Teacher Education Futures: Developing learning and teaching in ITE across the UK

A selection of papers from the Teacher Education Futures conference 2006

Collaborative inquiry learning: models, tools, and challenges

Collaborative inquiry learning is one of the most challenging and exciting ventures for today’s schools. It aims at bringing a new and promising culture of teaching and learning into the classroom where students in groups engage in self-regulated learning activities supported by the teacher. It is expected that this way of learning fosters students’ motivation and interest in science, that they learn to perform steps of inquiry similar to scientists and that they gain knowledge on scientific processes. Starting from general pedagogical reflections and science standards the article reviews some prominent models of inquiry learning. This comparison results in a set of inquiry processes being the basis for cooperation in the scientific network NetCoIL. Inquiry learning is conceived in several ways with emphasis on different processes. For an illustration of the spectrum, some main conceptions of inquiry and their focuses are described. In the next step, the article describes exemplary computer tools and environments from within and outside the NetCoIL network that were designed to support processes of collaborative inquiry learning. These tools are analysed by describing their functionalities as well as effects on student learning known from the literature. The article closes with challenges for further developments elaborated by the NetCoIL network

21st century skills for 21st century learners

The purpose of the project was to develop and implement a survey for the purpose of better understanding how teacher\u27s attitude affect their ability to achieve success and overcome challenges associated with the implementation of a 1 on 1 Learning Program. This project was intended to increase awareness as to how teachers currently use technology, their attitudes about the technology they use, and their perceptions as to how students will use technology. Research in this study affirms this can improve teacher/student achievements; promote creativity and motivation through effective communication. The significance of this project was to identify teacher\u27s attitudes about utilizing 21st century skills that had been newly acquired through effectual professional development

Conditions Supporting the Development of Scientific Argumentation in High School Chemistry Classrooms: The Role of Question Prompts and an Interactive Simulation

The purpose of this case study was to provide benefit to preservice and inservice science teachers, who have an interest in applying scientific argumentation in their high school chemistry instructions, by investigating role of question prompts and an interactive simulation supporting the development of scientific argumentation. In particular, the study examined the quality of students’ arguments changing over time in scientific argumentation when they constructed and defended their arguments using the “Gas Properties” computer simulation. For this purpose, forty-seven11th grade students from four classes first worked in pairs and then, all the pairs returned the classroom for discussion. One pair was selected as a focal group by their chemistry teachers within each class resulting in a total of four focal groups. The chemistry teachers posed the driving question of Part I to familiarize students with scientific argumentation while exploring the effect of gravity on the behavior of air molecules in space. Then, the teachers challenged the students with the driving question of Part II to help students construct and defend more elaborate scientific arguments while comparing the behaviors of air and Helium molecules in space. I examined what type of arguments participants found convincing and also searched which conditions (i.e. challenged by the driving question, counter-arguments, peer question or self-questions, or prompted by representation of investigation, teacher questions, or similar arguments) helped students to improve their arguments in scientific argumentation. The results depicted that in pair discussions, argumentation was a way of participants’ collectively supporting a scientific claim based on evidence from the interactive simulation and trying to agree on conclusions drawn from this evidence. Though, only two focal groups generated the highest quality of arguments with the waxing and waning amount of consensus over time from Part I to Part II. On the other hand, in classroom discussions focal groups tried to win their opponents over to their points of view and to weaken opposing views with making their evidence visible on the interactive simulation, which led four focal groups to produce the highest quality of arguments from Part I to Part II

PATHWAYS – A Case of Large-Scale Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice in Scientific Inquiry-Based Science Education

The fundamental pioneering ideas about student-centered, inquiry-based learning initiatives are differing in Europe and the US. The latter had initiated various top-down schemes that have led to well-defined standards, while in Europe, with its some 50 independent educational systems, a wide variety of approaches has been evolved. In this present paper, we portray a European bottom-up initiative, “PATHWAY to Inquiry Based Science Education”, to define a basis for learning initiatives and to meet current challenges to access learning, to share knowledge and establish competences in learning communities. Our approach was designed to act as bottom-up catalyst by mobilizing teacher communities to (further) foster inquiry. Of a sample of 10.053 science teachers from 15 European countries (incl. Russia), about 5060 provided empirical support for our teachers’ professional development initiative. The response pattern portrayed teachers’ preferences and pointed to potential needs in professional development (PD) efforts. On average, our sample reported an altogether 11 years’ period of teaching practice in general but just 2-3 years of experience in inquiry-teaching. In the view of that, consequences for professional development (PD) initiatives are discussed.</jats:p

An exploration of multimedia programs in the teaching of photosynthesis

This thesis investigates the effectiveness of two multimedia programs in delivering an understanding of the light - dependent reaction of photosynthesis. One program, Cells and Energy, was adaptive, whilst the other, Photosynthesis Explorer, was interactive (a practical simulation). To inform the value of these different designs an empirical study was conducted. Ten pairs of participants were allocated to use one or other of the programs. During their use and with the researcher's support, members of each pair attempted to learn about the light-dependent reaction. Whilst doing so, audio and visual data were captured to provide information as to participants' and researcher's activities related to this learning process. Each participant's understanding was determined by matched pairs tests - as a pre-test and as immediate and delayed post-tests. The programs generated a highly significant difference (p Photosynthesis Explorer group took about three times as long to deliver this equivalent effect. By employing Laurillard's Discourse Model for evaluating events, which were recorded during the programs' use, this research provided evidence of the importance of feedback as scaffolding and support in delivering knowledge and understanding. The recorded, as well as test, data revealed misconceptions. Their effects on learning were complex as were cognitive conflict episodes arising from them, whose resolution was multifaceted