Use of the "Tree" Analogy in Evolution Teaching by Biology Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcelos, Maria Fátima; Nagem, Ronaldo Luiz

2012-04-01

This work discusses the use of Darwin's `Tree of Life' as a didactic analogy and metaphor in teaching evolution. It investigates whether biology teachers of pupils from 17 to 18 years old know Darwin's text `Tree of Life'. In addition, it examines whether those teachers systematically employ either the analogies present in that text or other analogies between the tree and evolution, and whether they adopt a specific methodology for teaching with analogies and metaphors (A&M). The academic training of teachers regarding use of A&M is review briefly. A diagnostic study was carried out with biology teachers in a public school in the town of Contagem in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The data were obtained through direct observation, questionnaires and a focus group. The teachers pointed out in the questionnaires that some details of Darwin's analogy are utilized as a resource. However, analysis of the data indicates that the `Tree of Life' text is not known or utilized in class. At the same time, the teachers state that they use aspects of the tree as a didactic resource to teach evolution and that its use facilitates the learning of content. The teachers have little knowledge of specific methodologies of teaching with analogies and metaphors, revealing that their training is incomplete in this area.

Variations in Acculturation and Australian Physical Education Teacher Education Students' Receptiveness to an Alternative Pedagogical Approach to Games Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moy, Brendan; Renshaw, Ian; Davids, Keith

2014-01-01

Background: The development of intelligent, thinking performers as a central theme in physical education curriculum documents worldwide has highlighted the need for an evolution of teaching styles from the dominant reproductive approach. This has prompted an Australian university to change the content and delivery of a games unit within their…

Teaching Mathematics and Astronomy in France: The "College Royal" (1550-1650)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pantin, Isabelle

2006-01-01

For a long time, the medieval university maintained relative consistency throughout Europe in teaching topics and methods. But between 1550 and 1650 this came to an end. The evolution concerned the content of the courses and, to a lesser extent, the way the field was taught. The impact of these changes varied greatly from place to place, and new…

From Drills to CLIL: The Paradigmatic and Methodological Evolution Towards the Integration of Content and Foreign Language (Desde las repeticiones en el aula hasta AICLE: la evolución paradigmática y metodológica hacia el aprendizaje integrado de contenido y lengua extranjera)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muñoz-Luna, Rosa

2014-01-01

Content and language integrated learning has become a common practice in European higher education. In this paper, I aim to describe how this integrated teaching practice comes as a result of a paradigmatic and pedagogical evolution. For this purpose, the main linguistic paradigms will be revisited diachronically, followed by a revision of the…

Preparing Teachers to Prepare Students for Post-Secondary Science: Observations from a Workshop about Evolution in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schrein, Caitlin M.; Lynch, John M.; Brem, Sarah K.; Marchant, Gary E.; Schedler, Karen K.; Spencer, Mark A.; Kazilek, Charles J.

2009-01-01

This paper summarizes the content and results of a workshop about the teaching of evolution presented to public middle school and high school science teachers by individuals involved both in university education and the professional development of teachers. The goals of the workshop were to: (1) provide teachers with knowledge and resources to…

The current setting of the evolution/creation debate in American public schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reynolds, Bradley Doyle

The history of public education in the United States is replete with attempts to secularize public education as well as attempts to sanctify public education. The legal battle between these two opposing concepts of public education has been long and tenacious, and is far from over. One front upon which this philosophical, political, and legal battle has been fought is the teaching of origins in biology classes of public schools. This study sought to address the question of the current status of the creation/evolution debate. Through content analysis of court cases, the study provided a legal framework concerning the teaching of origins in public schools. The study also provided a political/philosophical understanding of the current status through a content analysis of press articles. Further, the study provided an understanding of how current biology textbooks deal with the issue of origins. The findings reveal that the creation/evolution debate is current; however, the theory of Intelligent Design has now entered the foray. Finally, the findings reveal that the debate is taking place in courtrooms, legislative hails, and newspapers, but not in classrooms.

The New Geology or the Role of the Geological Sciences in Science Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emiliani, Cesare

1989-01-01

Described is a two-course sequence dealing with the origin and evolution of the entire natural system including the universe, solar system, earth, and life. The content, suggestions about teacher preparation, teaching techniques, and testing are discussed. (CW)

Evolution of the Theory of the Earth: A Contextualized Approach for Teaching the History of the Theory of Plate Tectonics to Ninth Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolphin, Glenn

2009-01-01

Current high school Earth Science curricula and textbooks organize scientific content into isolated "units" of knowledge. Within this structure, content is taught, but in the absence of the context of fundamental understandings or the process of how the science was actually done to reach the conclusions. These are two key facets of scientific…

Simplification of genotyping techniques of the ABO blood type experiment and exploration of population genetics.

PubMed

Hu, Jian; Zhou, Yi-ren; Ding, Jia-lin; Wang, Zhi-yuan; Liu, Ling; Wang, Ye-kai; Lou, Hui-ling; Qiao, Shou-yi; Wu, Yan-hua

2017-05-20

The ABO blood type is one of the most common and widely used genetic traits in humans. Three glycosyltransferase-encoding gene alleles, I A , I B and i, produce three red blood cell surface antigens, by which the ABO blood type is classified. By using the ABO blood type experiment as an ideal case for genetics teaching, we can easily introduce to the students several genetic concepts, including multiple alleles, gene interaction, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and gene evolution. Herein we have innovated and integrated our ABO blood type genetics experiments. First, in the section of Molecular Genetics, a new method of ABO blood genotyping was established: specific primers based on SNP sites were designed to distinguish three alleles through quantitative real-time PCR. Next, the experimental teaching method of Gene Evolution was innovated in the Population Genetics section: a gene-evolution software was developed to simulate the evolutionary tendency of the ABO genotype encoding alleles under diverse conditions. Our reform aims to extend the contents of genetics experiments, to provide additional teaching approaches, and to improve the learning efficiency of our students eventually.

Teaching Freshman History to ESL Students: A Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carro, Gladys

This paper describes the evolution and implementation of an interdisciplinary freshman program in world civilization designed to integrate history content with advanced English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) composition, focusing on academic language use. In it, a three-credit history course is paired with a six-credit ESL composition course. The…

The Microscope and Nineteenth Century Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milacek, Barbara Roads

Studied were (1) the evolving use of the microscope in science education, and (2) its relationship to the changing teaching methods, content, and emphases of science courses and to the prevailing philosophies of education of nineteenth century American colleges. To establish the necessary background, the evolution and availability of the…

The influence of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching macroevolution on student outcomes in a general education biology course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walter, Emily Marie

This study investigated the influence of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching macroevolution on non-science majors' knowledge of macroevolution and evolution acceptance. The nature and sources of an experienced faculty member's PCK and instruction as enacted PCK (Park & Oliver, 2008) were examined to consider the influence of these components on students' knowledge of macroevolution and evolution acceptance. The study used a mixed methods approach to understand how PCK influences student outcomes, and is one of the first to examine the influence of PCK on student outcomes at the post-secondary level. In addition, the study is one of few to document a significant relationship between knowledge of evolution and evolution acceptance, including how instruction influenced these outcomes. The case selected for study was a general education biology class: 270 students and their instructor. To examine the nature and sources of the instructor's PCK for teaching macroevolution, the course was observed in its entirety, the instructor was interviewed before, during, and after the evolution unit, and artifacts were collected from the evolution unit. Interview and observational protocols for the instructor were developed based on the Magnussson, Kracjik, & Borko (1999) model of PCK. The instructor was found to have deep knowledge of learners, and this knowledge in turn informed the other components of her PCK. Her knowledge of learners was built through reflecting on student exam outcomes, referencing the pedagogical literature, interactions with students, and discussions with colleagues. These findings have implications for faculty professional development. The influence of the course was examined both quantitatively and qualitatively. Students were surveyed using the Measure of Understanding of Macroevolution (Nadelson & Southerland, 2010a) the Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (Rutledge & Warden, 1999, 2007). From pre- to post-test, students became significantly more accepting of evolution (p < .0001) and made significant gains in understanding macroevolution ( p < .0001). Knowledge of macroevolution and evolution acceptance were also significantly correlated (r[268] = .47, p < .01). Twelve students initially scoring low on both instruments also interviewed to examine how the instruction influenced their responses on the instruments. Nine of the students became more accepting of evolution, which they attributed to learning about the volume of evidence for evolution (especially transitional fossils) and learning about the history of life. These findings have important implications for evolution education policy and practice at the post-secondary level.

Teaching genetics prior to teaching evolution improves evolution understanding but not acceptance

PubMed Central

Mead, Rebecca; Hejmadi, Momna

2017-01-01

What is the best way to teach evolution? As microevolution may be configured as a branch of genetics, it being a short conceptual leap from understanding the concepts of mutation and alleles (i.e., genetics) to allele frequency change (i.e., evolution), we hypothesised that learning genetics prior to evolution might improve student understanding of evolution. In the UK, genetics and evolution are typically taught to 14- to 16-y-old secondary school students as separate topics with few links, in no particular order and sometimes with a large time span between. Here, then, we report the results of a large trial into teaching order of evolution and genetics. We modified extant questionnaires to ascertain students’ understanding of evolution and genetics along with acceptance of evolution. Students were assessed prior to teaching, immediately post teaching and again after several months. Teachers were not instructed what to teach, just to teach in a given order. Regardless of order, teaching increased understanding and acceptance, with robust signs of longer-term retention. Importantly, teaching genetics before teaching evolution has a significant (p < 0.001) impact on improving evolution understanding by 7% in questionnaire scores beyond the increase seen for those taught in the inverse order. For lower ability students, an improvement in evolution understanding was seen only if genetics was taught first. Teaching genetics first additionally had positive effects on genetics understanding, by increasing knowledge. These results suggest a simple, minimally disruptive, zero-cost intervention to improve evolution understanding: teach genetics first. This same alteration does not, however, result in a significantly increased acceptance of evolution, which reflects a weak correlation between knowledge and acceptance of evolution. Qualitative focus group data highlights the role of authority figures in determination of acceptance. PMID:28542179

Teaching genetics prior to teaching evolution improves evolution understanding but not acceptance.

PubMed

Mead, Rebecca; Hejmadi, Momna; Hurst, Laurence D

2017-05-01

What is the best way to teach evolution? As microevolution may be configured as a branch of genetics, it being a short conceptual leap from understanding the concepts of mutation and alleles (i.e., genetics) to allele frequency change (i.e., evolution), we hypothesised that learning genetics prior to evolution might improve student understanding of evolution. In the UK, genetics and evolution are typically taught to 14- to 16-y-old secondary school students as separate topics with few links, in no particular order and sometimes with a large time span between. Here, then, we report the results of a large trial into teaching order of evolution and genetics. We modified extant questionnaires to ascertain students' understanding of evolution and genetics along with acceptance of evolution. Students were assessed prior to teaching, immediately post teaching and again after several months. Teachers were not instructed what to teach, just to teach in a given order. Regardless of order, teaching increased understanding and acceptance, with robust signs of longer-term retention. Importantly, teaching genetics before teaching evolution has a significant (p < 0.001) impact on improving evolution understanding by 7% in questionnaire scores beyond the increase seen for those taught in the inverse order. For lower ability students, an improvement in evolution understanding was seen only if genetics was taught first. Teaching genetics first additionally had positive effects on genetics understanding, by increasing knowledge. These results suggest a simple, minimally disruptive, zero-cost intervention to improve evolution understanding: teach genetics first. This same alteration does not, however, result in a significantly increased acceptance of evolution, which reflects a weak correlation between knowledge and acceptance of evolution. Qualitative focus group data highlights the role of authority figures in determination of acceptance.

Review of Nursing Literature: Evolution of Gerontological Education in Nursing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philipose, Vimala; And Others

1991-01-01

A literature review found that (1) many students and nurses held negative views of the elderly, affecting career choices; (2) gerontological content in baccalaureate nursing programs ranged from little or none to adequate; and (3) a severe shortage of faculty prepared to teach gerontological nursing and negative attitudes toward this…

Italian for Business and Communication: Research Methodology and Creation of a Syllabus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iandoli, Louis J.

1993-01-01

The evolution and design of a third-year college course in business Italian are described. Course content includes business correspondence, banking, wholesale and retail transactions. Teaching methods and class activities are also discussed. These include use of realia, small group activities, and letter and report writing. (Author/MSE)

Florida Teachers' Attitudes about Teaching Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fowler, Samantha R.; Meisels, Gerry G.

2010-01-01

A survey of Florida teachers reveals many differences in comfort level with teaching evolution according to the state's science teaching standards, general attitudes and beliefs about evolution, and the extent to which teachers are criticized, censured, disparaged, or reprehended for their beliefs about the teaching of evolution.

On Developing Content-Oriented Theories Taking Biological Evolution as an Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersson, Bjorn; Wallin, Anita

2006-01-01

Both in Europe and the United States there is a growing interest in design research. One example is the design and validation of topic-oriented teaching-learning sequences. This research may be said to have two objectives. One is to design and test "useful products", such as teachers guides and study material for students, which may be…

The status of evolutionary medicine education in North American medical schools.

PubMed

Hidaka, Brandon H; Asghar, Anila; Aktipis, C Athena; Nesse, Randolph M; Wolpaw, Terry M; Skursky, Nicole K; Bennett, Katelyn J; Beyrouty, Matthew W; Schwartz, Mark D

2015-03-08

Medical and public health scientists are using evolution to devise new strategies to solve major health problems. But based on a 2003 survey, medical curricula may not adequately prepare physicians to evaluate and extend these advances. This study assessed the change in coverage of evolution in North American medical schools since 2003 and identified opportunities for enriching medical education. In 2013, curriculum deans for all North American medical schools were invited to rate curricular coverage and perceived importance of 12 core principles, the extent of anticipated controversy from adding evolution, and the usefulness of 13 teaching resources. Differences between schools were assessed by Pearson's chi-square test, Student's t-test, and Spearman's correlation. Open-ended questions sought insight into perceived barriers and benefits. Despite repeated follow-up, 60 schools (39%) responded to the survey. There was no evidence of sample bias. The three evolutionary principles rated most important were antibiotic resistance, environmental mismatch, and somatic selection in cancer. While importance and coverage of principles were correlated (r = 0.76, P < 0.01), coverage (at least moderate) lagged behind importance (at least moderate) by an average of 21% (SD = 6%). Compared to 2003, a range of evolutionary principles were covered by 4 to 74% more schools. Nearly half (48%) of responders anticipated igniting controversy at their medical school if they added evolution to their curriculum. The teaching resources ranked most useful were model test questions and answers, case studies, and model curricula for existing courses/rotations. Limited resources (faculty expertise) were cited as the major barrier to adding more evolution, but benefits included a deeper understanding and improved patient care. North American medical schools have increased the evolution content in their curricula over the past decade. However, coverage is not commensurate with importance. At a few medical schools, anticipated controversy impedes teaching more evolution. Efforts to improve evolution education in medical schools should be directed toward boosting faculty expertise and crafting resources that can be easily integrated into existing curricula.

Curricular reform and inquiry teaching in biology: where are our efforts most fruitfully invested?

PubMed

Timmerman, Briana E; Strickland, Denise C; Carstensen, Susan M

2008-08-01

University faculty often express frustration with the accuracy of students' understanding of science in general and of evolution in particular. A rich research literature suggests that inquiry-based pedagogies are more effective in producing meaningful learning than are traditional, didactic approaches. A pragmatic investigation into the efficacy of inquiry-based curricular reforms compared to traditional laboratory activities was undertaken in the introductory biology course for majors at a large state university in the southeastern United States. The topics of the course focused on biodiversity, evolution, and plant and animal anatomy and physiology. Students' learning in the inquiry versus traditional units was compared using both a test of pre-post content knowledge as well as open-ended written responses in which students described events in which there was meaningful learning and conceptual changes. The pre-post tests were replicated over five semesters of the same course (n = 1493 students). Students' misconceptions as well as examples of meaningful learning were gathered for two semesters in the same course (n = 518 students). Results consistently revealed that descriptive, concrete topics such as anatomy can be taught effectively using traditional didactic methods; average effect sizes (a measure of the difference between pretest scores and posttest scores) range from 1.8 to 2.1. The inquiry units also increased knowledge of content on the topics of evolution and biodiversity by a significant degree (average effect sizes range from 1.0 to 1.1), despite the fact that students spent less than half the instructional time on these units compared to the didactic units. In addition, a literature review indicated that highly abstract or mathematical concepts such as evolution or geologic time require greater formal reasoning ability and that students often show lesser gains in these areas compared to more concrete topics. It was therefore especially notable that the frequency of meaningful learning events was significantly higher in the units on evolution compared to the traditional units (χ(2) P < 0.5 to 0.001). A catalog of students' misconceptions (some of which were quite unexpected) was also generated and found useful for future teaching. Therefore, we feel that when time and resources for curricular reform are limited, those efforts should prioritize abstract and foundational topics such as evolution. Didactic teaching appears sufficient for more concrete topics such as anatomy.

Controversy in Biology Classrooms-Citizen Science Approaches to Evolution and Applications to Climate Change Discussions.

PubMed

Yoho, Rachel A; Vanmali, Binaben H

2016-03-01

The biological sciences encompass topics considered controversial by the American public, such as evolution and climate change. We believe that the development of climate change education in the biology classroom is better informed by an understanding of the history of the teaching of evolution. A common goal for science educators should be to engender a greater respect for and appreciation of science among students while teaching specific content knowledge. Citizen science has emerged as a viable yet underdeveloped method for engaging students of all ages in key scientific issues that impact society through authentic data-driven scientific research. Where successful, citizen science may open avenues of communication and engagement with the scientific process that would otherwise be more difficult to achieve. Citizen science projects demonstrate versatility in education and the ability to test hypotheses by collecting large amounts of often publishable data. We find a great possibility for science education research in the incorporation of citizen science projects in curriculum, especially with respect to "hot topics" of socioscientific debate based on our review of the findings of other authors. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education.

Analysis of the Science and Technology Preservice Teachers' Opinions on Teaching Evolution and Theory of Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Töman, Ufuk; Karatas, Faik Özgür; Çimer, Sabiha Odabasi

2014-01-01

In this study, we investigate of science and technology teachers' opinions about the theory of evolution and the evolution teaching. The aim of this study, we investigate of science and technology teachers' opinions about the theory of evolution and the evolution teaching. This study is a descriptive study. Open-ended questions were used to…

Assessment of Biology Majors' Versus Nonmajors' Views on Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design.

PubMed

Paz-Y-Miño C, Guillermo; Espinosa, Avelina

2009-03-01

The controversy around evolution, creationism, and intelligent design resides in a historical struggle between scientific knowledge and popular belief. Four hundred seventy-six students (biology majors n =237, nonmajors n =239) at a secular liberal arts private university in Northeastern United States responded to a five-question survey to assess their views about: (1) evolution, creationism, and intelligent design in the science class; (2) students' attitudes toward evolution; (3) students' position about the teaching of human evolution; (4) evolution in science exams; and (5) students' willingness to discuss evolution openly. There were 60.6% of biology majors and 42% of nonmajors supported the exclusive teaching of evolution in the science class, while 45.3% of nonmajors and 32% of majors were willing to learn equally about evolution, creationism, and intelligent design (question 1); 70.5% of biology majors and 55.6% of nonmajors valued the factual explanations evolution provides about the origin of life and its place in the universe (question 2); 78% of the combined responders (majors plus nonmajors) preferred science courses where evolution is discussed comprehensively and humans are part of it (question 3); 69% of the combined responders (majors plus nonmajors) had no problem answering questions concerning evolution in science exams (question 4); 48.1% of biology majors and 26.8% of nonmajors accepted evolution and expressed it openly, but 18.2% of the former and 14.2% of the latter accepted evolution privately; 46% of nonmajors and 29.1% of biology majors were reluctant to comment on this topic (question 5). Combined open plus private acceptance of evolution within biology majors increased with seniority, from freshman (60.7%) to seniors (81%), presumably due to gradual exposure to upper-division biology courses with evolutionary content. College curricular/pedagogical reform should fortify evolution literacy at all education levels, particularly among nonbiologists.

Assessment of Biology Majors’ Versus Nonmajors’ Views on Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design

PubMed Central

Paz-y-Miño C., Guillermo

2016-01-01

The controversy around evolution, creationism, and intelligent design resides in a historical struggle between scientific knowledge and popular belief. Four hundred seventy-six students (biology majors n=237, nonmajors n=239) at a secular liberal arts private university in Northeastern United States responded to a five-question survey to assess their views about: (1) evolution, creationism, and intelligent design in the science class; (2) students’ attitudes toward evolution; (3) students’ position about the teaching of human evolution; (4) evolution in science exams; and (5) students’ willingness to discuss evolution openly. There were 60.6% of biology majors and 42% of nonmajors supported the exclusive teaching of evolution in the science class, while 45.3% of nonmajors and 32% of majors were willing to learn equally about evolution, creationism, and intelligent design (question 1); 70.5% of biology majors and 55.6% of nonmajors valued the factual explanations evolution provides about the origin of life and its place in the universe (question 2); 78% of the combined responders (majors plus nonmajors) preferred science courses where evolution is discussed comprehensively and humans are part of it (question 3); 69% of the combined responders (majors plus nonmajors) had no problem answering questions concerning evolution in science exams (question 4); 48.1% of biology majors and 26.8% of nonmajors accepted evolution and expressed it openly, but 18.2% of the former and 14.2% of the latter accepted evolution privately; 46% of nonmajors and 29.1% of biology majors were reluctant to comment on this topic (question 5). Combined open plus private acceptance of evolution within biology majors increased with seniority, from freshman (60.7%) to seniors (81%), presumably due to gradual exposure to upper-division biology courses with evolutionary content. College curricular/pedagogical reform should fortify evolution literacy at all education levels, particularly among nonbiologists. PMID:26973732

Interpreting Evidence: An Approach to Teaching Human Evolution in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeSilva, Jeremy

2004-01-01

Paleoanthropology, which is the study of human evolution through fossil records, can be used as a tool for teaching human evolution in the classrooms. An updated approach to teaching human evolution and a model for explaining what is science and how it is done, is presented.

Current Status of Research in Teaching and Learning Evolution: I. Philosophical/Epistemological Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Mike U.

2010-01-01

Scholarship that addresses teaching and learning about evolution has rapidly increased in recent years. This review of that scholarship first addresses the philosophical/epistemological issues that impinge on teaching and learning about evolution, including the proper philosophical goals of evolution instruction; the correlational and possibly…

Preparing Biology Teachers to Teach Evolution in a Project-Based Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, Kristin; Buck, Gayle; Park Rogers, Meredith

2012-01-01

This study investigates a project-based learning (PBL) approach to teaching evolution to inform efforts in teacher preparation. Data analysis of a secondary biology educator teaching evolution through a PBL approach illuminated: (1) active student voice, which allowed students to reflect on their positioning on evolution and consider multiple…

Situating and teaching 21st century zoology: revealing pattern in the form and function of animals.

PubMed

Russell, Anthony P

2009-09-01

The current challenges (increasing levels of integration in the biological sciences) facing the teaching of zoology and the structure of the zoology curriculum are explored herein. General context is provided and a more focused scrutiny of the situation in North America is presented. The changing emphases in more broadly-based biological sciences programs in North America are outlined, and their influence on the role of zoology as part of fundamental biological training is considered. The longer term impact of such changes in emphasis on the teaching of zoology is discussed, and the central role that zoology can play in dealing with both science content and science education is advanced. Based upon a focal workshop on the future of the zoology curriculum in Canada, a perspective on the challenges facing curriculum evolution is provided. Extensive curriculum redesign is called for to ensure that zoology provides a broad-scale integrative approach to the understanding of biodiversity in evolutionary, ecological and functional contexts. Barriers to, and drivers of change are identified and the need for collaborative approaches to curricular evolution is emphasized. © 2009 ISZS, Blackwell Publishing and IOZ/CAS.

Teaching Evolution & the Nature of Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farber, Paul

2003-01-01

The theory of evolution provides direction in many fields, such as ecology, genetics, and embryology. Examines issues concerning the teaching of the subject in the United States. Presents a case study approach to teach about the nature of science using the theory of evolution. (SOE)

Three Southern high school biology teachers' perspectives on teaching evolution: Sociocultural influences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kyzer, Peggy Mckewen

Organizations in science and science education call for students to have a thorough understanding of the theory of evolution. Yet many high school biology teachers do not teach evolution and/or include creationism in their instruction (National Academy of Science, 1998). Historically, the controversy surrounding evolution has created tension for teachers. This case study explored the sociocultural influences related to teaching evolution in three Southern 10th-grade public high school biology classrooms. It also explored the socially and culturally embedded influences on teachers' instructional goals and personal perspectives toward evolution as well as modification of instruction when evolution is taught. Theoretically framed using symbolic interactionism and sociocultural theory, data were collected between October 2003 and April 2004 and included classroom observations two to three times per week, artifacts, and in-depth interviews of the participating teachers, their science department chairpersons, their students, and a Protestant minister. The classroom teachers were unaware of the focus of the study until after evolution was taught. The analysis used in this study was an inductive, interpretative approach that allowed exploration of the sociocultural influences that affect how teachers teach evolution. The sociocultural influences and the lived experiences of each teacher created a continuum for teaching evolution. One of the participating teachers who was heavily involved in the community and one of its fundamentalist churches elected to avoid teaching evolution. Another participating teacher at the same school integrated the theory of evolution in every unit. The third teacher who taught in another school elected to teach evolution in a superficial manner to avoid conflict. The data revealed that the participating teachers' sociocultural situatedness influenced their decisions and instruction on evolution. The influence of strong religious beliefs within the Southern culture was a theme that cut across all the teachers' decisions. In particular, religious beliefs made teaching human evolution difficult. Other recurring themes included the influence of the textbook and factors that served as escape routes for the teachers electing to avoid evolution. The escape routes included the pressure of time, the mixed messages from the state board of education, and the double-edged sword of teacher autonomy.

Experiences and practices of evolution instructors at Christian universities that can inform culturally competent evolution education

PubMed Central

Barnes, M. Elizabeth

2017-01-01

Abstract Students’ religious beliefs and religious cultures have been shown to be the main factors predicting whether they will accept evolution, yet college biology instructors teaching evolution at public institutions often have religious beliefs and cultures that are different from their religious students. This difference in religious beliefs and cultures may be a barrier to effective evolution education. To explore when evolution instructors have similar religious cultures and beliefs as their students, we interviewed 32 evolution instructors at Christian universities nationwide about their practices and experiences teaching evolution. Christian university instructors emphasized teaching for acceptance of evolution while holding an inclusive teaching philosophy that they perceived led to a safe environment for students. Additionally, almost all instructors reported using practices that have been shown to increase student acceptance of evolution and reduce student conflict between evolution and religion. Further, we found that these instructors perceived that their own religious backgrounds have guided their decisions to teach evolution to their students in a culturally competent way. We discuss how these data, combined with past research literature on public college instructors, indicate that cultural competence could be a useful new framework for promoting effective evolution education in higher education institutions. PMID:29398727

Controversy in Biology Classrooms—Citizen Science Approaches to Evolution and Applications to Climate Change Discussions

PubMed Central

Yoho, Rachel A.; Vanmali, Binaben H.

2016-01-01

The biological sciences encompass topics considered controversial by the American public, such as evolution and climate change. We believe that the development of climate change education in the biology classroom is better informed by an understanding of the history of the teaching of evolution. A common goal for science educators should be to engender a greater respect for and appreciation of science among students while teaching specific content knowledge. Citizen science has emerged as a viable yet underdeveloped method for engaging students of all ages in key scientific issues that impact society through authentic data-driven scientific research. Where successful, citizen science may open avenues of communication and engagement with the scientific process that would otherwise be more difficult to achieve. Citizen science projects demonstrate versatility in education and the ability to test hypotheses by collecting large amounts of often publishable data. We find a great possibility for science education research in the incorporation of citizen science projects in curriculum, especially with respect to “hot topics” of socioscientific debate based on our review of the findings of other authors. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education PMID:27047604

Student Teachers' Attitudes towards and Willingness to Teach Evolution in a Changing South African Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrie, A. L.

2010-01-01

This article investigates the attitudes of South African student teachers towards the theory of evolution and their willingness to teach it. The teaching of evolution has been excluded from the South African school curriculum for most of the 20th century. In 2008, Grade 12 learners were for the first time exposed to the concept of evolution in the…

Comparative Structural Models of Similarities and Differences between "Vehicle" and "Target" in Order to Teach Darwinian "Evolution"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcelos, Maria Fatima; Nagem, Ronaldo L.

2010-01-01

Our objective is to contribute to the teaching of Classical Darwinian "Evolution" by means of a study of analogies and metaphors. Throughout the history of knowledge about "Evolution" and in Science teaching, tree structures have been used an analogs to refer to "Evolution," such as by Darwin in the "Tree of Life" passage contained in "On The…

Teaching Evolution in the Galápagos

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruce, Katherine E.; Horan, Jennifer E.; Kelley, Patricia H.; Galizio, Mark

2009-01-01

Experiential learning can be an effective way to teach many concepts, and evolution is no exception. We describe the pedagogical techniques, class structure and learning objectives, travel logistics, and impact of three undergraduate honors-level experiential learning seminars that combined teaching topics related to evolution with a field trip to…

Teaching About the Creation/Evolution Controversy. Fastback 134.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Jerry

The booklet discusses questions related to teaching engendered by the creation/evolution controversy, presents current positions of educators and textbooks, and recommends a two-model teaching approach. It is divided into six chapters. Chapter I defines and summarizes evolution and creationism as different belief structures, and outlines various…

The Goal of Evolution Instruction: Belief or Literacy?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Robert A.

2001-01-01

Discusses issues regarding evolution instruction in public schools and focuses on misconceptions such as the use of the word "belief", lack of evidence for theories of evolution, and the belief that teaching evolution as fact is proselytizing students. Presents teaching approaches to the topic of evolution. (Contains 33 references.) (YDS)

Practices and Perspectives of College Instructors on Addressing Religious Beliefs When Teaching Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, M. Elizabeth; Brownell, Sara E.

2016-01-01

Evolution is a core concept of biology, and yet many college biology students do not accept evolution because of their religious beliefs. However, we do not currently know how instructors perceive their role in helping students accept evolution or how they address the perceived conflict between religion and evolution when they teach evolution.…

High School Biology Teachers' Views on Teaching Evolution: Implications for Science Teacher Educators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hermann, Ronald S.

2013-06-01

In the US, there may be few scientific concepts that students maintain preconceived ideas about as strongly and passionately as they do with regard to evolution. At the confluence of a multitude of social, religious, political, and scientific factors lies the biology teacher. This phenomenological study provides insight into the salient aspects of teaching evolution as viewed by public high school biology teachers. Transcribed interviews were coded, and data were sorted resulting in key themes regarding teachers' views of evolution education. These themes are presented against the backdrop of extant literature on the teaching and learning of evolution. Suggestions for science teacher educators are presented such that we can modify teacher preparation programs to better prepare science teachers to meet the challenges of teaching evolution.

Legislative Challenges to the Teaching of Evolution: The Science Educators' Response.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wavering, Michael; Duggan-Haas, Don

The mandate to teach the theory of evolution and evolution-related concepts in biology and other appropriate science classes in public schools is relatively clear in 31 states and the District of Columbia. In the most recent state legislative sessions, some legislators made attempts to use the legislative processes to restrict the teaching of…

Effective Strategies for Teaching Evolution: The Primary Evolution Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatcher, Chris

2015-01-01

When Chris Hatcher joined the Primary Evolution Project team at the University of Reading, his goal was to find effective strategies to teach evolution in a way that keeps children engaged and enthused. Hatcher has collaborated with colleagues at the University's Institute of Education to break the evolution unit down into distinct topics and…

High school biology evolution learning experiences in a rural context: a case of and for cultural border crossing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borgerding, Lisa A.

2017-03-01

Although the concept of "rural" is difficult to define, rural science education provides the possibility for learning centered upon a strong connection to the local community. Rural American adolescents tend to be more religious than their urban counterparts and less accepting of evolution than their non-rural peers. Because the status and perception of evolutionary theory may be very different within the students' lifeworlds and the subcultures of the science classroom and science itself, a cultural border crossing metaphor can be applied to evolution teaching and learning. This study examines how a teacher may serve as a cultural border crossing tour guide for students at a rural high school as they explore the concept of biological evolution in their high school biology class. Data collection entailed two formal teacher interviews, field note observations of two biology class periods each day for 16 days during the Evolution unit, individual interviews with 14 students, student evolution acceptance surveys, student evolution content tests, and classroom artifacts. The major findings center upon three themes regarding how this teacher and these students had largely positive evolution learning experiences even as some students continued to reject evolution. First, the teacher strategically positioned himself in two ways: using his unique "local" trusted position in the community and school and taking a position in which he did not personally represent science by instead consistently teaching evolution "according to scientists." Second, his instruction honored local "rural" funds of knowledge with respect to local knowledge of nature and by treating students' religious knowledge as a form of local expertise about one set of answers to questions also addressed by evolution. Third, the teacher served as a border crossing "tour guide" by helping students identify how the culture of science and the culture of their lifeworlds may differ with respect to evolutionary theory. Students negotiated the cultural borders for learning evolution in several ways, and different types of border crossings are described. The students respected the teacher's apparent neutrality, sensitivity toward multiple positions, explicit attention to religion/evolution, and transparency of purposes for teaching evolution. These findings add to the current literature on rural science education by highlighting local funds of knowledge for evolution learning and how rural teachers may help students navigate seemingly hazardous scientific topics. The study's findings also add to the current evolution education literature by examining how students' religious perspectives may be respected as a form of expertise about questions of origins by allowing students to examine similarities and differences between scientific and religious approaches to questions of biological origins and change.

