The change of teachers' conceptions: A strategy for inservice science teachers' education

This paper presents an evaluation of the design and implementation of a course for inservice science teachers, which was undertaken in Seville (1988, Spain) by requirement of the Ministry of Education and based on a didactic model named “Research at School”. The research was designed to evaluate and test the validity of this activity as a strategy to inform teacher educators, and also to encourage their professional development.     

Beginning student teachers' opinions about teaching primary science

Conclusions Beginning student teachers have already acquired very definite views about teaching science before they begin their teacher training course. These views are generally similar to the views espoused by science educators, but are contrary to the classroom practices of many teachers. Their views seem to have origins in what the students perceive to have been meaningful and enjoyable learning experiences for themselves in their own schooling; and to a lesser extent for children they have observed. Female students who have studied more science at high school tend to favour the use of worksheets in experimental work. Several interesting questions arise from these findings: When these students begin to teach as qualified teachers, will they still espouse the same opinions? If so, does that mean that there is a ‘new wave’ of teachers entering the service who are more committed to hands-on activity work than their older colleagues? If not, what aspects of the teacher training process have caused them to change their opinions? Will these present students be using hands-on strategies themselves after they have been teaching for some time? That is, do system and school constraints effectively prevent teachers from using such strategies? Can secondary science teachers do more to influence positively their students' opinions about teaching science, such as engendering more positive attitudes to science, incorporating more hands-on work, and relying less on printed worksheets in laboratory work? This exploratory work has highlighted the concern expressed by Morrissey (1981) in that there is a great need for long term longitudinal studies of student teachers' attitudes to teaching science, with a particular focus on their teaching behaviours after graduation.     

A survey of pre-service primary teachers' experiences of science in schools

In 1990, a large proportion of third year primary trainee teachers at Victoria College had observed or taught very few or no science lessons during the first two years of their course. The students felt that a lack of content knowledge, a crowded school curriculum, and problems associated with managing resources and equipment, were the main factors contributing to the low level of science being taught in schools. By the end of their third year significantly more students had taught science than after the second year. There was also a change in approach to teaching science with more practical activities being included than previously. The science method unit taught to the students in the third year of their course contributed to this increase. The students considered the hands-on activities in class to have been the most effective aspect of the unit in their preparation for the teaching of primary science. Specializations: children's learning in science, primary teacher education. Specializations: student understanding of biology, evaluation of formal and informal educational settings. Specializations: gender, science and technology, environmental education. Specializations: children's learning in science, language and science.     

中小学教师继续教育的基本阵地——一种比较的观点

国外的一些培训模式尽管在具体的形式和做法上不同,但却有着一些共同的特点;重视中小学校在教师继续教育中的作用;加强它们在教师培训中的计划、组织、联系、管理工作;培训的方式方法多种多样;培训部门和人员加强与中小学的联系,我们应把中小校作为开展教师培训的基本阵地;培训部门应与中小学校密切联系,使培训服务于中小学;教育行政部门应建立、健全教师继续教育制度。     

Chinese teachers' perceptions of students' classroom misbehaviour

This study focuses on Chinese teachers' perceptions of students' classroom misbehaviour. A questionnaire was designed to assess teachers' general concerns about classroom management, teachers' perceptions of the most frequent and troublesome types of misbehaviour, and teachers' perceived needs for help with improving classroom management. A total of 244 responses were collected, from lower elementary to high school teachers in two provinces in mainland China. In general, the majority of Chinese teachers (65.6%) do not think that classroom management is a great concern. They perceive ‘daydreaming’ to be the most frequent and troublesome misbehaviour. This contrasts with many prior studies in Western settings where ‘talking out of turn’ has been reported as the biggest concern. In addition, Chinese teachers are eager to understand the psychological reasons behind student misbehaviour. They also suggest that the Chinese system of ‘teaching for testing’ should be reformed.     

Hyperactive children's perceptions of teachers' classroom behavior

The relationship between hyperactive behavior and children's perceptions of teachers' behavior was investigated. Particular attention was paid to two aspects of teacher behavior—acceptance and demand. An extensive literature review supported the position of viewing hyperactive behavior from a situational and an interactional perspective. The literature also indicated that children's behavior is affected by their perceptions of adult behavior. The subjects were 92 boys enrolled in 8 regular elementary school classrooms. Children's perceptions of acceptance and demand in their teacher's behavior were measured by administering a partial form of the Teacher Behavior Questionnaire to classroom groups. Observed levels of hyperactive behavior were measured by having the subjects' teachers complete the Conners Abbreviated Questionnaire for each boy. Using correlational analyses, hyperactive behavior was found to be significantly related to both variables in the directions of less perceived acceptance and greater perceived demand. The combination of these two measures accounted for 16% of the variance between hyperactivity and student perception of teacher behavior. On group comparison measures, hyperactive boys perceived significantly less acceptance and greater demand than did their nonhyperactive peers.     

