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1.
This study explores how activities developed by science experts in partnership with middle school teachers were employed and
interpreted. The goals of this partnership were to (a) help the science teacher meet earth science content standards in new
ways, (b) expose students to ‘real world’ experiences outside their school setting, and (c) positively impact teacher practice
by providing a program to be used as a catalyst for future learning. Over 300 sixth graders mostly underrepresented science
students attended activities at an aquarium serving an urban West Coast urban context. Science teachers, non-science teachers,
scientists, and volunteers were all engaged in pre-trip instruction, professional development opportunities, and follow-up
activities as this partnership effort explored ways to enhance local literacy initiatives across the curriculum. Results suggest
that teacher beliefs about informal education impacted their view and participation in the program and the level of submersion
of teachers in collaboration strongly affects the ability to serve underrepresented students on informal excursions. Implications
for teacher education and outreach are discussed. 相似文献
2.
This study explored the effects that the incorporation of nature of science (NoS) activities in the primary science classroom
had on children’s perceptions and understanding of science. We compared children’s ideas in four classes by inviting them
to talk, draw and write about what science meant to them: two of the classes were taught by ‘NoS’ teachers who had completed
an elective nature of science (NoS) course in the final year of their Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree. The ‘non-NoS’ teachers
who did not attend this course taught the other two classes. All four teachers had graduated from the same initial teacher
education institution with similar teaching grades and all had carried out the same science methods course during their B.Ed
programme. We found that children taught by the teachers who had been NoS-trained developed more elaborate notions of nature
of science, as might be expected. More importantly, their reflections on science and their science lessons evidenced a more
in-depth and sophisticated articulation of the scientific process in terms of scientists “trying their best” and “sometimes
getting it wrong” as well as “getting different answers”. Unlike children from non-NoS classes, those who had engaged in and
reflected on NoS activities talked about their own science lessons in the sense of ‘doing science’. These children also expressed
more positive attitudes about their science lessons than those from non-NoS classes. We therefore suggest that there is added value in including NoS activities in the primary science curriculum in that they seem to help children make sense of science and
the scientific process, which could lead to improved attitudes towards school science. We argue that as opposed to considering
the relevance of school science only in terms of children’s experience, relevance should include relevance to the world of
science, and NoS activities can help children to link school science to science itself. 相似文献
3.
4.
Aviva Klieger Yehuda Ben-Hur Nurit Bar-Yossef 《Journal of Science Education and Technology》2010,19(2):187-198
The study examines the professional development of junior-high-school teachers participating in the Israeli “Katom” (Computer
for Every Class, Student and Teacher) Program, begun in 2004. A three-circle support and training model was developed for
teachers’ professional development. The first circle applies to all teachers in the program; the second, to all teachers at
individual schools; the third to teachers of specific disciplines. The study reveals and describes the attitudes of science
teachers to the integration of laptop computers and to the accompanying professional development model. Semi-structured interviews
were conducted with eight science teachers from the four schools participating in the program. The interviews were analyzed
according to the internal relational framework taken from the information that arose from the interviews. Two factors influenced
science teachers’ professional development: (1) Introduction of laptops to the teachers and students. (2) The support and
training system. Interview analysis shows that the disciplinary training is most relevant to teachers and they are very interested
in belonging to the professional science teachers’ community. They also prefer face-to-face meetings in their school. Among
the difficulties they noted were the new learning environment, including control of student computers, computer integration
in laboratory work and technical problems. Laptop computers contributed significantly to teachers’ professional and personal
development and to a shift from teacher-centered to student-centered teaching. One-to-One laptops also changed the schools’
digital culture. The findings are important for designing concepts and models for professional development when introducing
technological innovation into the educational system. 相似文献
5.
The first year of a 5 year professional development project for elementary teachers in two mid-western states integrated a bridge of two distinctly different distance education networks (T-1 and fiber optics) to provide science professional development for elementary school teachers in rural communities. Interactive television (ITV), the title given to the distance component, consisted of a series of twenty-four, 2 h presentations by scientists and content specialists. It provided expansion to the science pedagogical content knowledge of the elementary teachers involved. Eighty-five teachers in 38 school districts from the two states completed individual surveys following the final ITV session. Analysis of variance of participants post-session survey scores yielded differences (p < 0.05) on the subscales measuring perceived effectiveness of using distance education for professional development purposes and years of teaching experience. Teachers with over 20 years of classroom experience perceived the use of distance education technologies for science professional development to be more effective than teachers with 16–20 years of classroom experience. These results might suggest another digital divide. 相似文献
6.
