Quality assessment by science teachers: Five focus areas

In order to teach science well, science teachers need to know what to focus on in order to ensure their assessment of student learning is meaningful and useful for the students’ on going learning and development. The diversity and range of content and skills within the subject of science mean that the assessment capabilities required by science teachers are wide ranging and complex, requiring specialist knowledge and skills in the assessment of science learning as part of the teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Based on a review of the literature this paper proposes a framework for quality assessment in science which focuses on five areas: teaching, students, evidence of learning, future decision-making and impact. This paper advocates a concurrent consideration of all five areas of the framework to provide a substantial, rich, broad, rigorous quality assessment approach on which teachers and students can base teaching and learning

Developing Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge in pre-service science teachers: Support from blended learning

The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework has been used to prepare pre-service science teachers at the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training in Kuwait for ICT integration in education. Pre-service teachers worked in teams to design an ICT solution for an authentic problem they faced during in-school training. Pre-service teachers were separated into two groups. The first group was coached by ICT, pedagogy, and content experts. The second group was offered a blended condition, by which they had access to an online portal with different tutorials and examples, with opportunities to meet with different experts whenever they wanted. Pre-test and post-test design data were collected for attitudes toward ICT, ICT skills, and TPACK. The findings show that the self-reported TPACK, the score of attitudes toward ICT, and ICT skills increased in both groups. However, the blended support condition reported a higher increase in the participants' technological knowledge (TK), technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), their attitude toward ICT as a tool for instruction and productivity, and ICT enjoyment. This indicated that students perceived the blended condition for supporting design teams as a more desirable method for enhancing their development of TPACK

Science books for professional pleasure reading: round out your content knowledge and foster interest in science with this list

The article lists several science books, including The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin, The Whole Shebang: A State-of-the-Universes Report, by Timothy Ferris and Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson

Virginia Earth Science Collaborative Astronomy Course for Teachers

We describe the development and implementation of a professional development course for teachers of grades 4-12 designed to increase their content knowledge in astronomy, space science, and the nature of science using interactive presentations, and hands-on and inquiry-based lessons. The course, Space Science for Teachers, encompasses the astronomy and nature of science components of the Virginia Standards of Learning for grades 4-12 [1]. In addition to increasing their content knowledge, teachers gain experience using innovative teaching technologies, such as an inflatable planetarium, planetarium computer software, and computer controlled telescopes. The courses included evening laboratory sessions where teachers learned the constellations, how to find specific celestial objects, and how to use a variety of small telescopes. Participants received three graduate credit hours in science after completing the course requirements. Space Science for Teachers was taught at the University of Virginia in Summer 2005 and 2006, at George Mason University in Summer 2006 and 2007, at the University of Virginia Southwest Center in Abingdon, Virginia in Fall 2006, and at the MathScience Innovation Center in Richmond during Summer 2005 and 2007. A total of 135 teachers participated in the courses

Impact of a Science Methods Course on Pre-Service Elementary Teachers\u27 Knowledge and Confidence of Teaching with Scientific Inquiry and Problem-Based Learning

The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of an elementary science methods course on pre-service teachers\u27 knowledge and confidence of teaching with inquiry and problem-based instructional strategies. Changes in pre-service teachers\u27 knowledge and confidence were measured before and after completing the course activities using a pilot survey entitled Science Pedagogical Content Knowledge & Confidence (PCKC) Survey. An integrated lecture/laboratory elementary science methods course engaged participants with hands-on activities designed to increase their pedagogical content knowledge: including theory, planning and implementation of inquiry, and problem-based learning. The results indicated that pre-service teachers\u27 knowledge and confidence improved as a result of enrollment in the elementary science methods course. This article validates reform movements to incorporate scientific inquiry and problem-based learning into coursework

Oregon Mathematics Leadership Institute Project: Evaluation Results on Teacher Content Knowledge, Implementation Fidelity, and Student Achievement