Arguing for Evolution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayala, Francisco J.

2000-01-01

Discusses the Kansas State Board of Education's decision to remove references to evolution and cosmology from the state's education standards and assessment. Advocates the need to teach evolution in high schools for a meaningful biology education. Addresses the question whether the teaching of evolution poses a threat to Christianity or other…

Accepting, understanding, teaching, and learning (human) evolution: Obstacles and opportunities.

PubMed

Pobiner, Briana

2016-01-01

Questions about our origin as a species are universal and compelling. Evolution-and in particular human evolution-is a subject that generates intense interest across the world, evidenced by the fact that fossil and DNA discoveries grace the covers of major science journals and magazines as well as other popular print and online media. However, virtually all national polls indicate that the majority of Americans strongly reject biological evolution as a fact-based, well-tested, and robust understanding of the history of life. In the popular mind, no topic in all of science is more contentious or polarizing than evolution and media sources often only serve to magnify this polarization by covering challenges to the teaching of evolution. In the realm of teaching, debates about evolution have shaped textbooks, curricula, standards, and policy. Challenges to accepting and understanding evolution include mistrust and denial of science, cognitive obstacles and misconceptions, language and terminology, and a religious worldview, among others. Teachers, who are on the front lines of these challenges, must be armed with the tools and techniques to teach evolution in formal education settings across grades K-16 in a straightforward, thorough, and sensitive way. Despite the potentially controversial topic of human evolution, growing research is demonstrating that a pedagogical focus on human examples is an effective and engaging way to teach core concepts of evolutionary biology. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Preservice teachers: Future first responders in the evolution versus intelligent design battle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strauss, Jeffrey M.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) states that evolution is the unifying theme from which all biological science is to be organized and it is the basic principle that guides the majority of biology curricula in the American public school systems today. Previous research indicates a widespread lack of acceptance by the American public of the veracity of this theory and even less agreement that it should be taught as the only theory of human origins in the public schools. Many studies have also documented students' difficulties in learning, or accepting, the theory of evolution. From the time of the Scopes trial in the 1920s, to landmark Supreme Court decisions in the seventies and eighties, the manner of how evolution should taught has been an issue of contention. The most recent challenge to evolution's putative privileged place is called the intelligent design movement which seeks recognition as a competing scientific theory in a way that scientific creationism was never able to be recognized. While there has been much research conducted on the issue of student and teacher acceptance of the theory of evolution, until recently there have been few documented studies of the preservice teacher. To help fill this gap a survey based quantitative study of 330 preservice teachers from both a public and private Southern California university credentialing program was conducted. Their positions regarding the teaching of evolution in the public schools as well as their own beliefs about the importance of the issue were assessed. Results revealed that a majority (52%) was against the teaching of the theory of evolution as the only scientific theory of origins and that over 38% believed that intelligent design should be taught as an alternate or competing theory. Factors that identified this latter group were strongly held religious beliefs, a conservative political ideology, a low level of acceptance of the scientific consensus for the validity about the theory of evolution, and a misunderstanding regarding the nature of science (NOS).

The Teaching and Learning of Biological Evolution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyle, William C., Jr., Ed.

1994-01-01

Evolution education is of increasing interest to the science education community. This special issue of the "Journal of Research in Science Teaching" has been devoted to the subject of evolution. The following articles are included: (1) "Evolution: Biological Education's Under-Researched Unifying Theme" by Catherine L. Cummins, Sherry S. Demastes,…

The Teaching of Evolution and Creationism in Minnesota

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Randy; Kraemer, Karen

2005-01-01

The evolution-related attitudes and actions of Minnesota high school biology teachers were studied to estimate the prevalence of creationism among biology teachers. Minnesota's high school biology teachers were questioned about the evolution education in public schools regarding the percentage of biology teachers who teach evolution, class-time…

Exploring podcasting in heredity and evolution teaching.

PubMed

Almeida-Aguiar, Cristina; Carvalho, Ana Amélia

2016-09-10

Podcasts are digital files very popular in several and very distinct areas. In higher education, they have been explored in a multitude of ways mainly to support teaching and learning processes. The study here described focuses the integration of podcasts in Heredity and Evolution, a course from the Biology and Geology Degree Program at University of Minho, Portugal. It aimed to introduce podcasts in the teaching/learning context, to empirically study different dimensions of podcasting, and to evaluate students' acceptance and receptiveness to the pedagogical use of this technology. Five informative podcasts and three with feedback were produced and delivered. All the students listened to the audio files and considered the episodes audible and clear, their preference going to episodes of short or moderate length and containing summaries, study guidelines or syllabus contents. Students judged extremely valuable the integration of this technology in learning and showed receptiveness to podcasting in other courses. Curiously, in spite of owning mobile devices, students clearly favored the use of personal computers to listen to the podcasts. This student acceptance and openness to podcasting has been encouraging its pedagogical application in other teaching courses. The episodes produced often maintain the characteristics identified as the best by the students of this study but the pedagogical approach has been moving to a more student-centered learning situation, with students as podcasts producers. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(5):429-432, 2016. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Biology Professors' and Teachers' Positions Regarding Biological Evolution and Evolution Education in a Middle Eastern Society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

BouJaoude, Saouma; Asghar, Anila; Wiles, Jason R.; Jaber, Lama; Sarieddine, Diana; Alters, Brian

2011-05-01

This study investigated three questions: (1) What are Lebanese secondary school (Grade 9-12) biology teachers' and university biology professors' positions regarding biological evolution?, (2) How do participants' religious affiliations relate to their positions about evolutionary science?, and (3) What are participants' positions regarding evolution education? Participants were 20 secondary school biology teachers and seven university biology professors. Seventy percent of the teachers and 60% of the professors were Muslim. Data came from semi-structured interviews with participants. Results showed that nine (Christian or Muslim Druze) teachers accepted the theory, five (four Muslim) rejected it because it contradicted religious beliefs, and three (Muslim) reinterpreted it because evolution did not include humans. Teachers who rejected or reinterpreted the evolutionary theory said that it should not be taught (three), evolution and creationism should be given equal time (two), or students should be allowed to take their own stand. Two professors indicated that they taught evolution explicitly and five said that they integrated it in other biology content. One Muslim professor said that she stressed 'the role of God in creation during instruction on evolution'. It seems that years of studying and teaching biology have not had a transformative effect on how a number of teachers and professors think about evolution.

A Scoring Rubric for Students' Responses to Simple Evolution Questions: Darwinian Components

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Murray; Moore, Randy; Hatch, Jay; Hsu, Leon

2007-01-01

The call to teach students Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection has been made by a variety of professional organizations. In addition to these national organizations, almost every state has science education guidelines calling for the teaching of evolution. Many administrators and policymakers believe that evolution is being taught,…

On the Legal Issues of Teaching Evolution in Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hermann, Ronald S.

2013-01-01

In order to effectively teach evolution to all students, even those resistant to learning evolution, science teachers may question the extent to which religion can legally be discussed in the public high school science classroom. Evolution is taught from a variety of approaches, each of which has legal implications. Four approaches to teaching…

Evolution, Creationism, and the Courts: 20 Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Randy; Miksch, Karen L.

2003-01-01

The teaching of evolution and creationism is controversial to many people in the United States. Knowledge of the many important court-decisions about the teaching of evolution and creationism in the United States can be used not only to resist anti-evolution activities of creationists, but also to help teachers address questions about the teaching…

Practices and Perspectives of College Instructors on Addressing Religious Beliefs When Teaching Evolution

PubMed Central

Barnes, M. Elizabeth; Brownell, Sara E.

2016-01-01

Evolution is a core concept of biology, and yet many college biology students do not accept evolution because of their religious beliefs. However, we do not currently know how instructors perceive their role in helping students accept evolution or how they address the perceived conflict between religion and evolution when they teach evolution. This study explores instructor practices and beliefs related to mitigating students’ perceived conflict between religion and evolution. Interviews with 32 instructors revealed that many instructors do not believe it is their goal to help students accept evolution and that most instructors do not address the perceived conflict between religion and evolution. Instructors cited many barriers to discussing religion in the context of evolution in their classes, most notably the instructors’ own personal beliefs that religion and evolution may be incompatible. These data are exploratory and are intended to stimulate a series of questions about how we as college biology instructors teach evolution. PMID:27193289

The evolution of teaching.

PubMed

Fogarty, L; Strimling, P; Laland, K N

2011-10-01

Teaching, alongside imitation, is widely thought to underlie the success of humanity by allowing high-fidelity transmission of information, skills, and technology between individuals, facilitating both cumulative knowledge gain and normative culture. Yet, it remains a mystery why teaching should be widespread in human societies but extremely rare in other animals. We explore the evolution of teaching using simple genetic models in which a single tutor transmits adaptive information to a related pupil at a cost. Teaching is expected to evolve where its costs are outweighed by the inclusive fitness benefits that result from the tutor's relatives being more likely to acquire the valuable information. We find that teaching is not favored where the pupil can easily acquire the information on its own, or through copying others, or for difficult to learn traits, where teachers typically do not possess the information to pass on to relatives. This leads to a narrow range of traits for which teaching would be efficacious, which helps to explain the rarity of teaching in nature, its unusual distribution, and its highly specific nature. Further models that allow for cumulative cultural knowledge gain suggest that teaching evolved in humans because cumulative culture renders otherwise difficult-to-acquire valuable information available to teach. © 2011 The Author(s). Evolution© 2011 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Does Increasing Biology Teacher Knowledge of Evolution and the Nature of Science Lead to Greater Preference for the Teaching of Evolution in Schools?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nehm, Ross H.; Schonfeld, Irvin Sam

2007-01-01

This study investigated whether or not an increase in secondary science teacher knowledge about evolution and the nature of science gained from completing a graduate-level evolution course was associated with greater preference for the teaching of evolution in schools. Forty-four precertified secondary biology teachers participated in a 14-week…

Evolution and Education: Lessons from Thomas Huxley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyons, Sherrie Lynne

2010-05-01

Thomas Huxley more than anyone else was responsible for disseminating Darwin’s theory in the western world and maintained that investigating the history of life should be regarded as a purely scientific question free of theological speculation. The content and rhetorical strategy of Huxley’s defense of evolution is analyzed. Huxley argued that the classification of humans should be determined independent of any theories of origination of species. Besides providing evidence that demonstrated the close relationship between apes and humans, he also argued that a pithecoid ancestry in no way degraded humankind. In his broader defense of evolution he drew on his agnosticism to define what science could and could not explain. Theology made empirical claims and needed to be subject to the same standards of evidence as scientific claims. He maintained that even most scientific objections to evolution were religiously based. The objections to the theory fundamentally remain the same as in the nineteenth century and much can be learned from Huxley to develop effective strategies for educating the public about evolution. Huxley’s own scientific articles as well as his popular writings provide numerous examples that could be harnessed not only for the teaching of evolution, but also for understanding science as a process.

Teaching evolution (and all of biology) more effectively: Strategies for engagement, critical reasoning, and confronting misconceptions.

PubMed

Nelson, Craig E

2008-08-01

The strength of the evidence supporting evolution has increased markedly since the discovery of DNA but, paradoxically, public resistance to accepting evolution seems to have become stronger. A key dilemma is that science faculty have often continued to teach evolution ineffectively, even as the evidence that traditional ways of teaching are inferior has become stronger and stronger. Three pedagogical strategies that together can make a large difference in students' understanding and acceptance of evolution are extensive use of interactive engagement, a focus on critical thinking in science (especially on comparisons and explicit criteria) and using both of these in helping the students actively compare their initial conceptions (and publicly popular misconceptions) with more fully scientific conceptions. The conclusion that students' misconceptions must be dealt with systematically can be difficult for faculty who are teaching evolution since much of the students' resistance is framed in religious terms and one might be reluctant to address religious ideas in class. Applications to teaching evolution are illustrated with examples that address criteria and critical thinking, standard geology versus flood geology, evolutionary developmental biology versus organs of extreme perfection, and the importance of using humans as a central example. It is also helpful to bridge the false dichotomy, seen by many students, between atheistic evolution versus religious creationism. These applications are developed in detail and are intended to be sufficient to allow others to use these approaches in their teaching. Students and other faculty were quite supportive of these approaches as implemented in my classes.

Evolution across the Curriculum: Microbiology

PubMed Central

Burmeister, Alita R.; Smith, James J.

2016-01-01

An integrated understanding of microbiology and evolutionary biology is essential for students pursuing careers in microbiology and healthcare fields. In this Perspective, we discuss the usefulness of evolutionary concepts and an overall evolutionary framework for students enrolled in microbiology courses. Further, we propose a set of learning goals for students studying microbial evolution concepts. We then describe some barriers to microbial evolution teaching and learning and encourage the continued incorporation of evidence-based teaching practices into microbiology courses at all levels. Next, we review the current status of microbial evolution assessment tools and describe some education resources available for teaching microbial evolution. Successful microbial evolution education will require that evolution be taught across the undergraduate biology curriculum, with a continued focus on applications and applied careers, while aligning with national biology education reform initiatives. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education PMID:27158306

Exploration of multidimensional interactive classroom teaching for CCD principle and application course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Xinghu; Tan, Ailing; Zhang, Baojun; Fu, Guangwei; Bi, Weihong

2017-08-01

The CCD principle and application course is professional and comprehensive. It involves many subject contents. The course content includes eight aspects. In order to complete the teaching tasks within a limited time, improve the classroom teaching quality and prompt students master the course content faster and better, so the multidimensional interactive classroom teaching is proposed. In the teaching practice, the interactive relationship between the frontier science, scientific research project, living example and classroom content is researched detailedly. Finally, it has been proved practically that the proposed multidimensional interactive classroom teaching can achieved good teaching effect.

Teaching Concepts of Natural Sciences to Foreigners through Content-Based Instruction: The Adjunct Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Satilmis, Yilmaz; Yakup, Doganay; Selim, Guvercin; Aybarsha, Islam

2015-01-01

This study investigates three models of content-based instruction in teaching concepts and terms of natural sciences in order to increase the efficiency of teaching these kinds of concepts in realization and to prove that the content-based instruction is a teaching strategy that helps students understand concepts of natural sciences. Content-based…

Getting Goose Bumps about Teaching Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Collin

2014-01-01

Evolution offers an intellectually satisfying and extremely well-supported explanation for the diversity of life in the natural world, its similarities and differences, how changes occur and how new life forms have developed. There are plenty of reasons to anticipate the teaching of evolution with exhilaration. In recent years, the issue of…

Biology Teachers' Professional Development Needs for Teaching Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedrichsen, Patricia J.; Linke, Nicholas; Barnett, Ellen

2016-01-01

The social controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution puts pressure on secondary biology teachers to deemphasize or omit evolution from their curriculum. In this growing pressure, professional development can offer support to biology teachers. In this study, we surveyed secondary biology teachers in Missouri and report the data from…

Science Standards, Science Achievement, and Attitudes about Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belin, Charlie M.; Kisida, Brian

2015-01-01

This article explores the relationships between (a) the quality of state science standards and student science achievement, (b) the public's belief in teaching evolution and the quality of state standards, and (c) the public's belief in teaching evolution and student science achievement. Using multiple measures, we find no evidence of a…

A Teaching Guide to Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregg, Thomas G.; Janssen, Gary R.; Bhattacharjee, J.K.

2003-01-01

Evolution is considered by virtually all biologists to be the central unifying principle of biology, yet its fundamental concepts are not widely understood or widely disseminated. Teaching evolution--defined as descent with modification from a common ancestor as a result of natural selection acting on genetic variation--has traditionally been a…

Teaching Evolution: From SMART Objectives to Threshold Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Alexander; Akkaraju, Shylaja

2014-01-01

Despite the centrality of evolution to the study of biology, the pedagogical methods employed to teach the subject are often instructor-centered and rarely embedded in every topic throughout the curriculum. In addition, students' prior beliefs about evolution are often dismissed rather than incorporated into the classroom. In this article we…

Learning About Semi Conductors for Teaching—the Role Played by Content Knowledge in Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rollnick, Marissa

2017-08-01

This study focuses on how teachers learn to teach a new topic and the role played by their developing content knowledge as they teach. The paper is based on seven high school science teachers' studies on the teaching of semiconductors, at the time a new topic in the curriculum. Analysis of artefacts such as teacher concept maps, video recordings of lessons, journals and other classroom-based evidence shows how the extent and type of teachers' content knowledge informed their choice of teaching approaches and how their learning of content took place alongside the development of teaching strategies. The development of content knowledge was combined with increased understanding of how to teach the topic in almost all cases. Evidence of development of teachers' PCK was found in their increased ability to design teaching strategies, and their use of representations and suitable assessment tasks for their lessons. Some specific common teaching strategies were identified across the teachers. These strategies could add to the canon of teachers' topic - specific professional knowledge for semiconductors. The study provides increased understanding of how teachers simultaneously master content and its teaching and how mediated self-reflection is a fruitful approach for assisting teachers to learn to teach a new topic.

The effects of a summer science camp teaching experience on preservice elementary teachers' science teaching efficacy, science content knowledge, and understanding of the nature of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Logerwell, Mollianne G.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a summer science camp teaching experience on preservice elementary teachers' science teaching efficacy, science content knowledge, and understanding of the nature of science. Master's degree students enrolled in the elementary Fairfax Partnership Schools (FPS, n = 21) cohort served as the treatment group, while those enrolled in the Loudoun Partnership Schools (LPS, n = 15) and Professional Development Schools (PDS, n = 24) cohorts at George Mason University served as the control groups. The treatment group planned for and taught a two-week inquiry- and problem-based summer science camp as part of their science methods course, while the control groups did not. The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI), a science content assessment, a personal data questionnaire, and a modified version of the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire (VNOS-C) were administered to the participants at the beginning and end of their science methods course. Analyses revealed significant increases for the FPS group in general science teaching efficacy, personal science teaching efficacy, science teaching outcome expectancy, general science knowledge, biology content knowledge, chemistry content knowledge, and understanding of NOS; the LPS group in general science teaching efficacy, personal science teaching efficacy, chemistry content knowledge, and understanding of NOS; and, the PDS group in general science teaching efficacy, personal science teaching efficacy, and chemistry content knowledge. Additionally, the FPS group had significantly higher general science teaching efficacy than both control groups, personal science teaching efficacy than the PDS group, and understanding of NOS than the LPS group. Overall, the findings indicate that course length is not as important for developing preservice teachers' teaching efficacy and understanding of content as having connected, authentic field-based teaching experiences that are based on best-practices research and coupled with methodological instruction.

Teaching Evolution to Non-English Proficient Students by Using Lego Robotics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whittier, L. Elena; Robinson, Michael

2007-01-01

This article describes a teaching unit that used Lego Robotics to address state science standards for teaching basic principles of evolution in two middle school life science classes. All but two of 29 students in these classes were native Spanish speakers from Mexico. Both classes were taught using Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol…

Teaching Consumer Education. Delta Pi Epsilon Rapid Reader No. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graf, David

This teaching guide provides secondary business teachers with ideas for teaching consumer education and assistance in strengthening the course content and methodology. Content is presented in four parts. Part 1 provides an overview of consumer education and covers the teacher, course objectives, content areas, and teaching-learning strategies…

Aspirations and Expectations: Comparing Scientist and Teacher Views as a Source of Ideas for Teaching Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiss, Matthias; Dreesmann, Daniel C.

2014-01-01

Biological evolution still lacks representation in school, especially below high school level. In order to find new implications that could help achieve significant improvement in teaching evolution, twelve expert interviews with both renowned researchers and experienced science teachers were conducted. Results of the comparison between the…

Evolution/Creation Teaching on Trial: Implications for Educators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Franklin

This paper traces the past and recent controversy concerning the teaching of evolution/creation in the schools. The first section of the paper discusses the opposition of Christian fundamentalists to evolution, going back to Charles Darwin's 1859 "Origin of Species." Covered also are science curriculum revisions following Sputnik, up to the 1981…

Skulls and Human Evolution: The Use of Casts of Anthropoid Skulls in Teaching Concepts of Human Evolution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gipps, John

1991-01-01

Proposes the use of a series of 11 casts of fossil skulls as a method of teaching about the theory of human evolution. Students explore the questions of which skulls are "human" and which came first in Homo Sapien development, large brain or upright stance. (MDH)

Teaching the Evolution of the Angiosperm Carpel.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laferriere, Joseph E.

1992-01-01

The carpel is a highly modified leaf enclosing the ovules. This article describes methods for teaching about the evolution of the carpel and the nature of carpel fusion. Presents an illustration of the evolution of the most common types of compound pistil arrangement from the ancestral single-carpel marginal type of placentation. (PR)

Modeling the Interrelationships among Pre-Service Science Teachers' Understanding and Acceptance of Evolution, Their Views on Nature of Science and Self-Efficacy Beliefs regarding Teaching Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akyol, Gulsum; Tekkaya, Ceren; Sungur, Semra; Traynor, Anne

2012-01-01

This study proposed a path model of relationships among understanding and acceptance of evolution, views on nature of science, and self-efficacy beliefs regarding teaching evolution. A total of 415 pre-service science teachers completed a series of self-report instruments for the specified purpose. After the estimation of scale scores using…

Influence of Knowledge of Content and Students on Beginning Agriculture Teachers' Approaches to Teaching Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Amber H.; Kitchel, Tracy

2016-01-01

This study explored experiences of beginning agriculture teachers' approaches to teaching content. The research question guiding the study was: how does agriculture teachers' knowledge of content and students influence their process of breaking down content knowledge for teaching? The researchers employed a grounded theory approach in which five…

Teaching Evolution through the Hardy-Weinberg Principle: A Real-Time, Active-Learning Exercise Using Classroom Response Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brewer, Michael S.; Gardner, Grant E.

2013-01-01

Teaching population genetics provides a bridge between genetics and evolution by using examples of the mechanisms that underlie changes in allele frequencies over time. Existing methods of teaching these concepts often rely on computer simulations or hand calculations, which distract students from the material and are problematic for those with…

An Evolving Controversy: The Struggle to Teach Science in Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berkman, Michael; Plutzer, Eric

2012-01-01

Although the level of controversy varies from one community to the next, biology teachers across the United States struggle to teach evolution. Some face pressure to teach both religious and scientific theories of human origins; others did not have adequate coursework on evolution during teacher preparation. As a result, many biology teachers are…

Identifying Content Knowledge for Teaching Energy: Examples from High School Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Amy D.; Scherr, Rachel E.; Goodhew, Lisa M.; Daane, Abigail R.; Gray, Kara E.; Aker, Leanna B.

2017-01-01

"Content knowledge for teaching" is the specialized content knowledge that teachers use in practice the content knowledge that serves them for tasks of teaching such as revoicing students' ideas, choosing an instructional activity to address a student misunderstanding, and evaluating student statements. We describe a methodology for…

Learning from Rookie Mistakes: Critical Incidents in Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching Science to Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cite, Suleyman; Lee, Eun; Menon, Deepika; Hanuscin, Deborah L.

2017-01-01

While there is a growing literature focused on doctoral preparation for teaching about science teaching, rarely have recommendations extended to preparation for teaching science content to teachers. We three doctoral students employ self-study as a research methodology to investigate our developing pedagogical content knowledge for teaching…

Medical ethics education in China: Lessons from three schools.

PubMed

Sherer, Renslow; Dong, Hongmei; Cong, Yali; Wan, Jing; Chen, Hua; Wang, Yanxia; Ma, Zhiying; Cooper, Brian; Jiang, Ivy; Roth, Hannah; Siegler, Mark

2017-01-01

Ethics teaching is a relatively new area of medical education in China, with ethics curricula at different levels of development. This study examined ethics education at three medical schools in China to understand their curricular content, teaching and learning methods, forms of assessments, changes over time, and what changes are needed for further improvement. We used student and faculty surveys to obtain information about the ethics courses' content, teaching methods, and revisions over time. The surveys also included five realistic cases and asked participants whether each would be appropriate to use for discussion in ethics courses. Students rated the cases on a scale and gave written comments. Finally, participants were asked to indicate how much they would agree with the statement that medical professionalism is about putting the interests of patients and society above one's own. There were both similarities and differences among these schools with regard to course topics, teaching and assessment methods, and course faculty compositions, suggesting their courses are at different levels of development. Areas of improvement for the schools' courses were identified based on this study's findings and available literature. A model of the evolution of medical ethics education in China was proposed to guide reform in medical ethics instruction in China. Analysis identified characteristics of appropriate cases and participants' attitudes toward the ideal of professionalism. We conclude that the development of medical ethics education in China is promising while much improvement is needed. In addition, ethics education is not confined to the walls of medical schools; the society at large can have significant influence on the formation of students' professional values.

Identifying content knowledge for teaching energy: Examples from high school physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, Amy D.; Scherr, Rachel E.; Goodhew, Lisa M.; Daane, Abigail R.; Gray, Kara E.; Aker, Leanna B.

2017-06-01

"Content knowledge for teaching" is the specialized content knowledge that teachers use in practice—the content knowledge that serves them for tasks of teaching such as revoicing students' ideas, choosing an instructional activity to address a student misunderstanding, and evaluating student statements. We describe a methodology for selecting and analyzing classroom episodes showing content knowledge for teaching about energy (CKT-E), and illustrate this methodology with examples from high school physics instruction. Our work has implications for research on teacher knowledge and for professional development that enhances teacher CKT-E.

A Call to Use Cultural Competence When Teaching Evolution to Religious College Students: Introducing Religious Cultural Competence in Evolution Education (ReCCEE)

PubMed Central

Barnes, M. Elizabeth; Brownell, Sara E.

2017-01-01

Low acceptance of evolution among undergraduate students is common and is best predicted by religious beliefs. Decreasing students’ perceived conflict between religion and evolution could increase their acceptance of evolution. However, college biology instructors may struggle with trying to decrease students’ perceived conflict between religion and evolution because of differences in the religious cultures and beliefs of instructors and students. Although a large percentage of undergraduate students in evolution courses are religious, most instructors teaching evolution are not. To consider differences between the secular culture of many college instructors and the religious culture of many students, we propose using a lens of cultural competence to create effective evolution education. Cultural competence is the ability of individuals from one culture (in this case, primarily secular instructors who are teaching evolution) to bridge cultural differences and effectively communicate with individuals from a different culture (in this case, primarily religious undergraduate biology students). We call this new framework Religious Cultural Competence in Evolution Education (ReCCEE). In this essay, we describe a suite of culturally competent practices that can help instructors reduce students’ perceived conflict between evolution and religion, increase students’ acceptance of evolution, and help create more inclusive undergraduate biology classrooms. PMID:29167225

Graduate Teaching Assistants' Enactment of Reasoning-and-Proving Tasks in a Content Course for Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Kimberly Cervello; Steele, Michael D.

2016-01-01

Graduate teaching assistants serve as instructors of record for numerous undergraduate courses every semester, including serving as teachers for mathematics content courses for elementary preservice teachers. In this study, we examine 6 teaching assistants' teaching practices in the context of a geometry content course for preservice teachers by…

Teaching Evolution in New Jersey Public High Schools: Examining the Influence of Personal Belief and Religious Background on Teaching Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Carlen

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine relationships between New Jersey biology teachers' personal characteristics and religious backgrounds and the time spent and approach to teaching evolution. The research instrument chosen was a cross-sectional survey. Survey questions were presented in various forms: fill in, single response, Likert…

Professor Attitudes and Beliefs about Teaching Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnes, Maryann Elizabeth

Teaching evolution has been shown to be a challenge for faculty, in both K-12 and postsecondary education. Many of these challenges stem from perceived conflicts not only between religion and evolution, but also faculty beliefs about religion, it's compatibility with evolutionary theory, and it's proper role in classroom curriculum. Studies suggest that if educators engage with students' religious beliefs and identity, this may help students have positive attitudes towards evolution. The aim of this study was to reveal attitudes and beliefs professors have about addressing religion and providing religious scientist role models to students when teaching evolution. 15 semi-structured interviews of tenured biology professors were conducted at a large Midwestern universiy regarding their beliefs, experiences, and strategies teaching evolution and particularly, their willingness to address religion in a class section on evolution. Following a qualitative analysis of transcripts, professors did not agree on whether or not it is their job to help students accept evolution (although the majority said it is not), nor did they agree on a definition of "acceptance of evolution". Professors are willing to engage in students' religious beliefs, if this would help their students accept evolution. Finally, professors perceived many challenges to engaging students' religious beliefs in a science classroom such as the appropriateness of the material for a science class, large class sizes, and time constraints. Given the results of this study, the author concludes that instructors must come to a consensus about their goals as biology educators as well as what "acceptance of evolution" means, before they can realistically apply the engagement of student's religious beliefs and identity as an educational strategy.

Current Status of Research in Teaching and Learning Evolution: II. Pedagogical Issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Mike U.

2010-06-01

This is the second of two articles that address recent scholarship about teaching and learning about evolution. This second review seeks to summarize this state of affairs and address the implications of this work for the classroom by addressing four basic questions: (1) What is evolution?/What components of the theory are important at the introductory level? (2) Why do students and members of the public at large need to understand evolution? (3) What makes evolution difficult to teach and learn? and (4) What promising instructional approaches have been developed and tested? The paper will also focus on concerns about both the research designs and the measures used in this work. Based on this review, I will then propose a set of pedagogical implications and recommendations for the classroom instructor and call for studies to address specific gaps identified.

Evaluating Views of Lecturers on the Consistency of Teaching Content with Teaching Approach: Traditional versus Reform Calculus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sevimli, Eyup

2016-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the consistency of teaching content with teaching approaches in calculus on the basis of lecturers' views. In this sense, the structures of the examples given in two commonly used calculus textbooks, both in traditional and reform classrooms, are compared. The content analysis findings show that the examples in both…

Looking at practice: revealing the knowledge demands of teaching data handling in the primary classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leavy, Aisling

2015-09-01

In the evolving field of mathematics education, there is the need to maintain the relationship between what is presented in college level preparation courses and the skills required to teach mathematics in classrooms. This research examines the knowledge demands placed on 73 pre-service primary teachers as they use lesson study to plan and teach data handling in primary classrooms. Pre-service teachers are observed as they plan, teach and re-teach data lessons in classrooms. Problems of practice are identified and categorized using the Ball, Thames and Phelps (2008) subdomains of common content knowledge (CCK), specialized content knowledge (SCK), knowledge of content and students (KCS) and knowledge of content and teaching (KCT). The results provide insights into the specific knowledge demands placed on early career teachers when teaching data and statistics and identifies foci area that can be addressed in teacher preparation programs. The results illustrate that development of understandings in one knowledge subdomain can motivate and impact learning in another subdomain. These interrelationships were found to exist both within and between the domains of content and pedagogical content knowledge.

The Evolution of English Language Teaching during Societal Transition in Finland--A Mutual Relationship or a Distinctive Process?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaatinen, Riitta; Saarivirta, Toni

2014-01-01

This study describes the evolution of English language teaching in Finland and looks into the connections of the societal and educational changes in the country as explanatory factors in the process. The results of the study show that the language teaching methodology and the status of foreign languages in Finland are clearly connected to the…

The Evolution of Primate Communication and Metacommunication

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Abstract Against the prior view that primate communication is based only on signal decoding, comparative evidence suggests that primates are able, no less than humans, to intentionally perform or understand impulsive or habitual communicational actions with a structured evaluative nonconceptual content. These signals convey an affordance‐sensing that immediately motivates conspecifics to act. Although humans have access to a strategic form of propositional communication adapted to teaching and persuasion, they share with nonhuman primates the capacity to communicate in impulsive or habitual ways. They are also similarly able to monitor fluency, informativeness and relevance of messages or signals through nonconceptual cues. PMID:27134332

Determining Quality Teachers: Mathematical Content Knowledge, Perceptions of Teaching Self-Efficacy, and Attitudes toward Mathematics among a Teach for America Cohort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Brian R.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationships between mathematical content knowledge, perceptions of teaching self-efficacy, and attitudes toward mathematics in one cohort of Teach for America teachers who took the New York State Content Special Test in mathematics at the start of their program, and a mathematics attitude…

Acceptance of Evolution Increases with Student Academic Level: A Comparison Between a Secular and a Religious College

PubMed Central

Paz-y-Miño C., Guillermo

2012-01-01

Acceptance of evolution among the general public, high schools, teachers, and scientists has been documented in the USA; little is known about college students’ views on evolution; this population is relevant since it transits from a high-school/parent-protective environment to an independent role in societal decisions. Here we compare perspectives about evolution, creationism, and intelligent design (ID) between a secular (S) and a religious (R) college in the Northeastern USA. Interinstitutional comparisons showed that 64% (mean S + R) biology majors vs. 42/62% (S/R) nonmajors supported the exclusive teaching of evolution in science classes; 24/29% (S/R) biology majors vs. 26/38% (S/R) nonmajors perceived ID as both alternative to evolution and/or scientific theory about the origin of life; 76% (mean S + R) biology majors and nonmajors accepted evolutionary explanations about the origin of life; 86% (mean S + R) biology majors vs. 79% (mean S + R) nonmajors preferred science courses where human evolution is discussed; 76% (mean S+R) biology majors vs. 79% (mean S + R) nonmajors welcomed questions about evolution in exams and/or thought that such questions should always be in exams; and 66% (mean S + R) biology majors vs. 46% (mean S + R) nonmajors admitted they accept evolution openly and/or privately. Intrainstitutional comparisons showed that overall acceptance of evolution among biologists (S or R) increased gradually from the freshman to the senior year, due to exposure to upper-division courses with evolutionary content. College curricular/pedagogical reform should fortify evolution literacy at all education levels, particularly among nonbiologists. PMID:22957109

Without the Light of Evolution: A Case Study of Resistance and Avoidance in Learning to Teach High School Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larkin, Douglas B.; Perry-Ryder, Gail M.

