Providing support focused on real challenges is critical in retaining highly qualified new science teachers, but the field lacks a systematic description of these teachers’ needs. The authors of this article examine the areas that science teachers are expected to understand: (1) the content and disciplines of science, (2) learners, (3) instruction, (4) learning environments, and (5) professionalism. They review the literature on challenges facing preservice and early-career science teachers, identify issues on which conventional wisdom is supported or called into question, and highlight the areas where the existing research is inadequate as a basis for generalization. For example, the authors found few studies on how new science teachers use curriculum materials or how they understand scientific inquiry. Their overview of challenges is followed by a discussion of how these teachers can be supported.

Challenges New Science Teachers Face

Concepts and findings from research on identity development are employed tobetterunderstandwhycurrentscienceteacherpreparationprogramsarefailingtoprepare teachers who are able and choose to implement the vision for science education articulated in professional standards. Identity theory is used as a theoretical lens to make sense of and better address some of the unique challenges of becoming a reform-minded science teacher, a professional identity that does not reflect the common norm in the profession; these challenges include the emotional risk and possible need for "repair work," lack of familiarity with and buy-in into complex practices of inquiry, and the need for opportunities to participate in competent practice and have this participation acknowledged. Two basic design principles for science teacher preparation are identified as a result of this analysis: (a) the need to create safe places and scaffolded ways for beginning science teachers to try on and develop their identities as reform-minded science teachers, which may include capitalizing on the unique opportunities of practice teaching in out-of-school contexts; and (b) the need to offer opportunities to be recognized, by self and others, as reform-minded teachers through ongoing, structured, and supported reflection. C

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/sce.20209

Identity development as a lens to science teacher preparation

Teaching is a complex task shaped by many external and internal influences, including the beliefs held by individual teachers. This study sought an understanding of the impact of field experiences on the beliefs developed by preservice science teachers. The participants were students in an undergraduate science education methods course that involved observation and teaching experiences in K-12 classrooms. The data used in this qualitative study included drawings representing beliefs and in-depth interviews with selected participants. The findings indicate that beliefs focused on two key dualities: learning through experience and transmission and student-centered and teacher-centered instruction. The findings also suggest that field experiences both reinforce and challenge the beliefs held by preservice science teachers.

Preservice Science Teachers' Beliefs About Teaching and Learning: The Influence of K-12 Field Experiences

Preface Part 1: The Quality Of Science Education: Wolf-Michael Roth, From normal to revolutionary science education. Piet Lijnse, Reflections on a problem posing approach. Svein Lie, How can large international comparative studies contribute to the quality of science education? Wilmad Kuiper, Kerst Boersma, Jan van den Akker, Towards a more curricular focus In international comparative studies on mathematics and science education.- Part 2: Science Curriculum Innovation: Jon Ogborn, 40 Years of curriculum development. Hanna Westbroek, Kees Klaassen, Astrid Bulte, Albert Pilot, Characteristics of meaningful chemistry education. Mary Ratcliffe, Richard Harris, Jenny McWhirter, Cross-curricular collaboration in teaching social aspects of genetics. Russel Tytler, School innovation in science: change, culture, complexity. Maria Andree, Ways of using 'everyday life' in the science classroom.- Part 3: Science Teacher Education: Dimitris Psillos, Anna Spyrtou, Petros Kariotoglou, Science teacher education: issues and proposals. Paul Denley, Keith Bischop, Outcomes of professional development in primary science: developing a conceptual framework. Rachel Mamlok-Naaman, Oshrit Navon, Miriam Carmeli, Avi Hofstein, Chemistry teachers research their own work two case studies. Tina Jarvis, Anthony Pell, The relationships between primary Teachers' attitudes and cognition during a two year science in-service programme. Machiel Stolk, Astrid Bulte, Onno De Jong, Albert Pilot, Teaching concepts in contexts, designing a chemistry teacher course in a curriculum innovation. Virginie Albe, Laurence Simonneaux, Epistemological thought and role-playing: impact on pre-service teachers' opinions on mobile phone risks.- Part 4: Teaching-Learning Sequences In Science Education: Martine Meheut, Teaching-learning sequences tools for learning and/or research. John Leach, Jaume Ametller, Andy Hind,Jenny Lewis, Philip Scott, Designing and evaluating short science teaching sequences: improving student learning. Bjoern Andersson, Frank Bach, Mats Hagman, Clas Olander, Anita Wallin, Discussing a research programme for the improvement of science teaching. Zahava Scherz, Ornit Spektor-Levy, Bat Sheva Eylon, 'Scientific communication': an instructional program for high-order learning skills and its impact on students' performance.- Part 5: Teaching The Nature Of Science: Stein Dankert Kolsto, Idar Mestad, Learning about the nature of scientific knowledge: the imitating-science project. Saouma Boujaoude, Suha Sowwan, Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, The effect of using drama in science teaching on students' conceptions of nature of science. Sverre Pettersen, The relevance of teaching about the 'Nature of Science' to students of the health sciences. Jim Ryder, Andy Hind, John Leach, Teaching about the epistemology of science in school science classrooms: case studies of teachers' experiences.- Part 6: Models, Modelling And Analogies In Science Education: Wolter Kaper, Martin Goedhart, A three-phase design for productive use of analogy in the teaching of entropy. Barbara Crawford, Michael Cullin, Dynamic assessments of preservice teachers' knowledge of models and modelling. Rosaria Justi, John K. Gilbert, Investigating teachers' ideas about models and modelling - some issues of authenticity.-Silke Mikelskis-Seifert, Antje Leisner, Investigation of effects and stability in teaching model competence. Allan Harrison, Onno de Jong, Using multiple analogies: case study of a chemistry teacher's preparations, presentations and reflections.- Part 7: Discourse And Argumentation In Science Education: Jonathan Osborne, The role of argument in science education. Sibel Erduran, Jonathan Osborne, Shirley Simon, The role of argumentation in developing scientific literacy. Phil Scott, Eduardo Mortimer, Meaning

Research and the quality of science education

This paper tests the utility of a new sociocognitive frame for analysing the development of teachers' knowledge – the knowledge integration perspective (Linn, Eylon, & Davis, in press; Linn & Hsi, 2000). In doing so, the paper describes one prospective elementary teacher's developing knowledge and highlights its complexity. The prospective teacher demonstrates relatively well-integrated science subject matter knowledge, but she makes some problematic links to lessons and develops some instructional representations that show where she needs to distinguish between different scientific ideas. She also, however, links science concepts to appropriate real-world experiences, indicating that she has nascent useful pedagogical content knowledge. The paper discusses what teacher educators can learn about their learners from this analysis, argues for the utility of the knowledge integration perspective for conducting similar analyses, provides ideas to help science teacher educators apply the perspective easily as they teach their students, and points to areas ripe for future research.

/pdf/knowledge-integration-in-science-teaching-analysing-teachers-3n6bznyf6e.pdf

Knowledge Integration in Science Teaching: Analysing Teachers' Knowledge Development

http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-94-011-4940-2_40.pdf

Jeff Northfield

Papers

Teacher Educators and the Practice of Science Teacher Education