This article reports on a small-scale evaluation of how beginning teachers undertaking a PGCE in secondary science worked collaboratively with their school based mentors to enhance practice in the use of ideas and evidence in science. Mentors and beginning teachers were introduced to the resources and teaching strategies previously developed at King’s College London as part of the Nuffield funded IDEAS curriculum development project (Osborne, Erduran & Simon, 2004a). The judicious selection of resources and strategies from the IDEAS pack formed the basis of mentors’ workshops, where mentors were encouraged to put into practice IDEAS and other argumentation activities and strategies. Collaborative work with their mentors enabled the BTs to initiate their teaching of ideas and evidence. They experienced both positive aspects and limitations when attempting IDEAS activities in their science classrooms
