Uncovering Portuguese teachers' difficulties in implementing sciences curriculum

Many countries recognize the positive and effective results of improving science education through the introduction of reforms in the sciences curriculum. However, some important issues are generally neglected like, for example, the involve- ment of the teachers in the reform process. Taking the sciences curriculum reform under analysis and benefitting from 10 years of teachers’ experiences in teaching sciences based on this curriculum, 19 semi-structure interviews were applied so as to identify the major difficulties felt by science teachers when implementing the Portuguese sci- ences curriculum in the third cycle of middle school (pupils’ age range of 12–15). Some of the difficulties depicted by the data analysis include: length of the curriculum, lack of time, unsuitable laboratory facilities, insufficient means and materials for experimental work, pupils’ indiscipline and little interest in learning sciences. Although less frequently mentioned, the lack of professional development was also referred to as a constraint that seems to play an essential role in this process. Some recommendations for improv- ing the success of sciences curriculum reforms’ implementation are given: defining and conceptualizing curricular policies by relating the reality of both the schools and the sci- ence classrooms; reorganizing and restructuring pre-service teachers’ courses; organiz- ing professional development courses for in-service teachers

Conversational and enactment patterns for different science inquiry tasks: Implications for educative curriculum guides.

Detailed descriptions of inquiry curricula enactment can support reform efforts by representing inquiry in actual classroom practice. This study describes the conversation and task enactment practices of two urban middle school teachers using the inquiry activities from a project-based science curricula. A microanalysis of interaction methodology was used to identify patterns in task use and conversational practice for each teacher. Findings from this study identified characteristic patterns of inquiry task enactment and teacher conversational practices. Despite detailed teacher guides and similar professional development, the two teachers differed in their use of time, their sequencing of tasks, and their decisions to use, adapt, or add tasks to the curriculum. Characteristic differences were observed between teachers for task instructional attributes with regard to task explicitness, the enforcement of student accountability in learning from those tasks and the utility of the assessment tasks added to the curriculum. Similarities in statement content, style of interaction and questioning practices were observed for inquiry tasks related to asking questions, planning procedures, drawing conclusions, and interpreting results. By contrast, differences were observed between teachers with regard to how they used teacher press and teacher modeling as well as the level and style of questions asked of the students. A cross findings analysis indicates that each teacher held a different orientation to classroom learning and that the observed patterns represent differently held roles by each teacher. These findings have implications for the design of educative curriculum guides for use with inquiry materials. They provide example maps of enactment for various stages of a guided inquiry activity. The conversational analysis identifies different types of teacher knowledge that get used in conversations about inquiry tasks. Overall, the study provides examples of how different teacher roles frame the use of inquiry tasks and the teacher conversational practices for these tasks. The author suggests that educative curriculum guides should include information on how teacher roles can support or derail the intended reform practices. These guides would help teachers understand how their own beliefs influence their enactment of curricula and support the development of a classroom orientation that values learning through inquiry.Ph.D.Curriculum developmentEducationScience educationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/126672/2/3276141.pd

Preparing teachers to use educational games, virtual experiments, and interactive science simulations for engaging students in the practices of science

Given that reform-based instruction emphasizes inquiry-based learning geared towards science and engineering practices traditional science instruction might not be able to fully support students to achieve 21st century skills. Implementing digital technologies for learners might provide promising perspectives on how to effectively teach reform-based science. Emerged from a technology workshop for pre-service science teachers, this paper provides suggestions on how to integrate educational games, virtual experiments, and interactive science simulations in reform-based science instruction. Besides reflecting on affordances of these digital tools, practical recommendations for teaching preparation are given including (a) how to review educational games for instructional adoptions, (b) how to align existing curricula materials supplementary to interactive science simulations to reform-based teaching, and (c) how to develop standards-aligned instructional materials for virtual experiments

Developing and sustaining an educative mentoring model of STEM teacher professional development through collaborative partnership

In this paper, we present details of a partnership undertaken by four universities with field-based, alternative STEM teacher preparation programs and a large urban school district to provide ongoing professional support for teachers serving as mentors for individuals preparing for careers in high-poverty schools. We also present key findings related to our implementation of an educative mentoring professional learning community (PLC) as a professional development (PD) model for these mentors. Our analysis reveals that mentors as well as candidates identified the PD program as addressing their specific interests and concerns, and that they were regularly and deeply engaged with key activities that were part of each session’s agenda. These findings signal how key elements of PD workshops can contribute to creating and sustaining a local but replicable PLC utilizing an educative mentoring model to support mentors and the future teachers whom they support