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 collaborative CoRe design in chemistry education to promote effective partnerships between associate and student teachers

This article is a follow-up to my paper published in 2010 (Hume, 2010). In that paper I reported on the use of Content Representations (CoRes) in a chemistry education course to give student teachers insights into the professional knowledge of experienced practitioners: notably their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), which is “… [the] understanding of how particular topics, problems, or issues are organised, represented, and adapted to the diverse interests and abilities of learning, and presented for instruction” (Shulman, 1987, p. 8). introduced by Shulman (1987) as an academic construct to describe a tacit category of teachers’ professional knowledge base, the exact nature of PCK has been extensively explored and debated. From this debate some agreement has emerged about the components that comprise a teacher’s PCK. This has been identified by Magnusson et al. (1999) as a teacher’s: • orientations towards science teaching (since teachers’ knowledge and beliefs related to their teaching goals and approaches will influence their classroom practice); • knowledge of curriculum; • knowledge of assessment (since what is to be assessed, how and why also influences a teacher’s practice); • knowledge of students’ understanding of science; • knowledge of instructional strategies

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

A pedagogical tool for science teacher education: Content Representation (CoRe) design

The promotion of reflective practice amongst participants in teacher education programmes (e.g. Bain et al, 1999; Moon, 1999; Loughran & Corrigan, 1995; Shireen et al, 2003; Wallace & Louden, 2003) and the wider teaching community is widely championed for enhancing professional learning and growth

Nature of scientific inquiry in Year 11 science

The article presents two classroom-based case studies in 2005 that examined the experience of students in school science in New Zealand. It states that students in both classrooms were introduced to the requirements of Science Achievement Standard (SAS) 1.1. in the preparatory phase. Meanwhile, students participated in a mock assessment known as the formative assessment in the second phase

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

Authentic student inquiry: the mismatch between the intended curriculum and the student-experienced curriculum

As a means of achieving scientific literacy goals in society, the last two decades have witnessed international science curriculum redevelopment that increasingly advocates a 'new look' inquiry-based approach to learning. This paper reports on the nature of the student-experienced curriculum where secondary school students are learning under a national curriculum that is intent on promoting students' knowledge and capabilities in authentic scientific inquiry, that is, inquiry that properly reflects that practiced by members of scientific communities. Using a multiple case study approach, this study found that layers of curriculum interpretation from several 'sites of influence' both outside and inside of the schools have a strong bearing on the curriculum enacted by teachers and actually experienced by the students, and runs counter to the aims of the national curriculum policy. Over-emphasis on fair testing limits students' exposure to the full range of methods that scientists use in practice, and standards-based assessment using planning templates, exemplar assessment schedules and restricted opportunities for full investigations in different contexts tends to reduce student learning about experimental design to an exercise in 'following the rules'. These classroom realities have implications for students' understanding of the nature of authentic scientific inquiry and support claims that school science is still far removed from real science

Carrying Out a Practical Investigation:The Student-Experienced Curriculum

Assessment of student learning for qualifications has long been contentious, particularly the reliability and validity of various assessment methods and the impact of assessment on the nature of student learning. There is, for example, controversy about norm-referencing versus standards-based assessment of student learning with different stakeholders holding different political agenda. In this study these issues are investigated by research into a recently implemented qualification for secondary school students in New Zealand - the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). Proponents of NCEA suggest this regime acknowledges a wider range of student achievements than previous qualifications. Opponents of NCEA lament the 'fragmented', 'atomistic' approach to learning, and the lack of incentive for students to compete and strive for excellence. While other New Zealand research reports on national trends in the way school programmes are responding to the changes associated with the implementation of NCEA, little is known about the classroom curriculum students are actually achieving. This interpretive study presents findings from classroom-based case studies investigating the nature of the student-experienced curriculum for the NCEA Science Achievement Standard 1.1 Carrying out a practical investigation with direction. These findings indicate that the achievement standard is exerting a strong influence over the nature of student learning, with students experiencing purposeful and focused learning within a structured teaching programme. The emphasis in the standard on fair testing has implications for students' understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry by limiting their exposure to the range of methods that scientists use in practice. Student learning tends to be mechanistic and superficial rather than creative, critical and life-long. The findings have important implications for writers of national curriculum and assessment policy and for teachers of science. Suggestions are offered for ways of enhancing the learning of science under the NCEA qualification

Thai Students’ Understanding about Celestial Motion within Their Social and Cultural Context

This study investigated forty-one Thai 9th grade students’ understanding about the motion of the sun, moon, and stars within their social and cultural context. Students' understanding was explored using a survey tool titled “Students’ Understanding about Celestial Motion within Their Social and Cultural Context Questionnaire (SCMSCQ).” This questionnaire gave students the opportunity to express their ideas about celestial motion within their social and cultural context. The study reveals some interesting features of student understanding, and particularly their difficulty in perceiving the relationship between the study of celestial motion and their social and cultural context. Many students used descriptions from their everyday observations of the daily motion of the sun, moon, and stars, rather than scientific explanations, to answer questions about the relationship between social and cultural context and celestial motion. This study has implications for the development of teaching the sociocultural approach in Thailand

Shifting sands

The article presents the proposed changes to the New Zealand Draft Curriculum on the Nature of Science. In July 2006, the draft was released to school and the wider educational community for consultation on the national curriculum policy. It asserts to help science teachers to develop their understanding on nature of scientific knowledge and on how the community can effectively teach such aspects of the curriculum in the classroom setting