Rebecca McNall Krall Joseph P. Straley Sally A. Shafer Jeffrey L. Osborn 《Journal of Science Education and Technology》2009,18(2):173-186
The No Child Left Behind Act requires that all teachers be certified within the content areas that they teach. However, attracting
and retaining highly qualified science teachers in rural school districts is particularly difficult due to limited resources
and geographic and professional isolation. Science professional development programs could help improve inservice teachers’
understanding of concepts they are expected to teach, but such programs are often limited in rural areas. This study evaluates
a unique distance learning, inquiry-based professional development course in physical science developed to meet the needs
of central Appalachian middle school teachers. Instruction through hands-on inquiry investigations distinguishes this program
from other distance learning programs. Preliminary findings from the pilot study reported in this paper reveal significant
growth in 43 teachers’ content knowledge for six of nine temperature and heat concepts assessed in the course. Outcomes from
the distance learning project are discussed as they relate to future research goals and implications for science professional
development programs in rural regions. 相似文献
7.
8.
Carla C. Johnson 《Journal of Science Teacher Education》2007,18(4):629-661
The experiences of middle school science teachers at two schools in the southeastern US who participated in collaborative,
sustained, whole-school professional development and their implementation of standards-based instructional practices are the
focus of this study. Participants were involved in their second year of the professional development experience. The research
question that was explored was “How are science teachers implementing standards-based instruction while participating in effective
professional development experiences?” Data collected in the form of teacher interviews and classroom observations using an
observation protocol. Findings indicate that even with effective professional development, teachers implement standards-based
instructional practices at varying levels. The reasons for these differences are discussed and the role of teacher beliefs
and the impact of beliefs, experience and support from administrators on professional development efforts are discussed. Implications
for future science education reform stakeholders and professional development efforts are revealed. 相似文献
9.
The impact of a professional development experience involving scientists and fourth to eighth grade teachers of science was explored. Teachers attended a summer program at a research facility where they had various experiences such as job shadowing and interviewing scientists. They also participated in authentic inquiry investigations and planned inquiry units for their classrooms. Data on teachers’ understanding and implementation of inquiry were collected through surveys, questionnaires, and classroom observations. Findings show that the teachers’ understanding of inquiry improved and most participants were able to successfully implement inquiry science in their classrooms. Barriers to the implementation of inquiry practices and the impact of specific experiences with the scientists were explored. 相似文献
10.
Teachers’ Willingness to Adopt Nature of Science Activities Following a Physical Science Professional Development 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
The major science education reform documents emphasize the need for K-12 students to have a robust understanding of nature
of science (NOS), and inservice teachers consequently need to develop their NOS teaching repertoires. This study investigated
the extent to which science teachers were willing to adopt new strategies and activities for teaching NOS in their classrooms.
The participants were 36 elementary, middle, and high school teachers who were completing a year-long physical science professional
development (PD) that included NOS instruction. Data sources consisted of surveys (teachers’ NOS views, teaching practices),
collected work, and responses to post-PD follow-up questions. The professional development course was successful in that teachers
incorporated many of these strategies and activities into their own practice. This study also endeavored to identify factors
that facilitated the adoption of these new approaches to teaching NOS. While personal characteristics such as pre- or post-PD
NOS understandings, NOS gains, and grade level taught were not related to the number of NOS activities incorporated, teachers
from suburban and rural schools were significantly more likely to implement NOS activities. 相似文献
11.
Current curriculum demands require primary teachers to teach about the Nature of Science; yet, few primary teachers have had opportunity to learn about science as a discipline. Prior schooling and vicarious experiences of science may shape their beliefs about science and, as a result, their science teaching. This qualitative study describes the impact on teacher beliefs about science and science education of a programme where 26 New Zealand primary (elementary) teachers worked fulltime for 6 months alongside scientists, experiencing the nature of work in scientific research institutes. During the 6 months, teachers were supported, through a series of targeted professional development days, to make connections between their experiences working with scientists, the curriculum and the classroom. Data for the study consisted of mid- and end-of-programme written teacher reports and open-ended questionnaires collected at three points, prior to and following 6 months with the science host and after 6 to 12 months back in school. A shift in many teachers’ beliefs was observed after the 6 months of working with scientists in combination with curriculum development days; for many, these changes were sustained 6 to 12 months after returning to school. Beliefs about the aims of science education became more closely aligned with the New Zealand curriculum and its goal of developing science for citizenship. Responses show greater appreciation of the value of scientific ways of thinking, deeper understanding about the nature of scientists’ work and the ways in which science and society influence each other. 相似文献
12.
