Science Teachers’ Analogical Reasoning

Analogies can play a relevant role in students’ learning. However, for the effective use of analogies, teachers should not only have a well-prepared repertoire of validated analogies, which could serve as bridges between the students’ prior knowledge and the scientific knowledge they desire them to understand, but also know how to introduce analogies in their lessons. Both aspects have been discussed in the literature in the last few decades. However, almost nothing is known about how teachers draw their own analogies for instructional purposes or, in other words, about how they reason analogically when planning and conducting teaching. This is the focus of this paper. Six secondary teachers were individually interviewed; the aim was to characterize how they perform each of the analogical reasoning subprocesses, as well as to identify their views on analogies and their use in science teaching. The results were analyzed by considering elements of both theories about analogical reasoning: the structural mapping proposed by Gentner and the analogical mechanism described by Vosniadou. A comprehensive discussion of our results makes it evident that teachers’ content knowledge on scientific topics and on analogies as well as their pedagogical content knowledge on the use of analogies influence all their analogical reasoning subprocesses. Our results also point to the need for improving teachers’ knowledge about analogies and their ability to perform analogical reasoning.     

Coping with the Contradictions of Reflecting on Praxis: a Spanish case

Abstract

This paper offers some aspects and conclusions which form a part of a more extensive 2‐year case study carried out by a group of 11 teachers participating in an action‐research project at the University of Oviedo, Spain. The purpose is to analyse the professionalizing potential of action‐research in Higher Education. Professional development and growth are understood to be a pedagogical process through which teachers may increase, and enhance their ability for coping with the dilemmas and contradictions they face up to at work. In considering this conception, the objective is to analyse the specific contradictions of action‐research, as well as its possibilities, as a strategy for professional development of University teachers.     

Role theory,cognitive dissonance theory,and the interdisciplinary team

In recent years there have been increasing efforts to combine the resources and special abilities of individuals from different disciplines in interdisciplinary approaches to mutual problem-solving. A special case of this is the interdisciplinary approach to diagnosis and evaluation of learning problems in children. In practice this approach has often been less effective than was hoped for because of lack of agreement among its members on the role expectations and enactment of each. The constructs of role theory are here used to elucidate the potential sources of role strain and role conflict in the interdisciplinary team. Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance is presented as an additional construct for viewing the interaction of the interdisciplinary team.

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Résumé Depuis quelques années, on multiplie les efforts en vue de combiner les ressources et les talents particuliers des spécialistes de disciplines différentes dans l'ap;lication des méthodes interdisciplinaires à la solution des problèmes communs. Un cas particulier de méthode interdisciplinaire est celui du diagnostic et de l'évaluation des difficultés qu'éprouvent certains enfants à acquérir des connaissances. En pratique, cette méthode a souvent été moins efficace qu'on l'espérait, en raison du désaccord entre spécialistes sur le rôle attendu de chacun d'entre eux et sur la façon dont ce rôle devait être joué. L'auteur se sert des constructions imaginaires de la théorie des rôles pour mettre en lumière les sources possibles de tension et de friction à propos des rôles au sein d'une équipe interdisciplinaire. Il présente la théorie de Festinger sur le désaccord cognitif comme une autre construction imaginaire permettant d'étudier l'interaction au sein de l'équipe interdisciplinaire.

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The author wishes to acknowledge the most helpful comments and insight of Mr. Paul Paschke and Dr. Laurie Brage throughout the development of this paper.     

Empowering teachers to implement innovative content in physical education through continuous professional development

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions regarding their experiences in a research-informed continuous professional development (CPD) initiative and its influence on their professional readiness to implement innovative content in physical education (PE). Participants included four PE teachers who engaged in a series of hands-on workshops and collaborative activities related to the design and implementation of a mountain biking unit in two middle schools. Qualitative data were collected through post-workshop surveys, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis, and results revealed four themes: (a) igniting change, (b) transferring to the classroom, (c) student response, and (d) sustaining beyond a single unit. Findings from this study reinforce the need for research-informed CPD efforts in PE and highlight its role in generating a sense of teacher empowerment and promoting systemic change within school-based PE.     

Can the History of Science Contribute to Modelling in Physics Teaching?

A characterization of the modelling process in science is proposed for science education, based on Mario Bunge’s ideas about the construction of models in science. Galileo’s Dialogues are analysed as a potentially fruitful starting point to implement strategies aimed at modelling in the classroom in the light of that proposal. It is argued that a modelling process for science education can be conceived as the evolution from phenomenological approaches towards more representational ones, emphasizing the role of abstraction and idealization in model construction. The shift of reference of theories—from sensible objects to conceptual objects—and the black-box models construction process, which are both explicitly presented features in Galileo’s Dialogues, are indicated as highly relevant aspects for modelling in science education.