Search

In this study, the nature of scientific explanations generated by two groups of prospective elementary school teachers were studied in the context of a life science course. Both groups participated in long-term investigations of insect cultures in which they crafted testable questions based on observations, designed experiments, collected and interpreted data, constructed explanations and explored alternatives, and communicated their explanations to peers. One group used the Progress Portfolio, a tool designed to promote reflective inquiry. It is a software shell that allows teachers to craft templates that are used by students to guide them through complex tasks. Twenty-five prospective teachers, in four small groups (two to four teacher candidates) each semester participated, approximately half in a Progress Portfolio semester, and the rest in a semester not using Progress Portfolio. Findings show substantial differences in the scientific explanations developed by prospective teachers who used Progress Portfolio and those who did not. In the non-Progress Portfolio semester, none of the four groups were able to generate an evidence-based explanation for their experimental findings. The four groups in the Progress Portfolio semester developed an explanation for the results of their long-term science investigations. The scaffolds in the Progress Portfolio were useful for making connections between an existing knowledge base and what was being learned from the investigation. Nine appendixes contain some sample pages from the prospective teachers developed pages. (Contains 41 references.) (SLD)

This study examined how Web-based portfolio development supported reflective thinking and learning within a Professional Development School (PDS). It investigated the evidence-based philosophies developed by prospective teachers as a central part of the Web-based portfolio task, noting how technology contributed to the portfolio task. Participants were two prospective elementary science teachers within a PDS program. The Web-based portfolio project was completed as part of the elementary science methods course. Researchers examined three versions of the Web-based science teaching philosophies that each participant developed as part of the Web-based portfolio. They also examined participants' reflection statements on how their science teaching philosophies changed over time. Findings illuminated participants' understanding of student-centered science learning and teaching, connecting children's physical engagement with conceptual aspects of learning, becoming attentive to how teachers can support children's learning, and teaching science as inquiry. The way the task was organized, and the fact that the Web-based forum provided opportunities to keep multiple versions of their philosophies, allowed prospective teachers to see how their philosophies changed over time, which supported continuous engagement in metacognition, self-reflection, and self-evaluation. (Contains 46 references.) (SM)

In this study, hypermedia technology was used to support prospective elementary teachers in publicly articulating their personal pedagogical theories, revisiting and revising them over time in light of new experiences and learning within the context of an innovative teacher preparation program. Given the need to incorporate opportunities for engaging prospective teachers in reflection and making their personal theorizing explicit and the potential of hypermedia authoring to support this kind of reflection and make thinking visible, this study aimed to answer the question: What are the prospective elementary teachers' views of teaching and learning science as they became transparent through their Web-based philosophies? Specifically, the questions that guided this research are: (1) What is the nature of prospective elementary teachers' philosophies about science teaching and learning? (2) In what ways does the Web-based portfolio task support thoughtful reflection associated with learning to teach science? and (3) In what ways does the technology contribute to the portfolio task? The study finds that the Web-based philosophy task was conducive to making prospective elementary teachers' implicitly held personal pedagogical theories explicit and promoting their revision in light of new experiences and learning. (Contains 25 references.) (MVL)

The purpose of this case study was to examine a beginning elementary teacher's development of identity for science teaching from her first year at university, her field experience, and through her first year of teaching. Several kinds of data were collected over a period of 5 years through different sources: interviews, journal entries, drawing assignments, biographical assignments, lesson plans, and classroom observations. Grounded within a combined theoretical framework of identity and narrative, these data were analyzed by means of open coding techniques. The findings of the data analysis are presented under the following four main themes--(a) discourse identity: embracing and enacting scientific inquiry; (b) affinity identity: the impact of relationships and science learning experiences; (c) nature identity: women in science; and (d) institution identity: the role of the context. The findings are summarized in three main assertions, which are discussed alongside a set of implications for research and teacher preparation.