Emotional arousal of beginning physics teachers during extended experimental investigations

Teachers often have difficulty implementing inquiry-based activities, leading to the arousal of negative emotions. In this multicase study of beginning physics teachers in Australia, we were interested in the extent to which their expectations were realized and how their classroom experiences while implementing extended experimental investigations (EEIs) produced emotional states that mediated their teaching practices. Against rhetoric of fear expressed by their senior colleagues, three of the four teachers were surprised by the positive outcomes from their supervision of EEIs for the first time. Two of these teachers experienced high intensity positive emotions in response to their students’ success. When student actions / outcomes did not meet their teachers’ expectations, frustration, anger, and disappointment were experienced by the teachers, as predicted by a sociological theory of human emotions (Turner, 2007). Over the course of the EEI projects, the teachers’ practices changed along with their emotional states and their students’ achievements. We account for similarities and differences in the teachers’ emotional experiences in terms of context, prior experience, and expectations. The findings from this study provide insights into effective supervision practices that can be used to inform new and experienced teachers alike.

Re-imagining STEM : peer scaffolding ICT in initial teacher education

In this paper, we report on how peer scaffolding was used to effect change in tertiary teaching practice and academic disposition in the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Science teaching and learning. We present a small-scale case study investigating the practice of one of this paper’s authors. It is told through two salient episodes which narratively describe the scaffolding used to support a teaching experiment. This was made possible through the national Teaching Teachers for the Future Project (2011-2012) which aimed to enhance the technological pedagogical capability of pre-service teachers across Australia. The outcome was a demonstrable shift in the academic’s disposition towards the use and benefits of ICT in teaching science and an increase in skills and confidence for both the academic and his students. This study and its outcomes fit within the contemporary push to “re-imagine” the teaching of Science, and more broadly of STEM, in schools.

Re-imagining STEM : peer scaffolding ICT in Initial Teacher Education

In this paper, we report on how peer scaffolding was used to effect change in tertiary teaching practice and academic disposition in the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Science teaching and learning. We present a small-scale case study investigating the practice of one of this paper’s authors. It is told through two salient episodes which narratively describe the scaffolding used to support a teaching experiment. This was made possible through the national Teaching Teachers for the Future Project (2011-2012) which aimed to enhance the technological pedagogical capability of pre-service teachers across Australia. The outcome was a demonstrable shift in the academic’s disposition towards the use and benefits of ICT in teaching science and an increase in skills and confidence for both the academic and his students. This study and its outcomes fit within the contemporary push to “re-imagine” the teaching of Science, and more broadly of STEM, in schools.

Academic success in context-based chemistry : Demonstrating fluid transitions between concepts and context

Curriculum developers and researchers have promoted context-based programmes to arrest waning student interest and participation in the enabling sciences at high school and university. Context-based programmes aim for student connections between scientific discourse and real-world contexts to elevate curricular relevance without diminishing conceptual understanding. This interpretive study explored the learning transactions in one 11th grade context-based chemistry classroom where the context was the local creek. The dialectic of agency/structure was used as a lens to examine how the practices in classroom interactions afforded students the agency for learning. The results suggest that first, fluid transitions were evident in the student–student interactions involving successful students; and second, fluid transitions linking concepts to context were evident in the students’ successful reports. The study reveals that the structures of writing and collaborating in groups enabled students’ agential and fluent movement between the field of the real-world creek and the field of the formal chemistry classroom. Furthermore, characteristics of academically successful students in context-based chemistry are highlighted. Research, teaching, and future directions for context-based science teaching are discussed.

Commencing nursing students' perceptions and anxiety of bioscience

It is known that bioscience is perceived to be difficult and causes anxiety within undergraduate nursing students; yet, commencing students' perceptions of bioscience is not known. Therefore, the aim of this study was to ascertain incoming students' perceptions, knowledge and approaches to learning bioscience. Incoming students to the Bachelor of Nursing completed a questionnaire prior to undertaking bioscience. Two hundred and seventy three students completed the questionnaire that explored their expectations, preconceptions of bioscience content, approaches to learning bioscience, and relationship to clinical practice in the context of biosciences. Participant ages ranged from 17 to 53 (mean 23 years), and 78% of students had completed at least one secondary school science subject, of which 60% had studied biology. Overall, students' preconceptions included anxiety about studying bioscience, bioscience being difficult and harder than nursing subjects, and that more content will be required for bioscience than nursing subjects. Analysis using ANOVA revealed the relationships for secondary school science and age on student responses. A significant effect of secondary school science was found for science in school being advantageous for bioscience (p = 0.010), understanding what bioscience entails (p = 0.002), needing to study science prior to the start of the semester (p = 0.009), and that bioscience is considered difficult (p = 0.029). A significant effect of age was found for exams being more difficult than other assessments (p = 0.000) and for being able to see the relevance of nursing when reaching the workplace (p = 0.011). The findings also indicated that perceptions and associated anxieties related to bioscience were present in commencing students, similar to those which have been reported previously in established student groups. This strongly suggests that the faculty should attempt to dispel preconceptions about bioscience and target improved supports to facilitate the transition of students into the commencement of bioscience for nursing students.

