1,720,985 research outputs found
3D Science – theoretical model or potential classroom reality?
Get PDFThis article offers an outline of 3D science that conceptualises science around three
dimensions: domain knowledge, evidence-management procedures and psychological energy. We
propose that this model could underpin a rigorous, effective and motivating approach to science
education in schools. We show how self-determination theory offers useful insights into motivation in
3D science and discuss the benefits of this for teachers and students. As proof of concept we sketch
out clear assessment objectives for a 3D-compliant science course and develop outline assessment
criteria to show the possibility for progression
Chain reaction: The English context
No full textThis chapter describes aspects of the successes and obstacles in the delivery of chain reaction in school science classrooms in England. It offers an overview of recent education reform in England and moves on to discuss the implementation of the program and provides anecdotal evidence from teachers to support emerging themes from the delivery experience. Issues of “time” restraints and over-burdened “curricular” as barriers to the deployment of inquiry approaches are highlighted by identifying positive outcomes and offering implications for science education across Europe
Reflections on inquiry
No full textThis chapter provides concluding comments and reflections on the Chain Reaction project as well as inquiry approaches in general. The authors also include three reflective stories based on their involvement in the program. These stories attempt to bring differing roles and aspects of the project to life while identifying successes and barriers within the project. They also discuss implications for the future of science education across Europe and summarize their outcomes from the Chain Reaction project
All-Attainment Secondary Mathematics Teaching in England: How Some Teachers Make it Work
Get PDFThe research on which this thesis is based is focussed on the grouping of students in secondary school mathematics by a conception of their “ability”. Focussing particularly on mathematics education I argue that this practice is unjust, as previous research shows, and that a socially just education system should treat all of its students, including working-class students, equitably.
This research focusses on a small group of teachers who do not accept this “common-sense” “ability” thinking but who instead believe that all students should have access to all of the curriculum and that all are capable of learning without limits. During 2016 I carried out in-depth interviews with these teachers in Brierley Grove, an inner London comprehensive with a largely working class intake, Shortvalley, a comprehensive on the south coast and a rural comprehensive in Cambridgeshire.
This research is the only current in-depth study of mathematics teachers who are committed to all-attainment teaching and, as such, the findings of this research represent an original contribution to knowledge.
My research identified three major themes:
what sustains the teachers;
how they introduce, develop and maintain all-attainment; and
how they make all-attainment work in the classroom.
Drawing together the findings I present two interrelated models of the knowledge and understandings the research has generated. The first attempts to explain how the teachers are situated with regards to their teaching. The second, encompassed within the first, illustrates how the teachers through all-attainment mathematics are attempting to enable the students not only to develop and succeed mathematically but to become agentic so that they are not restricted in the life choices they have.
I discuss the implications of the study for those connected in a variety of ways to the teaching and learning of secondary school mathematics in all-attainment groups and make recommendations for further research
Exploring secondary school science teachers’ understanding of creativity in their lessons
Get PDFThis study uses a Personal Construct Theory methodology to explore the constructs of
creativity of science teachers working in England with students aged 11-16. In-depth
interviews were conducted with 7 UK teachers on two occasions to elicit the constructs
they used to recognise creativity in their classroom context. 46 constructs were elicited
and sorted into six categories: autonomy, optionality, collaboration, confidence, efficacy
and excitement. These categories were further sorted into 3 roles (Enablers, Modifiers and
Validators) which allowed a model to be developed showing how the categories
interrelated and could drive changes in teacher constructs and perceptions
Undergraduates' personal constructs : Classroom teaching and the role of the teacher.
Get PDFThis in-depth study shows how Personal Construct Theory (PCT) can be used to investigate the bipolar constructs of teaching and the role of the teacher held by five university undergraduates from a range of subject disciplines. The approach adopted was developed from that devised by George Kelly (1905 -1967) which was originally applied to psychotherapy. As a phenomenological approach, PCT draws out the perceptions that individuals hold about the world rather than trying to impose a pre-existing theory or psychological framework.In this study, the participants' constructs of teaching and the role of the teacher originally derived from their experiences as pupils in school were elicited. The contention is that when 'real-world' classroom experiences are offered, prior to making career decisions, undergraduates have the opportunity to develop or change their views related to teaching. The study employed PCT pre and postexperience conversations which were analysed for changes in these views and reported as individual case studies. PCT pre and post-experience conversations provide evidence that time spent in a classroom does change the views of undergraduates about teaching and the role of the teacher. In this case, all five participants agreed that teaching was a career they would be pursuing either immediately or in the near future, which represents a significant change for two of the participants who had not previously planned to pursue a teaching career. The study provides evidence that a practical classroom experience (practicum) changes an individual's views of the teaching from a previously held view that teaching was not a career option to teaching becoming a career choice. This study argues that this type of practicum should precede a full-time teacher training course to allow any candidate unsure about embarking on the training to 'try-out' teaching first. This detailed study provides evidence for the validity of the PCT conversation as an effective approach for eliciting personal constructs and identifying any changes around the issues of teaching and the role of a teacher as a result of a school placement
Biology autobiographies: how do personal subject experiences influence biology teachers' pedagogical thinking?
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to explore practising biology teachers’ perceptions of the factors influencing their current beliefs about teaching biology and their pedagogical decisions.
This was a qualitative study that used a sequence of three semi-structured interviews with each of five participants each with a range of years in post, to collect data in the form of their narratives about teaching biology. The study followed a constructivist grounded theory design to guide the collection and coding of data from the interview transcripts. A constant comparative analysis of the data was used to suggest categories and relationships between them, using abductive reasoning to generate conclusions that had the potential to inform professional practice in Initial Teacher Education programmes and approaches to early career support for teachers.
The study suggested three areas of interest. Firstly, the teachers’ expressed beliefs about teaching biology and the factors that were influencing these. There was a large degree of similarity between the participants who explored the complexity and breadth of the subject; an underestimation of the subject by colleagues with other science specialisms; and the need to teach for deep understanding. In contrast to a number of other studies that identified early, informal experiences with the subject as key factors in developing biology teachers’ beliefs, the participants in this study identified their own experiences as pupils at secondary school and their growing understanding of their subject while in post as key influences.
Secondly, participants told stories about the impact of working with others, including a growing empathy with, and understanding of, the individual pupils in their classes and pedagogical support from knowledgeable others. These findings are discussed in relation to research from the 1990s that argued for the importance of ‘knowing pupils’ and current literature around teacher knowledge. The thesis proposes that, what I refer to as ‘reflexive empathy,’ which involves considering how pupils might be responding to being taught the subject, is an important aspect of developing teacher practical knowledge.
The final area of interest concerned participants’ perceived amount of pedagogical agency as a factor in their day-to-day classroom decision making. This is considered in relation to a theorisation of agency as contextual and situated rather than as a characteristic of the individual, and the impact of the school context is discussed. One of the significant ideas emerging in this regard was the need for explicit permission to be pedagogically innovative, whether through departmental or wider school culture or through collaborative work with colleagues.
This study has implications for professional practice in programmes to support pre-service biology teachers and also supporting early career teachers, particularly in light of the introduction of the recent Early Career Framework
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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