Constructivist Science Teaching: Intellectual and Strategic Teaching Acts

This paper attempts to provide some productive starting points for discussion in the context of science teaching. Embedded in the current practice of methodologies such as messing about, hands-on, minds-on activities, science-technology-society related approaches, and inquiry-based learning, is often a sense of confusion and frustration. Such current methodologies in elementary science teaching are founded on constructivist learning theory. This paper attempts to pinpoint possible ways in which this child-centered, interactive learning theory can lead to confusion for students and teachers alike. It attempts to distinguish the necessary criteria for successful science teaching from much of today's practice in the elementary school science class. It does not attempt to draw conclusions on the reasons behind some of the practices.     

An exploratory study of science educators' use of the internet

As is true of all segments of society, science educators' use of the Internet has been increasing. Yet little research is available on the current use of this medium by science educators. This study was conducted with two surveys on two populations. The first, a telephone survey concerning use of the Internet, was administered to a known group of science educators. The second instrument, a revision of the first survey, was administered through the Internet to an unknown population of science educators. Results from the Internet survey showed that time online could be categorized into use of e-mail, bulletin boards, gopher sites, or other uses. In addition, most of the respondents accessed a fee network, rather than a commercial, or fee-paid network. Readers are cautioned that response to the survey was limited, therefore this study does not represent a general statement of science educators' use of the Internet. This study, while it has some limitations, is important in the exploration of Internet use by science educators.     

Using advance organizers to teach BASIC programming to primary-grade children

An advance organizer is introductory material presented prior to accompanying learning material as a means to facilitate learning and retention. Although there have been many studies on using advance organizers to teach children various types of subject matter, none has examined computer programming as the subject matter. The study reported in this article explored the use of the advance organizer to teachbasic programming to primary-grade children. Results indicate that the advance organizer may have confused rather than clarified the more difficult material for the subjects. It is suggested that the post-organizer may be a more effective tool for enhancing computing instruction in the primary grades, in that it provides learners with a tool for review and recall of learned material.     

Storming parents,schools and communicative inaction

While recognition of the need to involve parents in the life of the school grows in public policy, anxiety continues at the intervention of ‘the angry parent’. This paper seeks to develop understanding of this communicative action and apply it to a study of parental voice in schools that identified a number of expressions of ‘storming’. The paper argues that these occasions were reactions to events in school and the underlying ‘performative attitude’ of parents in their communications was to seek mutual understanding. The disposition of the school, however, while enabling communicative understanding on some concerns (such as welfare) was less amenable to negotiating agreement on issues it regarded as core professional practice (such as control of the learning and teaching process). Parental cultural capital, nevertheless, could exercise a space of influence.     

What do children think animals need? Developmental trends

Understanding how children think about the needs of animals may aid bridging from how they care about individual animals to caring about the environment more generally. This study explored changes with age in children's conceptions of animals' needs, including how such conceptions may extend beyond the individual animal to larger systems and conservation. During attendance at a North American zoo, 171 children between the ages of 4 and 14 years were interviewed and did drawings in response to questions about the needs of a favorite animal. The results reported here focus on developmental patterns. Animals' basic physiological needs were grasped at an early age. Understanding ecological and conservation needs showed the strongest developmental trends across the full age range, with some children showing early proficiency in ecological, but not conservation, concepts. Conservation and ecological thinking appeared to follow different trajectories, especially through middle childhood, when other dimensions than knowledge may cause increases in conservation conceptions. Educational implications include building on interest in individual animals; not underestimating even young children's ability to assemble ecological facts around an animal; emphasizing concrete ecological connections; and highlighting animals that children experience in their own lives. Considering the needs of animals offers a developmentally pre‐potent way to increase how children know and value multiple levels of biological organization.     

Exploring the Relationship between Cognitive Style and Teaching Style

To a great extent the nature of the relationship between the cognitive style of a student teacher and their predominant teaching style in the classroom has been ignored by educational research. This study used an opportunist sample of 84 trainee teachers studying for one year full time for a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, in a range of subject specialist areas, based at a single English university. Students' cognitive styles were assessed, and those with more extreme cognitive style scores were selected to participate in semi‐structured interviews. A subject specialist mentor had been assigned to each student; 77% (n=59) completed a questionnaire on their perceptions of the teaching style of their PGCE student. Statistically significant differences in approaches to learning and teaching were identified between the four cognitive styles. Gender differences were also noted with analytic‐verbaliser females adopting the most analytical style in the classroom and wholist‐imager males the most wholist style. Qualitative analysis identified differences in approach to teaching between the students with more extreme cognitive styles. Wholists were more sensitive than analytic students to situational factors such as the culture of the school, support from the mentor, and in their ability to accept criticism. Further research is recommended to verify such findings. In this respect, a longitudinal study focusing on changes in cognitive style and approach in the classroom could be fruitful. Consequently, universities need to adopt varied teaching and assessment tools varied in order to accommodate the continuum of cognitive styles.     