The Oregon Mathematics Leadership Institute (OMLl) National Science Foundation Mathematics and Science Partnership project partners are Oregon State University, Portland State University, Teachers Development Group, and ten Oregon school districts. The primary activities of the project were a sequence of three intensive three-week residential institutes emphasizing mathematics content knowledge for teaching, collegial leadership, and the building of Professional Learning Communities. Teachers at all levels of grades K-12 participated together in the mathematics content courses. By the conclusion of the. third Summer Institute, teachers had shown significant improvements in mathematical content knowledge for teaching. Analysis of student achievement data in participating schools was initially inconclusive. However, once implementation fidelity traits were taken into account, a positive relationship between project participation and student achievement emerged. The degree to which schools implement the practices promoted by the OMLI project is a significant positive predictor of student perfomiance above and beyond what can be explained by the socioeconomic factor as indicated by the percentage of students who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. This relationship is particularly acute at secondary levels, but additional factors appear to be at play at elementary grade levels

CoRes as tools for promoting pedagogical content knowledge of novice science teachers

Expert science teachers possess a special blend of science content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge for teaching particular science topics to particular groups of students that is built up over time and experience. This form of professional knowledge, termed pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) by Shulman (1987), is topic-specific, unique to each science teacher, and can only be gained through teaching practice. The academic construct of PCK is a recognition that teaching is not simply the transmission of concepts and skills from teacher to students but, rather, a complex and problematic activity that requires many and varied ‘on the spot’ decisions and responses to students’ ongoing learning needs. Much has been written about the nature of PCK since Shulman first introduced the concept in 1987, and its elusive characteristics have led to much debate

Professional science knowledge and its impact on confidence in the teaching of earth science : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

This study focused on the nature and parameters of the relationships between the professional science knowledge of primary and intermediate teachers and their confidence in teaching in the Making Sense of Planet Earth and Beyond strand of Science in the New Zealand Curriculum (earth science). The study was divided into two phases of data collection. The first phase used a questionnaire survey of 18 teachers from the Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu, Palmerston North and Horowhenua districts of the western and central North Island of New Zealand. The survey identified the influence of the relationships between the participants' backgrounds in earth science, their professional knowledge frameworks and their efficacy to teach earth science. The second phase of data collection builds on the trends and common themes identified in phase one. Data were collected in the second phase through interviews of four teachers selected from phase one participants. Analyses of the data collected revealed the importance of maintaining a well-developed understanding of the subject matter when teaching earth science. Subject matter knowledge has a notable impact in teachers' efficacy beliefs and ability to translate content into teachable material. Findings support pervious researchers' conclusion that teachers with high self-efficacy have had a long interest in science and a relatively strong background of formal science studies with opportunities for exploring science in informal settings. Results indicate that effective earth science teachers possess a genuine interest and enthusiasm for earth science. Conversely, teachers with relatively little earth science background display less developed knowledge frameworks and weaker efficacy beliefs. Common indicators of these weaknesses include avoidance of earth science topics in general or use of 'shallow' teaching strategies such as transmission approaches or 'resource based' units. In some cases it appears that teachers' confidence in their ability to teach earth science may be misplaced. Results indicate that in some cases, teachers can use their considerable classroom skills to avoid confronting earth science concepts where their knowledge is inadequate. The implications for these findings are considered

Investigating content representations (CoRes) as pedagogical tools for science teacher education

In this article Anne Hume discusses how use of scholarship and action research led me to introduce an intervention into my science education programmes called Content Representations (CoRes). My initial findings strongly indicate CoRes could be very useful tools for helping student teachers develop the professional knowledge base they need for teaching

Using professional colleagues as interviewers in action research: Possibilities and pitfalls.

In this study of her university teaching practice in science education, an action researcher sought the collaboration of a colleague to address research design issues related to researcher bias. The colleague worked in another field of study (mathematics education) but was experienced in qualitative research, notably interviewing. Acting as an outside interviewer, the colleague used her skills related to the dynamics of interviewing and her knowledge of the content of the study to elicit pertinent information from interviewees about the effectiveness of the first author's teaching. The additional expertise enhanced the quality of the study considerably and highlighted how "two heads can work better than one". In the process both researchers gained appreciable professional knowledge from each other. The first author gained a greater understanding of the interview process while the second author acquired an appreciation of how pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is viewed within the context of science, raising the possibility that there are some differences in the way that PCK is conceived within science versus mathematics. The collaboration also raised some unforseen issues that may have impacted on the nature of the findings. This paper discusses the positive outcomes of using a colleague as an interviewer in an action research project as well as some of the pitfalls that can also accompany such teamwork. Consideration is given to the issue of balancing the costs and benefits of this approach to data gathering