育那样得到足够重视。为此,我校在切实提高认识的基础上,加强组织领导,创设教育环境,开展丰富多彩的活动,科技教育取得实效。     

STS与基础科学教育

在各种的教育改革方案里，对于STS内容越来越多的引进，已成为一种趋势。然而，联系到我国目前教育界和学术界的现状，对有关的问题仍缺乏必要的了解和深入研究。根据若干国外的科学教育标准进行比较研究，关注的是在其中STS观念与内容的体现，以及在不同方案中表现出来的特点与差异，我们可以理解STS对于基础科学教育已经产生的影响，看到我国基础科学教育与国际相比较显示出的差距，从而对当前的认识与未来的发展都有重要的意义和借鉴作用。     

Authentic Science Research in Elementary School After-School Science Clubs

In this paper we report on teachers’ and students’ participation in authentic science research in out of school time science clubs at elementary schools. In the program four to five teachers worked alongside practicing scientists as part of their research groups. Each teacher facilitated a club with 10–15 students who, by extension, were members of the scientists’ research groups. Over the 3 years of the project nearly 30 teachers and over 500 children participated in the clubs. In this paper we present a case study of teachers and children who worked with an analytic chemist at a major university whose field of research is environmental arsenic. We illustrate how the professor mentored the teachers and how they in turn mentored the children. We show how the elementary school teachers who had very little formal science education gained the expertise needed to mentor the children. We found that in less than one academic year the teachers were able to gain the knowledge and skills to facilitate the children’s legitimate participation in authentic scientific research; and that the children gained the methodological and intellectual proficiency needed to contribute useful data and findings to the scientist’s research program.     

小学科学教学要走进自然

科学教育的主要教学目标应该放在培养小学生的好奇心上。这一要求明确地指明了科学教学除了课本和课堂教学的第三种教学方式——走到大自然中进行学习。因此,小学科学教学应该和自然紧密结合,帮助学生认识到自身和大自然以及我们所生活的社会之间所存在的关联,最终实现学有所用。     

Differential Use of Elementary Science Kits

The use of kits in elementary science classes is a growing trend in some countries. Kits provide materials and inquiry lessons in a ready-to-teach format for teachers to use in their science instruction. This study examined elementary teachers' instructional strategies, classroom practices, and assessment types in relation to the frequency of science kit use. A total of 503 elementary teachers from an urban school district received professional development, implemented kits in their classrooms for a year, and then completed a survey about science kit use and teaching practices. Despite similarities in demographic characteristics (gender, ethnicity, certification/educational level), there were significant differences in teachers' use of inquiry-based teaching and assessment practices by kit use. Teachers who reported using kits the most often were significantly more likely to report that their students designed and implemented laboratory investigations as well recorded, represented, and analyzed data. In addition, the high kit users indicated that they were more likely to use student groups, require students to use evidence to support claims, and use alternative assessments of student work including portfolios, notebooks, and long-term projects than those teachers who used kits less frequently. Those teachers who reported using kits the least often were significantly more likely to report having students practice for standardized tests. The role of kits in promoting reform-based teaching practices is discussed.     

Factors Influencing Science Content Accuracy in Elementary Inquiry Science Lessons

Elementary teachers face increasing demands to engage children in authentic science process and argument while simultaneously preparing them with knowledge of science facts, vocabulary, and concepts. This reform is particularly challenging due to concerns that elementary teachers lack adequate science background to teach science accurately. This study examined 81 in-classroom inquiry science lessons for preservice education majors and their cooperating teachers to determine the accuracy of the science content delivered in elementary classrooms. Our results showed that 74 % of experienced teachers and 50 % of student teachers presented science lessons with greater than 90 % accuracy. Eleven of the 81 lessons (9 preservice, 2 cooperating teachers) failed to deliver accurate science content to the class. Science content accuracy was highly correlated with the use of kit-based resources supported with professional development, a preference for teaching science, and grade level. There was no correlation between the accuracy of science content and some common measures of teacher content knowledge (i.e., number of college science courses, science grades, or scores on a general science content test). Our study concluded that when provided with high quality curricular materials and targeted professional development, elementary teachers learn needed science content and present it accurately to their students.     

Nurturing Confidence in Preservice Elementary Science Teachers

This study examined changes in personal science teaching self-efficacy (PSTE), outcome expectancy (STOE), and science conceptual understanding and relationships among these in preservice teachers. Seventy preservice teachers enrolled in science teaching methods courses participated in this study. PSTE, STOE, and science conceptual understanding increased significantly during participation in the course. The study established that novice learners with minimal prior knowledge could not be expected to understand and employ core concepts in their learning schema without extensive guidance. The relationship between science learning confidence and science teaching confidence has not been theoretically delineated in the area of science teacher education. Findings suggest there may be important connections between the 2 for preservice teachers that would be fruitful areas for future research.     

西方小学科学课程发展的历史回顾与展望

自19世纪中叶起,西方小学科学课程发展经历了实物教学、自然学习和现代小学科学课程三种形态,教育目的从最初的促进个人心智发展到今天的促进个人-社会共同发展.进入21世纪,重视小学科学课程的基础性作用、构建平衡的科学课程将成为未来的重要发展方向.     

