Culture wars in the classroom: Prospective teachers question science

Does studying about the nature(s) of science contribute to a prospective teachers' effectiveness as a science teacher? This research grew out of a course created by a science educator and historian of science who believed prospective teachers needed more complex understandings of the cultural wars surrounding science. The research team consisted of five prospective teachers who participated in the course as well as the two instructors. This paper describes the experience of participating in the course from both perspectives. We argue that studying the cultural wars over science contributes to prospective teachers' professional growth as much because the course elicits tacit beliefs about school science as it introduces more complex understandings of science. We found that prospective teachers' tacit beliefs about school science were their greatest barrier to developing more complex understandings about the nature(s) of science. We contend that willingness to grapple with complexity and developing a professional identity by locating oneself in the conversations about the nature(s) of science are better criteria for determining the professional growth of prospective teachers than knowledge measures. Finally, we argue that prospective teachers should be viewed as professionals who are responsible for finding their own voice, making their own decisions, and considering the consequences of their beliefs on their practice. This study raises questions critical to teacher education programs for prospective teachers and teacher‐educators alike. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 895–915, 2000     

Developing experience-based (tacit) knowledge through reflection

This investigation examined the effectiveness of reflection methods derived from Sternberg's theory of practical intelligence [Sternberg, R.J., and Hedlund, J. (2002). Practical intelligence, g, and work psychology. Human Performance 15(1/2), 143–160.; Sternberg, R.J., Forsythe, G.B., Hedlund, J., Horvath, H.A., Wagner, R.K., Williams, W.M., et al. (2000). Practical intelligence in everyday life. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2000] on the acquisition of experience-based, tacit knowledge. Two related experimental studies were conducted to test the effect of brief tacit-knowledge reflection training on practical problem solving. Reflection methods were developed based on Sternberg's conceptualized condition–action structure of tacit knowledge. In the first study, 101 U.S. Army officers participated in a reflection intervention or practice control. Results showed an effect of reflection condition on post-test tacit-knowledge scores (F [3, 91] = 3.74, p = .01, 2 = .03). In the second study, 235 college students participated in a reflection intervention or an academic-type reflection control. Results showed that the reflection condition approached significance on post-test scores (F [1, 233] = 3.47, p = .06, p = .06, 2 = .01). The investigation suggests this line of inquiry warrants continued study.     

What should count as worthwhile knowledge in determining a curriculum for supporting out-of-school children and youth？

Due to the increasing number of children and youth dropping out of school, the Malawi government came up with a strategy to address their learning needs through non-formal means in its EFA plan. This resulted in the introduction of a three-year cycle pilot programme known as Complementary Basic Education （CBE）. Funded by GTZ, a German funding agency, the CBE programme has since entered its second year of implementation. This paper reports an evaluation study of the CBE programme so far, with a view of highlighting some of the challenges affecting its implementation. Using a qualitative methodology, the study found that the programme is in many respects, potentially beneficial to various groups of stakeholders including learners, their parents and the community in general. However, the study finds that the major setback in achieving this potential lies in the differences in perception of what should count as curriculum for the CBE programme between providers and beneficiaries. There is a mismatch between ＂needs＂ as perceived by learners and community members on the one hand, and ＂needs＂ as perceived by the providers on the other hand. The paper discusses some of the issues that the providers need to respond to if CBE implementation is going to be beneficial to the livelihood needs of the learners and the immediate community.     

Capturing Parents’ Individual and Institutional Interest Toward Involvement in Science Education

Parents are generally less involved in their children’s science education (as compared to reading and mathematics) due to low self-efficacy and a lack of home-school communication. This study examined parental interest and attitudes in science as well as the nature of parent-to-child questioning during an interactive home, school, and community collaboration in the southeastern United States. Study results, compiled from observations, exit surveys, and interviews revealed largely positive family interactions and attitudes about science learning and increased parental interest toward involvement in elementary science. Parents frequently used productive questioning techniques during activities. These results imply that successful home, school, and community partnerships may elevate levels of parental participation in their children’s science education and the parents’ perception of themselves as being competent in assisting in science.     

