Profiling the Beliefs of the Forgotten Teachers: An Analysis of Intern Teachers’ Frameworks for Urban Science Teaching

The need to equip science teachers with knowledge, skills, and habits of mind to face the challenges of teaching science through inquiry informed this study, which analyzed the secondary science intern teachers’ beliefs about inquiry before, during, and following a series of 2 consecutive science methods courses in an attempt to document the effect of such experiences on their ability and willingness to infuse science inquiry in their science curricula. Nine science credentialing interns participated in the study. Data was gathered from their written reflections and various assignments throughout the methods courses. Results suggested that their beliefs changed significantly after the science methods courses. The implications of the study to secondary science teacher educators and researchers were highlighted.     

Teaching and learning cycles in a constructivist approach to instruction

This study attempts to analyze and synthesize the knowledge collected in the area of conceptual models used in teaching and learning during inquiry-based projects, and to propose a new frame for organizing the classroom interactions within a constructivist approach. The IMSTRA model consists in three general phases: Immersion, Structuring, Applying, each with two sub-phases that highlight specific roles for the teacher and the students. Two case studies, one for mathematics in grade 9 and another for science in grade 3, show how the model can be implemented in school, making inquiry realistic in regular classes. Beyond its initial purpose, the IMSTRA model proved to be a powerful tool in curriculum development, being used in producing mathematics textbooks, as well as in developing teaching courses for a long-distance teacher-training program.     

NARST: a lived history

In this Forum, we construct a history of the National Association for Research in Science Education (NARST) through the analysis of documents and through the personal perspectives of individuals. The history of NARST is inseparable from the biography of the individuals through whose lives it was produced and reproduced. The history of NARST is a living history that both shapes and was shaped by the biographies of its members.

Mirror,mirrors on the wall,who is the most powerful of all? A self‐study analysis of power relationships in science methods courses

This study explored the dynamics of power relationships in secondary science methods courses taught at an urban university in Southern California for credential candidates. Data collection extended over 10 academic semesters. Employing frameworks of power, self‐study, and critical pedagogy, the study analyzes the multifaceted and intricate roads (or multimirrored reflections) of an instructor on her way to becoming a transformative intellectual. Findings suggested that power sources and their use may vary according to the credential candidates' needs and the demands and perceptions of the different tasks performed in class. Perceptions of the instructor's goals and perceived attitudes during classroom tasks seemed to relate to power shifts ultimately influencing classroom dynamics. The major implications of this study was to reemphasize the acute need for instructor self‐studies in science education as a way of improving practice and fulfilling the demands of the changing and challenging science credential candidate population as well as their K–12 students. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 1370–1388, 2007     

Impacts of instructor and student loci of commitment on biology learning for prospective elementary school teachers

This study explored the dynamic in the loci of commitment of several participants in a university-level biology course developed for elementary school teachers. The analysis concentrated on two instructors with almost opposing loci of commitment. Through both instructors were committed to teaching, one showed commitment to the subject matter (accuracy, quantity, depth) while the other was more concerned with having the students get involved in the topic development. When the instructor focused on the coverage of content, the students and the instructor felt disappointment— each ending the unit expressing reciprocal discontent with the outcome of the unit. This situation eventually proved detrimental to the students' learning and application of biology. Situations where the instructor proved to be more student-oriented resulted in students making sense of relevant ideas, understanding concepts, and incorporating those ideas and concepts into their knowledge web and teaching practice.     

Electrical power free, low dead volume, pressure-driven pumping for microfluidic applications

This paper presents a simple-to-construct, low dead volume pump capable of generating a wide range of positive and negative pressures for microfluidic applications. The pump generates pressure or vacuum by changing the volume of air confined inside a syringe and is able to generate pressures between -95 and +300 kPa with a resolution as high as 1 Pa. Different from syringe pumps and electrokinetic pumping, which are capable of controlling flow rates only, our pump can be used to generate constant flow rates or constant pressures, which are required for certain applications such as the aspiration of biological cells for biophysical characterization. Compared to syringe pumps, the new pump has almost zero dead volume and does not exhibit pulsatile flows. Additionally, the system does not require electrical power and is cost effective (～$100). To demonstrate the capabilities of the pump, we used it to aspirate osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1 cells) and to determine Young's modulus of the cells, to generate a concentration gradient, and to produce variable-sized droplets in microchannels using hydrodynamic focusing.     

Stories from the Field: Challenges of Science Teacher Education Based on Interdisciplinary Approaches

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Editorial

Editorial Introduction

Editorial