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2.5 - Creating a classroom for engagement with scientific thinking, problem solving and real-world contexts
- from Part 2 - Practice
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- By Margaret Marshman, University of the Sunshine Coast, Geoff Woolcott, Southern Cross University
- Edited by Geoff Woolcott, Southern Cross University, Australia, Robert Whannell, University of New England, Australia
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- Book:
- Teaching Secondary Science
- Published online:
- 06 August 2018
- Print publication:
- 16 November 2017, pp 300-322
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- Chapter
- Export citation
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Summary
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
• improve lesson quality utilising collaborative enhancement based on current scientific knowledge and knowledge of how scientists solve problems, combined with personal and classroom students’ collective knowledge
• reflect collaboratively on a teaching lesson using the affect-based critical moment protocol, or other reflection strategies
• use an iterated structure to collaborate to improve teaching performance
• utilise transferable teaching skills to deliver different types of content in science lessons.
Introduction
This chapter is the ‘mirror’ chapter to Chapter 1.5. It provides practical examples related to the theoretical outlines in Chapter 1.5, designed to improve competence and confidence in teaching and learning science. The first two examples in this chapter have been selected to illustrate processes of collaborative enhancement and reflection based around lesson delivery of a particular aspect of the Australian Curriculum. The second two examples illustrate how to use collaboration in iterative processes and in the development of transferable teaching skills.
Questions
Take 10 minutes to consider the following questions related to how this pre-service teacher is using scientific thinking, everyday thinking and problem solving in her classroom. Write in your own words how you might relate the following questions to your classroom teaching.
1 How is the pre-service teacher using problem solving in her introduction to this lesson?
2 It is the period after lunch on a hot Friday afternoon. How is she engaging her students?
3 How is she encouraging students to see science as part of everyday life?
4 What are some other ideas that you could use to engage this group of students? How would you try to find out what their interests are?
5 What benefit do you think this pre-service teacher obtained from collaborative enhancement and reflection?
Collaborative enhancement in practice
In Chapter 1.5 the term collaborative enhancement was used to refer to collaborations that can be organised and utilised to improve science teaching through enhancement of knowledge about science and how this can be used in the classroom. In this chapter, we show you how this can be done and illustrate some of the experiences that pre-service teachers have had in working with real-world scientists or people who have scientific expertise.
1.5 - Improving science teaching practice through collaboration and reflection
- from Part 1 - Theory
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- By Margaret Marshman, University of the Sunshine Coast, Geoff Woolcott, Southern Cross University
- Edited by Geoff Woolcott, Southern Cross University, Australia, Robert Whannell, University of New England, Australia
-
- Book:
- Teaching Secondary Science
- Published online:
- 06 August 2018
- Print publication:
- 16 November 2017, pp 93-115
-
- Chapter
- Export citation
-
Summary
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
• organise collaborative enhancement with people in your region who utilise science or scientific thinking as part of their daily life in order to examine scientific thinking, pedagogy and content questions based around problem solving
• utilise a suite of reflection processes that will develop your science teaching effectiveness using collaborative reflection, including a new and innovative reflection based on how you feel while you are teaching
• recognise that iterations of collaborative enhancement, teaching and reflection are key processes in improving your science teaching
• develop and utilise science teaching skills that can be transferred from one topic and level to another.
Introduction
Collaboration is about people working together on projects. In education, teachers work together in social networks to improve student learning in the classroom; for example, by exchanging teaching ideas. Classrooms are also becoming collaborative spaces where teachers can guide the learning to achieve their teaching and learning goals and those of their students. Students collaborate to deepen their understanding of scientific concepts.
Collaboration is an important part of pre-service teacher education and teacher professional learning in science education domains. Collaboration may take a number of different forms; for example, groups of university researchers working with teachers to develop a teaching resource, a teacher mentoring a pre-service teacher, a university lecturer teaching a pre-service teacher or delivering teacher professional learning to a classroom educator, or simply two teachers or two pre-service teachers working together on a lesson or unit plan or reflecting on the impact of the lesson presented.
This chapter outlines how you as pre-service teachers and classroom teachers can collaborate to enhance your science teaching and to utilise collaborative reflection, the natural partner to collaborative enhancement. The chapter also outlines how repeated cycles, or iterations, rather than single instances of enhancement and reflection can improve teaching. The final section of this chapter speaks to transferable teaching skills that require collaboration for their development and continued effectiveness.
OPENING VIGNETTE
As teachers we want our students to be able to ‘think and act in scientific ways’ (ACARA, 2012). Listening to scientists talk about scientific thinking and problem solving is one way to help us to understand it. Scientific thinking is both similar to and different from everyday thinking and problem solving.