Summer Professional Development in Chemistry for Inservice Teachers Using OWL Quick Prep

Secondary teachers participating in summer professional development chemistry workshops in Texas used an online chemistry tutoring program, OWL Quick Prep (Day et al. in OWL: Online Web-based Learning, Brooks-Cole Cengage Learning, Florence, KY, 1997) as a part of the inservice training. Self-reported demographic data were used to identify factors in preparation and practice that affected pretest and posttest scores. Data from the pretests and posttests indicate that nomenclature and problems requiring calculations were the most challenging topics for the cohort. The participants who correctly completed 90% of the questions in the tutoring modules showed significant improvement in content mastery.     

Enabling meaningful learning through Web-based instruction with occupational therapy students

This paper explores the design of a Web-based tutorial for Activity Analysis offered within an undergraduate course of occupational therapy and how its design features influenced meaningful learning from the students’ perspective. This tutorial, using a case-based format, offers a learner-directed approach to students and the application of Activity Analysis, a clinical practice tool. The design is based on principles of meaningful learning for on-line instruction (Jonassen, Educational Technology, 35, 60–63, 1995) and instructional theories. Analysis of feedback from learners identifies the salient attributes of the tutorial on meaningful learning.     

Encounters of the Traditional Kind: Reflections on the In‐Service Teacher Training of Traditional Filipino Arts

This article presents the second segment of a qualitative study on the integration of traditional arts in tertiary level art and design education in the Philippines. It is focused on the experience of artist‐teachers as participants in an in‐service teacher training programme that aimed to prepare the teachers for the trial integration of traditional Filipino arts in art and design courses. Taking the view of the participants, journals written by the artist‐teachers were sourced for their reflections about their encounter with traditional Filipino artists during field visits. This phase of the study takes the form of action research as it involves the participants in gathering data that could inform the methods and content of the learning of traditional Filipino arts in the schools of art and design. The findings reveal that artist‐teachers acknowledge the traditional artist as a valuable source of traditional knowledge and expertise. They also recognise their own essential role in the transmission of learning between the traditional artists and the students. The prerequisites of the course take the artist‐teachers beyond teaching in the classroom and extend their tasks to research.     

A three-dimensional examination of the planar nature of the golf swing

Previous planar models of the downswing in golf have suggested that upper limb segments (left shoulder girdle and left arm) move in a consistent fixed plane and that the clubhead also moves only in this plane. This study sought to examine these assumptions. Three-dimensional kinematic analysis of seven right-handed golfers of various abilities (handicap 0?–?15) was used to define a plane (named the left-arm plane) containing the 7th cervical vertebra, left shoulder and left wrist. We found that the angles of this plane to the reference horizontal z axis and target line axis (parallel to the reference x axis) were not consistent. The angle to the horizontal z axis varied from a mean of 133° (s = 1°) at the start of the downswing to 102° (s = 4°) at impact, suggesting a “steepening” of the left-arm plane. The angle of the plane to the target line changed from ??9° (s = 16°) to 5° (s = 15°) during the same period, showing anticlockwise (from above) rotation, although there was large inter-individual variation. The distance of the clubhead from the left-arm plane was 0.019?m (s = 0.280?m) at the start at the downswing and 0.291?m (s = 0.077?m) at impact, showing that the clubhead did not lie in the same plane as the body segments. We conclude that the left arm and shoulder girdle do not move in a consistent plane throughout the downswing, and that the clubhead does not move in this plane. Previous models of the downswing in golf may therefore be incorrect, and more complex (but realistic) simulations should be performed.     

Participation in sports in childhood and adolescence and physical activity in adulthood: A systematic review

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature to verify the association between participation in sports (PS) in childhood and adolescence and physical activity (PA) in adulthood. A systematic search was conducted in the following databases: Medline (PUBMED), Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus, LILACS and SciELO. All steps of the process followed the recommendations of the PRISMA FlowDiagram. After all the steps of the process, 29 articles were included for analysis. In general, only three of the studies analyzed found no relation between PS in childhood and adolescence and PA in adulthood. However, a positive relationship was found to be weak in only 7% of the studies, a moderate relation in 62% of the studies, and a strong relation in 21%. It was found that higher weekly frequencies of PS; persistence of at least three years of PS and, finally, the highest level of practice and/or competition reached were related to higher levels of PA in adulthood. Thus, it can be concluded that there is a positive association considered moderate to strong between PS in childhood and adolescence and PA in adulthood.