教师教育的市场化运作初探

描述了教师教育市场化的含义,探讨了教师教育市场化的意义,论述了教师教育市场化运作应注意的几个问题,即完善教师资格制度、建立教师教育机构的认可制度、加强教师分层管理、实行教师培训券制度、关注解决教师流动问题.     

Master teachers' responses to twenty literacy and science/mathematics practices in deaf education

Under a grant to improve outcomes for students who are deaf or hard of hearing awarded to the Association of College Educators--Deaf/Hard of Hearing, a team identified content that all teachers of students who are deaf and hard of hearing must understand and be able to teach. Also identified were 20 practices associated with content standards (10 each, literacy and science/mathematics). Thirty-seven master teachers identified by grant agents rated the practices on a Likert-type scale indicating the maximum benefit of each practice and maximum likelihood that they would use the practice, yielding a likelihood-impact analysis. The teachers showed strong agreement on the benefits and likelihood of use of the rated practices. Concerns about implementation of many of the practices related to time constraints and mixed-ability classrooms were themes of the reviews. Actions for teacher preparation programs were recommended.     

论教师专业化与教师教育转型

我国传统的教师教育体制存在封闭性与定向性、职前职后分离、教师培养与资格认证不分、施教者学历层次偏低等弊端.为促进教师专业化建设,我国的教师教育必须向非定向的开放式模式转变,向职前与职后教育一体化转变,向教师培养与资格认证分离转变,向高学历层次转变.     

Developing science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge

This article discusses the concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) within the context of science teaching. First, an attempt is made to define this concept within the tradition of research on teachers' craft knowledge and to identify possible purposes of research on PCK. From this point of view, recent research on science teaching is investigated. This investigation identifies teaching experience as the major source of PCK, whereas adequate subject-matter knowledge appears to be a prerequisite. Finally, an empirical study is presented which focuses on PCK with respect to a specific topic—that is, chemical equilibrium. The effects on teachers' PCK of participation in an in-service workshop and conducting an experimental course in classroom practice are reported. This leads to the identification of elements of PCK teachers can use to promote student understanding. It is concluded that research on topic-related PCK may complement research on student learning of specific topics. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 673–695, 1998.     

Risk-taking and teachers' professional development: The case of satellite remote sensing in science education

The introduction of satellite remote sensing into the U. K. National Curriculum for Science, and the tasks facing teachers in bringing about this innovation, are discussed in terms of risk, its evaluation, reduction, and address. Conclusions are drawn about strategies by which teachers can confront the risk involved in curriculum innovation in school science and technology. Specializations: science and technology education     

The implementation and development of science process skills in the natural sciences: A case study of teachers' perceptions

Abstract

The notion of scientific literacy, with its concomitant emphasis on science process skills gave rise to this study. This case study research sought to explore the perceptions of four primary school Natural Sciences teachers with respect to the implementation and development of science process skills at classroom level in a disadvantaged urban primary school in South Africa. Qualitative data, generated via focus group interviews and classroom observations were analysed. These data revealed that the implementation and development of science process skills were strongly influenced by the teacher's confidence and understandings of these skills, and that these in turn could be coupled to their present and past experience of science process skills. A key recommendation of this study, that might go some way to addressing these issues, is the implementation of high quality and sustained (over a long period of time) appropriate in-service training of primary school Natural Sciences teachers.     

Exploring teachers' perceptions of children's imaginative writing at home

This study explores an area of writing that has been largely neglected – children’s imaginative writing at home. In an educational climate dominated by the standards agenda and top‐down directive discourses, this study draws inspiration from children who are creating opportunities for writing themselves and are developing agency through their writing at home. The positive approach to reading advocated in Margaret Clark’s (1976) seminal work on ‘young fluent readers’ has been very influential. Rather than reporting what children are unable to do, Clark explored the early experiences and home setting of competent pre‐school readers, posing the question: what can they teach us? Taking this lead, one of the premises of this study is that we should similarly seek to understand the experiences of young competent writers so that we can learn more about children who choose to write of their own volition outside of school. This paper presents the findings of the preliminary phase of an ongoing doctoral study. Drawing on questionnaire data, it specifically focuses upon Year 5 and 6 teachers’ views of children’s imaginative home writing, exploring problems of identification and teachers’ perceptions of their pupils as imaginative writers at home.