Browsing by Subject "Science--Study and teaching (Secondary)"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Conceptualizing pedagogical content knowledge from the perspective of experienced secondary science teachers(2005) Lee, Eunmi; Luft, Julie A.Since the concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) was introduced, educational researchers have attempted to describe and capture the PCK of teachers. However, researchers have failed to reach a consensus in understanding PCK. In an effort to contribute to the literature that conceptualizes PCK, this study investigates how experienced secondary science teachers, serving as mentors to beginning science teachers, represent PCK. Data include semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, lesson plans, and reflective summaries. A case study method was utilized to conduct an in-depth investigation focusing on how the four experienced secondary science teachers revealed PCK throughout their teaching practices. Grounded theory was employed as the analytic framework for the study. The findings of this study reveal that the experienced teachers’ PCK commonly includes ix knowledge of: (1) science; (2) goals; (3) students; (4) curriculum organization; (5) assessment strategies; (6) teaching strategies; and (7) resources, with specific elements within each component. Based on the interpretation of the data in the study, the seven components were transformed into each teacher’s PCK that represented his or her own expertise, which ultimately functioned as a filter to determine his or her instructional decisions and actions. The PCK conceptualization of each teacher varied, depending upon his or her individual background and teaching situation. This study shows that the concept of PCK is not only a unique knowledge required for teaching science, but also the application of that knowledge into teaching practice.Item Exploring the biographies of prospective science teachers: evolving perspectives on diversity and equity(2004) George, Magnia A.; Bethel, Lowell J.Science as a body of knowledge holds a highly regarded place in society. In recent years, science education has been the object of national scrutiny as the result of assessment data that indicates that the scientific literacy of students in the United States is marginal as compared to other advanced nations around the world. Students of color have been especially targeted due to the historical underrepresentation of this group in the sciences. Specifically access to a rigorous science curriculum and qualified teachers has been implicated in improving the chances of traditionally underserved students to participate and achieve in science. The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives (i.e., the beliefs, knowledge, and experiences) of prospective secondary science teachers regarding a science for all reform agenda. Constructivist, critical, and feminist methodologies were used to elicit prospective teachers’ views of equity in science teaching and learning as they described their experiences as science learners and prospective science teachers. The topic of multicultural science education served as a context for focus group conversations. Analysis of conversations revealed that participants’ lived experiences as learners and teachers-in-the-making shape their views of science and science education, their views of issues of diversity in teaching and learning, and their views of the organizational features of schooling. A dialogic relational perspective (DRP) model that attends to biography is proposed as a means for considering the roles of teacher, student, and science in relationship to the goals of science for all. The model is presented and discussed in the context of equity pedagogy for science teacher preparation and development.Item Students using digital imagery as tools to scaffold an investigation of light pollution(2004-05-22) Armosky, Bradley Joseph; Petrosino, Anthony J. (Anthony Joseph), 1961-Students must do science. Both the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) clearly direct teachers to engage their students in scientific investigations. These investigations should be authentic, not contrived. Students should engage in interesting problems and produce meaningful results. Light pollution - a hazy by-product of artificial illumination that washes out star light - is a local and global phenomena that students can investigate using astronomy with sophisticated tools. This study describes how students approach "authentic science inquiry" while they investigate light pollution at their school. Two groups of students measured light pollution with different tools. The control group students used star maps of small areas of sky to record the stars they could see using their eyes alone. The faintest stars they saw are close to the sky's brightness. Treatment group students take digital images of sky and analyze them with freely available image analysis software to determine the sky's brightness. Both groups engage in an authentic problem, but the different tools they use affect their approach toward authentic science inquiry. Control group students show an unexpected score increase for Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) related posttest items. Both treatment and control students approach scientific inquiry; but, analysis of the treatment students' presentations and interviews show that they made subtle additional steps toward authentic inquiry. Students enjoyed using the tools, and thought that their new tool skills helped them organize and explore their data and understand their results.