The elaboration of concepts in three biology textbooks: Facilitating student learning

As the levels of scientific literacy and science achievement have become issues of concern, the necessity of investigating possible causes becomes more urgent. Since textbooks have been shown to have a tremendous impact on curriculum, this is one variable of science instruction that needs further investigation. The purpose of this article is to describe how three biology books present the content related to photosynthesis through the construct of elaboration. The textbooks were selected for their differences in target audiences, as defined by student abilities. Results are discussed in terms of quantity of elaboration, relevance of ideas used to elaborate major concepts, relationship of the nature of elaboration to intended readers, and the general relationship between how texts present information and student learning.     

Teacher Performance Ratings and Professional Improvement

Like other public workers, teachers typically receive high and compressed ratings that do little to differentiate them based on performance. Motivated by empirical evidence of substantial variation in effectiveness among teachers, there has been a recent push to develop more informative evaluation systems with greater ratings dispersion. We study one of the first of these new systems, implemented in Tennessee, in order to understand how teachers respond to the provision of new, more differentiated performance ratings. We focus on whether summative ratings influence teachers’ self-reported, self-directed professional improvement activities as measured by four items on a statewide teacher survey. Using a regression discontinuity design we find no evidence that teachers alter their time investments in professional improvement, or adjust their professional improvement activities based on evaluation feedback, in response to their ratings.     

Early Mathematics in the Home and Out-of-Home Contexts

The investigation to be reported here is part of a wider, multi-method and longitudinal study that has tracked early mathematics in the home of nine young children from between one and two years of age through to school age. The paper focuses on the mathematical development of two of the children, providing an in-depth analysis of observation and discourse in the home and considering the possible impact of this on later attitudes to learning. Clark (2001) has argued that it is possible to pin-point contexts in homes and pre-school settings from research evidence that are most likely to stimulate learning in young children and to lay an effective foundation for literacy and numeracy. This paper concludes that early pedagogical strategies may vary in the manner in which they pave the way not only for the later development, but also foster expectations for and attitudes towards future learning. L'investigation ici rapporte´e fait partie d'une e´tude de type multi-me´thode et longitudinal plus comple ¤ te, qui traque l'usage des mathe´matiques au premier age dans la maison par neuf jeunes enfants, a ¤ partir de l'age d'entre un et deux ans au passage a ¤ la scolarite´ formelle. Cet essai se concentre sur le de´veloppement mathe´matique de deux des enfants, fournissant une analyse approfondie de la observation et du discours dans la maison et conside ¤ re l'impact possible de ceci sur l'accomplissement et les attitudes a ¤ l'apprentissage poste´rieurs. Clark (2001) a soutenu que c'est possible de pre´ciser contextes spe´cifiques dans le cadre du foyer et dans les cadres pre´scolaires en e´manant de l'e´vidence de la recherche qui vont plus probablement stimuler l'apprentissage dans les jeunes enfants et placer une fondation efficace pour l'alphabe´tisation et l'aptitude au calcul. Cet essai conclut qu'une strate´gie parentale efficace est caracte´rise´e par sa direction de l'attention de l'enfant aux relations dans l'espace, le temps, la quantite´ et l'e´tendue, qui peuvent etre perc¸ues au cours de la manipulation d'objets dans les actions qui sont en cours de realisation et qui ont e´te´ introduites par l'enfant meme. La conscience de ces relations est e´tablie par la pe´riode d'acquisition de langue pendant que l'enfant reconna L t, arrange et manipule des relations qui peuvent etre perc¸ues dans les objets de jeu. L' appui par l'adulte de la coordination de l'enfant dans ces relations dans le contexte d'activite´s verbales et pratiques semble paver la voie non seulement pour le de´veloppement poste´rieur de principes cognitifs mais aussi d'espe´rances positives pour et des attitudes vers l'apprentissage futur. La investigacio´n que se relata aqu L ´´ forma parte de un estudio multime´todo y longitudinal ma´s amplio, que rastrea el uso de las matema´ticas en la primera edad en la casa de nueve nin ¨ os, de la edad de entre uno y dos an ¨ os al pasaje a la educacio´n formal. Este ensayo hace enfoque en el desarrollo matema´tico de dos de los nin ¨ os, proporcionando un ana´lisis a fondo de observacio´n y discurso en el hogar y considerando el impacto posible de e´ste sobre el logro posterior y las actitudes para el estudio. Clark (2001) ha argumentado que es posible sen ¨ alar los contextos en el hogar y en los ambientes preescolares (basandose en evidencia emergente de investigaciones previas) que ma´s probablemente estimulan el estudio en los nin ¨ os y que proporcionan una base eficaz para el alfabetismo y la aptitud al ca´lculo. Este ensayo concluye que una estrategia eficaz de parte de los padres es caracterizada por su dirigimiento de la atencio´n del nin ¨ o hacia las relaciones de espacio, de tiempo, de cantidad y grado, que puede ser percibido en el curso de la manipulacio´n de objetos en acciones continuas iniciadas por nin ¨ o. El conocimiento de estas relaciones se establece en el per L ´´odo de la adquisicio´n del lenguaje a medida que el nin ¨ o reconoce, pone en orden y manipula las relaciones que se pueden percibir en los objetos de juego. El apoyo de la coordinacio´n del nin ¨ o en estas relaciones por el adulto en el contexto de actividades verbales y pra´cticas parece preparar el terreno no so´lo para el desarrollo posterior de principios cognoscitivos pero tambie´n para las esperanzas positivas y para las actitudes hacia el aprendizaje futuro.