Adventures in plant anatomy – not just a pigment of my imagination

An overview of teaching and research activities in the area of plant anatomy at QUT is provided. The current status of teaching of technical skills in plant anatomy is discussed briefly. Examples of applications of plant anatomy to a diverse range of fields are provided, including the crossover between art and science.

Teaching and learning science and mathematics through technology practice

In this chapter we review studies of the engagement of students in design projects that emphasise integration of technology practice and the enabling sciences, which include physics and mathematics. We give special attention to affective and conceptual outcomes from innovative interventions of design projects. This is important work because of growing international concern that demand for professionals with technological expertise is increasing rapidly, while the supply of students willing to undertake the rigors of study in the enabling sciences is proportionally reducing (e.g., Barringtion, 2006; Hannover & Kessels, 2004; Yurtseven, 2002). The net effect is that the shortage in qualified workers is having a detrimental effect upon economic and social potential in Westernised countries (e.g., Department of Education, Science and Training [DEST], 2003; National Numeracy Review Panel and National Numeracy Review Secretarial, 2007; Yurtseven, 2002). Interestingly, this trend is reversed in developing economies including China and India (Anderson & Gilbride, 2003).

Inquiry teaching in primary science : a phenomenographic study

In spite of having a long history in education, inquiry teaching (the teaching in ways that foster inquiry based learning in students) in science education is still a highly problematic issue. However, before teacher educators can hope to effectively influence teacher implementation of inquiry teaching in the science classroom, educators need to understand teachers’ current conceptions of inquiry teaching. This study describes the qualitatively different ways in which 20 primary school teachers experienced inquiry teaching in science education. A phenomenographic approach was adopted and data sourced from interviews of these teachers. The three categories of experiences that emerged from this study were; Student Centred Experiences (Category 1), Teacher Generated Problems (Category 2), and Student Generated Questions (Category 3). In Category 1 teachers structure their teaching around students sensory experiences, expecting that students will see, hear, feel and do interesting things that will focus their attention, have them asking science questions, and improve their engagement in learning. In Category 2 teachers structure their teaching around a given problem they have designed and that the students are required to solve. In Category 3 teachers structure their teaching around helping students to ask and answer their own questions about phenomena. These categories describe a hierarchy with the Student Generated Questions Category as the most inclusive. These categories were contrasted with contemporary educational theory, and it was found that when given the chance to voice their own conceptions without such comparison teachers speak of inquiry teaching in only one of the three categories mentioned. These results also help inform our theoretical understanding of teacher conceptions of inquiry teaching. Knowing what teachers actually experience as inquiry teaching, as opposed to understand theoretically, is a valuable contribution to the literature. This knowledge provides a valuable contribution to educational theory, which helps policy, curriculum development, and the practicing primary school teachers to more fully understand and implement the best educative practices in their daily work. Having teachers experience the qualitatively different ways of experiencing inquiry teaching uncovered in this study is expected to help teachers to move towards a more student-centred, authentic inquiry outcome for their students and themselves. Going beyond this to challenge teacher epistemological beliefs regarding the source of knowledge may also assist them in developing more informed notions of the nature of science and of scientific inquiry during professional development opportunities. The development of scientific literacy in students, a high priority for governments worldwide, will only to benefit from these initiatives.

Preparing citizens for a complex world : the grand challenge of teaching socio-scientific issues in science education

The dawn of the twenty-first century encouraged a number of scientific and technological organisations to identify what they saw as ‘Grand Challenges and Opportunities’. Issues of environment and health featured very prominently in these quite short lists, as can be seen from a sample of these challenges in Table 1. Indeed, the first two lists of challenges in Table 1 were identified as for the environment and for health, respectively.

Teaching and assessing ethics and social responsibility in undergraduate science : a position paper

Institutional graduate capabilities and discipline threshold learning outcomes require science students to demonstrate ethical conduct and social responsibility. However, neither the teaching nor the assessment of these concepts is straightforward. Australian chemistry academics participated in a workshop in 2013 to discuss and develop teaching and assessment in these areas and this paper reports on the outcomes of that workshop. Controversial issues discussed included: How broad is the mandate of the teacher, how should the boundaries between personal values and ethics be drawn, and how can ethics be assessed without moral judgement? In this position paper, I argue for a deep engagement with ethics and social justice, achieved through case studies and assessed against criteria that require discussion and debate. Strategies to effectively assess science students’ understanding of ethics and social responsibility are detailed.

Understanding preservice teachers’ development of pedagogical knowledge practices when co-teaching primary science to peers

Preservice teachers articulate the need for more teaching experiences for developing their practices, however, extending beyond existing school arrangements may present difficulties. Thus, it is important to understand preservice teachers’ development of pedagogical knowledge practices when in the university setting. This mixed-method study investigated 48 second-year preservice teachers’ development of pedagogical knowledge practices as a result of co-teaching primary science to peers. Data were collected through a survey, video-recorded lessons, extended written responses and researcher observations. The study showed how these preservice teachers demonstrated 9 of 11 pedagogical knowledge practices within the co-teaching arrangement. However, research is needed to determine the level of development on each pedagogical knowledge practice and how these practices can be transferred into authentic primary classroom settings.