2015-01-01

We present the case of Michael, a prospective high school biology teacher, to explore the implications of teacher resistance and avoidance to the topic of evolution. This case is drawn from a year-long qualitative research study that examined Michael's process of learning to teach high school biology and describes how his avoidance of evolution in…

Should We Add History of Science to Provide Nature of Science into Vietnamese Biology Textbook: A Case of Evolution and Genetics Teaching?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diem, Huynh Thi Thuy; Yuenyong, Chokchai

2018-01-01

History of science (HOS) plays a substantial role in the enhancement of rooted understanding in science teaching and learning. HOS of evolution and genetics has not been included in Vietnamese biology textbooks. This study aims to investigate the necessity of introducing evolution and genetics HOS into Vietnamese textbooks. A case study approach…

The evolution of a science teacher: An autobiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, Daniel E.

This qualitative study explores the experiences of a science teacher as he seeks to understand the foundations of his pedagogy, his view of learning, and his role as a teacher. By using the autobiographical style of currere, the author investigates the significant events of his educational journey and describes the transformation that occurred while teaching science in secondary schools. The author discovers how his instructional methods were intimately linked to his perception of the content and nature of science, how his interactions with others within a learning community challenged him to grow professionally, and how his educational metaphors helped him make sense of teaching, learning, and life. By telling his story, the author/researcher was able to use his transformed notions of how people learn to construct personal meaning about his own educational foundations and pedagogical perspectives, and in turn, give others a story within which they might find their own personal meaning.

Teaching Badminton through Play Practice in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Insook

2017-01-01

There is a strong belief that teachers' in-depth content knowledge is key for effective teaching. Teachers who possess specialized content knowledge uniquely needed for teaching are capable of appropriately selecting, sequencing, representing and adapting content applicable for students with different learning needs. Beyond teachers' content…

Teaching Content Analysis through "Harry Potter"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Messinger, Adam M.

2012-01-01

Content analysis is a valuable research tool for social scientists that unfortunately can prove challenging to teach to undergraduate students. Published classroom exercises designed to teach content analysis have thus far been predominantly envisioned as lengthy projects for upper-level courses. A brief and engaging exercise may be more…

Science Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Integrated Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adi Putra, M. J.; Widodo, A.; Sopandi, W.

2017-09-01

The integrated approach refers to the stages of pupils’ psychological development. Unfortunately, the competences which are designed into the curriculum is not appropriate with the child development. This Manuscript presents PCK (pedagogical content knowledge) of teachers who teach science content utilizing an integrated approach. The data has been collected by using CoRe, PaP-eR, and interviews from six elementary teachers who teach science. The paper informs that high and stable teacher PCKs have an impact on how teachers present integrated teaching. Because it is influenced by the selection of important content that must be submitted to the students, the depth of the content, the reasons for choosing the teaching procedures and some other things. So for teachers to be able to integrate teaching, they should have a balanced PCK.

Learning about Semi Conductors for Teaching--The Role Played by Content Knowledge in Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rollnick, Marissa

2017-01-01

This study focuses on how teachers learn to teach a new topic and the role played by their developing content knowledge as they teach. The paper is based on seven high school science teachers' studies on the teaching of semiconductors, at the time a new topic in the curriculum. Analysis of artefacts such as teacher concept maps, video recordings…

Unifying concepts in the high school biology curriculum, one or many: An investigation of rural, suburban, and urban schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Judith Ann

2000-10-01

Nine high school biology teachers from rural, suburban, and urban school settings, were interviewed about what idea, topic, or concept, if any, they use to unify their high school biology curriculum. Professional scientists and educational organizations have proposed that high school biology teachers use "biological evolution" as a unifying concept of their curriculum. Interviews, concept maps, and classroom syllabi and outlines were provided as data for these nine case studies. Each teacher was asked what topics were included in their curriculum to determine if a wide enough content was taught to warrant unification. The teachers' responses were compared to content and concepts listed in the National Science Content Standards, the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements for Science, and a paper (Hurd, Bybee, Kahle, and Yager, 1980) that proposed what and how topics should be taught in the high school biology class by the year 2000. The nine teachers were asked to draw a concept map showing how these topics were interrelated and what concept, if any, "unified" them. A unifying concept is defined as a concept introduced early in the year and referred back to whenever new topics are introduced illustrating how the new topic is related to the previous ones through this unifying concept. Seven of the nine teachers did use at least one unifying concept. Two use evolution or natural selection, two use the web of life, two use the characteristics of life, and one uses scientific inquiry. The data collected in this study indicate high school teachers use these concepts such as the web of life and the characteristics of life because they believe they are easily understood by their students and less controversial than the theory of evolution. This study also presents evidence that school setting has minimal influence on what concept teachers use to unify their curriculum and that teachers have a significant amount of academic freedom to choose what they want to teach and how they want to teach it. The data suggests that teachers choose their unifying concept based on their personal beliefs of what their students will accept and on their past interactions with parents, students, and administrators when various unifying concepts were used.

Practices and Perspectives of College Instructors on Addressing Religious Beliefs When Teaching Evolution.

PubMed

Barnes, M Elizabeth; Brownell, Sara E

2016-01-01

Evolution is a core concept of biology, and yet many college biology students do not accept evolution because of their religious beliefs. However, we do not currently know how instructors perceive their role in helping students accept evolution or how they address the perceived conflict between religion and evolution when they teach evolution. This study explores instructor practices and beliefs related to mitigating students' perceived conflict between religion and evolution. Interviews with 32 instructors revealed that many instructors do not believe it is their goal to help students accept evolution and that most instructors do not address the perceived conflict between religion and evolution. Instructors cited many barriers to discussing religion in the context of evolution in their classes, most notably the instructors' own personal beliefs that religion and evolution may be incompatible. These data are exploratory and are intended to stimulate a series of questions about how we as college biology instructors teach evolution. © 2016 M. E. Barnes and S. E. Brownell. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Introducing quality assurance and medical audit into the UCSF medical center curriculum.

PubMed

Barbaccia, J C

1976-05-01

The experience gained by a medical school faculty in developing and piloting a course for undergraduate medical students in medical care evaluation led to a similar effort for house staff. It is recognized that if the profession is to fulfill the demand by society for social accountability in the use of resources for health care, medical care assessment and quality assurance mechanisms must become an intimate part of the clinical experience of medical students and house officers. Teaching these subjects requires a theoretical framework; introduction of content and skills appropriate to the level of the student and continuation of progressively more advanced training throughout medical education; use of assessment and quality assurance techniques by clinician-teachers themselves to provide models for the student; and continued evolution of pedagogic approach and course content based on developments in the area.

Teaching Citizenship in Science Classes at the University of Arizona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, R. M.; Mangin, K.

2008-12-01

Science classes for non-science majors present unique opportunities to create lifelong science aficionados and teach citizenship skills. Because no specific content is needed for future courses, subject matter can be selected to maximize interest and assignments can be focused on life skills such as science literacy instead of discipline-specific content mastery. Dinosaurs! is a very successful non-major science class with a minimum enrollment of 150 that is intended for sophomores. One of the goals of this class is to increase students' awareness of social issues, the political process, and opportunities for keeping up with science later in life. The main theme of this class is evolution. The bird-dinosaur link is the perfect vehicle for illustrating the process of science because the lines of evidence are many, convincing, and based on discoveries made throughout the last half-century and continuing to the present day. The course is also about evolution the social issue. The second writing assignment is an in-class affective writing based on a newspaper article about the Dover, PA court case. The primary purpose of this assignment is to create a comfort zone for those students with strong ideological biases against evolution by allowing them to express their views without being judged, and to instill tolerance and understanding in students at the other end of the spectrum. Another homework uses thomas.loc.gov, the government's public website providing information about all legislation introduced since the 93rd Congress and much more. The assignment highlights the difficulty of passing legislation and the factors that contribute to a given bill's legislative success or failure using the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, S320. Details of these assignments and others designed to achieve the goals stated above will be presented. A very different undergraduate program, Marine Discovery, offers science majors the opportunity to earn upper division science credits while teaching young people about marine science and conservation. Classes of elementary and middle school students attend a class field trip to a UA teaching laboratory where they explore a variety of hands-on marine biology centers. Undergraduates facilitate the learning centers and develop new centers for future years of the program. In addition, undergraduates in Marine Discovery do a marine ecology field project during a field trip to the Gulf of California, and present their results as a research poster to their peers. The course is entirely project- based, and helps students to develop informal as well as formal science communication skills. Many outreach programs suffer from loss of funding and lack of sustainability. Marine Discovery's popularity with both UA undergraduates and K-12 teachers has helped sustain it into its sixteenth year.

A Conceptual Characterization of Online Videos Explaining Natural Selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohlin, Gustav; Göransson, Andreas; Höst, Gunnar E.; Tibell, Lena A. E.

2017-11-01

Educational videos on the Internet comprise a vast and highly diverse source of information. Online search engines facilitate access to numerous videos claiming to explain natural selection, but little is known about the degree to which the video content match key evolutionary content identified as important in evolution education research. In this study, we therefore analyzed the content of 60 videos accessed through the Internet, using a criteria catalog with 38 operationalized variables derived from research literature. The variables were sorted into four categories: (a) key concepts (e.g. limited resources and inherited variation), (b) threshold concepts (abstract concepts with a transforming and integrative function), (c) misconceptions (e.g. that evolution is driven by need), and (d) organismal context (e.g. animal or plant). The results indicate that some concepts are frequently communicated, and certain taxa are commonly used to illustrate concepts, while others are seldom included. In addition, evolutionary phenomena at small temporal and spatial scales, such as subcellular processes, are rarely covered. Rather, the focus is on population-level events over time scales spanning years or longer. This is consistent with an observed lack of explanations regarding how randomly occurring mutations provide the basis for variation (and thus natural selection). The findings imply, among other things, that some components of natural selection warrant far more attention in biology teaching and science education research.

Teaching biochemistry to medical students in Singapore--from organic chemistry to problem-based learning.

PubMed

Khoo, H E

2005-07-01

The medical faculty in the National University of Singapore started in 1905 but the Chair in Biochemistry was only established in 1927. For many years the biochemistry course consisted of the teaching of the organic chemistry of substances of physiological importance, nutrition, metabolism and hormones. In 1961, clinical biochemistry was introduced and in the 1980s, genetics and molecular biology were included. By then, most of the organic chemistry content had been removed as greater emphasis was placed on clinical correlation. Laboratory classes consisted of mock glucose tolerance tests and the measurement of various enzymes. By the 1990s, students were no longer interested in such practical classes, so a bold decision was made around 1995 to remove laboratory classes from the curriculum. Unfortunately, this meant that the medical students who might have been interested in laboratory work could no longer do such work. However, the new curriculum in 1999 gave the department an opportunity to offer a laboratory course as an elective for interested students. This new curriculum adopted an integrated approach with Genetics being taught as part of Paediatrics, and a new module (Structural and Cell Biology) comprising aspects of cell biology and biochemistry was introduced. This module is currently taught by staff from Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry. Some biochemistry content is now incorporated into the clinical problem scenarios of problem-based learning such as jaundice, diabetes mellitus, anorexia nervosa, etc. So the evolution of teaching biochemistry to medical students in Singapore has paralleled worldwide trends and moved from the didactic teaching of organic chemistry of biomolecules to problem-based learning using clinical cases.

Comparing Common Origins: Using Biotechnology To Teach Evolution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaughlin, John; Glasson, George

2001-01-01

Presents an innovative, inquiry-oriented lesson plan for using biotechnology to teach evolution. Using acrylamide gel electrophoresis, students learn how to isolate and compare different proteins from the muscle tissue of readily available seafood specimens to determine phylogenetic relationships. Uses a 5E (engagement, exploration, explanation,…

Teaching evolutionary biology: Pressures, stress, and coping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffith, Joyce A.; Brem, Sarah K.

2004-10-01

Understanding what teachers need to be more comfortable and confident in their profession is crucial to the future of effective teachers and scientific literacy in public schools. This study focuses on the experiences of Arizona biology teachers in teaching evolution, using a clinical model of stress to identify sources of pressure, the resulting stresses, and coping strategies they employ to alleviate these stresses. We conducted focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and written surveys with 15 biology teachers from the Phoenix area. On the basis of their responses, teachers were clustered into three categories: Conflicted, who struggle with their own beliefs and the possible impact of their teaching, Selective, who carefully avoid difficult topics and situations, and Scientists, who see no place for controversial social issues in their science classroom. Teachers from each group felt that they could be more effective in teaching evolution if they possessed the most up-to-date information about evolution and genomics, a safe space in which to reflect on the possible social and personal implications with their peers, and access to richer lesson plans for teaching evolution that include not only science but personal stories regarding how the lessons arose, and what problems and opportunities they created.

Developing Preservice Teachers' Knowledge of Science Teaching through Video Clubs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Heather J.; Cotterman, Michelle E.

2015-01-01

Though an adequate understanding of content is a natural prerequisite of teaching (Carlsen in "Journal of Research in Science Teaching" 30:471-481, 1993), teachers also need to be able to interpret content in ways that facilitate student learning. How to best support novice teachers in developing and refining their content knowledge for…

Thinking and Content Learning of Mathematics and Science as Cognitional Development in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL): Teaching Through a Foreign Language in Finland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jappinen, Aini-Kristiina

2005-01-01

This paper presents a study on thinking and learning processes of mathematics and science in teaching through a foreign language, in Finland. The entity of thinking and content learning processes is, in this study, considered as cognitional development. Teaching through a foreign language is here called Content and Language Integrated Learning or…

Faculty Views on the Appropriateness of Teaching Undergraduate Psychology Courses Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mandernach, B. Jean; Mason, Teresa; Forrest, Krista D.; Hackathorn, Jana

2012-01-01

This study examines faculty views concerning the appropriateness of teaching specific undergraduate psychology courses in an online format. Faculty express concern about teaching methodology and counseling/clinical content courses online, but endorse teaching introductory and nonclinical content courses in either format; faculty report diverse…

Exploration and practice in-class practice teaching mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zang, Xue-Ping; Wu, Wei-Feng

2017-08-01

According to the opto-electronic information science and engineering professional course characteristics and cultivate students' learning initiative, raised the teaching of photoelectric professional course introduce In-class practice teaching mode. By designing different In-class practice teaching content, the students' learning interest and learning initiative are improved, deepen students' understanding of course content and enhanced students' team cooperation ability. In-class practice teaching mode in the course of the opto-electronic professional teaching practice, the teaching effect is remarkable.

Teaching Adaptability of Object-Oriented Programming Language Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhu, Xiao-dong

2012-01-01

The evolution of object-oriented programming languages includes update of their own versions, update of development environments, and reform of new languages upon old languages. In this paper, the evolution analysis of object-oriented programming languages is presented in term of the characters and development. The notion of adaptive teaching upon…

The Teachers' Lounge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barlow, Dudley

2005-01-01

In this article, the author discusses the continuing controversy of teaching intelligent design along with evolution in science classes in the interest of academic freedom, an idea since endorsed by President Bush. More recently religious fundamentalists have tried a new approach to fight the teaching of evolution in public schools. With this new…

Reflexions sur L'Evolution de L'Enseignement de la Biologie en Afrique.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sasson, A.

1980-01-01

Reviews the main stages of the evolution of biology teaching in Africa. Discusses the UNESCO pilot project, the teaching aids produced for English- and French-speaking countries of Africa, and the "Teacher's Guide on the Biology of Human Populations" and projects needs for further assistance. (CS)

A Novel Laboratory Activity for Teaching about the Evolution of Multicellularity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratcliff, William C.; Raney, Allison; Westreich, Sam; Cotner, Sehoya

2014-01-01

The evolution of complexity remains one of the most challenging topics in biology to teach effectively. We present a novel laboratory activity, modeled on a recent experimental breakthrough, in which students experimentally evolve simple multicellularity using single-celled yeast ("Saccharomyces cerevisiae"). By simply selecting for…

Using Human Evolution to Teach Evolutionary Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Besterman, Hugo; La Velle, Linda Baggott

2007-01-01

This paper discusses some traditional approaches to the teaching of evolutionary theory at pre-university level, criticising in particular some of the more commonly used models and exemplars. Curricular demands are described and an alternative approach is suggested, using the emerging story of human evolution. Recent discoveries help to illustrate…

A Teaching Module about Stellar Structure and Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colantonio, Arturo; Galano, Silvia; Leccia, Silvio; Puddu, Emanuella; Testa, Italo

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present a teaching module about stellar structure, functioning and evolution. Drawing from literature in astronomy education, we designed the activities around three key ideas: spectral analysis, mechanical and thermal equilibrium, energy and nuclear reactions. The module is divided into four phases, in which the key ideas for…

The mutual relevance of teaching and cultural attraction.

PubMed

Scott-Phillips, Thomas C; Sperber, Dan

2015-01-01

As Kline envisages, there is an important relationship between cultural attraction and teaching. The very function of teaching is to make the content taught an attractor. Teaching, moreover, typically fulfills its function by exploiting a variety of factors of cultural attraction that help make its content learnable and teachable.

A Different Way of Viewing History Teaching: Balancing Competing Intellectual Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neumann, Dave

2010-01-01

With state content standards always looming in the background, history teachers express concern about "covering the curriculum." And, many history teachers say they have to abandon teaching the "fun stuff" in order to teach state-mandated content. While teaching challenges do entail practical considerations, this article argues…

College students' use of science content during socioscientific issues negotiation: Impact of evolution understanding and acceptance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fowler, Samantha R.

The purpose of this study was to explore the evolution science content used during college students' negotiation of biology-based socioscientific issues (SSI) and examine how it related to students' conceptual understanding and acceptance of biological evolution. Specific research questions were, (1a) what specific evolutionary science content do college students evoke during SSI negotiation, (1b) what is the depth of the evolutionary science content reflected in college students. SSI negotiation, and (2) what is the nature of the interaction between evolution understanding and evolution acceptance as they relate to depth of use of evolution content during SSI negotiation? The Socioscientific Issues Questionnaire (SSI-Q) was developed using inductive data analysis to examine science content use and to develop a rubric for measuring depth of evolutionary science content use during SSI negotiation. Sixty upper level undergraduate biology and non-biology majors completed the SSI-Q and also the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS: Anderson, Fisher, & Norman, 2002) to measure evolution understanding and the Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE: Rutledge & Warden, 1999) to measure evolution acceptance. A multiple regression analysis tested for interaction effects between the predictor variables, evolution understanding and evolution acceptance. Results indicate that college students primarily use science concepts related to evolution to negotiate biology-based SSI: variation in a population, inheritance of traits, differential success, and change through time. The hypothesis that the extent of one's acceptance of evolution is a mitigating factor in how evolution content is evoked during SSI negotiation was supported by the data. This was seen in that evolution was the predominant science content used by participants for each of the three SSI scenarios used in this study and used consistently throughout the three SSI scenarios. In addition to its potential to assess aspects of argumentation, a modification of the SSI-Q could be used for further study about students' misconceptions about evolution or scientific literacy, if it is defined as one's tendency to utilize science content during a decision-making process within an SSI context.

Hybrid Text: An Engaging Genre to Teach Content Area Material across the Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bintz, William P.; Ciecierski, Lisa M.

2017-01-01

The Common Core State Standards for English language arts expect that teachers will use narrative and informational texts to teach content area material across the curriculum. However, many teachers at all grade levels struggle to incorporate both kinds of text, especially given the vast amount of specialized content they are required to teach.…

Examining the Teaching of Science, and Technology and Engineering Content and Practices: An Instrument Modification Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Love, Tyler S.; Wells, John G.; Parkes, Kelly A.

2017-01-01

A modified Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) (Piburn & Sawada, 2000) instrument was used to separately examine eight technology and engineering (T&E) educators' teaching of science, and T&E content and practices, as called for by the "Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology"…

Exploring Changes to a Teacher's Teaching Practices and Student Learning through a Volleyball Content Knowledge Workshop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Insook

2016-01-01

This paper describes how improving a teacher's content knowledge changes his teaching practices and its subsequent effects on student learning during a middle school volleyball instructional unit. The study was designed to challenge teacher educators' thinking about the importance of in-depth content knowledge for effective teaching by…

Mathematics teaching experiences of elementary preservice teachers with high and low mathematics anxiety during student teaching: A multiple case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nisbet, Leslie Deanna

This study investigated the teaching experiences of six elementary preservice teachers (EPTs), three with high mathematics anxiety and three with low mathematics anxiety, during their student teaching semester. The EPTs were selected from an initial pool of 121 EPTs who took the Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Scale. The cases were compared in a cross case analysis to highlight mathematics teaching experiences among EPTs. Data sources included EPT and researcher journal entries, interview transcripts, pre-lesson surveys, field notes, lesson plans, and artifacts of observed lessons. Data were coded using Shulman's content knowledge, Graeber's mathematics pedagogical content knowledge, and mathematics anxiety characteristics. Findings revealed both similarities and differences across EPTs as related to four major categories: (a) planning and resources used, (b) role of the cooperating teacher, (c) content knowledge, and (d) pedagogical content knowledge. All EPTs used mostly direct instruction and relied on the course textbook and their respective cooperating teacher as their primary resources for planning. Additionally, across participants, the cooperating teacher influenced EPTs' perceptions of students and teaching. Also, EPTs with high mathematics anxiety were weaker with respect to content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Findings suggest a need to re-design methods courses to address improving the pedagogical content knowledge of EPTs with mathematics anxiety. Findings also suggest a need to develop content specific mathematics courses for EPTs to improve their content knowledge. Future studies could include a longitudinal study to follow highly anxious EPTs who take content specific elementary mathematics courses to observe their content knowledge and mathematics anxiety.

The construction of bilingual teaching of optoelectronic technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yang; Zhao, Enming; Yang, Fan; Li, Qingbo; Zhu, Zheng; Li, Cheng; Sun, Peng

2017-08-01

This paper combines the characteristics of optoelectronic technology with that of bilingual teaching. The course pays attention to integrating theory with practice, and cultivating learners' ability. Reform and exploration have been done in the fields of teaching materials, teaching content, teaching methods, etc. The concrete content mainly includes five parts: selecting teaching materials, establishing teaching syllabus, choosing suitable teaching method, making multimedia courseware and improving the test system, which can arouse students' interest in their study and their autonomous learning ability to provide beneficial references for improving the quality of talents of optoelectronic bilingual courses.

Developing Content Knowledge for Teaching Assessments for the Measures of Effective Teaching Study. Research Report. ETS RR-14-33

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phelps, Geoffrey; Weren, Barbara; Croft, Andrew; Gitomer, Drew

2014-01-01

This report documents the development of assessments of content knowledge for teaching (CKT) as part of the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) study, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.The MET study was designed to develop a set of measures that together serve as an accurate indicator of teaching effectiveness. The study was…

Research Committee Issues Brief: Examining Communication and Interaction in Online Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavanaugh, Cathy; Barbour, Michael; Brown, Regina; Diamond, Daryl; Lowes, Susan; Powell, Allison; Rose, Ray; Scheick, Amy; Scribner, Donna; Van der Molen, Julia

2009-01-01

Online teaching is a complex professional practice. In addition to their content knowledge and pedagogical skill, online teachers must be qualified in methods of teaching the content online and have experience in online learning. This document examines some of the aspects of online teaching, specifically those related to communication and…

A Collection of Problems for Physics Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grober, S.; Jodl, H. -J.

2010-01-01

Problems are an important instrument for teachers to mediate physics content and for learners to adopt this content. This collection of problems is not only suited to traditional teaching and learning in lectures or student labs, but also to all kinds of new ways of teaching and learning, such as self-study, long-distance teaching,…

Investigating Coherence among Turkish Elementary Science Teachers' Teaching Belief Systems, Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahcivan, Eralp; Cobern, William W.

2016-01-01

This study investigated comprehensive science teaching belief systems and their relation to science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge and teaching practices. Rokeach's (1968) belief system was used as a framework for representing the hierarchy among in-service teachers' teaching beliefs. This study employed a multiple case study design with…

Examining the Extent to Which Select Teacher Preparation Experiences Inform Technology and Engineering Educators' Teaching of Science Content and Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Love, Tyler S.

2015-01-01

With the recent release of the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) (NGSS Lead States, 2014b) science educators were expected to teach engineering content and practices within their curricula. However, technology and engineering (T&E) educators have been expected to teach content and practices from engineering and other…

How Expert Secondary Special Education Teachers Conceptualize Teaching Literacy in Their Content Area to Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lauterbach, Alexandra A.

2013-01-01

This study provides insight into the cognition of expert content area teachers with specialized knowledge in teaching literacy to students with learning disabilities (LD), with the purpose of developing an understanding of expertise in teaching literacy in the content areas to secondary students with LD. This study used hermeneutic phenomenology…

Using Personal Ads and Online Self-Help Groups to Teach Content Analysis in a Research Methods Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finn, Jerry; Dillon, Caroline

2007-01-01

This paper describes methods for teaching content analysis as part of the Research sequence in social work education. Teaching content analysis is used to develop research skills as well as to promote students' knowledge and critical thinking and about new information technology resources that are being increasingly used by the general public. The…

Conceptual Frameworks in Didactics--Learning and Teaching: Trends, Evolutions and Comparative Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ligozat, Florence; Almqvist, Jonas

2018-01-01

This special issue of the "European Educational Research Journal" presents a series of research papers reflecting the trends and evolutions in conceptual frameworks that took place within the EERA 27 "Didactics--Learning and Teaching" network during its first ten years of existence. Most conceptual tools used in this field were…

Researcher, Teacher, Education Researcher: The Evolution of a University Geoscience Instructor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Katharine D.; Steer, David; McConnell, David

2006-01-01

This case study describes a professor's evolution from geoscience researcher to effective teacher to education researcher. The article details his initial beliefs about teaching, looks at the factors that prompted him to seek a different teaching approach, and enumerates the supports and challenges that he had on his journey. Factors essential to…

Fairness in Teaching Evolution in Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warnick, Bryan

2014-01-01

In this article, Bryan Warnick discusses not so much whether creationism should be taught in schools, but how evolution should be taught. He contends that if we are going to prohibit the teaching of something like Intelligent Design (ID) in science classrooms because it is unscientific, what implications does that then have for how we teach…

Exploring Podcasting in Heredity and Evolution Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almeida-Aguiar, Cristina; Carvalho, Ana Amélia

2016-01-01

Podcasts are digital files very popular in several and very distinct areas. In higher education, they have been explored in a multitude of ways mainly to support teaching and learning processes. The study here described focuses the integration of podcasts in Heredity and Evolution, a course from the Biology and Geology Degree Program at University…

Developing Preservice Teachers' Knowledge of Science Teaching Through Video Clubs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Heather J.; Cotterman, Michelle E.

2015-06-01

Though an adequate understanding of content is a natural prerequisite of teaching (Carlsen in Journal of Research in Science Teaching 30:471-481, 1993), teachers also need to be able to interpret content in ways that facilitate student learning. How to best support novice teachers in developing and refining their content knowledge for teaching is a crucial and ongoing question for preservice teacher educators. Recently, video clubs are being explored as potential contexts for teacher learning (Barnhart & van Es in Teaching and Teacher Education 45:83-93, 2015; Sherin & Han in Teaching and Teacher Education 20:163-183, 2004). We hypothesized that pairing video clubs with student teaching experiences would provide a forum for preservice teachers to discuss issues relevant to their professional trajectory through exposure to models of peer teaching and opportunities to reflect on practice. In this study, we explored how secondary science preservice teachers used video club to restructure their overall science knowledge into science knowledge for teaching. Our findings suggest that video clubs allowed preservice teachers to access and leverage student thinking and instructional resources to deepen their understanding of science content and trajectories for science learning.

Legal Perspectives on Religion in Public School Science Classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunn, Jeremy

2006-03-01

In the 1920s, state legislatures in the United States became involved in enacting laws prohibiting the teaching of evolution in public schools. The famous Tennessee v. John Scopes trial of 1925 was the most famous test case to determine the constitutionality the first phase of the laws. Scopes was convicted of violating one such law and many of these anti-evolution laws continued to be in effect for the next forty years. During the 1950s, for a number of reasons, the teaching of evolution became more common as the anti-evolution laws were either repealed or ignored. In 1968, the Supreme Court in Epperson v. Arkansas ruled that the prohibition of the teaching of evolution was unconstitutional. Since the Epperson decision, there have been several other federal court decisions that have considered the constitutionality of allowing religious theories to be taught in the science curriculum. For all practical purposes, federal courts since 1968 have prohibited the teaching of creationism. The new current battleground is on the issue of intelligent design. The first court decision on intelligent design, from Dover, Pennsylvania, is expected by January 2006. The significance of this decision, and the fallout from it, will be discussed. In many ways, the current controversy over the teaching of intelligent design may be only the tip of a far larger public controversy involving the roles of science, law, politics, and religion. Suggestions will be made as to how the scientific community can contribute to the legal and cultural issues that underlie this debate.

Ohio High School Biology Teachers' Views of State Standard for Evolution: Impacts on Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borgerding, Lisa A.

2012-01-01

High school biology teachers face many challenges as they teach evolution. State standards for evolution may provide support for sound evolution instruction. This study attempts to build upon previous work by investigating teachers' views of evolution standards and their evolution practices in a state where evolution standards have been…

Improving Students' Conceptual Understanding of a Specific Content Learning: A Designed Teaching Sequence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmad, N. J.; Lah, Y. Che

2012-01-01

The efficacy of a teaching sequence designed for a specific content of learning of electrochemistry is described in this paper. The design of the teaching draws upon theoretical insights into perspectives on learning and empirical studies to improve the teaching of this topic. A case study involving two classes, the experimental and baseline…

Examining Physics Graduate Teaching Assistants' Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching a New Physics Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seung, Eulsun; Bryan, Lynn A.; Haugan, Mark P.

2012-01-01

In this study, we investigated the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) that physics graduate teaching assistants (TAs) developed in the context of teaching a new introductory physics curriculum, "Matter and Interactions" ("M&I"). "M&I" is an innovative introductory physics course that emphasizes a unified framework for understanding the world and…

Gaps in Science Content Knowledge Encountered during Teaching Practice: A Study of Early-Career Middle-School Science Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinghorn, Brian Edward

2013-01-01

Subject-specific content knowledge is crucial for effective science teaching, yet many teachers are entering the field not fully equipped with all the science content knowledge they need to effectively teach the subject. Learning from practice is one approach to bridging the gap between what practicing teachers know and what they need to know.…

The Effect of Teaching Practices with Real Life Content in Light and Sound Learning Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yalçin, Sema Altun; Yalçin, Pasa; Akar, M. Said; Sagirli, Meryem Özturan

2017-01-01

In this present study, it was aimed to investigate the effect of teaching practices with real life content in light and sound learning areas. With this purpose, it was intended to determine the contribution of teaching practices with real life content (TPRLC) to the levels of pre-service teachers' skills to associate the light and sound learning…

Insert Student Here: Why Content Area Constructions of Literacy Matter for Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gritter, Kristine

2010-01-01

This article explores content area pre-service teacher beliefs about disciplinary knowledge, perceptions of effective content area teaching, and existing beliefs about how to integrate literacy into the content areas. Ten pre-service teachers across ten secondary content areas were asked to describe three important variables in secondary teaching:…

The Research of Software Engineering Curriculum Reform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuang, Li-Qun; Han, Xie

With the problem that software engineering training can't meet the needs of the community, this paper analysis some outstanding reasons in software engineering curriculum teaching, such as old teaching contents, weak in practice and low quality of teachers etc. We propose the methods of teaching reform as guided by market demand, update the teaching content, optimize the teaching methods, reform the teaching practice, strengthen the teacher-student exchange and promote teachers and students together. We carried out the reform and explore positive and achieved the desired results.

An analysis of the relationship between teachers' acquisition of physics content knowledge and their level of science teaching efficacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marion, Virginia Frances

1998-12-01

The goal of Project Inquiry, a two-year long multiphase study, was to transform the delivery of science instruction from a traditional, textbook driven delivery approach to a hands-on, minds-on, constructivist approach. Teachers from a midwestern urban school district were trained in constructivism while learning physics concepts and content through guided inquiry instruction in collaborative groups. The objectives aimed to increase teachers' content expertise and science teaching efficacy, as well as to have teachers become better facilitators of learning. Phase two of the three phases of Project Inquiry was the focus of this study. Fifty-seven teachers participated in Phase two, which began with an intense two week summer institute in 1995. A longitudinal time-series (OxOO), quasi-experimental research design was used to investigate the relationship between science teaching efficacy scores and gains in physics content knowledge. The data consisted of: (a) six sets of pre and post physics content knowledge test scores (electricity, magnetism, matter and balance); (b) three sets of STEBI-A (inservice), Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument scores, a pre to post, pre to follow-up, and post to follow-up; and (c) demographic variables that were used as covariates, grade taught, years of experience, and postbaccalaureate training. Using the general linear model with an Alpha level of.05, and testing the hypothesized relationships, results indicated that although there were significant positive gains in content knowledge (p =.000) and science teaching efficacy (p =.000), the overall average gains in physics content knowledge were not predictive of gains in either Personal Science Teaching Efficacy or Science Outcome Expectancy. Post hoc analysis used individual content gain scores, in regression models that included the three covariates: grade taught, years of experience, and post baccalaureate training, to test the relationship between knowledge gains and efficacy gains. A series of interactions between significant content areas and the covariates was also run. Science Teaching Outcome Expectancy and Personal Science Teaching Efficacy showed different relationships with the predictor variables. Though gains in specific content areas were related to gains in Science Teaching Outcome Expectancy and Personal Science Teaching Efficacy, gains in Personal Science Teaching Efficacy were further modified by the covariates. These results may reflect not only a more complex relationship between content knowledge gain and Personal Science Teaching Efficacy but also the complex nature of the construct. Evaluation of the physics content knowledge tests revealed that the tests were not valid for evaluating 35 of the 37 identified learning objectives. Although the data did not render valid results, it does give insights into possible relationships that may exist given a more stringent investigation with a valid instrument to measure content knowledge gains. In addition, this study demonstrated the importance of considering the likelihood of interactions among a given set of variables and the covariates. The findings also suggest the possible value of considering the psychological factors associated with the change process when planning professional development programs.