Elementary Teachers’ Teaching for Conceptual Understanding: Learning From Action Research 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
This study reports teachers’ learning through action research on students’ conceptual understanding. The study examined (a)
the teachers’ views about science teaching and learning, (b) the teachers’ learning about their teaching practices and (c)
the conditions that supported the teachers’ learning through action research. A total of 14 elementary in-service teachers’
course discussion, self-video reflection, action research reports, and learning reflection were analyzed. Findings revealed
that (a) the teachers in this study commonly espoused the importance of probing and utilizing students’ preconceptions in
science teaching, but they demonstrated various levels of epistemological understanding of student learning and teaching,
(b) the teachers experienced the action research as a means to evaluate science teaching methods and changing their teaching
practices, and (c) the teachers identified sharing goals, problems, and solutions as an essential supporting condition for
their learning through action research. Implications for professional development and further research are discussed. 相似文献
13.
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. 相似文献
14.
Joseph E. Ireland James J. Watters Jo Brownlee Mandy Lupton 《Journal of Science Teacher Education》2012,23(2):159-175
This study explored practicing elementary school teacher’s conceptions of teaching in ways that foster inquiry-based learning
in the science curriculum (inquiry teaching). The advocacy for inquiry-based learning in contemporary curricula assumes the
principle that students learn in their own way by drawing on direct experience fostered by the teacher. That students should
be able to discover answers themselves through active engagement with new experiences was central to the thinking of eminent
educators such as Pestalozzi, Dewey and Montessori. However, even after many years of research and practice, inquiry learning
as a referent for teaching still struggles to find expression in the average teachers’ pedagogy. This study drew on interview
data from 20 elementary teachers. A phenomenographic analysis revealed three conceptions of teaching for inquiry learning
in science in the elementary years of schooling: (a) The Experience-centered conception where teachers focused on providing
interesting sensory experiences to students; (b) The Problem-centered conception where teachers focused on engaging students
with challenging problems; and (c) The Question-centered conception where teachers focused on helping students to ask and
answer their own questions. Understanding teachers’ conceptions has implications for both the enactment of inquiry teaching
in the classroom as well as the uptake of new teaching behaviors during professional development, with enhanced outcomes for
engaging students in Science. 相似文献
15.
Culturally responsive science teaching is using knowledge about the culture and life experiences of students to structure
learning that is conducive to their needs. Understanding what teachers need to prepare them to be culturally responsive is
a matter of continuous debate. As the focus of multicultural education ventures farther away from its roots, advocating the
civil rights of historically oppressed groups, concerns about the gravity of racial inequity on schooling continues. How will
this shift in focus influence teachers’ capacity to accommodate students’ needs resulting from racial inequities in this society,
particularly African American students? What knowledge is essential to their effectiveness? This qualitative study examined
the instructional practices of two effective middle school science teachers deemed culturally responsive by their administrator
on the basis of classroom observations, students’ responses and standardized assessment results. Both teachers’ classrooms
consisted primarily of African American students. Grounded theory was used to analyze the teachers’ beliefs and practices
in order to identify existing commonalties. Critical race theory was used to identify whether there was any influence of the
students’ racial identities on the teachers’ beliefs and practices. The analysis reveals that the teachers’ beliefs and practices
were informed by their critical awareness of social constraints imposed upon their African American students’ identities.
These findings communicate the significance of sociocultural awareness to informing the teachers’ instruction, as well as
their strategies for managing the varying dynamics occurring in their classrooms. It can be deduced from the findings that
an understanding of racial inequities is crucial to the development of sociocultural awareness, and is the foundation for
the culturally responsive dispositions and practices of these middle school science teachers. 相似文献
16.
We describe a model professional development intervention currently being implemented to support 3rd- through 5th-grade teachers’
science instruction in 9 urban elementary schools with high numbers of English language learners. The intervention consists
of curriculum materials for students and teachers, as well as teacher workshops throughout the school year. The curriculum
materials and workshops are designed to complement and reinforce each other in improving teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and
practices in science instruction and English language development for ELL students. In addition to these primary goals, secondary
goals of the intervention included supporting mathematical understanding, improving scientific reasoning, capitalizing on
students’ home language and culture, and preparing students for high-stakes science testing and accountability through hands-on,
inquiry-based learning experiences. 相似文献
17.
Valarie L. Akerson J. Scott Townsend Lisa A. Donnelly Deborah L. Hanson Praweena Tira Orvil White 《Journal of Science Teacher Education》2009,20(1):21-40
This paper summarizes the findings from a K-6 professional development program that emphasized scientific inquiry and nature
of science within the theme of scientific modeling. During the 2-week summer workshop and follow up school year workshops,
the instruction modeled a 5-E learning cycle approach. Pre and posttesting measured teachers’ views of nature of science,
inquiry, and scientific modeling. Teachers improved their views of nature of science (NOS) and inquiry by including scientific
modeling in their definitions of how scientists work, the empirical nature of science, and the role of observations and inferences
in science. Their definitions of science expanded from a knowledge-based orientation to a process-based orientation. Teachers
added the use of mathematical formulas to their views of scientific modeling. Using scientific modeling as the central theme
was effective in providing positive influence on teachers’ views of inquiry and NOS. 相似文献
18.
Felicia Moore Mensah 《Cultural Studies of Science Education》2010,5(4):977-983
In this commentary, I discuss how policy initiatives play out in two different contexts for elementary school teachers yet
produce very similar outcomes regarding teachers’ professional development and school science learning for elementary students.
Ironically, the outcomes that we want see in elementary school science learning and professional development are not realized
when policies are introduced that distract from practices that were working prior to new reforms. 相似文献
19.
Anderson Hassell Norton Andrea McCloskey 《Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education》2008,11(4):285-305
The challenge that we address concerns teachers’ shifts toward student-centered instruction. We report on a yearlong professional
development study in which two United States elementary school teachers engaged in a teaching experiment, as described by
Steffe and Thompson (in: Lesh and Kelly (eds) Research on design in mathematics and science education, 2000). The teaching
experiment involved close mathematical interactions with a pair of students after school, in the context of solving fractions
tasks. By conducting a teaching experiment, we anticipated that each teacher would have more opportunity to develop insight
into students’ mathematics. We also anticipated that these insights would influence the teachers’ classroom practice, even
without explicit support for such a shift. Indeed, the teachers found that they began asking more probing questions of their
students and spending more time listening to students’ explanations, but shifts to classroom practice were limited by constraining
factors such an inflexible curriculum. 相似文献
20.
Science Teachers’ Professional Development and Changes in Science Practical Assessment Practices: What are the Issues? 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
Phillip A. Towndrow Aik-Ling Tan Benny H. W. Yung Libby Cohen 《Research in Science Education》2010,40(2):117-132
This paper considers the circumstances under which science teachers can respond positively and productively to educational
policy reforms in the area of science practical assessment. To understand what might be involved in linking science teachers’
assessment capacities and their professional development, we present illustrative data from recent research studies conducted
in Singapore and Hong Kong showing contrasting approaches taken in the implementation of reforms in science practical assessment.
In Singapore, teachers worked together to select, discuss, clarify and refine their practices as they made decisions about
what to teach and assess. In Hong Kong, teachers took a critical stance towards the new policy and learnt from their own experiences
in order to build their confidence. With the same policy initiative, one group of teachers focused more on the technicalities
of complying with requirements imposed on them while in the other group had their professional consciousness of what they
thought was best for their students provoked so that their practices would be transformed. In an attempt to draw lessons for
other contexts in supporting the implementation of assessment policy reforms through professional development work, we identify
and discuss a range of factors in science teachers’ professional development that arise once in situ professional development work has started. Overall, our intent in this article is to recast assessment reform as a driver
or pivot in teachers’ professional development and learning. To do this it is necessary, we argue, to afford teachers’ experiences
and the processes involved in learning from them greater emphasis in order to ensure the continuance of innovation in the
assessment of laboratory-based work. 相似文献