‘Just give me the answer’: developing pedagogical process knowledge (PPK) as part of practitioner theory in the pursuit of inquiry-based science teaching

This paper describes our experience in working with teachers to think about how to make practice more inquiry-based: one in which we as the academics were thinking in terms of collaboration while the teachers were expecting delivery of a professional development module. Partly, this is the story of the balance found between those expectations through underpinning the PISCES module. Partly, it is an attempt to conceptualise the form of professional learning that evolved

The development of inquiry-based pedagogy in beginning teachers of science

Strathclyde theses - ask staff. Thesis no. : T13720Inquiry-based science teaching is considered a key means of improving scientific literacy. Although 'inquiry' is a prominent feature in curriculum documents internationally, 'inquiry-teaching' has proved difficult to define in operational terms. In approach, it implies elements of scientific authenticity, including open-endedness of practical activity and real-world relevance, and is associated with the development of critical skills and positive pupil outcomes, demonstrating the potential to reduce the achievement gap in science classrooms. Whilst many teachers subscribe to the philosophies of inquiry, many feel reluctant to adopt this approach. It is especially challenging for beginners who have yet to develop their teacher-identity and establish a confident classroom repertoire which accommodates creativity and flexibility. Thus, despite reform efforts, inquiry remains a peripheral pedagogy. This multiple case study (n=15) uses a longitudinal design to explore the development of new teachers of science in Scotland, in relation to the acquisition of investigative pedagogy. Commencing in May 2010, data collected through focus groups, semi-structured interviews and reflective journals was analysed using a general inductive approach to examine beginning teachers' conceptualisations of 'inquiry' in the classroom and identify those elements of early development which are required to facilitate authentic investigative experiences. Given the Scottish context, the Teacher Induction Scheme and Curriculum for Excellence were of particular relevance to this study. The various ways in which inquiry found expression in these beginners' classrooms are presented; insights gained from their discourse point to the interaction of personal and institutional factors for novices' developing pedagogy and teacher identity. Recommendations pertaining to teacher candidate selection, learning experiences during ITE and induction, and curriculum implementation are made with the aim of strengthening new teachers' commitment to an inquiry-based approach.Inquiry-based science teaching is considered a key means of improving scientific literacy. Although 'inquiry' is a prominent feature in curriculum documents internationally, 'inquiry-teaching' has proved difficult to define in operational terms. In approach, it implies elements of scientific authenticity, including open-endedness of practical activity and real-world relevance, and is associated with the development of critical skills and positive pupil outcomes, demonstrating the potential to reduce the achievement gap in science classrooms. Whilst many teachers subscribe to the philosophies of inquiry, many feel reluctant to adopt this approach. It is especially challenging for beginners who have yet to develop their teacher-identity and establish a confident classroom repertoire which accommodates creativity and flexibility. Thus, despite reform efforts, inquiry remains a peripheral pedagogy. This multiple case study (n=15) uses a longitudinal design to explore the development of new teachers of science in Scotland, in relation to the acquisition of investigative pedagogy. Commencing in May 2010, data collected through focus groups, semi-structured interviews and reflective journals was analysed using a general inductive approach to examine beginning teachers' conceptualisations of 'inquiry' in the classroom and identify those elements of early development which are required to facilitate authentic investigative experiences. Given the Scottish context, the Teacher Induction Scheme and Curriculum for Excellence were of particular relevance to this study. The various ways in which inquiry found expression in these beginners' classrooms are presented; insights gained from their discourse point to the interaction of personal and institutional factors for novices' developing pedagogy and teacher identity. Recommendations pertaining to teacher candidate selection, learning experiences during ITE and induction, and curriculum implementation are made with the aim of strengthening new teachers' commitment to an inquiry-based approach

Adding pedagogical process knowledge to pedagogical content knowledge : teachers' professional learning and theories of practice in science education

A concept of pedagogical process knowledge (PPK) is introduced to partner pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This concept arises from observing the learning of teachers engaged in a course supporting them in introducing more inquiry-based methods into their practice. This course aimed to empower teachers through professional learning. PCK alone did not seem adequately to explain the teachers’ learning, which involved them developing new pedagogical processes to support the development of inquiry-based learning processes in their students – hence PPK. Together, PCK and PPK are important constituents of teachers’ theories of practice, although PPK may be often less developed

Emotional and Cognitive Processing Deficits in People with Parkinson’s Disease and Apathy

Background: Apathy is a common non-motor syndrome of Parkinson’s disease (PD), understood as a quantitative reduction in goal-directed behaviour consisting of cognitive and emotional dimensions. Methods: Participants with PD (n=61) were assessed in different medication states on tasks of executive function and emotional processing. Performance was compared to that of a healthy control group (HC, n=19). The PD group was further divided into those with and without clinically significant apathy and compared using the same measures in an exploratory manner. Results: Compared to the HC group, the PD participants performed significantly worse on tests of executive function, the Iowa Gambling Task, and recognition of happiness on the Facial Emotional Recognition Task. Compared to PD participants without apathy, those with PD and apathy were found to have selective impairments on tasks of attention and the recognition of disgust, fear and happiness. No ef fects of dopamine were seen. Conclusion: The presence of apathy in PD is associated with selective cognitive and emotional processing deficits, which do not appear to be dopamine dependent

Integrative analysis of subcellular quantitative proteomics studies reveals functional cytoskeleton membrane-lipid raft interactions in cancer

Lipid rafts are dynamic membrane microdomains that orchestrate molecular interactions and are implicated in cancer development. To understand the functions of lipid rafts in cancer, we performed an integrated analysis of quantitative lipid raft proteomics data sets modeling progression in breast cancer, melanoma, and renal cell carcinoma. This analysis revealed that cancer development is associated with increased membrane raft-cytoskeleton interactions, with ∼40% of elevated lipid raft proteins being cytoskeletal components. Previous studies suggest a potential functional role for the raft-cytoskeleton in the action of the putative tumor suppressors PTRF/Cavin-1 and Merlin. To extend the observation, we examined lipid raft proteome modulation by an unrelated tumor suppressor opioid binding protein cell-adhesion molecule (OPCML) in ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells. In agreement with the other model systems, quantitative proteomics revealed that 39% of OPCML-depleted lipid raft proteins are cytoskeletal components, with microfilaments and intermediate filaments specifically down-regulated. Furthermore, protein-protein interaction network and simulation analysis showed significantly higher interactions among cancer raft proteins compared with general human raft proteins. Collectively, these results suggest increased cytoskeleton-mediated stabilization of lipid raft domains with greater molecular interactions as a common, functional, and reversible feature of cancer cells