Abstract
This chapter outlines a self-study project I engaged in to examine and subsequently improve my teaching within a 4th-year, core science education unit for primary pre-service teachers (PSTs) at a regional university in Australia. The impetus for this study was tied to widely reported issues about the quality and quantity of science teaching in primary schools and my desire to provide the best science teacher education possible to help address these concerns. The initiative involved the design and implementation of a teaching, learning and assessment task that required small groups of PSTs to plan a mini-unit of science that they then taught in a classroom. PSTs had to report on children’s science learning and reflect on their own learning about science teaching. Quantitative and qualitative data collected from PSTs and from my personal reflections were analysed for statistical significance and key themes, respectively. Results show the potential for a school-based approach to science teacher education to better achieve a nexus between theory and practice; align teaching, learning and assessment in more meaningful ways; and allow for critical reflective practice that enhances both the teacher education experience and the learning achieved by PSTs.
How we teach is the message.
(Russell and Bullock 1999, p. 140)
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
In Australia, the primary years of schooling usually encompass the ages of about 5–12 years.
References
AITSL. (2011). Australian professional standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/apst-resources/australian_professional_standard_for_teachers_final.pdf
Akerson, V. (2005). How do elementary teachers compensate for incomplete science content knowledge? Research in Science Education, 35, 245–268.
Anderson, L., & Krathwohl, D. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Longman.
Appleton, K. (2003). Pathways in professional development in primary science: extending science PCK. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Australasian Science Education Research Association, Melbourne Australia, 10-12 July 2003.
Appleton, K., & Kindt, I. (1999). Why teach primary science? Influences on beginning teachers’ practices. International Journal of Science Education, 21(2), 155–168.
Australian Academy of Science. (2009). Primary connections: An introduction. Department of Education, Science and Training and Australian Academy of Science. Retrieved from http://www.science.org.au/primaryconnections/images/intro-to-pc.pdf
Biggs, J. (2003). Teaching for quality learning at university: What the student does (2nd ed.). Berkshire: Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press.
Biggs, J., & Collis, K. (1982). Evaluating the quality of learning: The SOLO taxonomy (Structure of the observed learning outcome). New York: Academic Press.
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for quality learning at university (4th ed.). New York: Open University Press.
Brookfield, S. D. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Burns, R. B. (2000). Introduction to research methods (4th ed.). Frenchs Forest: Longman-Pearson Education Australia.
Bybee, R. W. (1989). Science and technology education for the elementary years: Frameworks for curriculum and instruction. Washington, DC: The National Centre for Improving Instruction.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Constructing 21st-century teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 300–314.
DEECD. (2007). The principles of learning and teaching (PoLT). Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/Pages/teaching.aspx
Department for Education U.K. (2011). Teachers’ standards. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/283566/Teachers_standard_information.pdf
Goodrum, D., Hackling, M., & Rennie, L. (2001). The status and quality of teaching and learning of science in Australian schools: A research report. Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs: Canberra.
Hackling, M., & Prain, V. (2005). Primary connections: Stage 2 research report. Canberra, Australia: Australian Academy of Science and Department of Education Science and Training.
Jones, M., & Carter, G. (2007). Science teacher attitudes and beliefs. In S. Abell & N. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of research on science education (pp. 1067–1103). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc..
Kenny, J. (2010). Preparing pre-service primary teachers to teach primary science: A partnership approach. International Journal of Science Education, 32(10), 1267–1288.
Korthagen, F. (2001). Teacher education: A problematic enterprise in linking practice and theory: The pedagogy of realistic teacher education. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc..
LaBoskey, V. (2004). The methodology of self-study and its theoretical underpinnings. In J. Loughran, M. Hamilton, V. LaBoskey, & T. Russell (Eds.), International handbook of self-study of teaching and teacher education practices (pp. 817–869). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Light, G., Cox, R., & Calkins, S. (2009). Learning and teaching in higher education: The reflective professional (2nd ed.). London: SAGE Publications.
Loughran, J. (2002). Effective reflective practice: in search of meaning in learning about teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(1), 33–43.
Loughran, J. (Ed.). (2004). International handbook of self-study of teaching and teacher education practices. Dordrecht: Springer.
Loughran, J. (2010). What expert teachers do: Enhancing professional knowledge for classroom practice. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
Lyons, T., Cooksey, R., Panizzon, D., Parnell, A., & Pegg, J. (2006). Science, ICT and mathematics education in rural and regional Australia the SiMERR national survey: A research report. Armidale: Department of Education, Science and Training, National Centre of Science, ICT and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional Australia, University of New England.
Mayer, D. (2015). An approach to the accreditation of initial teacher education programs based on evidence of the impact of learning teaching. Melbourne: Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/initial-teacher-education-resources/ite-reform-stimulus-paper-1-mayer.pdf
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. (2014). National board standards. Retrieved from http://www.nbpts.org/national-board-standards
Neary, M. (2002). Curriculum studies in post-compulsory and adult education: A teacher’s and student teacher’s study guide. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.
Osterman, K., & Kottkamp, R. (2004). Reflective practice for educators: Professional development to improve student learning. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
Ramsden, P. (2003). Learning to teach in higher education (2nd ed.). London: Routledge Falmer.
Richards, L. (2009). Handling qualitative data: A practical guide (2nd ed.). London: Sage publications.
Rittel, H., & Webber, M. (1973). Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences, 4(2), 155–169.
Russell, T. L., & Bullock, S. (1999). Discovering our professional knowledge as teachers: Critical dialogues about learning from experience. In J. Loughran (Ed.), Researching teaching: Methodologies and practices for understanding pedagogy (pp. 132–151). London: Falmer Press.
Samaras, A. (2010). Self-study teacher research: Improving your practice through collaborative inquiry. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Sanders, T. (2004). No time to waste: The vital role of college and university leaders in improving science and mathematics education. In: Teacher Preparation and Institutions of Higher Education: Mathematics and Science Content Knowledge, United States Department of Education, Washington, DC.
Skamp, K., & Mueller, A. (2001). Student teachers’ conceptions about effective primary science teaching. International Journal of Science Education, 23, 331–351.
Tan, K., & Mijung, K. (2012). Issues and challenges in science education research. In K. Tan & K. Mijung (Eds.), Issues and challenges in science education research: Moving forward (pp. 1–4). Dordecht: Springer.
The General Teaching Council for Scotland [GTC]. (2012). The standards for registration: Mandatory requirements for registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland. Retrieved from http://www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/the-standards/standards-for-registration-1212.pdf
Tytler, R. (2002). School innovation in science (SIS). Focusing on teaching. Investigating, 18(3), 8–12.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Zeichner, K. (2010). Rethinking the connections between campus courses and field experiences in college- and university-based teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 61(1–2), 89–99.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jones, M. (2017). Improving a School-Based Science Education Task Using Critical Reflective Practice. In: Brandenburg, R., Glasswell, K., Jones, M., Ryan, J. (eds) Reflective Theory and Practice in Teacher Education. Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices, vol 17. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3431-2_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3431-2_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-3429-9
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-3431-2
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)