Infusing Mathematics Content into a Methods Course: Impacting Content Knowledge for Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Megan; Daane, C. J.; Giesen, Judy

2008-01-01

This study compared content knowledge for teaching mathematics differences between elementary pre-service teachers in a traditional versus an experimental mathematics methods course. The experimental course replaced 20 minutes of traditional methods, each class, with an intervention of elementary mathematics content. The difference between groups…

Education problems and Web-based teaching: how it impacts dental educators?

PubMed

Clark, G T

2001-01-01

This article looks at six problems that vex educators and how web-based teaching might help solve them. These problems include: (1) limited access to educational content, (2) need for asynchronous access to educational content, (3) depth and diversity of educational content, (4) training in complex problem solving, (5) promotion of lifelong learning behaviors and (6) achieving excellence in education. The advantages and disadvantage of web-based educational content for each problem are discussed. The article suggests that when a poorly organized course with inaccurate and irrelevant content is placed online, it solves no problems. However some of the above issues can be partially or fully solved by hosting well-constructed teaching modules on the web. This article also reviews the literature investigating the efficacy of off-site education as compared to that provided on-site. The conclusion of this review is that teleconference-based and web-based delivery of educational content can be as effective as traditional classroom-based teaching assuming the technologic problems sometimes associated with delivering teaching content to off-site locations do not interfere in the learning process. A suggested hierarchy for rating and comparing e-learning concepts and methods is presented for consideration.

Inquiry Teaching in High School Chemistry Classrooms: The Role of Knowledge and Beliefs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roehrig, Gillian H.; Luft, Julie A.

2004-10-01

"Science as inquiry" is a key content standard in the National Science Education Standards, yet implementation of inquiry-based teaching is rare in secondary chemistry classrooms. This paper is the result of a study conducted to understand factors that effect the inquiry-based instruction of ten novice secondary chemistry teachers. The study focused on the influence of teaching beliefs and content knowledge on the instructional practices of these ten teachers. Case and cross-case comparisons revealed that chemistry teachers' intentions to implement inquiry teaching were strongly influenced by their teaching beliefs rather than their knowledge of chemistry. The quality of inquiry lessons, however, was found to depend on the teachers' knowledge of chemistry content. This study reinforces the need for chemistry-focused inservice training for beginning chemistry teachers that focuses on both inquiry teaching strategies and teaching beliefs.

Use of the "Tree" Analogy in Evolution Teaching by Biology Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcelos, Maria Fatima; Nagem, Ronaldo Luiz

2012-01-01

This work discusses the use of Darwin's "Tree of Life" as a didactic analogy and metaphor in teaching evolution. It investigates whether biology teachers of pupils from 17 to 18 years old know Darwin's text "Tree of Life". In addition, it examines whether those teachers systematically employ either the analogies present in that…

Teaching the Theory of Evolution in Social, Intellectual, and Pedagogical Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Ronald D.

2007-01-01

Teaching the theory of evolution in classrooms takes place in a social, intellectual, and pedagogical context which must be considered with care if students are to receive a complete and authentic education. In addition to the science education literature on this topic, attention is directed to the expanding literature on science and religion, as…

Scientific Experts and the Controversy about Teaching Creation/Evolution in the UK Press

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allgaier, Joachim

2010-01-01

The issue whether creationist accounts of the origins of life should be taught in science education alongside or even instead Darwin's theory of evolution is controversial in many countries. In 2002 there was a controversy around teaching creationism in science classes at a secondary school in England. The research presented in this paper uses…

Justifying and Proving in the Cabri Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mariotti, Maria Alessandra

2001-01-01

Describes a long term teaching experiment carried out with students from grades 9 and 10. Aims at clarifying the role of the Cabri environment in teaching-learning processes. Analysis of protocols shows the possible evolution of a justification into a proof but at the same time indicates that this evolution is not expected to be simple and…

Tennessee to Texas: Tracing the Evolution Controversy in Public Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armenta, Tony; Lane, Kenneth E.

2010-01-01

Darwin's Theory of Evolution has stirred controversy since its inception. Public schools in the United States, pressed by special interest groups on both sides of the controversy, have struggled with how best to teach the theory, if at all. Court cases have dealt with whether states can ban the teaching of evolutionary theory, whether Creationism…

The Effects of Restructuring Biology Teaching by a Constructivist Teaching Approach: An Action Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Wan-Ju

This study reports on the improvement of a teacher researcher's teaching practice by adopting a constructivist teaching approach. Four biology units on the nervous system, human circulatory system, evolution, and vertebrate classification were selected to illustrate a model of biology teaching. Data were drawn from student responses to…

Les materiels didactiques pour l'education en matiere de population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valerien, Jean

1993-03-01

The materials developed to promote Population Education are indispensable since teachers have not been prepared to deliver this new type of teaching, using active methods and stressing the acquisition of attitudes rather than knowledge. Early teaching materials gave Population Education a doctrinaire image, focusing on sexual education. More recently, the priority target for the materials has become better defined: rather than trying to convince teachers, attempts are made to discover their needs in order to develop tools that will help them. A rapid survey of Population Education teaching materials, using five representative examples, illustrates their evolution. The quest for an unassailable scientific corpus of Population Education is found in the examples of lessons put forward by the Regional Programme in Asia, in which 25 States are participating. Moreover, Population Education no longer focuses only on demographic knowledge: the dynamics of population change have effects on numerous aspects of the quality of life. In the 1980s, research started by CRESALC resulted in pilot materials of great originality, using discussion, simulation, the media, games, enquiry, etc., which stimulate the active participation of pupils. But in the vast majority of cases, the contents and objectives of Population Education remain integrated into the various subjects of the curriculum.

Cooperation enhanced by the coevolution of teaching activity in evolutionary prisoner's dilemma games with voluntary participation.

PubMed

Shen, Chen; Chu, Chen; Geng, Yini; Jin, Jiahua; Chen, Fei; Shi, Lei

2018-01-01

Voluntary participation, as an additional strategy involved in repeated games, has been proved to be an efficient way to promote the evolution of cooperation theoretically and empirically. Besides, current studies show that the coevolution of teaching activity can promote cooperation. Thus, inspired by aforementioned above, we investigate the effect of coevolution of teaching activity on the evolution of cooperation for prisoner's dilemma game with voluntary participation: when the focal player successfully enforces its strategy on the opponent, his teaching ability will get an increase. Through numerical simulation, we have shown that voluntary participation could effectively promote the fraction of cooperation, which is also affected by the value of increment. Furthermore, we investigate the influence of the increment value on the density of different strategies and find that there exists an optimal increment value that plays an utmost role on the evolutionary dynamics. With regard to this observation, we unveil that an optimal value of increment can lead to strongest heterogeneity in agents' teaching ability, further promoting the evolution of cooperation.

The Effect of an Integrated Science and Mathematics Content-Based Course on Science and Mathematics Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moseley, Christine; Utley, Juliana

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an earth systems science course (integrated mathematics and science content) on preservice elementary teachers' mathematics and science teaching efficacy. Paired t-tests revealed that the personal mathematics and science teaching efficacy and science teaching outcome expectancy significantly…

High School Students' Perceptions of Evolution Instruction: Acceptance and Evolution Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donnelly, Lisa A.; Kazempour, Mahsa; Amirshokoohi, Aidin

2009-01-01

Evolution is an important and sometimes controversial component of high school biology. In this study, we used a mixed methods approach to explore students' evolution acceptance and views of evolution teaching and learning. Students explained their acceptance and rejection of evolution in terms of evidence and conflicts with religion and…

New Legislation Threatens the Teaching of Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landau, Elizabeth

2008-05-01

A new twist on an old legislative tactic may help open the door for the discussion of creationism and intelligent design in science classrooms across the United States. While previous attempts have been made to pass legislation regarding the teaching of evolution, new state legislation is being introduced with the purpose of affording ``rights'' and ``protection'' to teachers or students ``concerning their positions on views regarding biological and chemical evolution,'' according to the text from several bills. The proposed legislation would lessen the authority of written science curricula and potentially would allow legal protection for teachers or students to discuss nonscientific views of evolution in science classrooms.

Current Status of Research in Teaching and Learning Evolution: I. Philosophical/Epistemological Issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Mike U.

2010-06-01

Scholarship that addresses teaching and learning about evolution has rapidly increased in recent years. This review of that scholarship first addresses the philosophical/epistemological issues that impinge on teaching and learning about evolution, including the proper philosophical goals of evolution instruction; the correlational and possibly causal relationships among knowing, understanding, accepting, and believing; and the factors that affect student understanding, acceptance, and/or belief. Second, I summarize the specific epistemological issues involved, including empiricism, naturalism, philosophical vs methodological materialism, science vs religion as non-overlapping magisteria, and science as a way of knowing. Third, the paper critically reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the research tools available to measure the nature of science, epistemological beliefs, and especially the acceptance of evolution. Based on these findings, further research in these areas, especially study of the factors that cause lack of explanatory coherence as well as replications of studies that promise to explain current confusing findings about the interrelationships among student understanding, acceptance, and belief in evolution, are called for. In addition, this review calls for more longitudinal studies to delineate causal connections as well as improved measurement tools.

A plea for the use of drawing in human anatomy teaching.

PubMed

Clavert, Philippe; Bouchaïb, J; Duparc, F; Kahn, J L

2012-10-01

Descriptive human anatomy constitutes one of the main parts of the educational program of the first part of the medical studies. Professors of anatomy have to take into account the exponential evolution of the techniques of morphological and functional exploration of the patients, and the trend to open more and more the contents of the lectures of anatomy to clinical considerations. Basically, teaching requires a series of descriptive and educational media to set up, in front of the student, the studied structures and so to build the human body. More generally, lectures in morphological sciences try to develop three types of knowledge: declarative, procedural, and conditional. Traditionally in France "basic or first" anatomy is taught in amphitheater and in big groups by building each structure or region on a blackboard with colored chalk that allows a relief stake of certain structures and builds in two dimensions a three-dimensional organization. Actually, the blackboard is and stays for us an excellent media of non-verbal expression.

Teaching Medical Ethics to Medical Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loewy, Erich H.

1986-01-01

The evolution and goals of teaching medical ethics, the nature of medical ethics, and integrating such teaching into the curriculum are examined. Because moral considerations are as much a part of medical decisions as technical considerations, teaching is best done in the context of real cases. (Author/MLW)

Making Learning Visible: Developing Preservice Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Teaching Efficacy Beliefs in Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Greer M.; Byrne, Laurel L.; Liang, Ling L.

2018-01-01

Recognizing that teaching efficacy beliefs influence pedagogical content knowledge, this study assesses the impact of a general methods course on preservice teachers' efficacy beliefs and instructional planning of environmental education content. The course used explicit and visible strategies to support pedagogical and content knowledge…

The application of network teaching in applied optics teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Huifu; Piao, Mingxu; Li, Lin; Liu, Dongmei

2017-08-01

Network technology has become a creative tool of changing human productivity, the rapid development of it has brought profound changes to our learning, working and life. Network technology has many advantages such as rich contents, various forms, convenient retrieval, timely communication and efficient combination of resources. Network information resources have become the new education resources, get more and more application in the education, has now become the teaching and learning tools. Network teaching enriches the teaching contents, changes teaching process from the traditional knowledge explanation into the new teaching process by establishing situation, independence and cooperation in the network technology platform. The teacher's role has shifted from teaching in classroom to how to guide students to learn better. Network environment only provides a good platform for the teaching, we can get a better teaching effect only by constantly improve the teaching content. Changchun university of science and technology introduced a BB teaching platform, on the platform, the whole optical classroom teaching and the classroom teaching can be improved. Teachers make assignments online, students learn independently offline or the group learned cooperatively, this expands the time and space of teaching. Teachers use hypertext form related knowledge of applied optics, rich cases and learning resources, set up the network interactive platform, homework submission system, message board, etc. The teaching platform simulated the learning interest of students and strengthens the interaction in the teaching.

Teaching the Repeated Prisoner's Dilemma with a Non-Computerised Adaptation of Axelrod's Tournament

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennis, Catherine

2015-01-01

Darwin's theory of evolution is explicitly competitive, yet co-operation between individuals is a common phenomenon. The Prisoner's Dilemma model is central to the teaching of the evolution of co-operation. The best-known explorations of the Prisoner's Dilemma are the tournaments run by Robert Axelrod in the 1980s. Aimed at students of biological…

Capturing and portraying science student teachers' pedagogical content knowledge through CoRe construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thongnoppakun, Warangkana; Yuenyong, Chokchai

2018-01-01

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is an essential kind of knowledge that teacher have for teaching particular content to particular students for enhance students' understanding, therefore, teachers with adequate PCK can give content to their students in an understandable way rather than transfer subject matter knowledge to learner. This study explored science student teachers' PCK for teaching science using Content representation base methodology. Research participants were 68 4th year science student teachers from department of General Science, faculty of Education, Phuket Rajabhat University. PCK conceptualization for teaching science by Magnusson et al. (1999) was applied as a theoretical framework in this study. In this study, Content representation (CoRe) by Loughran et al. (2004) was employed as research methodology in the lesson preparation process. In addition, CoRe consisted of eight questions (CoRe prompts) that designed to elicit and portray teacher's PCK for teaching science. Data were collected from science student teachers' CoRes design for teaching a given topic and student grade. Science student teachers asked to create CoRes design for teaching in topic `Motion in one direction' for 7th grade student and further class discussion. Science student teachers mostly created a same group of science concepts according to subunits of school science textbook rather than planned and arranged content to support students' understanding. Furthermore, they described about the effect of student's prior knowledge and learning difficulties such as students' knowledge of Scalar and Vector quantity; and calculating skill. These responses portrayed science student teacher's knowledge of students' understanding of science and their content knowledge. However, they still have inadequate knowledge of instructional strategies and activities for enhance student learning. In summary, CoRes design can represented holistic overviews of science student teachers' PCK related to the teaching of a particular topic and also support them to gain more understanding about how to teach for understanding. Research implications are given for teacher education and educational research to offer a potential way to enhance science student teachers' PCK for teaching science and support their professional learning.

An Investigation of How a Physics Professional Development Course Influenced the Teaching Practices of Five Elementary School Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harlow, Danielle B.

2014-02-01

This paper reports the results of an investigation of how a professional development content course based on the Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum affected the teaching practices of five case study elementary school teachers. The findings of this study highlight different ways that teachers use what they learn in content courses to teach science to elementary children. While some teachers transferred pedagogical practices along with the content, others transformed the content to be useful in already existing pedagogical frameworks, and still others show little or no evidence of transfer. The range of transfer is explained by considering how each teacher interacted with the learning context (the PET curriculum) and their initial ideas about teaching science.

Content Knowledge in Teaching, an Investigation into an Adequate "Milieu" for Teaching Dance: The Case of Indian Dance in France

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monique, Loquet; Malini, Ranganathan

2010-01-01

Since the 1970s, scientific researchers have shown that the nature and practice of the knowledge being taught plays an important role in the organization of teaching. Teaching content, first in mathematics, then in physical education, has become the object of scientific research in didactics in France. This research questions the commonplace…

Science-for-Teaching Discourse in Science Teachers' Professional Learning Communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lohwasser, Karin

Professional learning communities (PLCs) provide an increasingly common structure for teachers' professional development. The effectiveness of PLCs depends on the content and quality of the participants' discourse. This dissertation was conducted to add to an understanding of the science content needed to prepare to teach science, and the discourse characteristics that create learning opportunities in teachers' PLCs. To this end, this study examined how middle school science teachers in three PLCs addressed science-for-teaching, and to what effect. Insight into discourse about content knowledge for teaching in PLCs has implications for the analysis, interpretation, and support of teachers' professional discourse, their collaborative learning, and consequently their improvement of practice. This dissertation looked closely at the hybrid space between teachers' knowledge of students, of teaching, and of science, and how this space was explored in the discourse among teachers, and between teachers and science experts. At the center of the study were observations of three 2-day PLC cycles in which participants worked together to improve the way they taught their curriculum. Two of the PLC cycles were supported, in part, by a science expert who helped the teachers explore the science they needed for teaching. The third PLC worked without such support. The following overarching questions were explored in the three articles of this dissertation: (1) What kind of science knowledge did teachers discuss in preparation for teaching? (2) How did the teachers talk about content knowledge for science teaching, and to what effect for their teaching practice? (3) How did collaborating teachers' discursive accountabilities provide opportunities for furthering the teachers' content knowledge for science teaching? The teachers' discourse during the 2-day collaboration cycles was analyzed and interpreted based on a sociocultural framework that included concepts from the practice-based theory of content knowledge for teaching developed by D. L. Ball, Thames, and Phelps (2008) and the Accountable Talk framework by Michaels, O'Connor, & Resnick (2008). The study's findings could provide justification for and ideas on how to provide targeted support for PLCs to make teachers' work on science knowledge more applicable to lesson planning, teaching, and student learning.

The Historical Evolution of Educational Software.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Troutner, Joanne

This paper establishes the roots of computers and automated teaching in the field of psychology and describes Dr. S. L. Pressey's presentation of the teaching machine; B. F. Skinner's teaching machine; Meyer's steps in composing a program for the automated teaching machine; IBM's beginning research on automated courses and the development of the…

Case studies in teaching evolution: The intersection of dilemmas in practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher, Rachel

Despite recent science education reform documents citing evolution as a core concept to be taught in grades K-12, research shows problems with how it is currently taught. Evolution is often avoided, teachers minimize its importance within biology, infuse misconceptions, and/or interject non-scientific ideologies into lessons. My research focused on how teachers in two geographically and culturally distinct school districts in the southwestern U.S. negotiate dilemmas during an evolution unit. One school district was rural and had a large population of Mormon students, while the other district was urban, with a large majority Mexican/Mexican-American students. Using a case study approach, I observed three biology teachers during their evolution lessons, interviewed them throughout the unit, co-planned lessons with them, and collected artifacts from this unit, including anonymous student work. I also included data from four genetics lessons for each teacher to determine if the issues that arose during the evolution unit were a result of the general practice of the teacher, or if they were unique to evolution. Findings showed teachers' backgrounds and comfort levels with evolution, in addition to their perceptions of community context, affected how they negotiated pedagogical, conceptual, political, and cultural dilemmas. This study's findings will inform in-service teachers' future practice and professional development tools to aid with their teaching---this may include methods to negotiate some of the political (e.g. state standards) or cultural (e.g. religious resistance) issues inherent to teaching evolution.

The impact of a dedicated Science-Technology-Society (STS) course on student knowledge of STS content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barron, Paul E.

In the last half century, public awareness of issues such as population growth, environmental pollution and the threat of nuclear war has pressured science education to reform to increase student social responsibility. The emerging Science-Technology-Society (STS) movement addressed these concerns by developing numerous strategies and curricula. Considerable diagnostic research has been conducted on student knowledge of the nature of science, but not on the wider scope of STS content (e.g., the nature of science and technology and their interactions with society). However, researchers have not widely studied the impact of comprehensive STS curricula on students' knowledge of STS content nor the nature of STS teaching practice that influenced this knowledge gain. This study examined student success and teacher performance in a special STS course in Ontario, Canada. Research questions focused on the STS content knowledge gain by students completing this course and the impact of the STS teachers' teaching practices on this knowledge gain. Student data were collected using pre-course and post-course assessments of students' STS content knowledge. Teacher data were obtained using semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and videotapes. Statistical analysis indicated that, after completing the STS course, students significantly increased their STS content knowledge as measured by the Views on Science Technology Society instrument. Gender and academic achievement had no significant impact on this knowledge gain, implying that this course, as taught by these teachers, could appeal to a wide range of students as a general education course. The second part of the study indicated that detailed research is needed on the relationship between STS teaching practice and student STS content knowledge gain. The small sample size prevents generalizations but initial indications show that factors such constructivist teaching practices and strong teacher STS content knowledge may generate greater student knowledge gains than didactic teaching and weak teacher STS content knowledge. In this limited sample, it was found that constructivist teaching practice can overcome weak teacher STS content knowledge in increasing student STS content knowledge. In addition, other factors such as problem-solving and decision-making skills need to be studied as part of an overall framework for STS teaching.

Rock-Solid Support: Florida District Weighs Effectiveness of Science Professional Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shear, Linda; Penuel, William R.

2010-01-01

The best science teachers are not only experts in teaching and knowledgeable about science content, but they are also great at teaching science. They have specialized teaching knowledge, including knowledge of effective pedagogical practices in science, student difficulties with understanding content, and curricular purposes. As a result,…

An Alternative Team Teaching Model for Content-Based Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Timothy; Sagliano, Michael; Sagliano, Julie

2000-01-01

Describes an alternative teaching model of content-based instruction, Collaborative Interdisciplinary Team Teaching (CITT), used in an English-medium Japanese liberal arts university, highlighting the main features of CITT by comparing it to other relevant models. The article describes how the model has been applied, then discusses perceived…

Cultivating Bilingual Learners' Language Arts Knowledge: A Framework for Successful Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almaguer, Isela; Esquierdo, J. Joy

2013-01-01

It is essential to support bilingual learners' language and academic development; however, teaching second language learners English has taken precedence over teaching content area knowledge and vocabulary, specifically for language arts. The focus has shifted from content area instruction to primarily second language instruction due to an…

Teaching General Business. Delta Pi Epsilon Rapid Reader No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Betty Jean

This guide provides business teachers with practical ideas for teaching general business. Content is presented in seven sections. The first two sections list fourteen behavioral objectives for a general business course and offer suggestions for course content. Section 3 discusses problems in teaching general business, including reading, arithmetic…

The Language of Mathematics: The Importance of Teaching and Learning Mathematical Vocabulary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riccomini, Paul J.; Smith, Gregory W.; Hughes, Elizabeth M.; Fries, Karen M.

2015-01-01

Vocabulary understanding is a major contributor to overall comprehension in many content areas, including mathematics. Effective methods for teaching vocabulary in all content areas are diverse and long standing. Teaching and learning the language of mathematics is vital for the development of mathematical proficiency. Students' mathematical…

Teaching the Human Dimension of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farland-Smith, Donna; McComas, William

2009-01-01

Teachers have the important responsibility of providing students with accurate and engaging science content while also helping them establish authentic views of scientists. Though there are numerous curriculum materials to assist in the teaching of science content, the authors have found that methods and materials to teach science as a human…

Personal Reflection: Pedagogical Content Knowledge and the Affective Domain of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garritz, Andoni

2010-01-01

The question of these reflections is if among those content-dependent instructional conditions necessary to attain conceptual understanding, those belonging to the affective domain of teaching and learning must be included in Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), the special amalgam of content knowledge and knowledge of general pedagogy that a…

Intelligent Design and the Creationism/Evolution Controversy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, E. C.

2004-12-01

"Intelligent Design" (ID) is a new form of creationism that emerged after legal decisions in the 1980s hampered the inclusion of "creation science" in the public school curriculum. To avoid legal challenge, proponents claim agnosticism regarding the identity of the intelligent agent, which could be material (such as highly intelligent terrestrials) or transcendental (God). ID consists of a scientific/scholarly effort, and a politico-religious movement of "cultural renewal." Intelligent design is supposedly detectable through the application of Michael Behe's "irreducible complexity" concept and/or William Dembski's concept of "complex specified information". ID's claims amount to, first, that "Darwinism" (vaguely defined) is incapable of providing an adequate mechanism for evolution, and second (subsequently), that evolution did not occur. Although scientific ideas not infrequently are slow to be accepted, in the 20 years since ID appeared, there is no evidence of it being used to solve problems in biology. Even if the scientific/scholarly part of ID has been a failure, the "cultural renewal" part of ID has been a success. This social and political aspect of ID seeks "restoration" of a theistic sensibility in American culture to replace what supporters consider an overemphasis on secularism. In the last few years, in several states, legislators have introduced legislation promoting ID (to date, unsuccessfully) and an addendum to the 2001 federal education bill conference committee report (the "Santorum amendment") is being used to promote the teaching of ID in public schools. Perhaps because ID has no actual content other than antievolutionism, ID proponents contend that pre-college teachers should teach wweaknesses of evolutionw or "evidence against evolutionw - largely warmed-over arguments from creation science - even though professional scientists do not recognize these as valid scientific claims.

Research on teaching reform and practice of applied optics design experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geng, Tao; Tong, Chengguo; Zhang, Tao; Lu, Cunlian; Meng, Ting; Zhang, Yang; Wang, Ran; Sun, Weimin; Liu, Zhihai; Yang, Jun

2017-08-01

It is an important way to effectively improve applied optics experimental teaching effect and motivate the undergraduates' practice ability and creativity by means of scientific and systematic setting teaching contents and link. Based on the research and analysis of applied optics experiment teaching present condition at home and abroad, this paper aims to solve the existed problems and deficiencies during the experiment teaching in our university, and also puts forward some reform ideas and practice method from several aspects such as teaching thought, teaching content and mode, examination and evaluation and so on. Simultaneously, this paper also gives some suggestions on the future course development.

Educational recommendations for the conduct, content and format of EULAR musculoskeletal ultrasound Teaching the Teachers Courses.

PubMed

Iagnocco, A; Terslev, L; Backhaus, M; Balint, P; Bruyn, G A W; Damjanov, N; Filippucci, E; Hammer, H B; Jousse-Joulin, S; Kane, D; Koski, J M; Mandl, P; Möller, I; Peetrons, P; Schmidt, W; Szkudlarek, M; Vojinovic, J; Wakefield, R J; Hofer, M; D'Agostino, M A; Naredo, E

2015-01-01

To produce educational guidelines for the conduct, content and format of theoretical and practical teaching at EULAR musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) Teaching the Teachers (TTT) Courses. A Delphi-based procedure with 24 recommendations covering five main areas (Duration and place of the course; Faculty members; Content of the course; Evaluation of the teaching skills; TTT competency assessment) was distributed among a group of experts involved in MSUS teaching, in addition to an advisory educational expert being present. Consensus for each recommendation was considered achieved when the percentage of agreement was >75%. 21 of 24 invited participants responded to the first Delphi questionnaire (88% response rate). All 21 participants also responded to the second round. Agreement on 19 statements was obtained after two rounds. This project has led to the development of guidelines for the conduct, content and format of teaching at the EULAR MSUS TTT Courses that are organised annually, with the aim of training future teachers of EULAR MSUS Courses, EULAR Endorsed MSUS Courses, as well as national and local MSUS Courses. The presented work gives indications on how to homogenise the teaching at the MSUS TTT Courses, thus resolving current discrepancies in the field.

Charles Darwin in Australia; or How To Introduce Some Local Colour to the Teaching of Evolution, Geology, Meteorology, and the Determination of Longitude.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholas, Frank W.

The background to Charles Darwin's little-known visit to Australia, and the account of his experiences while here, provide some invaluable historical material for teaching evolution, geology, meteorology, and the determination of longitude. Indeed, by using his Australian experiences as a foundation, it is possible to explain the theory of…

Knowledge, Beliefs and Pedagogy: How the Nature of Science Should Inform the Aims of Science Education (and Not Just When Teaching Evolution)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taber, Keith S.

2017-01-01

Lisa Borgerding's work highlights how students can understand evolution without necessarily committing to it, and how learners may come to see it as one available way of thinking amongst others. This is presented as something that should be considered a successful outcome when teaching about material that many students may find incompatible with…

Teaching evidence based practice in physical therapy in a developing country: a national survey of Philippine schools

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Early education on the foundations of evidence based practice (EBP) is advocated as a potent intervention toward enhancing EBP uptake among physical therapists. Little is known about the extent to which EBP is integrated in educational curricula in developing countries where the benefits of EBP are more acutely needed. This study sought to describe EBP education in Philippine physical therapy schools, including the challenges encountered by educators in teaching EBP. Methods A national survey of higher education institutions offering an undergraduate degree program in physical therapy was conducted from August 2011 through January 2012. A 35-item questionnaire was developed to gather data on whether or not EBP was taught, specific EBP content covered and courses in which content was covered, teaching and evaluation methods, and challenges in teaching EBP. Data were analyzed descriptively. Results The study had a response rate of 55.7% (34/61). Majority of the participating educational institutions (82%, 28/34) reported teaching EBP by incorporating EBP content in the professional courses. Among those that did not teach EBP, inadequate educator competence was the leading barrier. Courses commonly used to teach EBP were those on research (78.6%, 22/28), therapy planning (71.4%, 20/28), treatment skills (57.1-64.3%, 16-18/28), and undergraduate thesis (60.7%, 17/28). Various EBP contents were covered, with statistical concepts more frequently taught compared with critical EBP content. Lectures and journal reports were the usual teaching methods (96.4%, 27/28 and 89.3%, 25/28, respectively) while written examinations, completion of an undergraduate thesis, and oral reports (82.1%, 23/28, 78.6%, 22/28, and 78.6%, 22/28, respectively) were often used in evaluation. Students’ inadequate knowledge of statistics and lack of curricular structure for EBP were identified as leading challenges to teaching (75%, 21/28 and 50%, 14/28, respectively). Conclusions Many physical therapy faculties across the Philippines are incorporating EBP content in teaching. However, there is arbitrary and fragmented coverage of EBP content and inadequate emphasis on clinically oriented teaching-learning and assessment methods. These findings suggest the need to design appropriate entry-level educational programs on EBP. Effective ‘educating the educators’ strategies are urgently needed and can have far-reaching positive repercussions on EBP uptake in physical therapist practice. PMID:24267512

Teaching evidence based practice in physical therapy in a developing country: a national survey of Philippine schools.

PubMed

Gorgon, Edward James R; Basco, Mark David S; Manuel, Almira T

2013-11-22

Early education on the foundations of evidence based practice (EBP) is advocated as a potent intervention toward enhancing EBP uptake among physical therapists. Little is known about the extent to which EBP is integrated in educational curricula in developing countries where the benefits of EBP are more acutely needed. This study sought to describe EBP education in Philippine physical therapy schools, including the challenges encountered by educators in teaching EBP. A national survey of higher education institutions offering an undergraduate degree program in physical therapy was conducted from August 2011 through January 2012. A 35-item questionnaire was developed to gather data on whether or not EBP was taught, specific EBP content covered and courses in which content was covered, teaching and evaluation methods, and challenges in teaching EBP. Data were analyzed descriptively. The study had a response rate of 55.7% (34/61). Majority of the participating educational institutions (82%, 28/34) reported teaching EBP by incorporating EBP content in the professional courses. Among those that did not teach EBP, inadequate educator competence was the leading barrier. Courses commonly used to teach EBP were those on research (78.6%, 22/28), therapy planning (71.4%, 20/28), treatment skills (57.1-64.3%, 16-18/28), and undergraduate thesis (60.7%, 17/28). Various EBP contents were covered, with statistical concepts more frequently taught compared with critical EBP content. Lectures and journal reports were the usual teaching methods (96.4%, 27/28 and 89.3%, 25/28, respectively) while written examinations, completion of an undergraduate thesis, and oral reports (82.1%, 23/28, 78.6%, 22/28, and 78.6%, 22/28, respectively) were often used in evaluation. Students' inadequate knowledge of statistics and lack of curricular structure for EBP were identified as leading challenges to teaching (75%, 21/28 and 50%, 14/28, respectively). Many physical therapy faculties across the Philippines are incorporating EBP content in teaching. However, there is arbitrary and fragmented coverage of EBP content and inadequate emphasis on clinically oriented teaching-learning and assessment methods. These findings suggest the need to design appropriate entry-level educational programs on EBP. Effective 'educating the educators' strategies are urgently needed and can have far-reaching positive repercussions on EBP uptake in physical therapist practice.

Analysis of Engineering Content within Technology Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fantz, Todd D.; Katsioloudis, Petros J.

2011-01-01

In order to effectively teach engineering, technology teachers need to be taught engineering content, concepts, and related pedagogy. Some researchers posit that technology education programs may not have enough content to prepare technology teachers to teach engineering design. Certain technology teacher education programs have responded by…

The Teaching Brain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Battro, Antonio M.

2010-01-01

Animals cannot teach as humans do. Therefore, we lack the experimental support of animal studies that are so important to understand the evolution of our basic learning skills but are useless to explore the development of the teaching skills, unique to humans. And most important: children teach! We have at least two new challenges in our Mind,…

Mapping the Structure of Knowledge for Teaching Nominal Categorical Data Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groth, Randall E.; Bergner, Jennifer A.

2013-01-01

This report describes a model for mapping cognitive structures related to content knowledge for teaching. The model consists of knowledge elements pertinent to teaching a content domain, the nature of the connections among them, and a means for representing the elements and connections visually. The model is illustrated through empirical data…

Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching a New Topic: More than Teaching Experience and Subject Matter Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Kennedy Kam Ho; Yung, Benny Hin Wai

2018-01-01

Teaching experience has been identified as an important factor in pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) development. However, little is known about "how" experienced teachers may draw on their previous experience to facilitate their PCK development. This study examined how two experienced high school biology teachers approached the…

Operations Management Teaching: Establishing Content and Relevance to Practitioners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doran, Desmond; Hill, Alex; Brown, Steve; Aktas, Emel; Kuula, Markku

2013-01-01

This paper explores the relevance to industry's needs of operations management (OM) teaching in higher education, by researching the content of OM modules delivered by UK academics and comparing the results of this research with the views of business practitioners having had first-hand experience of OM teaching on MBA programmes. To determine…

Didactic Strategies in Early Science Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hus, Vlasta; Grmek, Milena Ivanus

2011-01-01

The purpose of the article is to show the results of empirical research on the prevailing teaching strategies for teaching contents of the subject environmental studies (specifically when dealing with natural content) in the first triennium of the nine-year primary school in the Republic of Slovenia. The information was obtained through a survey…

Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge Regarding Teaching Strategies on Quadrilaterals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akkas, Elif Nur; Türnüklü, Elif

2014-01-01

Pedagogical content knowledge is consisted of two components: student knowledge and teaching strategies. Teaching strategies was defined under two sub-headings as strategies for specific topics and specific strategies for any topic. The purpose of this study was to examine the method with which quadrilaterals were taught by mathematics teachers…

Teaching and Learning about Solid Waste: Aspects of Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cinquetti, Heloisa Chalmers Sisla; de Carvalho, Luiz Marcelo

2007-01-01

This paper investigates aspects of content knowledge related to teaching and learning about solid waste, focusing on the processes of learning and teaching by Elementary School teachers in Brazil, in two modalities of continuing education: courses and school-based meetings. We analyse elements of teachers' reflections whilst referring to three…

Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School. IES Practice Guide. NCEE 2014-4012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Scott; Lesaux, Nonie; Jayanthi, Madhavi; Dimino, Joseph; Proctor, C. Patrick; Morris, Joan; Gersten, Russell; Haymond, Kelly; Kieffer, Michael J.; Linan-Thompson, Sylvia; Newman-Gonchar, Rebecca

2014-01-01

As English learners face the double demands of building knowledge of a second language while learning complex grade-level content, teachers must find effective ways to make challenging content comprehensible for students. This updated English learner practice guide, "Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and…

Practice-Based Measures of Elementary Science Teachers' Content Knowledge for Teaching: Initial Item Development and Validity Evidence. Research Report. ETS RR-17-43

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mikeska, Jamie N.; Phelps, Geoffrey; Croft, Andrew J.

2017-01-01

This report describes efforts by a group of science teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and content specialists to conceptualize, develop, and pilot practice-based assessment items designed to measure elementary science teachers' content knowledge for teaching (CKT). The report documents the framework used to specify the content-specific…

Teaching English Language Learners in the Content Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janzen, Joy

2008-01-01

This review examines current research on teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) in four content area subjects: History, math, English, and science. The following topics are examined in each content area: The linguistic, cognitive, and sociocultural features of academic literacy and how this literacy can be taught; general investigations of…

Construct Validation of Content Standards for Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Schaaf, Marieke F.; Stokking, Karel M.

2011-01-01

Current international demands to strengthen the teaching profession have led to an increased development and use of professional content standards. The study aims to provide insight in the construct validity of content standards by researching experts' underlying assumptions and preferences when participating in a delphi method. In three rounds 21…

Developing pre-service science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge by using training program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udomkan, Watinee; Suwannoi, Paisan

2018-01-01

A training program was developed for enhancing pre-service science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The pre-service science teachers are able to: understand science curriculum, knowledge of assessment in science, knowledge of students' understanding of science, instructional strategies and orientations towards science teaching, which is conceptualized as PCK [5]. This study examined the preservice science teachers' understandings and their practices which include five pre-service science teachers' PCK. In this study, the participants demonstrated their PCK through the process of the training program by writing content representations (CoRes), preparing the lesson plans, micro-teaching, and actual teaching respectively. All pre-service science teachers' performs were collected by classroom observations. Then, they were interviewed. The results showed that the pre-service science teachers progressively developed knowledge components of PCK. Micro-teaching is the key activities for developing PCK. However, they had some difficulties in their classroom teaching. They required of sufficient ability to design appropriate instructional strategies and assessment activities for teaching. Blending content and pedagogy is also a matter of great concern. The implication of this study was that science educators can enhance pre-service science teachers' PCK by fostering their better understandings of the instructional strategies, assessment activities and blending between content and pedagogy in their classroom.

The implementation of integrated science teaching materials based socio-scientific issues to improve students scientific literacy for environmental pollution theme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yenni, Rita; Hernani, Widodo, Ari

2017-05-01

The study aims to determine the increasing of students' science literacy skills on content aspects and competency of science by using Integrated Science teaching materials based Socio-scientific Issues (SSI) for environmental pollution theme. The method used in the study is quasi-experiment with nonequivalent pretest and posttest control group design. The students of experimental class used teaching materials based SSI, whereas the students of control class were still using the usual textbooks. The result of this study showed a significant difference between the value of N-gain of experimental class and control class, whichalso occurred in every indicator of content aspects and competency of science. This result indicates that using of Integrated Science teaching materials based SSI can improve content aspect and competency of science and can be used as teaching materials alternative in teaching of Integrated Science.

The Politics of Teaching Evolution, Science Education Standards, and "Being" a Creationist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, David E.

2012-01-01

This paper analyzes recent research conclusions regarding biology teacher attitudes toward evolution, and the variable implementation of evolution in the high schools nationwide. Berkman and Plutzer (2010. "Evolution, creationism, and the battle to control America's classrooms." New York: Cambridge University Press) conclude that due to a large…

Understanding Evolution: An Evolution Website for Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scotchmoor, Judy; Janulaw, Al

2005-01-01

While many states are facing challenges to the teaching of evolution in their science classrooms, the University of California Museum of Paleontology, working with the National Center for Science Education, has developed a useful web-based resource for science teachers of all grade- and experience-levels. Understanding Evolution (UE) was developed…

Evolutionary Biology Digital Dissection Project: Web-Based Laboratory Learning Opportunities for Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fabian, Carole Ann

2004-01-01

A university in Buffalo introduced its students to evolution by providing them with information on evidence of evolution, mechanisms for evolution, principles of genetics, selection, adaptation, evolution and sociobiology. This method of teaching with technology enabled students to improve and expand their learning opportunities.

Seeing May Not Mean Believing: Examining Students' Understandings & Beliefs in Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavallo, Ann M. L.; McCall, David

2008-01-01

Science education currently has incomplete understandings of potential relationships between students' beliefs in Nature of Science (NOS) and evolution, and how these beliefs may be related to scientific understandings of evolution. Because of evolution's prominence in science education, curricula decisions, and the future of science teaching and…

Expanding the Understanding of Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musante, Susan

2011-01-01

Originally designed for K-12 teachers, the Understanding Evolution (UE) Web site ("www.understandingevolution.org") is a one-stop shop for all of a teacher's evolution education needs, with lesson plans, teaching tips, lists of common evolution misconceptions, and much more. However, during the past five years, the UE project team learned that…

A Call to Use Cultural Competence When Teaching Evolution to Religious College Students: Introducing Religious Cultural Competence in Evolution Education (ReCCEE)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, M. Elizabeth; Brownell, Sara E.

2017-01-01

Low acceptance of evolution among undergraduate students is common and is best predicted by religious beliefs. Decreasing students' perceived conflict between religion and evolution could increase their acceptance of evolution. However, college biology instructors may struggle with trying to decrease students' perceived conflict between religion…

Map Learning with a 3D Printed Interactive Small-Scale Model: Improvement of Space and Text Memorization in Visually Impaired Students.

PubMed

Giraud, Stéphanie; Brock, Anke M; Macé, Marc J-M; Jouffrais, Christophe

2017-01-01

Special education teachers for visually impaired students rely on tools such as raised-line maps (RLMs) to teach spatial knowledge. These tools do not fully and adequately meet the needs of the teachers because they are long to produce, expensive, and not versatile enough to provide rapid updating of the content. For instance, the same RLM can barely be used during different lessons. In addition, those maps do not provide any interactivity, which reduces students' autonomy. With the emergence of 3D printing and low-cost microcontrollers, it is now easy to design affordable interactive small-scale models (SSMs) which are adapted to the needs of special education teachers. However, no study has previously been conducted to evaluate non-visual learning using interactive SSMs. In collaboration with a specialized teacher, we designed a SSM and a RLM representing the evolution of the geography and history of a fictitious kingdom. The two conditions were compared in a study with 24 visually impaired students regarding the memorization of the spatial layout and historical contents. The study showed that the interactive SSM improved both space and text memorization as compared to the RLM with braille legend. In conclusion, we argue that affordable home-made interactive small scale models can improve learning for visually impaired students. Interestingly, they are adaptable to any teaching situation including students with specific needs.

An Inquiry into the Influence of Professional Learning Communities on English Language Arts Teachers' Pedagogical-Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pittman, Pamela Kay

2015-01-01

Teaching is an ever-evolving profession, one in which teachers must stay abreast of recent research and trends to continually deepen their knowledge and refine their skills. Therefore, teachers need high quality professional learning opportunities to help them master the content they teach and strengthen their teaching skills. Professional…

Scientific Basis vs. Contextualized Teaching and Learning: The Effect on the Achievement of Postsecondary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curry, Kevin W., Jr.; Wilson, Elizabeth; Flowers, Jim L.; Farin, Charlotte E.

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study was to compare two teaching methodologies for an integrated agricultural biotechnology course at the postsecondary level. The two teaching methods tested were the explanation of the scientific basis for content (comparison treatment) versus the application of content to a real-world agricultural context (experimental…

Teaching and Learning Science through Song: Exploring the Experiences of Students and Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Governor, Donna; Hall, Jori; Jackson, David

2013-01-01

This qualitative, multi-case study explored the use of science-content music for teaching and learning in six middle school science classrooms. The researcher sought to understand how teachers made use of content-rich songs for teaching science, how they impacted student engagement and learning, and what the experiences of these teachers and…

Characterizing the Development of Specialized Mathematical Content Knowledge for Teaching in Algebraic Reasoning and Number Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bair, Sherry L.; Rich, Beverly S.

2011-01-01

This article characterizes the development of a deep and connected body of mathematical knowledge categorized by Ball and Bass' (2003b) model of Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT), as Specialized Content Knowledge for Teaching (SCK) in algebraic reasoning and number sense. The research employed multiple cases across three years from two…

Adapting Content Subject Tasks for Bilingual Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halbach, Ana

2012-01-01

Teaching content through a foreign language presents students with the double challenge of having to understand new concepts and of doing so through a foreign language. To be successful in meeting this challenge teachers have to adapt their teaching style and the tasks they work on with their students. Often, however, they do not know how to do…

An Investigation of the Amount of Emphasis Placed on Content and Delivery by Instructors of Public Speaking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siddens, Paul J., III

A study examined how much emphasis instructors of public speaking place on content and delivery when teaching and delivering oral and written critiques. The study sought to determine whether when teaching a hybrid introduction to communication course, or public speaking course, instructors are challenged with teaching their students about issues…

New Trade and Industrial Teachers' Perceptions of Formal Learning versus Informal Learning and Teaching Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Janet Z.; Schaefer, Karen; Hayden, Jessie M.

2005-01-01

Trade and industrial (T&I) teachers enter the classroom as content level experts who may have acquired their content expertise through a combination of formal industry training and informal on-the-job experiences. When they make the career transition from industry to teaching, they must acquire professional teaching competencies. Like the content…

Developing and Enacting Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching History: An Exploration of Two Novice Teachers' Growth over Three Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monte-Sano, Chauncey; Budano, Christopher

2013-01-01

Using artifacts of teachers' practices, classroom observations, and teacher interviews, we explore the development and enactment of 2 novices' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching history. We identify and track 4 components of PCK that are relevant to teaching history: representing history, transforming history, attending to students'…

Developing Distinct Mathematical and Scientific Pedagogical Content Knowledge in an Early Childhood Dual-Content Methods Course: An Alternative to Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalchman, Mindy; Kozoll, Richard H.

2017-01-01

Methods for teaching early childhood mathematics and science are often addressed in a single, dual-content course. Approaches to teaching this type of course include integrating the content and the pedagogy of both subjects, or keeping the subject areas distinct. In this article, the authors discuss and illustrate their approach to such a combined…

Disciplinary Styles in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Exploring Common Ground.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huber, Mary Taylor, Ed.; Morreale, Sherwyn P., Ed.

In response to an orienting essay about the scholarship of teaching and learning, scholars from 10 disciplines describe the evolution of a discourse about teaching and learning, the ways in which their discipline's style of discourse influences inquiry into teaching and learning, and the nature and role of intellectual exchange across disciplines…

Aeronautical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering: A Learner-Centered Teaching Perspective in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gohardani, Omid; Gohardani, Amir S.; Dokter, Erin; Macario, Kyla

2014-01-01

Teaching in the 21st century requires a modern teaching practice coherent with the evolutions of the Information Age. Interestingly, teaching practices have stretched beyond an art form and into the realm of science. Following these scientific trails, one can argue that one of the greatest challenges educators currently face is to maintain student…

A Teaching Sequence for Learning the Concept of Chemical Equilibrium in Secondary School Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghirardi, Marco; Marchetti, Fabio; Pettinari, Claudio; Regis, Alberto; Roletto, Ezio

2014-01-01

A novel didactic sequence is proposed for the teaching of chemical equilibrium. This teaching sequence takes into account the historical and epistemological evolution of the concept, the alternative conceptions and learning difficulties highlighted by teaching science and research in education, and the need to focus on both the students'…

Validation of virtual learning object to support the teaching of nursing care systematization.

PubMed

Salvador, Pétala Tuani Candido de Oliveira; Mariz, Camila Maria Dos Santos; Vítor, Allyne Fortes; Ferreira Júnior, Marcos Antônio; Fernandes, Maria Isabel Domingues; Martins, José Carlos Amado; Santos, Viviane Euzébia Pereira

2018-01-01

to describe the content validation process of a Virtual Learning Object to support the teaching of nursing care systematization to nursing professionals. methodological study, with quantitative approach, developed according to the methodological reference of Pasquali's psychometry and conducted from March to July 2016, from two-stage Delphi procedure. in the Delphi 1 stage, eight judges evaluated the Virtual Object; in Delphi 2 stage, seven judges evaluated it. The seven screens of the Virtual Object were analyzed as to the suitability of its contents. The Virtual Learning Object to support the teaching of nursing care systematization was considered valid in its content, with a Total Content Validity Coefficient of 0.96. it is expected that the Virtual Object can support the teaching of nursing care systematization in light of appropriate and effective pedagogical approaches.

Six Classroom Exercises to Teach Natural Selection to Undergraduate Biology Students

PubMed Central

Kalinowski, Steven T.; Leonard, Mary J.; Andrews, Tessa M.; Litt, Andrea R.

2013-01-01

Students in introductory biology courses frequently have misconceptions regarding natural selection. In this paper, we describe six activities that biology instructors can use to teach undergraduate students in introductory biology courses how natural selection causes evolution. These activities begin with a lesson introducing students to natural selection and also include discussions on sexual selection, molecular evolution, evolution of complex traits, and the evolution of behavior. The set of six topics gives students the opportunity to see how natural selection operates in a variety of contexts. Pre- and postinstruction testing showed students’ understanding of natural selection increased substantially after completing this series of learning activities. Testing throughout this unit showed steadily increasing student understanding, and surveys indicated students enjoyed the activities. PMID:24006396

Access to Intersectionality, Content to Competence: Deconstructing Social Work Education Diversity Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jani, Jayshree S.; Pierce, Dean; Ortiz, Larry; Sowbel, Lynda

2011-01-01

This article provides an assessment of the current situation in social work education regarding the teaching of content on diversity, with a focus on implications for social work theory, practice, and education. The article provides a critical analysis of the historical development of approaches to teaching diversity content in social work…

How to Teach Content: Existing Concepts and Prospects for Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zascerinska, Jelena

2011-01-01

The paradigm has changed from the static transmitted contents to knowledge that is ever renewable and often construed jointly with other learners (Niemi, 2008, p. 12) in a changing multicultural environment. Aim of the research is to analyze efficiency of the process of teaching and learning content applied to enhance students' knowledge in…

Primary Mathematics Teacher Education Encountering Difficult Terrain: A Personal Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norton, Stephen

2016-01-01

This paper is a case study in preparing prospective primary teachers to teach mathematics at one Australian university. The paper describes the content knowledge of prospective teachers, pre and post a final mathematics curriculum subject. The teaching approach which attempts to account for both content and pedagogical content knowledge is…

Exploring Biology Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge in the Teaching of Genetics in Swaziland Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mthethwa-Kunene, Eunice; Onwu, Gilbert Oke; de Villiers, Rian

2015-01-01

This study explored the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and its development of four experienced biology teachers in the context of teaching school genetics. PCK was defined in terms of teacher content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and knowledge of students' preconceptions and learning difficulties. Data sources of teacher knowledge base…

Tools for Teaching Content Literacy. [Flipchart

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Janet

2004-01-01

Reading and writing across content areas is emphasized in the standards and on high-stakes tests at the state and national level. As educators seek to incorporate content-area literacy into their teaching, they confront a maze of theories, instructional strategies, and acronyms like REAP and RAFT. Teachers who do work their way through the myriad…

[Development of Web-based multimedia content for a physical examination and health assessment course].

PubMed

Oh, Pok-Ja; Kim, Il-Ok; Shin, Sung-Rae; Jung, Hoe-Kyung

2004-10-01

This study was to develop Web-based multimedia content for Physical Examination and Health Assessment. The multimedia content was developed based on Jung's teaching and learning structure plan model, using the following 5 processes : 1) Analysis Stage, 2) Planning Stage, 3) Storyboard Framing and Production Stage, 4) Program Operation Stage, and 5) Final Evaluation Stage. The web based multimedia content consisted of an intro movie, main page and sub pages. On the main page, there were 6 menu bars that consisted of Announcement center, Information of professors, Lecture guide, Cyber lecture, Q&A, and Data centers, and a site map which introduced 15 week lectures. In the operation of web based multimedia content, HTML, JavaScript, Flash, and multimedia technology (Audio and Video) were utilized and the content consisted of text content, interactive content, animation, and audio & video. Consultation with the experts in context, computer engineering, and educational technology was utilized in the development of these processes. Web-based multimedia content is expected to offer individualized and tailored learning opportunities to maximize and facilitate the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process. Therefore, multimedia content should be utilized concurrently with the lecture in the Physical Examination and Health Assessment classes as a vital teaching aid to make up for the weakness of the face-to- face teaching-learning method.

The Teaching of Evolution--We Need To Do Better.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linhart, Yan B.

1997-01-01

Analyzes 50 major textbooks in the fields of evolution, biology, ecology, genetics, paleontology, and systematics, focusing on how the conceptual framework of evolution as a process is presented and developed in those fields. Lists definitions of evolution provided in the textbooks and discusses the implications of the findings. Contains 56…

College Students' Use of Science Content during Socioscientific Issues Negotiation: Impact of Evolution Understanding and Acceptance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fowler, Samantha R.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the evolution science content used during college students' negotiation of biology-based socioscientific issues (SSI) and examine how it related to students' conceptual understanding and acceptance of biological evolution. Specific research questions were, (1a) what specific evolutionary science content do…

Designing Tasks to Examine Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Statistics for Primary Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siswono, T. Y. E.; Kohar, A. W.; Hartono, S.

2018-01-01

Mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) is viewed as fuel resources for conducting an orchestra in a teaching and learning process. By understanding MKT, especially for primary teachers, it can predict the success of a goal of an instruction and analyze the weaknesses and improvements of it. To explore what teachers think about subject matters, pedagogical terms, and appropriate curriculum, it needs a task which can be identified the teachers’ MKT including the subject matter knowledge (SMK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This study aims to design an appropriate task for exploring primary teachers’ MKT for statistics in primary school. We designed six tasks to examine 40 primary teachers’ MKT, of which each respectively represents the categories of SMK (common content knowledge (CCK) and specialised content knowledge (SCK)) and PCK (knowledge of content and students (KCS), knowledge of content and teaching (KCT), and knowledge of content and curriculum (KCC)). While MKT has much attention of numbers of scholars, we consider knowledge of content and culture (KCCl) to be hypothesized in the domains of MKT. Thus, we added one more task examining how the primary teachers used their knowledge of content (KC) regarding to MKT in statistics. Some examples of the teachers’ responses on the tasks are discussed and some refinements of MKT task in statistics for primary teachers are suggested.

Teaching Cell Division: Basics and Recommendations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Mike U.; Kindfield, Ann C. H.

1999-01-01

Presents a concise overview of cell division that includes only the essential concepts necessary for understanding genetics and evolution. Makes recommendations based on published research and teaching experiences that can be used to judge the merits of potential activities and materials for teaching cell division. Makes suggestions regarding the…

The Diffusion of Innovation in Language Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markee, Numa

1992-01-01

The last 20 years in applied linguistics have seen the evolution of the communicative approach in language teaching and the development of a number of language teaching innovations. Investigating the problems associated with implementing these innovations is essential. Frameworks for evaluating and tracking the diffusion of innovations are…

Continuous Curriculum Assessment and Improvement: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Art

2007-01-01

Many factors, including reduced teaching resources, higher student-to-teacher ratios, evolving teaching technologies, and increased emphasis on success skills, have made it necessary for many teaching faculties to become more deliberate about continuous curriculum assessment and improvement. An example is the evolution of food science education…

The Culture of Teaching: Stability and Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ost, David H.

1989-01-01

The author establishes an operational concept of the culture of teaching. He argues that educational research overrates the importance of specific behaviors by ignoring the patterns and origins of the rules governing the culture. A model is presented to account for the evolution of the teaching culture. (CH)

An Experienced Chemistry Teacher's Practical Knowledge of Teaching with Practical Work: The PCK Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Bing; Liu, Hao

2018-01-01

We have examined an experienced chemistry teacher's pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of teaching with practical work in China. Based on the well-known PCK model by Magnusson S. J., Krajcik J. and Borko H., (1999), "Nature, sources, and development of pedagogical content knowledge for science teaching," in Gess-Newsome J. and Lederman…

Treating of Content-Based Instruction to Teach Writing Viewed from EFL Learners' Creativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaelani, Selamet Riadi

2017-01-01

The objectives of the research are to examine: (1) whether Content-Based Instruction is more effective than Problem-based learning to teach writing to the EFL Learners; (2) whether the EFL Learners having high creativity have better writing than those having low creativity; and (3) whether there is an interaction between teaching methods and EFL…

Graphic Design: A Sustainable Solution to Manage the Contents of Teaching Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Victor, Garcia Izaguirre; Luisa, Pier Castello Maria; Eduardo, Arvizu Sanchez

2010-01-01

There is a concern that the teaching of subjects is applied not only with support from a set of technological devices, but largely in the proper use of teaching and new technologies. Taking this idea, the authors develop a research and sustainable design that result in educational materials in solid content and technological innovation, also to…

Teach Ourselves: Social Networks for CS Stem Education

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

with peers. Teach Ourselves includes features that were inspired by recent research on the engaging properties of computer games , including the chance...15 i 1.0 SUMMARY In an online learning community (“ Teach Ourselves...content shared and viewed on the Internet, including text, images, videos and even home-authored games . The ease with which content can now be created

An Evaluation of Pronunciation Teaching Content of "English for Palestine 10" and Related Teachers' Competency Level in Light of Current Instructional Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Najjar, Rana Abdel-Rahman

2012-01-01

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate pronunciation teaching with regard to an EFL multi-skills textbook ("English for Palestine 10"). The evaluation was intended to identify the extent to which pronunciation teaching content incorporated in" English for Palestine 10," in addition to the related teachers' competency level match…

Preparing perservice teachers to teach elementary school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Amy D.

The development of scientifically literate citizens begins in the elementary school. Yet elementary school teachers are ill prepared to teach science (Trygstad, Smith, Banilower, Nelson, & Horizon Research, Inc., 2013). The research base on teacher preparation finds that programs designed to prepare elementary teachers are inadequate in providing both the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge necessary to teach science effectively (Baumgartner, 2010; Bodzin & Beerer, 2003; Bulunuz & Jarrett 2009). This mixed methods study examined what happened when a science methods course was interactively co-taught by an expert in elementary teaching methods and a physics expert. This study also aimed to discover what aspects of the curriculum pre-service teachers (PSTs) said helped them in developing their understanding of science content and scientific reasoning, and how to implement inquiry practices to teach science. A nested case study of three PSTs provided descriptive portraits of student experiences in the class. A whole class case analysis was used to examine what PSTs learned in terms of science, scientific reasoning skills, and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) from their experiences in the course. It was found that students often conflated science content with the experiences they had in learning the content. Although PSTs felt the interactive co-teaching model effectively created a balance between theory and practice, it was their experiences doing science--conducting physical experiments, developing and discussing scientific models, and the use of inquiry-based instruction--that they credited for their learning. Even with careful curriculum planning, and a course purposely designed to bridge the theory to practice gap, this study found one semester-long methods course to be insufficient in providing the vast content knowledge and PCK elementary school science teachers need.

Elementary student teachers' science content representations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zembal-Saul, Carla; Krajcik, Joseph; Blumenfeld, Phyllis

2002-08-01

This purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which three prospective teachers who had early opportunities to teach science would approach representing science content within the context of their student teaching experiences. The study is framed in the literature on pedagogical content knowledge and learning to teach. A situated perspective on cognition is applied to better understand the influence of context and the role of the cooperating teacher. The three participants were enrolled in an experimental teacher preparation program designed to enhance the teaching of science at the elementary level. Qualitative case study design guided the collection, organization, and analysis of data. Multiple forms of data associated with student teachers' content representations were collected, including audiotaped planning and reflection interviews, written lesson plans and reflections, and videotaped teaching experiences. Broad analysis categories were developed and refined around the subconstructs of content representation (i.e., knowledge of instructional strategies that promote learning and knowledge of students and their requirements for meaningful science learning). Findings suggest that when prospective teachers are provided with opportunities to apply and reflect substantively on their developing considerations for supporting children's science learning, they are able to maintain a subject matter emphasis. However, in the absence of such opportunities, student teachers abandon their subject matter emphasis, even when they have had extensive background and experiences addressing subject-specific considerations for teaching and learning.

I Won't Teach Evolution; It's Against My Religion. And Now for the Rest of the Story...

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trani, Randy

2004-01-01

In Oregon, biology teachers have a definite understanding of the nature of science and the theory of evolution. These understandings translate into a significant presentation of the theory of evolution in their classrooms.

Teaching Evolution through the Founder Effect: A Standards-Based Activity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leonard, William H.; Edmondson, Elizabeth

2003-01-01

Presents an activity called "The Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, Founder Effect, and Evolution" to allow students to learn about evolution in an engaging, constructivist manner. The activity also uses the tools of mathematics to learn several related biology concepts. (Author/SOE)

Evolution of the Students' Conceptual Understanding in the Case of a Teaching Sequence in Mechanics: Concept of Interaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Küçüközer, Asuman

2006-01-01

This study aims to better understand the construction of the meaning of physics concepts in mechanics during a teaching sequence at the upper secondary school level. In the teaching sessions, students were introduced to the concepts of interaction and force. During this teaching sequence the models called "interactions" and "laws of…

Evaluation of the Use of Team Teaching for Delivering Sensitive Content: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerridge, Joanna; Kyle, Gaye; Marks-Maran, Diane

2009-01-01

Many programmes in further and higher education contain sensitive areas of content, such as diversity, racism, power and privilege, breaking bad news, counselling, sex education and ethical decision making. Team teaching may be a useful method for delivering sensitive areas of course content. This article presents a pilot study that was undertaken…

A National Study of Training Content and Activities for Faculty Development for Online Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Katrina A.; Murrell, Vicki S.

2014-01-01

This article presents the results of a national study of 39 higher education institutions that collected information about their practices for faculty development for online teaching and particularly the content and training activities used during 2011-2012. This study found that the most frequently offered training content (97% of the…

Can Cases Carry Pedagogical Content Knowledge? Yes, But We've Got Signs of a "Matthew Effect."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kleinfeld, Judith

Teacher educators have come to appreciate that the teaching of difficult subjects combines knowledge of content and knowledge of generic teaching methods. A study was conducted, therefore, to explore the potential of cases to carry pedagogical content knowledge. A case was developed describing how an expert teacher goes about teaching…

Surveying In-Service Teachers' Beliefs about Game-Based Learning and Perceptions of Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge of Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Chung-Yuan; Tsai, Meng-Jung; Chang, Yu-Hsuan; Liang, Jyh-Chong

2017-01-01

Using the Game-based-learning Teaching Belief Scale (GTBS) and the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge--Games questionnaire (TPACK-G), this study investigated 316 Taiwanese in-service teachers' teaching beliefs about game-based learning and their perceptions of game-based pedagogical content knowledge (GPCK). Both t-tests and ANOVA…

Integrating the Epistemic and Ontological Aspects of Content Knowledge in Science Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papadouris, Nicos; Constantinou, Constantinos P.

2017-01-01

Promoting facility with content knowledge is one of the most important objectives of science teaching. Conventionally, the focus for this objective is placed on the substantive side of content knowledge (e.g. science concepts/laws), whereas its epistemic or ontological aspects (e.g. why do we construct concepts?) rarely receive explicit attention.…

Content and Language Integrated Learning: Teachers' and Teacher Educators' Experiences of English Medium Teaching. Publication No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sjoholm, Kaj, Ed.; Bjorklund, Mikaela, Ed.

The publication on the integration of content area and second language instruction, focusing on the situation in Finland, consists of nine essays and a bibliography. The essays include: "Education in a Second or Foreign Language. An Overview" (Kaj Sjoholm); "Foreign Language Content Teaching in Teacher Education at Abo Akademi…

Developing Mathematical Content Knowledge for Teaching: One Preservice Teacher and Her Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Susanna

2016-01-01

This paper describes how a new pre-service teacher engaged with mathematical content in order to learn it for teaching, during practicum. The results show that the PST learned mathematical content by initiating and carrying out a preparation phase prior to planning. This phase involved searching through internet sites and making notes that were…

Science Sampler: The Use of Stations to Develop Inquiry Skills and Content for Rock Hounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veal, William R.; Chandler, Anna T.

2008-01-01

Teaching the rock cycle can overwhelm even the most enthusiastic rock hound. As middle school science teachers, we constantly struggle with an appropriate balance between Earth system content and experiential activities. The authors have found that stations can be successfully employed to teach rock cycle content while reinforcing development of…

Exploring the Role of Content Knowledge in Responsive Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodhew, Lisa M.; Robertson, Amy D.

2017-01-01

In this paper, we begin to explore the role of content knowledge in responsive teaching (RT), using "in situ" data to draw out and speak to a latent disagreement within the literature. We claim that one role that content knowledge plays in RT is to support teachers in eliciting, seeing, and then pursuing disciplinary connections within…

Teaching-skills training programs for family medicine residents: systematic review of formats, content, and effects of existing programs.

PubMed

Lacasse, Miriam; Ratnapalan, Savithiri

2009-09-01

To review the literature on teaching-skills training programs for family medicine residents and to identify formats and content of these programs and their effects. Ovid MEDLINE (1950 to mid-July 2008) and the Education Resources Information Center database (pre-1966 to mid-July 2008) were searched using and combining the MeSH terms teaching, internship and residency, and family practice; and teaching, graduate medical education, and family practice. The initial MEDLINE and Education Resources Information Center database searches identified 362 and 33 references, respectively. Titles and abstracts were reviewed and studies were included if they described the format or content of a teaching-skills program or if they were primary studies of the effects of a teaching-skills program for family medicine residents or family medicine and other specialty trainees. The bibliographies of those articles were reviewed for unidentified studies. A total of 8 articles were identified for systematic review. Selection was limited to articles published in English. Teaching-skills training programs for family medicine residents vary from half-day curricula to a few months of training. Their content includes leadership skills, effective clinical teaching skills, technical teaching skills, as well as feedback and evaluation skills. Evaluations mainly assessed the programs' effects on teaching behaviour, which was generally found to improve following participation in the programs. Evaluations of learner reactions and learning outcomes also suggested that the programs have positive effects. Family medicine residency training programs differ from all other residency training programs in their shorter duration, usually 2 years, and the broader scope of learning within those 2 years. Few studies on teaching-skills training, however, were designed specifically for family medicine residents. Further studies assessing the effects of teaching-skills training in family medicine residents are needed to stimulate development of adapted programs for the discipline. Future research should also assess how residents' teaching-skills training can affect their learners' clinical training and eventually patient care.

Research Ethics in Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doyle, Elaine; Buckley, Patrick

2014-01-01

The evolution of enquiry-based teaching and learning has broadened the range of research carried out by university students. As a result, the boundaries between teaching and learning and academic research are being blurred to a degree not experienced heretofore. This paper examines whether research undertaken as part of course work should fall…

Teaching Electric Circuits: Teachers' Perceptions and Learners' Misconceptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moodley, Kimera; Gaigher, Estelle

2017-06-01

An exploratory case study involving six grade 9 science teachers was undertaken to probe how teachers' understanding of learners' misconceptions relate to their perceptions about teaching simple circuits. The participants' understanding of documented misconceptions in electricity were explored by means of a questionnaire, while their perceptions about teaching electric circuits were also explored in the questionnaire, followed by a semi-structured interview. Results were analysed using content analysis and interpreted using pedagogical content knowledge as a theoretical lens. The results indicated that understanding learners' misconceptions did not always correlate with conceptual perceptions about teaching electric circuits. While fair understanding of misconceptions was demonstrated by teachers who studied Physics at undergraduate level, only those who also held qualifications in Education showed conceptual perceptions about teaching electricity. Teachers who did not study Science Education revealed technical perceptions, focused on facts, demonstrations and calculations. From these results, a developmental model for pedagogical content knowledge was proposed. It was recommended that teacher education programs should involve misconceptions and also facilitate the development of conceptual perceptions about teaching.

The ABCs of an evolutionary education science: The academic, behavioral, and cultural implications of an evolutionary approach to education theory and practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauffman, Rick, Jr.

Calls for improving research-informed policy in education are everywhere. Yet, while there is an increasing trend towards science-based practice, there remains little agreement over which of the sciences to consult and how to organize a collective effort between them. What Education lacks is a general theoretical framework through which policies can be constructed, implemented, and assessed. This dissertation submits that evolutionary theory can provide a suitable framework for coordinating educational policies and practice, and can provide the entire field of education with a clearer sense of how to better manage the learning environment. This dissertation explores two broad paths that outline the conceptual foundations for an Evolutionary Education Science: "Teaching Evolution" and "Using Evolution to Teach." Chapter 1 introduces both of these themes. After describing why evolutionary science is best suited for organizing education research and practice, Chapter 1 proceeds to "teach" an overview of the "evolutionary toolkit"---the mechanisms and principles that underlie the modern evolutionary perspective. The chapter then employs the "toolkit" in examining education from an evolutionary perspective, outlining the evolutionary precepts that can guide theorizing and research in education, describing how educators can "use evolution to teach.". Chapters 2-4 expand on this second theme. Chapters 2 and 3 describe an education program for at-risk 9th and 10th grade students, the Regents Academy, designed entirely with evolutionary principles in mind. The program was rigorously assessed in a randomized control design and has demonstrated success at improving students' academic performance (Chapter 2) and social & behavioral development (Chapter 3). Chapter 4 examines current teaching strategies that underlie effective curriculum-instruction-assessment practices and proposes a framework for organizing successful, evidence-based strategies for neural-/cognitive-focused learning goals. Chapter 5 explores the cognitive effects that "teaching evolution" has on the learner. This chapter examines the effects that a course on evolutionary theory has on university undergraduate students in understanding and applying evolution and how learning the evolutionary toolkit affects critical thinking skills and domain transfer of knowledge. The results demonstrate that a single course on evolutionary theory increases students' acceptance and understanding of evolution and science, and, in effect, increases critical thinking performance.

Teaching the process of science: faculty perceptions and an effective methodology.

PubMed

Coil, David; Wenderoth, Mary Pat; Cunningham, Matthew; Dirks, Clarissa

2010-01-01

Most scientific endeavors require science process skills such as data interpretation, problem solving, experimental design, scientific writing, oral communication, collaborative work, and critical analysis of primary literature. These are the fundamental skills upon which the conceptual framework of scientific expertise is built. Unfortunately, most college science departments lack a formalized curriculum for teaching undergraduates science process skills. However, evidence strongly suggests that explicitly teaching undergraduates skills early in their education may enhance their understanding of science content. Our research reveals that faculty overwhelming support teaching undergraduates science process skills but typically do not spend enough time teaching skills due to the perceived need to cover content. To encourage faculty to address this issue, we provide our pedagogical philosophies, methods, and materials for teaching science process skills to freshman pursuing life science majors. We build upon previous work, showing student learning gains in both reading primary literature and scientific writing, and share student perspectives about a course where teaching the process of science, not content, was the focus. We recommend a wider implementation of courses that teach undergraduates science process skills early in their studies with the goals of improving student success and retention in the sciences and enhancing general science literacy.

Teaching the Process of Science: Faculty Perceptions and an Effective Methodology

PubMed Central

Coil, David; Wenderoth, Mary Pat; Cunningham, Matthew

2010-01-01

Most scientific endeavors require science process skills such as data interpretation, problem solving, experimental design, scientific writing, oral communication, collaborative work, and critical analysis of primary literature. These are the fundamental skills upon which the conceptual framework of scientific expertise is built. Unfortunately, most college science departments lack a formalized curriculum for teaching undergraduates science process skills. However, evidence strongly suggests that explicitly teaching undergraduates skills early in their education may enhance their understanding of science content. Our research reveals that faculty overwhelming support teaching undergraduates science process skills but typically do not spend enough time teaching skills due to the perceived need to cover content. To encourage faculty to address this issue, we provide our pedagogical philosophies, methods, and materials for teaching science process skills to freshman pursuing life science majors. We build upon previous work, showing student learning gains in both reading primary literature and scientific writing, and share student perspectives about a course where teaching the process of science, not content, was the focus. We recommend a wider implementation of courses that teach undergraduates science process skills early in their studies with the goals of improving student success and retention in the sciences and enhancing general science literacy. PMID:21123699

Incorporating English Language Teaching through Science for K-2 Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shanahan, Therese; Shea, Lauren M.

2012-01-01

English learners are faced with the dual challenge of acquiring English while learning academic content through the medium of the new language (Lee et al. in "J Res Sci Teach" 45(6):726-747, 2008; Stoddart et al. in "J Res Sci Teach" 39(8):664-687, 2002) and therefore need specific accommodations to achieve in both English and the content areas.…

The Nature of the Interplay among Components of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Reaction Rate and Chemical Equilibrium Topics of Novice and Experienced Chemistry Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akin, Fatma Nur; Uzuntiryaki-Kondakci, Esen

2018-01-01

We examined the interactions among pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) components of novice and experienced chemistry teachers in teaching reaction rate and chemical equilibrium topics in this qualitative multiple-case design study. For this aim, three chemistry teachers who had different levels of teaching experience in chemistry teaching were…

Using the Lens of Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching the Nature of Science to Portray Novice Chemistry Teachers' Transforming NOS in Early Years of Teaching Profession

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Supprakob, Surayot; Faikhamta, Chatree; Suwanruji, Potjanart

2016-01-01

Pedagogical content knowledge for teaching the nature of science (PCK for NOS) has attracted interest in recent decades. This study investigated the PCK for NOS of six novice chemistry teachers with various educational backgrounds. An interpretive case study was performed. Multiple data sources including classroom observations, field notes,…

Modeling and Explaining Content: Definition, Research Support, and Measurement of the "ETS"® National Observational Teaching Examination (NOTE) Assessment Series. Research Memorandum No. RM-16-07

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stickler, Leslie; Sykes, Gary

2016-01-01

This report reviews the scholarly and research evidence supporting the construct labeled modeling and explaining content (MEC), which is measured via a performance assessment in the "ETS"® National Observational Teaching Examination (NOTE) assessment series. This construct involves practices at the heart of teaching that deal with how…

The Impact of Video Case Content on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Decision-Making and Conceptions of Effective Science Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olson, Joanne K.; Bruxvoort, Crystal N.; Vande Haar, Andrea J.

2016-01-01

Little is known about how the content of a video case influences what preservice teachers learn about science teaching. This study was designed to determine the impact of two different video cases on preservice elementary teachers' conceptions of multiple aspects of effective science teaching, with one video selected to focus attention on the role…

A Case Study of Beginning Science Teachers' Subject Matter (SMK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of Teaching Chemical Reaction in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usak, Muhammet; Ozden, Mustafa; Eilks, Ingo

2011-01-01

This paper describes a case study focusing on the subject matter knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and beliefs about science teaching of student teachers in Turkey at the start of their university education. The topic of interest was that of teaching chemical reactions in secondary chemistry education. A written test was developed which…

Taiwan High School Biology Teachers' Acceptance and Understanding of Evolution and the Nature of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Li-Hua

2015-01-01

Evolution is the cornerstone of biological sciences, but anti-evolution teaching has become a global controversy since the introduction of evolutionary ideas into the United States high school science curricula in 1914. It is suggested that teachers' attitude toward and acceptance of the theory of evolution will influence their effect of teaching…

Experiences and Practices of Evolution Instructors at Christian Universities That Can Inform Culturally Competent Evolution Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, M. Elizabeth; Brownell, Sara E.

2018-01-01

Students' religious beliefs and religious cultures have been shown to be the main factors predicting whether they will accept evolution, yet college biology instructors teaching evolution at public institutions often have religious beliefs and cultures that are different from their religious students. This difference in religious beliefs and…

The transformation of science and mathematics content knowledge into teaching content by university faculty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flynn, Natalie P.

This study developed a survey from the existing literature in an attempt to illuminate the processes, tools, insights, and events that allow university science and mathematics content experts (Ph.D.'s) unpack their expertise in order to teach develop and teach undergraduate students. A pilot study was conducted at an urban university in order to refine the survey. The study consisted of 72 science or mathematics Ph.D. faculty members that teach at a research-based urban university. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 21 volunteer faculty to further explore their methods and tools for developing and implementing teaching within their discipline. Statistical analysis of the data revealed: faculty that taught while obtaining their Ph.D. were less confident in their ability to teach successful and faculty that received training in teaching believed that students have difficult to change misconceptions and do not commit enough time to their course. Student centered textbooks ranked the highest among tools used to gain teaching strategies followed by grading of exams and assignments for gaining insights into student knowledge and difficulties. Science and mathematics education literature and university provided education session ranked the lowest in rating scale for providing strategies for teaching. The open-ended survey questions were sub-divided and analyzed by the number of years of experience to identify the development of teaching knowledge over time and revealed that teaching became more interactive, less lecture based, and more engaging. As faculty matured and gained experience they became more aware of student misconceptions and difficulties often changing their teaching to eliminate such issues. As confidence levels increase their teaching included more technology-based tools, became more interactive, incorporated problem based activities, and became more flexible. This change occurred when and if faculty members altered their thinking about their knowledge from an expert centered perspective to a student centric view. Follow-up interviews of twenty faculty yielded a wide variety of insights into the complicated method of deconstructing expert science and mathematics content. The interviews revealed a major disconnect between education research and researchers and the science and mathematics content experts who teach. There is a pervasive disregard for science and mathematics education and training. Faculty members find little to no support for teaching. Though 81% obtained their Ph.D. with the intent to enter an academic setting, pedagogical training was non-existent or limited, both prior to and after obtaining faculty positions. Experience alone did not account for confidence or ability to successfully teach. Faculty that were able to 'think like a student' and view their material from a student's perspective' seemed to be the most confident and flexible in their teaching methods. Grading and having an open and interactive teaching style, being on the 'side of the students' also seemed to allow faculty to connect more deeply with the students and learn about common misconceptions and difficulties. Though most faculty claimed to not teach as they were taught and not recall having specific content difficulties, this essential interaction with many students facilitated a shift in thinking about their content. This shift allowed for a reversal from teacher centered classrooms to student centered. Multiple issues arise when teaching at a traditional larger lecture style found in the majority of universities science and mathematics courses that constrain and provide unique teaching challenges. Many faculty have developed unique tools to incorporate successful teaching strategies, such as daily pre-quizzes and smart-phone questioning as well as small group work, computer posted guides, strategic class breaks, and limiting lecture style in favor of a more active engaged classroom. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Cultural Foundations of the Idea and Practice of the Teaching Profession in Africa: Indigenous Roots, Colonial Intrusion, and Post-Colonial Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Assie-Lumumba, N'Dri T.

2012-01-01

In this article I analyze some of the cultural factors that have determined and influenced the teaching profession and its evolution in African countries. Firstly, I use an historical approach to review conceptual issues on teachers, teaching and learning; secondly, I examine salient features of the idea and practices of teachers and teaching in…

Evolution and Creationism: One Long Argument.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Good, Ron

2003-01-01

Discusses the dilemma between evolution and creationism in biology teaching. Explains the position of the Louisiana House Education Committee and presents an example from the Louisiana State University (LSU). (Author/SOE)

Under the Big Top: Using the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944 to Teach Literacy Strategies to Connecticut's Content Area Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morse, M. Lynn

2008-01-01

This article concerns the use of an historical event to teach interdisciplinary design and reading strategies to content area preservice teachers at a Connecticut state university. The course, a requirement for state certification, seeks to give secondary content area teachers strategies to help struggling readers. Teachers from all subject areas…

Initial Characterization of Colombian High School Physics Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge on Electric Fields

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melo-Niño, Lina Viviana; Cañada, Florentina; Mellado, Vicente

2017-01-01

We explore the initial characterization of the pedagogical content knowledge of four, in-service, Colombian pre-university secondary education physics teachers on the concept of electric field. Two of them teach the content in English as a second language. The aim of the study was to obtain an image of the participants' teaching of electric field…

Investigating the Relevance and Importance of Mathematical Content Knowledge Areas for Beginning Elementary School Teachers. Research Memorandum No. RM-16-10

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin-Raugh, Michelle P.; Reese, Clyde M.; Howell, Heather; Tannenbaum, Richard J.; Steinberg, Jonathan H.; Xu, Jun

2016-01-01

The purpose of this report is to explore the content-related validity evidence supporting the mathematics components of the "ETS"® National Observational Teaching Exam (NOTE) assessment series, a kindergarten through 6th grade teacher licensure assessment. To establish the content knowledge required for the effective teaching of…

Effects of an Additional Mathematics Content Course on Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Beliefs and Knowledge for Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Marvin E.; Swars, Susan L.; Smith, Stephanie Z.; Hart, Lynn C.; Haardorfer, Regine

2012-01-01

This longitudinal study examines the effects of changes in an elementary teacher preparation program on mathematics beliefs and content knowledge for teaching of two groups of prospective teachers (N = 276): (1) those who completed a program with three mathematics content courses and two mathematics methods courses and (2) those who completed a…

Promoting Student Teachers' Content Related Knowledge in Teaching Systems Thinking: Measuring Effects of an Intervention through Evaluating a Videotaped Lesson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenkränzer, Frank; Kramer, Tim; Hörsch, Christian; Schuler, Stephan; Rieß, Werner

2016-01-01

The understanding of complex, dynamic and animate systems has a special standing in education for sustainable development and biology. Thus one important role of science teacher education is to promote student teachers' Content Related Knowledge (CRK) for teaching systems thinking, consisting of extensive Content Knowledge (CK) and well formed…

"I'm Not the Science Type": Effect of an Inquiry Biology Content Course on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Intentions about Teaching Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weld, Jeffrey; Funk, Lucas

2005-01-01

Inquiry Into Life Science is a content biology course expressly for the fulfillment of the General Education life science laboratory course requirement of elementary education majors at this university. The course is modeled on the Teaching Standards and Content Standards of the National Science Education Standards [National Research Council.…

Knowledge Growth in Teaching Mathematics/Science with Spreadsheets: Moving PCK to TPACK through Online Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niess, Margaret L.; van Zee, Emily H.; Gillow-Wiles, Henry

2011-01-01

Inservice teachers need ways to gain an integrated knowledge of content, pedagogy, and technologies that reflects new ways of teaching and learning in the 21st century. This interpretive study examined inservice K-8 teachers' growth in their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) toward technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) in an online…

Teaching Evolutionary Mechanisms: Genetic Drift and M&M's.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staub, Nancy L.

2002-01-01

Describes a classroom activity that teaches the mechanism of genetic drift to undergraduates. Illustrates a number of concepts that are critical in developing evolution literacy by sampling M&M milk chocolate candies. (MM)

Teaching Statistics with Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prodromou, Theodosia

2015-01-01

The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) conceptual framework for teaching mathematics, developed by Mishra and Koehler (2006), emphasises the importance of developing integrated and interdependent understanding of three primary forms of knowledge: technology, pedagogy, and content. The TPACK conceptual framework is based upon the…

The Integration of technology in teaching mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muhtadi, D.; Wahyudin; Kartasasmita, B. G.; Prahmana, R. C. I.

2017-12-01

This paper presents the Transformation of Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) of three pre-service math teacher. They participate in technology-based learning modules aligned with teaching practice taught school and became characteristic of teaching method by using the mathematical software. ICT-based learning environment has been the demands in practice learning to build a more effective approach to the learning process of students. Also, this paper presents the results of research on learning mathematics in middle school that shows the influence of design teaching on knowledge of math content specifically.

Frameworks of reference: How (some) college students think about biological evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filisky, Michael

1999-12-01

Evolution, a key concept for understanding all of biology, is often misunderstood by students from elementary school to graduate school. In order to teach evolution effectively, as well as to teach the biological concepts necessary for understanding evolution, teachers need to understand the initial ideas that students bring with them to the learning experience. Research has shown that many students are likely to hold alternative conceptions that may block their ability to learn evolution. The goal of this study is to contribute to the effectiveness of teaching evolution at the high school and college levels both by investigating concepts that students bring with them to their first college study of evolution, and by examining the conceptual frameworks that support these students as they construct new understanding. This study was executed in two stages. An initial survey of evolutionary understanding was administered to 203 undergraduate students in two courses at two universities in the area of Boston, MA. The surveys elicited short, written responses to five real and fictitious scenarios about biological inheritance and evolutionary change. Responses were coded into categories of concepts. The data were analyzed for patterns of understanding. Students exhibiting concepts from each of the major categories were randomly selected to participate in the subsequent interview stage of the study. Interviews with six of the students were conducted based on an interview guide employing scenarios similar to those from the survey. Analyses of the interview transcripts included the construction of detailed concept maps for each response followed by narratives of each interviewee's conceptual frameworks. The results of both stages of the study revealed a range of alternative conceptions about evolution, including scientifically acceptable Darwinian ideas and other ideas---including Lamarckian inheritance of acquired characteristics---are not accepted by modern science. The interviews revealed a range of reasoning styles and frameworks that explained how students could find these ideas plausible. The study concludes with recommendations for further research on the understanding of evolutionary topics; for adaptations of the research methods; and for teaching strategies to address the findings.

Teaching and Learning Mathematics from Primary Historical Sources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, Janet Heine; Lodder, Jerry; Pengelley, David

2016-01-01

Why would anyone think of teaching and learning mathematics directly from primary historical sources? We aim to answer this question while sharing our own experiences, and those of our students across several decades. We will first describe the evolution of our motivation for teaching with primary sources, and our current view of the advantages…

Teaching in the Cloud: Leveraging Online Collaboration Tools to Enhance Student Engagement. CRLT Occasional Paper No. 31

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hershock, Chad; LaVaque-Manty, Mika

2012-01-01

The rapid proliferation of technology can have profound effects on the evolution of teaching, learning, scholarship, and governance in higher education (Katz, 2008). However, instructors report that simply "keeping up" with new instructional technologies, let alone integrating them productively into one's teaching, can be a significant…

The Progression of Prospective Primary Teachers' Conceptions of the Methodology of Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivero, Ana; Azcarate, Pilar; Porlan, Rafael; del Pozo, Rosa Martin; Harres, Joao

2011-01-01

This article describes the evolution of prospective primary teachers' conceptions of the methodology of teaching. Three categories were analyzed: the concept of activity, the organization of activities, and the concept of teaching resources. The study was conducted with five teams of prospective teachers, who were participating in teacher…

The Evolution of Quality Teaching and Four Questions for Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabriel, Rachael

2016-01-01

Today we look to determine teaching quality through a combination of observation, surveys, and test scores. These measures fail to answer the most important question about quality teaching: How is it accomplished? How has this teacher used questioning today, and what drove their decision to do so? How has this teacher structured independent…

Quality Teaching in Addressing Student Achievement: A Comparative Study between National Board Certified Teachers and Other Teachers on the Kentucky Core Content Test Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buecker, Harrie Lynne

2010-01-01

This dissertation focused on the link between quality teaching and its potential impact on student achievement. National Board Certification is used to represent quality teaching and student achievement is measured by the Kentucky Core Content Test. Data were gathered on the reading and mathematics scores of students of National Board Teachers who…

Evolution of genome size and genomic GC content in carnivorous holokinetics (Droseraceae).

PubMed

Veleba, Adam; Šmarda, Petr; Zedek, František; Horová, Lucie; Šmerda, Jakub; Bureš, Petr

2017-02-01

Studies in the carnivorous family Lentibulariaceae in the last years resulted in the discovery of the smallest plant genomes and an unusual pattern of genomic GC content evolution. However, scarcity of genomic data in other carnivorous clades still prevents a generalization of the observed patterns. Here the aim was to fill this gap by mapping genome evolution in the second largest carnivorous family, Droseraceae, where this evolution may be affected by chromosomal holokinetism in Drosera METHODS: The genome size and genomic GC content of 71 Droseraceae species were measured by flow cytometry. A dated phylogeny was constructed, and the evolution of both genomic parameters and their relationship to species climatic niches were tested using phylogeny-based statistics. The 2C genome size of Droseraceae varied between 488 and 10 927 Mbp, and the GC content ranged between 37·1 and 44·7 %. The genome sizes and genomic GC content of carnivorous and holocentric species did not differ from those of their non-carnivorous and monocentric relatives. The genomic GC content positively correlated with genome size and annual temperature fluctuations. The genome size and chromosome numbers were inversely correlated in the Australian clade of Drosera CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that neither carnivory (nutrient scarcity) nor the holokinetism have a prominent effect on size and DNA base composition of Droseraceae genomes. However, the holokinetic drive seems to affect karyotype evolution in one of the major clades of Drosera Our survey confirmed that the evolution of GC content is tightly connected with the evolution of genome size and also with environmental conditions. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A Topical Trajectory on Survival: an Analysis of Link-Making in a Sequence of Lessons on Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rocksén, Miranda; Olander, Clas

2017-04-01

This study explores the concept of link-making in relation to communicative strategies applied in the teaching and studying of biological evolution. The analysis focused on video recordings of 11 lessons on biological evolution conducted in a Swedish 9th grade class of students aged 15 years. It reveals how the teacher and students connected classroom conversations, the frequency of references to conversations in whole-class settings, and the development of a theme focusing on species survival and extinction. Detailed examples from the data illustrate how this theme developed from its initiation during the first lesson, through discussion and clarification, to its wrapping up during the last lesson. They further illustrate how students made sense of what the teacher said and wrote, and how the teacher postponed issues, explained and developed topics, provided opportunities for link-making, organised the class, motivated students, and checked their understanding. The study's methodological approach offers a way of including several time dimensions within research. Based on our findings, we conclude that the excerpts examined here did succeed in building `islands of coherence' in the co-construction of curricular content. Moreover, the topical trajectory in relation to species survival provided opportunities for constructing a `scientific story' in the classroom.

The Joint Council on Thoracic Surgery Education (JCTSE) "Educate the Educators" Faculty Development Course: Analysis of the First 5 Years.

PubMed

Yang, Stephen C; Vaporciyan, Ara A; Mark, Rebecca J; DaRosa, Deborah A; Stritter, Frank T; Sullivan, Maura E; Verrier, Edward D

2016-12-01

Since 2010, the Joint Council on Thoracic Surgery Education, Inc (JCTSE) has sponsored an annual "Educate the Educators" (EtE) course. The goal is to provide United States academic cardiothoracic surgeons (CTS) the fundamentals of teaching skills, educational curriculum development, and using education for academic advancement. This report describes the course development and evaluation along with attendee's self-assessment of skills through the first 5 years of the program. The content of this 2½-day course was based on needs assessment surveys of CTS and residents attending annual meetings in 2009. From 2010 to 2014, EtE was offered to all CTS at training programs approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Course content was evaluated by using end-of-course evaluation forms. A 5-point Likert scale (1 = poor, 5 = excellent) was used to obtain composite assessment mean scores for the 5 years on course variables, session presentations, and self-assessments. With 963 known academic CTS in the United States, 156 (16.3%) have attended, representing 70 of 72 training programs (97%), and 1 international surgeon attended. There were also 7 program coordinators. Ratings of core course contents ranged from 4.4 to 4.8, accompanied with highly complementary comments. Through self-assessment, skills and knowledge in all content areas statistically improved significantly. The effect of the course was evaluated with a follow-up survey in which responders rated the program 4.3 on the usefulness of the information for their career and 3.9 for educational productivity. The EtE program offers an excellent opportunity for academic CTS to enhance their teaching skills, develop educational activities, and prepare for academic promotion. With its unique networking and mentorship environment, the EtE program is an important resource in the evolution of cardiothoracic surgical training in the United States. Copyright © 2016 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Analysis and outlook on teaching status of Molecular Pharmacognosy].

PubMed

Bi, Yu-xia; Xu, Hai-yu; Tong, Yan; Cui, Shu-zhen; Li, Hai-yan; Liu, Chang-xiao

2015-09-01

The teaching status of Molecular Pharmacognosy in 28 institutions in China was investigated by questionnaire and the survey data was analyzed by SPSS. Research contents included course beginning years, majors, class hours, characteristics of the course, teaching ways, the theory and practice contents, evaluation modes, selection of teaching material, teaching achievements, teachers and so on for undergraduates and graduates. Research results showed that with 20 years' development, Molecular Pharmacognosy had been offered for both undergraduate and graduate students in at least 20 colleges and universities and Molecular Pharmacognosy education in China showed good development momentum. At the same time, to promote the development of Molecular Pharmacognosy further, investment for it should be increased and practical teaching condition should be improved.

Development of the Clinical Teaching Effectiveness Questionnaire in the United States.

PubMed

Wormley, Michelle E; Romney, Wendy; Greer, Anna E

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid measure for assessing clinical teaching effectiveness within the field of physical therapy. The Clinical Teaching Effectiveness Questionnaire (CTEQ) was developed via a 4-stage process, including (1) initial content development, (2) content analysis with 8 clinical instructors with over 5 years of clinical teaching experience, (3) pilot testing with 205 clinical instructors from 2 universities in the Northeast of the United States, and (4) psychometric evaluation, including principal component analysis. The scale development process resulted in a 30-item questionnaire with 4 sections that relate to clinical teaching: learning experiences, learning environment, communication, and evaluation. The CTEQ provides a preliminary valid measure for assessing clinical teaching effectiveness in physical therapy practice.

Teaching Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryner, Jeanna

2005-01-01

Eighty years after the famous 1925 Scopes "monkey trial," which tested a teacher's right to discuss the theory of evolution in the classroom, evolution--and its most recent counterview, called "intelligent design"--are in the headlines again, and just about everyone seems to have an opinion. This past July, President Bush weighed in, telling…

Understanding the Nature of Science through Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Narguizian, Paul

2004-01-01

As the common thread in biology, the topic of evolution and its related historical development can help students make sense of diverse biological concepts. The discussion of evolution provides educators with something else--a significant opportunity to teach important lessons involving the nature of science (NOS). This article addresses strategies…

Evolution & Intelligent Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staver, John R.

2003-01-01

Advocates of Intelligent Design (ID) theory argue that evolution is a theory in crisis, ID is a legitimate scientific theory, and biology teachers should teach the controversy. Supporters of evolutionary theory testify that ID is a religious, not scientific, concept, and evolution is in no danger of bankruptcy, having survived 140 years of…

Teaching evolution in the Australian classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vozzo, Les

A summary of the key issues of controversy encountered by science teachers in Australian classrooms. Evolution, cloning and gene manipulation, fertility control, artificial intelligence, irradiation of food, the use of nuclear energy, radiation from powerlines are some of the topics discussed and debated in classrooms. What are some of the difficulties encountered by teachers when students ask questions that raise moral dilemmas and challenges entrenched beliefs and views of the world. What are some of the teaching strategies used that deal with these difficulties.

Teaching and Learning Evolution: Testing the Principles of a Constructivist Approach through Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, Mary

2011-01-01

A tenth grade class in an international school studied evolution for four weeks as part of the study of Biology. A diagnostic test was used to determine the main misconceptions students have as they come to the study of evolution. This was followed by a series of explorations of different conceptual models to account for evolution, structured…

A collection of problems for physics teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gröber, S.; Jodl, H.-J.

2010-07-01

Problems are an important instrument for teachers to mediate physics content and for learners to adopt this content. This collection of problems is not only suited to traditional teaching and learning in lectures or student labs, but also to all kinds of new ways of teaching and learning, such as self-study, long-distance teaching, project-oriented learning and the use of remote labs/web experiments. We focus on Rutherford's scattering experiment, electron diffraction, Millikan's experiment and the use of pendulums to measure the dependence of gravitational acceleration on latitude. The collection contains about 50 problems with 160 subtasks and solutions, altogether 100 pages. Structure, content, range and the added value of the problems are described. The whole collection can be downloaded for free from http://rcl.physik.uni-kl.de.

National Center for Mathematics and Science - publications

Science.gov Websites

Approach to Teaching Evolution Speaks to Debate (press release) Fourth Grade Math Makes the News: VIEW , Megan Loef Franke, Linda Levi Publisher: Heinemann, 2003 Transforming Teaching in Math and Science: How

Teaching Reform and Practice of the Provincial-Level Quality Course: Quantum Mechanics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Hongmei

2010-01-01

According to the actuality of Dezhou University, some useful reforms in teaching content, teaching method, and teaching measure are introduced, combining with the characteristics of the course of quantum mechanism in this article.

New ideas for teaching electrocardiogram interpretation and improving classroom teaching content.

PubMed

Zeng, Rui; Yue, Rong-Zheng; Tan, Chun-Yu; Wang, Qin; Kuang, Pu; Tian, Pan-Wen; Zuo, Chuan

2015-01-01

Interpreting an electrocardiogram (ECG) is not only one of the most important parts of diagnostics but also one of the most difficult areas to teach. Owing to the abstract nature of the basic theoretical knowledge of the ECG, its scattered characteristics, and tedious and difficult-to-remember subject matter, teaching how to interpret ECGs is as difficult for teachers to teach as it is for students to learn. In order to enable medical students to master basic knowledge of ECG interpretation skills in a limited teaching time, we modified the content used for traditional ECG teaching and now propose a new ECG teaching method called the "graphics-sequence memory method." A prospective randomized controlled study was designed to measure the actual effectiveness of ECG learning by students. Two hundred students were randomly placed under a traditional teaching group and an innovative teaching group, with 100 participants in each group. The teachers in the traditional teaching group utilized the traditional teaching outline, whereas the teachers in the innovative teaching group received training in line with the proposed teaching method and syllabus. All the students took an examination in the final semester by analyzing 20 ECGs from real clinical cases and submitted their ECG reports. The average ECG reading time was 32 minutes for the traditional teaching group and 18 minutes for the innovative teaching group. The average ECG accuracy results were 43% for the traditional teaching group and 77% for the innovative teaching group. Learning to accurately interpret ECGs is an important skill in the cardiac discipline, but the ECG's mechanisms are intricate and the content is scattered. Textbooks tend to make the students feel confused owing to the restrictions of the length and the format of the syllabi, apart from many other limitations. The graphics-sequence memory method was found to be a useful method for ECG teaching.

Informatics in radiology (infoRAD): multimedia extension of medical imaging resource center teaching files.

PubMed

Yang, Guo Liang; Aziz, Aamer; Narayanaswami, Banukumar; Anand, Ananthasubramaniam; Lim, C C Tchoyoson; Nowinski, Wieslaw Lucjan

2005-01-01

A new method has been developed for multimedia enhancement of electronic teaching files created by using the standard protocols and formats offered by the Medical Imaging Resource Center (MIRC) project of the Radiological Society of North America. The typical MIRC electronic teaching file consists of static pages only; with the new method, audio and visual content may be added to the MIRC electronic teaching file so that the entire image interpretation process can be recorded for teaching purposes. With an efficient system for encoding the audiovisual record of on-screen manipulation of radiologic images, the multimedia teaching files generated are small enough to be transmitted via the Internet with acceptable resolution. Students may respond with the addition of new audio and visual content and thereby participate in a discussion about a particular case. MIRC electronic teaching files with multimedia enhancement have the potential to augment the effectiveness of diagnostic radiology teaching. RSNA, 2005.

Content Instruction through a Foreign Language. A Report on the 1992-1993 TCE Programme. Research and Fieldwork No. 18.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasanen, Anne, Ed.; Marsh, David, Ed.

This volume of articles is a report from the national teacher in-service development program in teaching content through a foreign language at the Continuing Education Centre of the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. This publication is mainly in English, because of the basic rationale of the Teaching Content through English (TCE) programme, and…

A Comparison of Pre-Service, In-Service and Formation Program for Teachers' Perceptions of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) in English Language Teaching (ELT)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turgut, Yildiz

2017-01-01

In view of the rapid advancement of technology, technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) has been extensively studied. However, research on technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) in teaching English appear to be scarce and addressed either pre-service or in-service teachers, but not their comparison. Additionally, although…

The Canadian Experience in the Teaching of Official Languages. Proceedings of the Symposium on the Canadian Experience in the Teaching of Official Languages (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, May 22-23, 1996).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Heritage, Ottawa (Ontario).

Symposium panel presentations on teaching official languages (French and English) in Canada include: "Social Stakes of English and French Teaching in Canada Over the Last 25 Years" (Roger Collet, Jan Finlay, Alan Lombard, Paul Ruest); "Evolution of the School-Community-Family Linkages" (Fernand Langlais, Roger Arsenault,…

Understanding primary school science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge: The case of teaching global warming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chordnork, Boonliang; Yuenyong, Chokchai

2018-01-01

This aim of this research was to investigate primary school science teachers understanding and teaching practice as well as the influence on teaching and learning a topic like global warming. The participants were four primary science teachers, who were not graduated in science education. Methodology was the case study method, which was under the qualitative research regarded from interpretive paradigm. Data were collected by openended questionnaire, semi-structure interview, and document colleting. The questionnaire examined teachers' background, teachers' understanding of problems and threats of science teaching, desiring of development their PCK, sharing the teaching approaches, and their ideas of strength and weakness. a semi-structured interview was conducted based on the approach for capturing PCK of Loughran [23] content representation (CoRe). And, the document was collected to clarify what evidence which was invented to effect on students' learning. These document included lesson plan, students' task, and painting about global warming, science projects, the picture of activities of science learning, the exercise and test. Data analysis employed multiple approach of evidence looking an issue from each primary science teachers and used triangulation method to analyze the data with aiming to make meaning of teachers' representation of teaching practice. These included descriptive statistics, CoRe interpretation, and document analysis. The results show that teachers had misunderstanding of science teaching practice and they has articulated the pedagogical content knowledge in terms of assessment, goal of teaching and linking to the context of socio cultural. In contrast, knowledge and belief of curriculum, students' understanding of content global warming, and strategies of teaching were articulated indistinct by non-graduate science teacher. Constructing opportunities for personal development, the curiosity of the student learning center, and linking context of socio-culture were the creative factor in the teaching global warming. On the other hand, the teachers had an idea that lack of technology and the defect of child's intelligence were hinder factors teaching global warming.

Educative Mentoring: How a Mentor Supported a Preservice Biology Teacher's Pedagogical Content Knowledge Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnett, Ellen; Friedrichsen, Patricia J.

2015-11-01

Research suggests discipline-specific, educative mentoring can help preservice teachers develop more sophisticated pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). However, there are few studies examining the nature of mentors' practice and how mentors influence preservice teacher's (PST) PCK. The purpose of this case study was to describe the strategies used by a secondary biology mentor teacher to support the development of a PST's PCK. The primary data sources were the transcripts of audio-recorded, daily meetings between the mentor and the PST during two curriculum units: DNA/Protein Synthesis and Evolution. The mentor influenced the PST's teaching orientation by repeatedly comparing teacher- and student-centered approaches, asking him to consider how students learn, and asking him to self-assess whether his instruction aligned with his teaching beliefs. The mentor helped the PST develop topic-specific knowledge of instructional strategies by sharing strategies she used previously, modeling critical reflection, and inviting him to critically reflect on his own instructional strategies. Topic-specific knowledge of students' understanding of science was developed by discussing common student misconceptions revealed in students' conversations and by sharing the results of test-item analysis from previous unit tests. The mentor helped develop the PST's topic-specific knowledge of assessment by helping him critically analyze and revise previous examinations to better align with the current curriculum units. Topic-specific knowledge of curricula was developed by jointly grappling with decisions about concept sequencing within units. The study includes implications for research, science teacher education, and professional development for mentors.

Map Learning with a 3D Printed Interactive Small-Scale Model: Improvement of Space and Text Memorization in Visually Impaired Students

PubMed Central

Giraud, Stéphanie; Brock, Anke M.; Macé, Marc J.-M.; Jouffrais, Christophe

2017-01-01

Special education teachers for visually impaired students rely on tools such as raised-line maps (RLMs) to teach spatial knowledge. These tools do not fully and adequately meet the needs of the teachers because they are long to produce, expensive, and not versatile enough to provide rapid updating of the content. For instance, the same RLM can barely be used during different lessons. In addition, those maps do not provide any interactivity, which reduces students’ autonomy. With the emergence of 3D printing and low-cost microcontrollers, it is now easy to design affordable interactive small-scale models (SSMs) which are adapted to the needs of special education teachers. However, no study has previously been conducted to evaluate non-visual learning using interactive SSMs. In collaboration with a specialized teacher, we designed a SSM and a RLM representing the evolution of the geography and history of a fictitious kingdom. The two conditions were compared in a study with 24 visually impaired students regarding the memorization of the spatial layout and historical contents. The study showed that the interactive SSM improved both space and text memorization as compared to the RLM with braille legend. In conclusion, we argue that affordable home-made interactive small scale models can improve learning for visually impaired students. Interestingly, they are adaptable to any teaching situation including students with specific needs. PMID:28649209

Generating Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Teacher Education Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van den Berg, Ed

2015-01-01

Some pre-service teaching activities can contribute much to the learning of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and subsequent teaching as these activities are "generating" PCK within the pre-service teacher's own classroom. Three examples are described: preparing exhibitions of science experiments, assessing preconceptions, and teaching…

Under One Big Sky: Elementary Pre-Service Teachers Use Inquiry to Learn about the Moon, Construct Knowledge, and Teach Elementary Students around the World via the Internet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Luann Christensen

2011-01-01

This study examined the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) constructed by a group of 24 pre-service elementary teacher participants as they learned about the moon's phases, inquiry learning, and use of the Internet message boards as a teaching tool as a part of their science teaching methods course. The MOON Project (More…

A Comparative Study Teaching Chemistry Using the 5E Learning Cycle and Traditional Teaching with a Large English Language Population in a Middle-School Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McWright, Cynthia Nicole Pendleton

2017-01-01

For decades science educators and educational institutions have been concerned with the status of science content being taught in K-12 schools and the delivery of the content. Thus, educational reformers in the United States continue to strive to solve the problem on how to best teach science for optimal success in learning. The constructivist…

Creative classroom strategies for teaching nursing research.

PubMed

Phillips, Regina Miecznikoski

2014-01-01

Faculty are constantly challenged to find interesting classroom activities to teach nursing content and engage students in learning. Nursing students and graduates need to use research skills and evidence-based practice as part of their professional care. Finding creative and engaging ways to teach this material in undergraduate nursing programs are essential. This article outlines several successful strategies to engage nursing students in research content in the time and space constraints of the classroom.

Demonstration and Pantomime in the Evolution of Teaching.

PubMed

Gärdenfors, Peter

2017-01-01

Donald proposes that early Homo evolved mimesis as a new form of cognition. This article investigates the mimesis hypothesis in relation to the evolution of teaching. The fundamental capacities that distinguish hominin teaching from that of other animals are demonstration and pantomime. A conceptual analysis of the instructional and communicative functions of demonstration and pantomime is presented. Archaeological evidence that demonstration was used for transmitting the Oldowan technology is summarized. It is argued that pantomime develops out of demonstration so that the primary objective of pantomime is that the onlooker learns the motoric patterns shown in the pantomime. The communicative use of pantomime is judged to be secondary. This use of pantomime is also contrasted with other forms of gestures. A key feature of the analysis is that the meaning of a pantomime is characterized by the force patterns of the movements. These force patterns form the core of a model of the cognitive mechanism behind pantomime. Finally, the role of pantomime in the evolution of language is also discussed.

Demonstration and Pantomime in the Evolution of Teaching

PubMed Central

Gärdenfors, Peter

2017-01-01

Donald proposes that early Homo evolved mimesis as a new form of cognition. This article investigates the mimesis hypothesis in relation to the evolution of teaching. The fundamental capacities that distinguish hominin teaching from that of other animals are demonstration and pantomime. A conceptual analysis of the instructional and communicative functions of demonstration and pantomime is presented. Archaeological evidence that demonstration was used for transmitting the Oldowan technology is summarized. It is argued that pantomime develops out of demonstration so that the primary objective of pantomime is that the onlooker learns the motoric patterns shown in the pantomime. The communicative use of pantomime is judged to be secondary. This use of pantomime is also contrasted with other forms of gestures. A key feature of the analysis is that the meaning of a pantomime is characterized by the force patterns of the movements. These force patterns form the core of a model of the cognitive mechanism behind pantomime. Finally, the role of pantomime in the evolution of language is also discussed. PMID:28382011

Determining discourses: Constraints and resources influencing early career science teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grindstaff, Kelly E.

This study explores the thinking and practices of five early-career teachers of grades eight to ten science, in relation to their histories, schools, students, and larger cultural and political forces. All the teachers are young women, two in their fourth year of teaching, who teach together in an affluent suburb, along with one first-year teacher. The other two are first-year teachers who teach in an urban setting. All of these teachers most closely associated good science teaching with forming relationships with students. They filtered science content through a lens of relevance (mostly to everyday life) and interest for students. Thus they filtered science content through a commitment to serving students, which makes sense since I argue that the primary motivations for teaching had more to do with working with students and helping people than the disciplines of science. Thus, within the discourse of the supremacy of curriculum and the prevalence of testing, these teachers enact hybrid practices which focus on covering content -- to help ensure the success of students -- and on relevance and interest, which has more to do with teaching styles and personality than disciplines of science. Ideas of good teaching are not very focused on science, which contradicts the type of support they seek and utilize around science content. This presents a challenge to pre- and in-service education and support to question what student success means, what concern for students entails and how to connect caring and concern for students with science.

Differences and commonalities in difficulties faced by clinical nursing educators and faculty in Japan: a qualitative cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background To clarify the current state of communication between clinical nursing educators and nursing faculty members and the perceived difficulties encountered while teaching nursing students in clinical training in Japan. Methods We collected data via focus group interviews with 14 clinical nursing educators, two nursing technical college teachers, and five university nursing faculty members. Interview transcripts were coded to express interview content as conclusions for each unit of meaning. Similar compiled content was categorized. Results Difficulties in providing clinical training mentioned by both clinical educators and faculty members were classified into four categories: “difficulties with directly exchanging opinions,” “mismatch between school-required teaching content and clinical teaching content,” “difficulties with handling students who demonstrate a low level of readiness for training,” and “human and time limitations in teaching.” In some categories, the opinions of educators matched those of the faculty members, whereas in others, the problems differed according to position. Conclusions The Japanese culture and working conditions may affect communication between clinical educators and faculty members; however, a direct “opinion exchange” between them is crucial for improving the clinical teaching environment in Japan. PMID:23098211

A Case of Successful Teaching Policy: Connecticut's Long-Term Efforts To Improve Teaching and Learning. A Research Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Suzanne M.; Darling-Hammond, Linda; Berry, Barnett

In this monograph, the authors describe Connecticut's long-term efforts to implement a comprehensive set of teaching quality policies to support improved student learning. The authors begin by describing the 15-year evolution of policies designed to recruit, prepare, and support teachers, while also creating greater accountability for the…

Play to learn, teach by play.

PubMed

Palagi, Elisabetta; Stanyon, Roscoe; Demuru, Elisa

2015-01-01

The synthesis provided by Kline in the target article is noteworthy, but ignores the inseparable role of play in the evolution of learning and teaching in both humans and other animals. Play is distinguished and advantaged by its positive feedback reinforcement through pleasure. Play, especially between adults and infants, is probably the platform from which human learning and teaching evolved.

Digital Teaching Platforms: Customizing Classroom Learning for Each Student. Technology & Education, Connections (TEC)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dede, Chris, Ed.; Richards, John, Ed.

2012-01-01

The Digital Teaching Platform (DTP) brings the power of interactive technology to teaching and learning in classrooms. In this authoritative book, top researchers in the field of learning science and educational technology examine the current state of design and research on DTPs, the principles for evaluating them, and their likely evolution as a…

A Historical Analysis of the Daniell Cell and Electrochemistry Teaching in French and Tunisian Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boulabiar, Ahlem; Bouraoui, Kamel; Chastrette, Maurice; Abderrabba, Manef

2004-01-01

The condition in which the Daniell Cell was historically constructed is examined and the evolution of its presentation in French and Tunisian chemistry textbooks is analyzed. Based on the studies, several innovations to facilitate the teaching of the cell, and more generally, the teaching of electrochemistry and of ionic conduction are proposed.

A Computer Evolution in Teaching Undergraduate Time Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodgess, Erin M.

2004-01-01

In teaching undergraduate time series courses, we have used a mixture of various statistical packages. We have finally been able to teach all of the applied concepts within one statistical package; R. This article describes the process that we use to conduct a thorough analysis of a time series. An example with a data set is provided. We compare…

Communicative Language Teaching Today. Portfolio Series #13

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Jack C.

2005-01-01

This booklet examines the methodology known as Communicative Language Teaching or CLT and explores the assumptions it is based on, its origins and evolution since it was first proposed in the 1970s, and how it has influenced approaches to language teaching today. It serves to review what has been learned from CLT and what its relevance is today. A…

Technology, Teaching, and the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

May, William F.

A philosophical overview of the place of technology in higher education and especially in teaching is presented. Research can be viewed as the acquisition of knowledge; teaching as its transmission; and service as its application. Technology affects the transmission of knowledge in both the teaching process and the content of teaching. The…

An Integrated Strategy for Teaching Biochemistry to Biotechnology Specialty Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ouyang, Liming; Ou, Ling; Zhang, Yuanxing

2007-01-01

The faculty of biochemistry established an integrated teaching strategy for biotechnology specialty students, by intermeshing the case-study method, web-assistant teaching, and improved lecture format with a brief content and multimedia courseware. Teaching practice showed that the integrated teaching strategy could retain the best features of…

Focus: Teaching by Genre.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wimer, Frances N., Ed.

1974-01-01

The focus of this bulletin is teaching the various literary genres in the secondary English class. Contents include "The Song Within: An Approach to Teaching Poetry,""Teaching Folk-Rock,""Approaches to Teaching Poetry,""Focus on an Elective Program: Twentieth Century Lyrical Poetry,""Hoffman and Poe: Masters of the Grotesque,""Plays: Shared and…

Consideration of Problem-Based Learning in Athletic Training Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillette, Cordial M.

2017-01-01

Context: Athletic training educators are faced with the tasks of assessing learning styles, preparing and delivering content, and assessing student learning. Within content delivery, some educators may subscribe to certain learning theories and teaching strategies. One teaching strategy that holds potential for athletic training education is…

Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Prerequisite Algebra Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welder, Rachael M.; Simonsen, Linda M.

2011-01-01

The current study investigated the effects of an undergraduate mathematics content course for pre-service elementary teachers. The participants' content knowledge was quantitatively measured using an instrument comprised of items from the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Measures (Hill, Schilling, & Ball, 2004). Using a one-group…

"Whole" Ballet Education: Exploring Direct and Indirect Teaching Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Euichang; Kim, Na-ye

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore teaching methods for whole ballet in Korean ballet education. This study built upon a first phase of research that identified the educational content of "whole" ballet. Four dimensions were identified as the educational content: "physical," "cognitive," "emotional"…

Incorporating Diversity Content into Courses and Concerns about Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prieto, Loreto R.

2018-01-01

I examined concerns surrounding teaching culturally diverse students and attitudes toward incorporating diversity content into courses, held by a national sample of psychology educators (N = 91). Findings indicated that as instructors' personal acceptance of culturally diverse students increased, instructors' level of "backlash"…

Discussion on teaching reform of environmental planning and management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qiugen; Chen, Suhua; Xie, Yu; Wei, Li'an; Ding, Yuan

2018-05-01

The curriculum of environmental planning and management is an environmental engineering major curriculum established by the teaching steering committee of environmental science and engineering of Education Ministry, which is the core curriculum of Chinese engineering education professional certification. It plays an important role in cultivating environmental planning and environmental management ability of environmental engineering major. The selection and optimization of the course teaching content of environmental planning and management were discussed which including curriculum teaching content updating and optimizing and teaching resource system construction. The comprehensive application of teaching method was discussed which including teaching method synthesis and teaching method. The final combination of the assessment method was also discussed which including the formative assessment normal grades and the final result of the course examination. Through the curriculum comprehensive teaching reform, students' knowledge had been broadened, the subject status and autonomy of learning had been enhanced, students' learning interest had been motivated, the ability of students' finding, analyzing and solving problems had been improved. Students' innovative ability and positive spirit had been well cultivated.

Technological pedagogical content knowledge and teaching practice of mathematics trainee teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tajudin, Nor'ain Mohd.; Kadir, Noor Zarinawaty Abd.

2014-07-01

This study aims to identify the level of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) of mathematics trainee teachers at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) and explore their teaching practices during practical training at school. The study was conducted in two phases using a mix-method research. In the first phase, a survey method using a questionnaire was carried out on 156 trainee teachers of Bachelor of Mathematics Education (AT14) and Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) with Education (AT48). The instrument used was a questionnaire that measures the level of content knowledge, pedagogy, technology and TPCK of mathematics. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, namely the mean. While in the second phase, the interview method involved four trainee teachers were performed. The instrument used was the semi-structured interview protocol to assess the trainee teacher's TPCK integration in their teaching practice. Data were analyzed using the content analysis. The findings showed that the level of knowledge of TPCK among trainee teachers was moderate with overall mean score of 3.60. This level did not show significant differences between the two programs with mean scores of 3.601 for the AT14 group and 3.603 for the AT48 group. However, there was a difference for gender classification such that the female trainees had mean score of 3.58 and male trainees with mean score of 3.72. Although students' TPCK level was moderate, the level of content knowledge (CK), technological knowledge (TK) and pedagogical knowledge (PK), showed a higher level with overall mean scores of 3.75, 3.87 and 3.84 respectively. The findings also showed that in terms of content knowledge, trainee teacher's learning mathematics background was good, but the knowledge of mathematics was limited in the curriculum, philosophy and application aspect. In terms of pedagogical content knowledge, all respondents tend to use lecture and discussion methods in teaching Trigonometry topic in almost the entire teaching and learning sessions. In terms of using technology in teaching and learning process, all respondents were more likely to use PowerPoint presentation as well as assisted by the use of a scientific calculator. The use of PowerPoint was limited in explaining the title and its content and the calculators were used during practice sessions. The four trainee teachers were still at the recognizing and acceptance levels of TPCK integration during their teaching practice. This study indicates that UPSI trainee teachers should be given exposure in the use of information and communication technology and trained to provide alternative teaching strategies in more creative ways if there are obstacles when integrating technology in teaching and learning process.

Effect of structure in problem based learning on science teaching efficacy beliefs and science content knowledge of elementary preservice teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasser, Selena Kay

This study examined the effects of differing amounts of structure within the problem based learning instructional model on elementary preservice teachers' science teaching efficacy beliefs, including personal science teaching efficacy and science teaching outcome expectancy, and content knowledge acquisition. This study involved sixty (60) undergraduate elementary preservice teachers enrolled in three sections of elementary science methods classes at a large Midwestern research university. This study used a quasi-experimental nonequivalent design to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. Participants completed instruments designed to assess science teaching efficacy beliefs, science background, and demographic data. Quantitative data from pre and posttests was obtained using the science teaching efficacy belief instrument-preservice (STEBI-B) developed by Enochs and Riggs (1990) and modified by Bleicher (2004). Data collection instruments also included a demographic questionnaire, an analytic rubric, and a structured interview; both created by the researcher. Quantitative data was analyzed by conducting ANCOVA, paired samples t-test, and independent samples t-test. Qualitative data was analyzed using coding and themes. Each of the treatment groups received the same problem scenario, one group experienced a more structured PBL setting, and one group experienced a limited structure PBL setting. Research personnel administered pre and posttests to determine the elementary preservice teachers' science teaching efficacy beliefs. The results show elementary preservice teachers'science teaching efficacy beliefs can be influence by the problem based learning instructional model. This study did not find that the amount of structure in the form of core ideas to consider and resources for further research increased science teaching efficacy beliefs in this sample. Results from the science content knowledge rubric indicated that structure can increase science content knowledge in this sample. Qualitative data from the tutor, fidelity raters, and interviews indicated the participants were excited about the problem and were interested in the science content knowledge related to the problem. They also indicated they were motivated to continue informal study in the problem area. Participants indicated, during the interview, their initial frustration with the lack of knowledge gained from the tutor; however, indicated this led to more learning on their part. This study will contribute to the overall knowledge of problem based learning and its structures, science teaching efficacy beliefs of elementary preservice teachers, and to current teaching and learning practices.

Teaching the Broad, Interdisciplinary Impact of Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benson, David; Atlas, Pierre; Haberski, Raymond; Higgs, Jamie; Kiley, Patrick; Maxwell, Michael, Jr.; Mirola, William; Norton, Jamey

2009-01-01

As perhaps the most encompassing idea in biology, evolution has impacted not only science, but other academic disciplines as well. The broad, interdisciplinary impact of evolution was the theme of a course taught at Marian College, Indianapolis, Indiana in 2002, 2004, and 2006. Using a strategy that could be readily adopted at other institutions,…

Teaching Darwinian Evolution: Learning from Religious Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stolberg, Tonie L.

2010-06-01

This article examines what science education might be able to learn from phenomenological religious education’s attempts to teach classes where students hold a plurality of religious beliefs. Recent statements as to how best to accomplish the central pedagogical concept of ‘learning from religion’ as a vehicle for human transformation are explored, and then used to appraise the historical research into how Charles Darwin’s responses to religious ideas influenced and were influenced by his scientific work. The issues identified as crucial for science educators to be aware of when teaching students Darwinian evolution are then outlined and, finally, suggestions are made to enable individual students to examine how their personal religious beliefs might interact with their growing understanding of Darwin’s evolutionary approach.

[Education in operating room nursing: transformation of the discipline at University of São Paulo School of Nursing (Brazil)].

PubMed

Turrini, Ruth Natalia Teresa; Costa, Ana Lucia Siqueira; Peniche, Aparecida de Cassia Giani; Bianchi, Estela Regina Ferraz; Cianciarullo, Tâmara Iwanow

2012-10-01

The objectives of this paper are to present a summary of the evolution of the content of perioperative nursing at the University of São Paulo School of Nursing (EEUSP) and reflect on the National Curriculum Directives (NCD) for the nursing course. The study was developed from a brief history of the practice of perioperative nursing and the inclusion of this topic in the nursing curriculum at EEUSP. The National Curriculum Directives are important because they permit undergraduate schools to determine the amount of teaching time for each course that will comprise their curriculum, but the competencies and skills proposed are nonspecific. We believe that the general nurse should have theoretical and practical learning opportunities to work in every area and level of healthcare.

Battle Brewing Over Arkansas Creationism Law.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baum, Rudy

1981-01-01

Reports recent proceedings regarding a new law enacted in early 1981 in Arkansas which requires schools that teach evolution to teach what the law calls "creation-science." Opposition to the law by the American Civil Liberties Union is discussed. (CS)

Teaching an Integrated Science Curriculum: Linking Teacher Knowledge and Teaching Assignments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrell, Pamela Esprivalo

2010-01-01

A number of factors affect successful implementation of an integrated science curriculum, including various outputs and inputs related to teacher quality such as professional development experiences, adequate planning periods, and adequate content preparation of teachers with regard to content knowledge associated with the curriculum taught. This…

Science-for-Teaching Discourse in Science Teachers' Professional Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lohwasser, Karin

2013-01-01

Professional learning communities (PLCs) provide an increasingly common structure for teachers' professional development. The effectiveness of PLCs depends on the content and quality of the participants' discourse. This dissertation was conducted to add to an understanding of the science content needed to prepare to teach science, and the…

Teaching Science Fiction to Science and Technology Majors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diaconoff, Ted

This paper describes the content and implementation of a course designed to teach science and technology majors about science fiction. Although many students had expressed little interest in the imaginative world of literature, the scientific content of the texts used attracted their attention and legitimized their involvement in something outside…

What Will It Take To Ensure Implementation? A Content Literacy Dilemma.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rafferty, Cathleen D.

A study attempted to determine a variety of facilitating and militating elements that influence Content Area Literacy/Learning Teaching Strategies (CAL/LTS) implementation. It investigated the impact of various contextual or ecological features embedded within the student teaching experience on student teachers' ability to implement various…

Behavioural Intention and Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Maria Jose; González-Ruiz, Ignacio

2017-01-01

Teachers' beliefs, together with sound technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), are directly related to the effective integration of technology in mathematics teaching. This study explored the relationship between pre-service teachers' behavioural intention to use technology to teach mathematics and their TPACK. A case-study analysis…

Content Management Middleware for the Support of Distributed Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsalapatas, Hariklia; Stav, John B.; Kalantzis, Christos

2004-01-01

eCMS is a web-based federated content management system for the support of distributed teaching based on an open, distributed middleware architecture for the publication, discovery, retrieval, and integration of educational material. The infrastructure supports the management of both standalone material and structured courses, as well as the…

Preparing Teachers for Technology Based Teaching-Learning Using TPACK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padmavathi, M.

2017-01-01

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) is a conceptual framework for teachers to teach effectively using technology. This framework originates from the opinion that use of technology in educational context would be effective only if content, pedagogy and technology are aligned carefully. It implies that for teachers to use technology…

Advancing K-8 Teachers' STEM Education for Teaching Interdisciplinary Science and Mathematics with Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niess, Margaret; Gillow-Wiles, Henry

2013-01-01

This primarily online Master's degree program focused on advancing K-8 teachers' interdisciplinary mathematical and science content knowledge while integrating appropriate digital technologies as learning and teaching tools. The mixed-method, interpretive study examined in-service teachers' technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK)…

Toward Improving the Mathematics Preparation of Elementary Preservice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cardetti, Fabiana; Truxaw, Mary P.

2014-01-01

Research suggests the importance of mathematics knowledge for teaching (MKT) for enabling elementary school teachers to effectively teach mathematics. MKT involves both mathematical content knowledge (M-CK) and mathematical pedagogical content knowledge (M-PCK). However, there is no consensus on how best to prepare elementary preservice teachers…

Teacher Application and Enactment of Models of Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allphin, Danielle M.

2011-01-01

This study sought to identify factors that influence teacher decisions about pedagogy based on curriculum content and skills and the degree to which teachers transfer pedagogical content knowledge to practice, specifically through the use of various models of teaching. A purposeful sample included 14 elementary teachers from highly diverse, urban…

Rethinking about the Pedagogy for Pedagogical Content Knowledge in the Context of Mathematics Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozmantar, Mehmet Fatih

2011-01-01

This study reconsiders the notion of pedagogy for pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in the context of teaching mathematics. The perspectives of critical pedagogy are employed for this reconsideration, stressing the operation of historical, social, ideological, political, institutional and cultural forces in the production of pedagogical…

Teaching Economics through Children's Literature in the Primary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodgers, Yana V.; Hawthorne, Shelby; Wheeler, Ronald C.

2007-01-01

Primary-grade students can gain exposure to a wide range of economic concepts in state standards if teachers use reading strategies that embrace children's literature with economic content. This approach allows teachers to teach their students reading strategies and economics simultaneously. Almost all states have content standards in economics,…

Teaching Geometry in the 21st Century: Investigating Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tatar, Enver; Aldemir, Ruhsen; Niess, Margaret L.

2018-01-01

This qualitative case study investigated teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) for teaching high school geometry in Turkey. Four TPACK components and their corresponding five TPACK level descriptions were used for examining three geometry teachers' TPACK through their technological instructional plans, microteaching…

Teaching and Assessing Content Knowledge in Preservice Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayvazo, Shiri; Ward, Phillip; Stuhr, Paul T.

2010-01-01

Most content knowledge (CK) courses in physical education teacher education focus mostly on knowledge of rules, etiquette, techniques, tactics, and performance of the activity. Much less emphasis is placed on error detection and instructional tasks. This article therefore presents teaching and assessment strategies that facilitate the acquisition…

Facilitating LGBT Medical, Health and Social Care Content in Higher Education Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davy, Zowie; Amsler, Sarah; Duncombe, Karen

2015-01-01

Increasingly, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) health care is becoming an important quality assurance feature of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare in Britain. While acknowledging these very positive developments, teaching LGBT curricula content is contingent upon having educators understand the complexity of LGBT lives. The…

Preservice Science Teachers' Science Teaching Orientations and Beliefs about Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kind, Vanessa

2016-01-01

This paper offers clarification of science teacher orientations as a potential component of pedagogical content knowledge. Science teaching orientations and beliefs about science held by 237 preservice science teachers were gathered via content-specific vignettes and questionnaire, respectively, prior to participation in a UK-based teacher…

Mathematics University Teachers' Perception of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khakbaz, Azimehsadat

2016-01-01

Teaching mathematics in university levels is one of the most important fields of research in the area of mathematics education. Nevertheless, there is little information about teaching knowledge of mathematics university teachers. Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) provides a suitable framework to study knowledge of teachers. The purpose of this…

Balancing Content & Language in the English Language Development Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds-Young, Danielle; Hood, Sally

2014-01-01

Although course assignments require English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher candidates to design activities, performance assessments, and lessons that balance the teaching of the English language and academic content, the ESL teacher candidates remain perplexed as to how to teach without a prescribed curriculum. The answer is challenging, given…

Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Mathematical Modelling Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Liang Soon; Ang, Keng Cheng

2012-01-01

This paper posits that teachers' pedagogical content knowledge in mathematical modelling instruction can be demonstrated in the crafting of action plans and expected teaching and learning moves via their lesson images (Schoenfeld, 1998). It can also be developed when teachers shape appropriate teaching moves in response to students' learning…

Pedagogy in Counselor Education: A 10-Year Content Analysis of Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrio Minton, Casey A.; Wachter Morris, Carrie A.; Yaites, LaToya D.

2014-01-01

This content analysis includes 230 peer-reviewed articles regarding teaching and learning published in journals of the American Counseling Association and its divisions between January 2001 and December 2010. Results include examination of focus, pedagogical foundations, and the methodologies used. Implications for the scholarship of teaching and…

Curricula for teaching clinical practice guidelines in US psychiatry residency and child and adolescent fellowship programs: a survey study.

PubMed

Bannister, Elizabeth; Nakonezny, Paul; Byerly, Matthew

2014-04-01

To determine the characteristics of curricula for teaching the content of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) in psychiatric residency and child and adolescent fellowship programs as well as to determine if and how the learning of CPG content is applied in clinical care settings. We conducted a national online survey of directors of general psychiatry residency and child and adolescent fellowship programs in the USA. The survey questionnaire included 13 brief questions about the characteristics used to teach CPGs in the programs, as well as two demographic questions about each program and director. Descriptive statistics were reported for each questionnaire item by program classification (i.e., child and adolescent vs. general psychiatry). The survey response rate was 49.8% (146 out of 293). Just 23% of programs reported having written goals and objectives related to teaching CPGs. The most frequently taught aspect of CPGs was their content (72% of programs). Didactic sessions were the most frequently employed teaching strategy (79% of programs). Regarding the application of CPG learning in treatment care settings, just 16% of programs applied algorithms in care settings, and 15% performed evaluations to determine consistency between CPG recommendations and care delivery. Only 8% of programs utilized audit and feedback to residents about their adherence to CPGs. Faculty time constraints and insufficient interest were the leading barriers (39% and 33% of programs, respectively) to CPG teaching, although 38% reported no barriers. However, child and adolescent programs less commonly identified insufficient interest among faculty as a barrier to teaching CPGs compared to general programs (20% vs. 43%). Moreover, compared to general programs, child and adolescent fellowship programs taught more aspects of CPGs, used more educational activities to teach the content of specific CPGs, and used more methods to evaluate the teaching of CPGs. Although the majority of programs provided some teaching of CPGs, the rigorousness of the teaching approaches was limited, especially attempts to evaluate the extent and effectiveness of their use in clinical care. Child and adolescent fellowship programs provided more extensive teaching and evaluation related to CPGs.

Evolution in the Lab: Biocide Resistance in E.coli.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welden, Charles W.; Hossler, Rex A.

2003-01-01

Describes a laboratory experiment on resistance to teach about evolution and issues of misuse of antimicrobial compounds. Investigates Escherichia coli's response to treatment of triclosan, a biocide used in consumer products. (Contains 12 references.) (YDS)

A Ratio Explanation for Evolution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riss, Pam Helfers

1993-01-01

Describes hands-on physical anthropology activities for teaching students about evolution. Using evidence found in hominid skulls, students conduct investigations that involve calculating ratios. Eight full-page photographs of skulls from the program Stones and Bones are included. (PR)

A comparison of Massachusetts and Texas high school biology teachers' attitudes towards the teaching of evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howarth, Richard T.

Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is considered to be the unifying theory for all life sciences (American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS, 1990; National Academy of Sciences, 1998; National Research Council, NRC, 1996; National Science Teachers Association, NSTA, 2010a) and as such, the biology topic has been established as a central learning standard by the National Science Education Science Standards (NSES, 2005). The purpose of this study was to compare how Massachusetts and Texas high school biology teachers' attitudes toward the teaching of evolution differ as compared to other biology topics. Texas and Massachusetts are two states that exemplify standards based education yet differ dramatically in their histories surrounding the topic of evolution. A survey was conducted among 217 Massachusetts and 139 Texas in-service high school biology teachers to help provide a sense of the phenomena surrounding biology teachers in respect to how their attitudes towards the teaching of evolution are shaped. Additionally, an open-ended question was asked to help contextualize the results of the survey between teachers of these two states. The findings in this study suggest that community appears to be a powerful persuasive message and socialization experience that shapes the development of attitudes towards evolution for some educators, especially when it is highly intertwined with religion. For biology teachers in the state of Texas, the synergistic result of this relationship has resulted in statistically significant differences in regards to attitudes towards evolution as compared to teachers in Massachusetts. These findings yield implications regarding scientific literacy, student learning, assessment, the quality of science instruction, curriculum, undergraduate biology programs, and the needs of biology teachers in terms of professional development.

Creationism and intelligent design.

PubMed

Pennock, Robert T

2003-01-01

Creationism, the rejection of evolution in favor of supernatural design, comes in many varieties besides the common young-earth Genesis version. Creationist attacks on science education have been evolving in the last few years through the alliance of different varieties. Instead of calls to teach "creation science," one now finds lobbying for "intelligent design" (ID). Guided by the Discovery Institute's "Wedge strategy," the ID movement aims to overturn evolution and what it sees as a pernicious materialist worldview and to renew a theistic foundation to Western culture, in which human beings are recognized as being created in the image of God. Common ID arguments involving scientific naturalism, "irreducible complexity," "complex specified information," and "icons of evolution," have been thoroughly examined and refuted. Nevertheless, from Kansas to Ohio to the U.S. Congress, ID continues lobbying to teach the controversy, and scientists need to be ready to defend good evolution education.

Water and the Interior Structure of Terrestrial Planets and Icy Bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monteux, J.; Golabek, G. J.; Rubie, D. C.; Tobie, G.; Young, E. D.

2018-02-01

Water content and the internal evolution of terrestrial planets and icy bodies are closely linked. The distribution of water in planetary systems is controlled by the temperature structure in the protoplanetary disk and dynamics and migration of planetesimals and planetary embryos. This results in the formation of planetesimals and planetary embryos with a great variety of compositions, water contents and degrees of oxidation. The internal evolution and especially the formation time of planetesimals relative to the timescale of radiogenic heating by short-lived 26Al decay may govern the amount of hydrous silicates and leftover rock-ice mixtures available in the late stages of their evolution. In turn, water content may affect the early internal evolution of the planetesimals and in particular metal-silicate separation processes. Moreover, water content may contribute to an increase of oxygen fugacity and thus affect the concentrations of siderophile elements within the silicate reservoirs of Solar System objects. Finally, the water content strongly influences the differentiation rate of the icy moons, controls their internal evolution and governs the alteration processes occurring in their deep interiors.

Intellectual disability health content within nursing curriculum: An audit of what our future nurses are taught.

PubMed

Trollor, Julian N; Eagleson, Claire; Turner, Beth; Salomon, Carmela; Cashin, Andrew; Iacono, Teresa; Goddard, Linda; Lennox, Nicholas

2016-10-01

Individuals with intellectual disability experience chronic and complex health issues, but face considerable barriers to healthcare. One such barrier is inadequate education of healthcare professionals. To establish the quantity and nature of intellectual disability content offered within Australian nursing degree curricula. A two-phase national audit of nursing curriculum content was conducted using an interview and online survey. Australian nursing schools offering pre-registration courses. Pre-registration course coordinators from 31 universities completed the Phase 1 interview on course structure. Unit coordinators and teaching staff from 15 universities in which intellectual disability content was identified completed the Phase 2 online survey. Quantity of compulsory and elective intellectual disability content offered (units and teaching time) and the nature of the content (broad categories, specific topics, and inclusive teaching) were audited using an online survey. Over half (52%) of the schools offered no intellectual disability content. For units of study that contained some auditable intellectual disability content, the area was taught on average for 3.6h per unit of study. Units were evenly distributed across the three years of study. Just three participating schools offered 50% of all units audited. Clinical assessment skills, and ethics and legal issues were most frequently taught, while human rights issues and preventative health were poorly represented. Only one nursing school involved a person with intellectual disability in content development or delivery. Despite significant unmet health needs of people with intellectual disability, there is considerable variability in the teaching of key intellectual disability content, with many gaps evident. Equipping nursing students with skills in this area is vital to building workforce capacity. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness: An Assessment of Student Perception and Motivation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yining; Hoshower, Leon B

2003-01-01

Evaluated key factors motivating students to participate in teaching evaluation. Found that students generally consider an improvement in teaching to be the most attractive outcome. The second most attractive outcome was using teaching evaluations to improve course content and format. Using teaching evaluations for a professor's tenure, promotion,…

An Investigation of Science Teaching Practices in Indonesian Rural Secondary Schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahyudi; Treagust, David F.

2004-08-01

This study reports on teaching practices in science classrooms of Indonesian lower secondary schools in rural areas. Using six schools from three districts in the province of Kalimantan Selatan as the sample, this study found that most teaching practices in science classrooms in rural schools were teacher-centred with students copying notes. However, the study also found unique teaching practices of an exemplary science teacher whose teaching style can be described as both student-centred and teacher-centred, with students encouraged to be active learners. Four features of exemplary teaching practices were identified: The teacher managed the classroom effectively; used a variety of questioning techniques; employed various teaching approaches instead of traditional methods; and created a favourable learning environment. Data from classroom observations, interviews with teachers, and students responses to a questionnaire were used to compare the exemplary teacher and his colleagues. This study identified internal factors that may affect teaching practices such as a teachers content knowledge and beliefs about teaching. Compared to the other teachers, the exemplary teacher possessed more content knowledge and had a relatively stronger belief in his ability to teach.

Professional Development of the Early Childhood Education Teaching Workforce in the United States: An Overview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomez, Rebecca E.; Kagan, Sharon Lynn; Fox, Emily A.

2015-01-01

Resulting from a fragmented landscape of policies for and uneven investments in the early childhood education (ECE) field in the United States, the qualifications of the ECE teaching workforce are typically quite low. This article first reviews the history and status of the ECE teaching workforce in the United States, focusing on the evolution of…

Computers in Education: An Overview. Publication Number One. Software Engineering/Education Cooperative Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collis, Betty; Muir, Walter

The first of four major sections in this report presents an overview of the background and evolution of computer applications to learning and teaching. It begins with the early attempts toward "automated teaching" of the 1920s, and the "teaching machines" of B. F. Skinner of the 1940s through the 1960s. It then traces the…

Teaching and Learning about Energy in Middle School: An Argument for an Epistemic Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Constantinou, C. P.; Papadouris, N.

2012-01-01

We have reviewed the existing literature on teaching and learning about energy to develop an overview of the ongoing debate on conceptual aspects of the construct and also to highlight the issues that have emerged in approaches to designing teaching-learning sequences. Our review is informed by those aspects of the historical evolution of the…

The Entrance of Women into the Teaching Profession in Spain (1855-1940)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Gabriel, Narciso

2014-01-01

The admission of women to the teaching field was conditioned by many different circumstances that varied depending on time and place. This article will examine the evolution of this process in Spain in an attempt to identify some of the contributing factors: a patriarchal mentality which held that women had a special aptitude for teaching; a…

A teaching bank of audiovisual materials for family practice.

PubMed

Geyman, J P; Brown, T C

1975-10-01

Although increasing emphasis has been placed in recent years on the production and use of audiovisual materials in medical education, little work has yet been done on the identification and application of these materials in family practice teaching programs. This paper describes the content, uses, limitations, and initial experience of a Teaching Bank developed to support family practice teaching in varied settings. Video cassette and tape-slide units are most useful; audio cassettes alone are less likely to be selected. The evaluation of content, quality, and effectiveness of audiovisual media poses a particular problem. Although audiovisual materials can enhance learning based on different individual learning needs and styles, they cannot stand alone and usually must be supplemented by other teaching methods.

On Student Teaching: Educational Comment 1967.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ishler, Richard E., Ed.; Inglis, Joan D., Ed.

This collection of papers is designed to provide information about the "new order in student teaching" (the various field experiences in preservice teacher education programs, e.g., observation, teaching under a supervising teacher, microteaching, internship, externship, simulated teaching, etc.). Contents are (1) "Goals and Objectives of Student…

A Symposium on Heuristic Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snow, Richard E., Ed.

In order to explore diverse philosophical, psychological, and pedagogical views on the concept of heuristic teaching and the question whether basic teaching skills can be "content free," a symposium on the subject of heuristic teaching was organized with resource papers being requested from scholars representing several disciplines and…

Exploring the development of novice unqualified graduate teachers' topic-specific PCK in teaching the particulate nature of matter in South Africa's classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitjeng-Mosabala, Phihlo; Rollnick, Marissa

2018-05-01

This study investigates the development of Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK) of 14 novice uncertified graduate science teachers during a Professional Development Intervention (PDI) on teaching particulate nature of matter. TSPCK was defined in terms of five knowledge components: learner prior knowledge, curricular saliency, representations, what is difficult to teach and conceptual teaching strategies. Data sources consisted of validated pre- and post-TSPCK and content knowledge (CK) tests, teacher-constructed Content Representations (CoRes) before and after teaching and, for four teachers, video-recorded lessons, and field notes together with teacher interviews. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the teachers develop TSPCK through the process. The results provide an insight into how initial construction of CoRes enabled the entire group to start thinking about how to teach the topic. For the four case-study teachers, evidence of TSPCK development was observed in their teaching. These teachers showed greater improvement in TSPCK and CK than those who taught only the prerequisite concepts of the topic. The findings show that it is possible for uncertified teachers to develop PCK in the practice context with appropriate PDI. Some improvement in PCK was also observed for the larger group who taught only prerequisite concepts.

Construction of Multimedia Courseware and Web-based E-Learning Courses of "Biomedical Materials".

PubMed

Xiaoying, Lu; Jian, He; Tian, Qin; Dongxu, Jiang; Wei, Chen

2005-01-01

In order to reform the traditional teaching methodology and to improve the teaching effect, we developed new teaching system for course "Biomedical Materials" in our university by the support of the computer technique and Internet. The new teaching system includes the construction of the multimedia courseware and web-based e-learning courses. More than 2000 PowerPoint slides have been designed and optimized and flash movies for several capitals are included. On the basis of this multimedia courseware, a web-based educational environment has been established further, which includes course contents, introduction of the teacher, courseware download, study forum, sitemap of the web, and relative link. The multimedia courseware has been introduced in the class teaching for "Biomedical Materials" for 6 years and a good teaching effect has been obtained. The web-based e-learning courses have been constructed for two years and proved that they are helpful for the students by their preparing and reviewing the teaching contents before and after the class teaching.

Is Content or Interest and Enthusiasm of Mathematics Teachers more important?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stojanovski, E.

2018-01-01

Due to the different type of student being taught today both in the classrooms of secondary schools and at tertiary institutions, it has been proposed that teaching pedagogies for the teaching of mathematics and statistics should also be adjusted to more effectively teach the new age student. Students of today, compared to students from two decades ago, for example, are much more technology savvy, are more likely to own mobile phones and more likely to engage with social media. It seems reasonable then that teaching strategies adapt to the changing student. Secondary data of secondary students are presented to assess the performance of students in mathematics for different aspects of teaching; in particular, to compare whether the interest of teachers appears more important when compared to aspects of teaching that focus only on the delivery of relevant content.

Introducing Evolution to Non-Biology Majors via the Fossil Record: A Case Study from the Israeli High School System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dodick, Jeff; Orion, Nir

2003-01-01

Discusses challenges faced in the teaching and learning of evolution. Presents a curricular program and a case study on evolutionary biology. Investigates students' conceptual knowledge after exposure to the program "From Dinosaurs to Darwin," which focuses on fossil records as evidence of evolution. (Contains 32 references.) (YDS)

Predicting Position on Teaching Creationism (Instead of Evolution) in Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lac, Andrew; Hemovich, Vanessa; Himelfarb, Igor

2010-01-01

The federal government has repeatedly denied the introduction of creationism into public schools as it is a direct violation of the separation of church and state. Little is known about those who would opt to eliminate evolution in scientific curriculum altogether. The authors examined this more extreme anti-evolution perspective in a nationally…

Introducing Preservice Teachers to Issues Surrounding Evolution and Creationism via a Mock Trial.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helgeson, Lars J.; Hoover, John; Sheehan, James

2002-01-01

Describes cooperation between social studies and science education professors to introduce preservice teachers to the evolution versus creationism debate via a mock trial. Uses a hypothetical situation in which a 6th grade teacher was fired for not balancing evolution and creationism in his teaching. Reports that the mock trial slightly increased…

Evolution in Hawaii: A Supplement to "Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olson, Steve

2004-01-01

As both individuals and societies, we are making decisions today that will have profound consequences for future generations. From preserving Earth's plants and animals to altering our use of fossil fuels, none of these decisions can be made wisely without a thorough understanding of life's history on our planet through biological evolution.…

The Evolution of Networked Computing in the Teaching of Japanese as a Foreign Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrison, Richard

1998-01-01

Reviews the evolution of Internet-based projects in Japanese computer-assisted language learning and suggests future directions in which the field may develop, based on emerging network technology and learning theory. (Author/VWL)

Student teachers' pedagogical content knowledge for teaching systems thinking: effects of different interventions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenkränzer, Frank; Hörsch, Christian; Schuler, Stephan; Riess, Werner

2017-09-01

Systems' thinking has become increasingly relevant not only in education for sustainable development but also in everyday life. Even if teachers know the dynamics and complexity of living systems in biology and geography, they might not be able to effectively explain it to students. Teachers need an understanding of systems and their behaviour (content knowledge), and they also need to know how systems thinking can be fostered in students (pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)). But the effective development of teachers' professional knowledge in teaching systems thinking is empirically uncertain. From a larger study (SysThema) that investigated teaching systems thinking, this article reports the effects of the three different interventions (technical course, didactic course and mixed course) in student teachers' PCK for teaching systems thinking. The results show that student teachers' PCK for teaching systems thinking can be promoted in teacher education. The conclusion to be drawn from our findings is that a technically orientated course without didactical aspects seems to be less effective in fostering student teachers' PCK for teaching systems thinking. The results inform educators in enhancing curricula of future academic track and non-academic track teacher education.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Case Study of ESL Teacher Educator

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Siping

2013-01-01

This single-case study focuses on the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of a university faculty member teaching Second Language Acquisition to elementary teacher candidates. The research questions address the pattern and development of PCK for ESL teaching. Based on data from classroom observation, interviews and document review, the study finds…

Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Teaching Material

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saeli, Mara; Perrenet, Jacob; Jochems, Wim M. G.; Zwaneveld, Bert

2012-01-01

The scope of this article is to understand to what extent Computer Science teachers can find support for their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) in teaching material. We report the results of a study in which PCK is used as framework to develop a research instrument to examine three high school computer science textbooks, with special focus on…

Modeled Instructional Routines: Will Preservice Teachers Embed Them in Their Future Lessons?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slaughter, Sandra K.

2017-01-01

Modeling in the classroom is the key to successful teaching. This study examines whether preservice teachers would use content area literacy instructional routines, which had been modeled in my university course, in their student teaching and first-year classrooms. Both content area literacy and disciplinary literacy were modeled in my university…

Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Beliefs about Teaching and Their Pedagogical Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oskay, Ozge Ozyalcin; Erdem, Emine; Yilmaz, Ayhan

2009-01-01

In this study the relationship between pre-service chemistry teachers' beliefs about teaching and their pedagogical content knowledge were investigated. The sample of the study consists of 99 pre-service chemistry teachers attending Hacettepe University, Faculty of Education. As data collection tools the adapted form of "Beliefs About…

CATS--Content Area Teaching Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clary, Linda Mixon

This paper discusses methods of teaching reading in the content areas at the middle school, junior high school, and secondary school levels. If a textbook is to be used, teachers should examine it by administering a readability formula and by checking the book's vocabulary, sentence patterns, and introduction of abstract concepts. To find how well…

Hand-Clap Songs across the Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batchelor, Katherine E.; Bintz, William P.

2012-01-01

This teaching tip focuses on using hand-clapping to teach content area material across the curriculum. We begin with a brief history of hand-clap songs, followed by a rationale for using them in content area literacy. Then, we describe the instructional lesson, share samples that resulted, and discuss lesson extensions. Our goal is to have…

Sex and Gender in the Social Sciences: Reassessing the Introductory Course, Principles in Microeconomics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gappa, Judith M.; Pearce, Janice

Developed to help faculty teaching introductory courses in microeconomics, psychology, and sociology in colleges and universities incorporate existing knowledge about women into their course content and teaching practices, this report is organized into two sets of guidelines. The first, "Content Guidelines: Sex and Gender in the Introductory…

Learning to Teach Computer Science: Qualitative Insights into Secondary Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubbard, Aleata Kimberly

2017-01-01

In this dissertation, I explored the pedagogical content knowledge of in-service high school educators recently assigned to teach computer science for the first time. Teachers were participating in a professional development program where they co-taught introductory computing classes with tech industry professionals. The study was motivated by…

Using a Simultaneous Prompting Procedure to Embed Core Content When Teaching a Potential Employment Skill

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Belva C.; Terrell, Misty; Test, David W.

2017-01-01

This investigation used a multiple-probe-across-participants design to examine the effects of using a simultaneous prompting procedure to teach four secondary students with mild intellectual disabilities the employment task of caring for plants in a greenhouse. The instructor also embedded photosynthesis science content as nontargeted information…

Definitions of Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching: Using These Constructs in Research on Secondary and College Mathematics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Speer, Natasha M.; King, Karen D.; Howell, Heather

2015-01-01

The construct "mathematical knowledge for teaching" (MKT) has received considerable attention in the mathematics education community in recent years. The development and refinement of the MKT construct, including the components of common content knowledge (CCK) and specialized content knowledge (SCK), came from research into elementary…

Integration of Three CBI Models and WeChat Mobile Learning in Business English Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siqi, Che

2017-01-01

Content-Based Instruction (CBI) is considered effective not only in mastering language skills, but also in acquiring the content knowledge of business subjects. WeChat, a popular communicative and interactive platform, is acknowledged as a new instrument to improve verbal teaching proficiency and obtain relevant information. The integration of…

Going Public: Schooling for a Diverse Democracy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renyi, Judith

Questions of what to teach and what ought to be taught in the public schools are explored. Before addressing the current controversy about content in education, it is important to know as precisely as possible what has actually been taught and whether the teachings have been effective. The content of school history, literature, and language is…

Coming to Terms with Engineering Design as Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Theodore

2005-01-01

This article addresses the challenges posed by engineering design as a content area of technology education. What adjustments will technology teachers have to make in their approach to teaching and learning when they teach design as engineering in response to the new standards? How faithful to engineering as practiced must their approach be? There…

Promoting Teacher Learning through Learning Study Discourse: The Case of Science Teachers in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Yuen Sze Michelle; Nashon, Samson Madera

2013-01-01

The potential of a theory of variation-framed learning study, a teacher professional development approach, to help teachers overcome curricular and pedagogical challenges associated with teaching new science curricula content was explored. With a group of Singapore teachers collaboratively planning and teaching new genetics content,…

21st Century Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Science Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slough, Scott; Chamblee, Gregory

2017-01-01

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) is a theoretical framework that has enjoyed widespread applications as it applies to the integration of technology in the teaching and learning process. This paper reviews the background for TPACK, discusses some of its limitations, and reviews and introduces a new theoretical framework, 21st…

Teachers' Professional Knowledge for Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Assessing the Outcomes of Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

König, Johannes; Lammerding, Sandra; Nold, Günter; Rohde, Andreas; Strauß, Sarah; Tachtsoglou, Sarantis

2016-01-01

Despite an increasing research interest in subject-specific teacher knowledge, the scientific understanding regarding teachers' professional knowledge for teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) is very limited. This study therefore applies standardized tests to directly assess content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and…

Avoiding Practice Shock: Using Teacher Movies to Realign Pre-Service Teachers' Expectations of Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delamarter, Jeremy

2015-01-01

Pre-service teachers often have unrealistic expectations of teaching. They often create an inspiration/content dichotomy in which they expect relational activities to trump content delivery. Unchecked, these misaligned expectations can lead to practice shock, the disorienting and sometimes traumatic identity crisis that often occurs during the…

Changes in Science Teaching Self-Efficacy among Primary Teacher Education Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, David; Dixon, Jeanette; Archer, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Many preservice primary teachers have low self-efficacy for science teaching. Although science methods courses have often been shown to enhance self-efficacy, science content courses have been relatively ineffective in this respect. This study investigated whether a tailored science content course would enhance self-efficacy. The participants were…

Exploring ESL/EFL Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge on Reading Strategy Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Wei

2015-01-01

Any instructional practice must be derived from a teacher's knowledge base for teaching, which can be acquired by training, study, or practice. While much attention has been paid to teachers' practical content knowledge in real educational settings, comprehensive syntheses of expert knowledge on a particular teaching task for a specific group of…

Investigating the Effects of a Math-Enhanced Agricultural Teaching Methods Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stripling, Christopher T.; Roberts, T. Grady

2013-01-01

Numerous calls have been made for agricultural education to support core academic subject matter including mathematics. Previous research has shown that the incorporation of mathematics content into a teaching methods course had a positive effect on preservice teachers' mathematics content knowledge. The purpose of this study was to investigate…

Education: Pathways to Superior Content Knowledge in Preservice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ober, Derek Logan

2013-01-01

This research addresses lack of student teaching preparation. There is strong evidence that beginning teachers are not trained to adequately teach students due to their lack of preparation/content knowledge. The purpose of this study is to examine the experience of beginning teachers to try to understand why student teachers are not prepared for…

Transformation of Topic-Specific Professional Knowledge into Personal Pedagogical Content Knowledge through Lesson Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stender, Anita; Brückmann, Maja; Neumann, Knut

2017-01-01

This study investigates the relationship between two different types of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK): the topic-specific professional knowledge (TSPK) and practical routines, so-called teaching scripts. Based on the Transformation Model of Lesson Planning, we assume that teaching scripts originate from a transformation of TSPK during lesson…

Closing down the Conversation: Discouraging Student Talk on Unfamilar Science Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlsen, William

2015-01-01

This paper describes strategies used by novice biology teachers to exert sociolinguistic control over conversations when teaching unfamiliar subject-matter content. These discourse control strategies were identified in a year-long study of teacher subject-matter knowledge and its effects on teaching, and are illustrated in three lessons taught by…

ICT Use in Science and Mathematics Teacher Education in Tanzania: Developing Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kafyulilo, Ayoub; Fisser, Petra; Pieters, Jules; Voogt, Joke

2015-01-01

Currently, teacher education colleges in Tanzania are being equipped with computers to prepare teachers who can integrate technology in teaching. Despite these efforts, teachers are not embracing the use of technology in their teaching. This study adopted Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) as a framework for describing the…

Who's Teaching Math to Our Most Needy Students? A Descriptive Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosas, Clarissa; Campbell, Lisa

2010-01-01

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) mandates that every classroom be staffed with a "highly qualified teacher." Research supports that teachers' content knowledge affects student achievement. However, the special education population continues to be taught by teachers who do not have the content area background they teach. In addition,…

Figure Analysis: An Implementation Dialogue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiles, Amy M.

2016-01-01

Figure analysis is a novel active learning teaching technique that reinforces visual literacy. Small groups of students discuss diagrams in class in order to learn content. The instructor then gives a brief introduction and later summarizes the content of the figure. This teaching technique can be used in place of lecture as a mechanism to deliver…

Teach or No Teach: Is Large System Education Resurging?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Aditya; Murphy, Marianne C.

2011-01-01

Legacy or not, mainframe education is being taught at many U.S. universities. Some computer science programs have always had some large system content but there does appear to be resurgence of mainframe related content in business programs such as Management Information Systems (MIS) and Computer Information Systems (CIS). Many companies such as…

The Role of Students and Content in Teacher Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ennis, Catherine D.

2014-01-01

The process of effective teaching--teaching that directly leads to student learning of standards-based content--is tenuous at best and easily disrupted by contextual and behavioral factors. In this commentary, I discuss the role of student support and mediation in teacher effectiveness and curricular reform. The most vocal students in physical…

Teacher Knowledge and Classroom Practice: Examining the Connection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilbert, Michael; Gilbert, Barbara

2013-01-01

This paper extends existing research regarding content knowledge for teaching (CKT) and the role it plays in advancing student learning. Two teachers, with high and low measured CKT respectively, are observed on the same day teaching similar content. Many studies have recently been published linking student achievement to teacher's CKT and many US…

Guiding Students towards Sensemaking: Teacher Questions Focused on Integrating Scientific Practices with Science Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benedict-Chambers, Amanda; Kademian, Sylvie M.; Davis, Elizabeth A.; Palincsar, Annemarie Sullivan

2017-01-01

Science education reforms articulate a vision of ambitious science teaching where teachers engage students in sensemaking discussions and emphasise the integration of scientific practices with science content. Learning to teach in this way is complex, and there are few examples of sensemaking discussions in schools where textbook lessons and…

Experienced Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Teaching Acid-Base Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drechsler, Michal; Van Driel, Jan

2008-01-01

We investigated the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of nine experienced chemistry teachers. The teachers took part in a teacher training course on students' difficulties and the use of models in teaching acid-base chemistry, electrochemistry, and redox reactions. Two years after the course, the teachers were interviewed about their PCK of (1)…

Marketing Education Cooperative Education Manual. Classroom and Training Station Connecting Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio Department of Education, 2004

2004-01-01

Cooperative Education is a teaching method which uses real life work experiences to teach and/or reinforce competencies from the Marketing Content Standards. Direct connections are made between classroom instruction and workplace activities. The activities in this manual can be used to reinforce and contextualize content taught in the classroom…

Undergraduate Teaching in the Animal Sciences, Proceedings of a Conference.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commission on Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington, DC.

The proceedings of a conference which reviewed the content of undergraduate animal science curricula, content of courses in the animal sciences, and methods and materials used in undergraduate teaching in the animal sciences are presented in this bulletin. These individual papers are included: Trends in Animal Agriculture and the Future of…

Interaction between Science Teaching Orientation and Pedagogical Content Knowledge Components

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demirdögen, Betül

2016-01-01

The purpose of this case study is to delve into the complexities of how preservice science teachers' science teaching orientations, viewed as an interrelated set of beliefs, interact with the other components of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Eight preservice science teachers participated in the study. Qualitative data were collected in the…

Determination of Self Efficacy Perception Levels of Teachers' Attending an Online Course toward Web Pedagogical Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oskay, Özge Özyalçin; Odabasi, Zuhal

2016-01-01

The effects of technological developments occurred new requirements in educational area. Today's teachers should know the content knowledge they teach, have pedagogical knowledge about teaching and learning methods and besides should use the technological tools effectively. Depending on these, new concepts such as Technological Pedagogical Content…

Exploring Biology Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge in the Teaching of Genetics in Swaziland Science Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mthethwa-Kunene, Eunice; Oke Onwu, Gilbert; de Villiers, Rian

2015-05-01

This study explored the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and its development of four experienced biology teachers in the context of teaching school genetics. PCK was defined in terms of teacher content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and knowledge of students' preconceptions and learning difficulties. Data sources of teacher knowledge base included teacher-constructed concept maps, pre- and post-lesson teacher interviews, video-recorded genetics lessons, post-lesson teacher questionnaire and document analysis of teacher's reflective journals and students' work samples. The results showed that the teachers' individual PCK profiles consisted predominantly of declarative and procedural content knowledge in teaching basic genetics concepts. Conditional knowledge, which is a type of meta-knowledge for blending together declarative and procedural knowledge, was also demonstrated by some teachers. Furthermore, the teachers used topic-specific instructional strategies such as context-based teaching, illustrations, peer teaching, and analogies in diverse forms but failed to use physical models and individual or group student experimental activities to assist students' internalization of the concepts. The finding that all four teachers lacked knowledge of students' genetics-related preconceptions was equally significant. Formal university education, school context, journal reflection and professional development programmes were considered as contributing to the teachers' continuing PCK development. Implications of the findings for biology teacher education are briefly discussed.

An analysis of the arguments for intelligent design creationism to be taught in science classes, in the public education system of the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godden, Paul

Teaching creationism, also called creation science, intelligent design (ID), and evidence against evolution--a religious doctrine, holding that life and the universe were created by a supernatural actor out of nothing--contravenes the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and is illegal in U.S. public science classes. Nevertheless many U.S. high school science teachers continue to teach creationist doctrine as part of an undocumented, or hidden, curriculum. The arguments advanced in this study propose that creationism--as opposed to evolution--cannot be defined as science, and seeks to answer the following questions: (1) What arguments have been put forward by advocates of creationism, to make the case for creationist ideology in U.S. public school science classes? (2) What impact have the arguments of proponents of intelligent design creationism had, on American public education policy and the law? Data has been collected from precedent-setting U.S. Supreme Court rulings and associated texts, e.g., expert witness testimony under oath, cross-examination, and published works referred to in the proceedings. Testimony was analysed for its content--content analytic--to address specific creationist arguments with regard to scientific rigour, honesty and empirical reasoning. Judicial opinion proved to be more relevant in terms of commentary--context analytic. Judges as decision makers have given clear accounts of how creationist arguments have swayed their ruling, and thus U.S. law and government education policy, thereby directly addressing this study's second research question. In addressing these questions, this research has provided a summative analysis of the arguments presented for ID to be taught in the science classrooms of U.S. public schools, and the counter arguments which have convinced U.S. Supreme Court Judges to deny consistent attempts to include its doctrine in science curricula. In doing so, this study provides a detailed baseline to which future arguments can be compared to highlight new--or simply recycled--points in the debate, and to identify any potential strategies for alleviating this on-going and costly dispute.

Evolution-based Virtual Content Insertion with Visually Virtual Interactions in Videos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Chia-Hu; Wu, Ja-Ling

With the development of content-based multimedia analysis, virtual content insertion has been widely used and studied for video enrichment and multimedia advertising. However, how to automatically insert a user-selected virtual content into personal videos in a less-intrusive manner, with an attractive representation, is a challenging problem. In this chapter, we present an evolution-based virtual content insertion system which can insert virtual contents into videos with evolved animations according to predefined behaviors emulating the characteristics of evolutionary biology. The videos are considered not only as carriers of message conveyed by the virtual content but also as the environment in which the lifelike virtual contents live. Thus, the inserted virtual content will be affected by the videos to trigger a series of artificial evolutions and evolve its appearances and behaviors while interacting with video contents. By inserting virtual contents into videos through the system, users can easily create entertaining storylines and turn their personal videos into visually appealing ones. In addition, it would bring a new opportunity to increase the advertising revenue for video assets of the media industry and online video-sharing websites.

Measuring the Teaching Self-Efficacy of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Graduate Teaching Assistants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeChenne, Sue Ellen; Enochs, Larry

2010-01-01

An instrument to measure the teaching self-efficacy of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) GTAs is adapted from a general college teaching instrument (Prieto Navarro, 2005) for the specific teaching environment of the STEM GTAs. The construct and content validity and reliability of the final instrument are indicated. The final…

Revealing the Structural Complexity of Component Interactions of Topic-Specific PCK when Planning to Teach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mavhunga, Elizabeth

2018-04-01

Teaching pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) at a topic-specific level requires clarity on the content-specific nature of the components employed, as well as the specific features that bring about the desirable depth in teacher explanations. Such understanding is often hazy; yet, it influences the nature of teacher tasks and learning opportunities afforded to pre-service teachers in a teaching program. The purpose of this study was twofold: firstly, to illuminate the emerging complexity when content-specific components of PCK interact when planning to teach a chemistry topic; and secondly, to identify the kinds of teacher tasks that promote the emergence of such complexity. Data collected were content representations (CoRes) in chemical equilibrium accompanied by expanded lesson outlines from 15 pre-service teachers in their final year of study towards a first degree in teaching (B Ed). The analysis involved extraction of episodes that exhibited component interaction by using a qualitative in-depth analysis method. The results revealed the structure in which the components of PCK in a topic interact among each other to be linear, interwoven, or a combination of the two. The interwoven interactions contained multiple components that connected explanations on different aspects of a concept, all working in a complementary manner. The most sophisticated component interactions emerged from teacher tasks on descriptions of a lesson sequence and a summary of a lesson. Recommendations in this study highlight core practices for making pedagogical transformation of topic content knowledge more accessible.

Using Phenomenography to Investigate the Enacted Object of Learning in Teaching Activities: The Case of Teaching Chinese Characters in Hong Kong Preschools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lam, Ho Cheong

2017-01-01

This study set out to use phenomenography as a theoretical framework to investigate teaching in classrooms, focusing on how the same content is enacted differently in different teaching activities. We observed teaching activities intended to teach children to recognize Chinese characters in preschools and collected data about the delivery of the…

Modes of information delivery in radiologic anatomy education: Impact on student performance.

PubMed

Ketelsen, Dominik; Schrödl, Falk; Knickenberg, Inés; Heckemann, Rolf A; Hothorn, Torsten; Neuhuber, Winfried; Bautz, Werner A L; Grunewald, Markus

2007-01-01

This study provides a systematic assessment of different methods of delivering radiologic teaching content (lecture, printed text, and digital content delivery) under standard conditions, enabling comparison of the effectiveness of these methods. A printed atlas of sectional anatomy was used as a standard. Digital content was developed on the basis of the printed atlas. Lecturers used both the printed and the digital content to prepare lectures. Standardized teaching material thus created was presented to second-term undergraduate students who had attended the school's anatomy course, but had not received any radiology teaching. Multiple choice examinations were used to assess the students' ability to recognize anatomical structures in known as well as unknown images. In a survey, the students' subjective experience of the learning process was assessed. No difference was seen between the groups regarding examination results. Students preferred a combination of digital media and lectures by enthusiastic teachers. The shortage of teachers requires a compromise concerning the delivery of radiologic anatomy content in a medical school setting. Based on our results, we recommend a combined approach of lecture and digital content delivery.

Quality knowledge of science through virtual laboratory as an element of visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizman Herga, Natasa

Doctoral dissertation discusses the use of virtual laboratory for learning and teaching chemical concepts at science classes in the seventh grade of primary school. The dissertation has got a two-part structure. In the first theoretical part presents a general platform of teaching science in elementary school, teaching forms and methods of teaching and among modern approaches we highlight experimental work. Particular emphasis was placed on the use of new technologies in education and virtual laboratories. Scientific findings on the importance of visualization of science concepts and their triple nature of their understanding are presented. These findings represent a fundamental foundation of empirical research presented in the second part of the doctoral dissertation, whose basic purpose was to examine the effectiveness of using virtual laboratory for teaching and learning chemical contents at science from students' point of view on knowledge and interest. We designed a didactic experiment in which 225 pupils participated. The work was conducted in the experimental and control group. Prior to its execution, the existing school practice among science and chemistry teachers was analysed in terms of: (1) inclusion of experimental work as a fundamental method of active learning chemical contents, (2) the use of visualization methods in the classroom and (3) the use of a virtual laboratory. The main findings of the empirical research, carried out in the school year 2012/2013, in which 48 science and chemistry participated, are that teachers often include experimental work when teaching chemical contents. Interviewed science teachers use a variety of visualization methods when presenting science concepts, in particular computer animation and simulation. Using virtual laboratory as a new strategy for teaching and learning chemical contents is not common because teachers lack special-didactic skills, enabling them to use virtual reality technology. Based on the didactic experiment, carried out over a period of two school years (2012/2013 and 2013/2014) in ten primary schools, the effectiveness of teaching carried out with the support of a virtual laboratory was analyzed. The obtained empirical findings reveal that the use of virtual laboratory has great impact on the pupils' knowledge and interest. At the end of the experiment, pupils in the experimental group had an advantage according to knowledge of chemical contents in science. Also, the use of virtual laboratory had an impact on the sustainability of the acquired knowledge of science contents and pupils' interest at the end of the experiment, because the pupils in the experimental group had a higher interest for learning science contents. The didactic experiment determined, that the use of virtual laboratory enables quality learning and teaching chemical contents of science, because it allows: (1) experimental work as an active learning method, (2) the visualization of abstract concepts and phenomena, (3) dynamic sub micro presentations (4) integration of all three levels of the chemical concept as a whole and (5) positively impacts pupils' interest, knowledge and sustainability of the acquired knowledge.

Teaching science content in nursing programs in Australia: a cross-sectional survey of academics.

PubMed

Birks, Melanie; Ralph, