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Chemical bonding is an important topic which is difficult to teach well, especially for novices. This study set out to support preservice teacher educators by developing a framework for understanding and addressing the complexity of teaching chemical bonding. A model of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in science education that has been widely endorsed by experts in the field was adopted as the theoretical lens. First, a systematic literature review was performed to articulate what recent empirical studies can tell us about the knowledge teachers require to teach chemical bonding. The review corpus consisted of 59 articles published over the past 20 years relating to four components of PCK: knowledge of how chemical bonding is embedded in curricula, knowledge of student understanding related to this topic, knowledge of instructional strategies and representations for teaching chemical bonding, and knowledge related to the assessment of chemical bonding understanding. This yielded current collective PCK for teaching chemical bonding in chemistry teacher education. Next, nine chemistry teacher educators were asked to portray their own personal knowledge for teaching chemical bonding through content representations. Analysis of the content representations revealed differences between several aspects of the collective PCK derived from the literature and the personal PCK articulated by our sample of Dutch chemistry teacher educators. Finally, findings from the literature and the teacher educator content representations were synthesized into a framework for chemistry teacher educators. Uses of the framework are discussed, and sample applications to the design of classroom activities are offered. Finally, implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are addressed.

This study aims to evaluate a professional development programme that prepares and assists teachers with the implementation of a multidisciplinary science module, basing the evaluation on "participants' reactions," the first level of Guskey's five-level model for evaluation (2002). Positive evaluations at the higher levels in Guskey's model are thought to depend upon those at the first level, that is, teachers' positive appreciation for the professional development programme. Different instruments (questionnaires, e-mail correspondence, and interviews) were used at various stages in the four-part professional development programme. The data were categorised by the stage in the programme to which they pertained: individual preparation; preparation seminar; online support; or reflection meeting. The data from all participating teachers were combined in word tables, with some parts paraphrased in a few sentences. In general, the teachers were satisfied with the professional development programme. This paper identifies several elements that ensure teacher satisfaction in the multidisciplinary professional development programme, indicates which are the difficult elements of this programme, and suggests how these difficulties can be handled in such a programme.

Professional development becomes relevant and effective when teachers are actively involved, collaborate, and when it is linked to teachers' daily school practice (Hunzicker in "Prof Dev Educ" 37:177-179, 2011). Preparation of teachers for a curriculum implementation such as the new subject Nature, Life, and Technology can be done by a professional development programme where teachers are actively involved (Visser et al. 2010). This study evaluates the designed and implemented professional development programme with respect to its effectiveness in terms of degree of teacher learning and development. Effects are evaluated for five learning areas: Instructional strategies, differences in students' prior knowledge, adjustments to the module, assessment methods and instruments, and field trips and guest lectures. Eleven teachers from four different schools participated in two professional development programmes, six teachers in the first professional development programme and five teachers in the programme for the subsequent module. Questionnaires and interviews were used to assess the effects in the different learning areas. The findings show that the professional development programme is a useful venture for teachers' professional growth in different learning areas.

Schools are increasingly integrating multidisciplinary education into their programmes. The Minister of Education, Culture and Science has introduced a new, integrated science subject in secondary education in the Netherlands, called Nature, Life and Technology (NLT). This research note describes the design of a generic model for a professional development programme to prepare teachers with and assist them during the implementation of a multidisciplinary science module. Three sources were used for this design: subject features including school practices, the curriculum design phases, and professional development characteristics, in combination with three factors influencing the quality of the professional development: context, process and content. These sources and factors have been translated into a generic model. Three experts evaluated this generic model: a teacher trainer who was also involved in the development of NLT modules; a biology and NLT teacher who was also involved in a regional NLT information centre; and a chemistry and NLT teacher. Overall, the experts were positive. They judged 12 out of 13 aspects of the model as sufficient or better. They were, however, critical about the issue of whether the model offers sufficient possibilities for participants to familiarise themselves with new subject content knowledge. (Contains 2 figures and 1 note.)

Teachers involved in the implementation of a curriculum innovation can be prepared for this task through a professional development program. In this paper, we describe essential characteristics (identified empirically and theoretically) for such a professional development program that promotes the acquisition of competences by these teachers. The innovation deals with the introduction of modules from a new multidisciplinary subject, in which elements from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and physical geography are integrated. A 3-step approach was used to identify the essential characteristics: (a) evidence from classroom practice, (b) characteristics of the new subject, and (c) theoretical and empirical evidence from curriculum implementation studies. Analysis of the data showed that 5 characteristics need particular attention in a professional development program.