“蒙学科学全书”与20世纪初的科学启蒙

19世纪下半叶以来,西学迅速进入中国,但科学的传播却较为缓慢。伴随着20世纪初中国新式教育的出现,文明书局高举"科学"的大旗,1903年开始出版"蒙学科学全书"28种。这是第一次书名全部印有"教科书"字样、第一套中国人自己分科编著(译)、至今唯一用"科学"之名统领的教科书。这套教科书明确学科概念及知识分类,彰显了中国学术由四部之学到分科之学的转型;下移中国科学启蒙的重心,大量普及科学常识;突出科学研究的基本方法,特别强调试验与观察;全面规范"教科书"要素,分化了科学译著与教学用书;渗透教育学、心理学知识,提升了教科书编制的科学化程度;注重课程内容与教学进度有序、弹性、指导性,但没有分级设编。"蒙学科学全书"让我们看到了中国知识分子的智慧与创新,以及由此开启20世纪初科学启蒙的新时代。     

Nurturing Confidence in Preservice Elementary Science Teachers

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in personal science teaching self-efficacy (PSTE), outcome expectancy (STOE), and science conceptual understanding and relationships among these in preservice teachers. Seventy preservice teachers enrolled in science teaching methods courses participated in this study. PSTE, STOE, and science conceptual understanding increased significantly during participation in the course. The study established that novice learners with minimal prior knowledge couldn't be expected to understand and employ core concepts in their learning schema without extensive guidance. The relationship between science learning confidence and science teaching confidence has not been theoretically delineated in the area of science teacher education. Findings suggest that there may be important connections between the two for preservice teachers that would be fruitful areas for future research.     

基于科学素养的小学科学学业测评

科学教育的目的是培养学生的科学素养,这已成为科学教育界的共识。现代科学教育强调学生掌握科学领域的核心知识、发展科学思维、提升运用科学解决问题的意识和能力。目前,小学科学测评仍以考查科学知识识记为主,制约了科学教学改革。本文基于山西省近几年小学科学学业测评实践,分析小学科学学业测评的现状,思考基于科学素养的小学科学学业测评的内容和方法,以期通过有效测评引领科学教学改革,促进学生科学素养提升。     

Dilemmas of Teaching Inquiry in Elementary Science Methods

Because various definitions of inquiry exist in the science education literature and in classroom practice, elementary science methods students and instructors face dilemmas during the study of inquiry. Using field notes, instructor anecdotal notes, student products, and course artifacts, science methods course instructors created fictional journal entries to represent the experiences of both the instructors and students during instruction on inquiry. Identified dilemmas were varying definitions of inquiry, the struggle to provide sufficient inquiry-based science-learning experiences, perceived time constraints, determining how much course time should be slated for science instruction versus pedagogy instruction, instructors' and students' lack of inquiry-based learning experiences, grade versus trust issues, and students' science phobia. Instructors' attempts at dealing with these dilemmas included using analogies, increased field-experience time, modeling, and detailed rubrics.     

Beginning Elementary Teachers' Development as Teachers of Science

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Science and Mathematics Instruction of Beginning Elementary Teachers

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Power Dynamics and Questioning in Elementary Science Classrooms

We describe the dynamic discourse interactions between a teacher and her students in a third-grade science classroom. We focused on how the teacher and students initiate, prompt, respond, and provide feedback; use questioning and power strategies; and how questions are associated with power dynamics. We relate the consequences of teacher use of power to the engagement of student with subject matter. Two classroom sessions were observed and teacher?Cstudent interactions audio recorded. Data were transcribed and a method was developed for analyzing teacher-student interactions, power dynamics, and types of questions asked. Results revealed that teacher talk was twice as frequent as students?? talk; questions were primarily closed-ended and task-oriented; and students asked few questions. The teacher exercised power by keeping activities organized and conventional, and utilizing subject matter. The developed methods showed us the complexity of question and power dynamics in classroom discourse and have implications for professional development and research.     

Effects of Integrating Hypermedia into Elementary Science Professional Development on Science Content Knowledge

Past research has indicated that a number of problems in the teaching of science in elementary classrooms are rooted in the preparation of inservice teachers. One continuing concern is elementary teachers' lack of science content knowledge. As indicated by numerous research studies reporting positive results, one method of addressing these problems is through inservice teacher professional development workshops. While improved content knowledge has been reported as a positive result of professional development workshops, elementary science workshops have not resulted in the same success levels as other subject areas. One method of addressing some of the deficiencies in elementary science professional development workshops is with the integration of hypermedia into the professional development environment. This study examined whether the integration of hypermedia into elementary science professional development workshops resulted in greater increases in the science content knowledge of elementary teachers of science than traditional methods of elementary science professional development workshops. Workshops that integrated hypermedia into the professional development environment resulted in a significant increase in inservice elementary teachers' science content knowledge, when compared to the control group. However, when compared to the experimental group that participated in workshops without hypermedia, however, there was no significant difference in increases of science content knowledge. Implications of these outcomes are discussed.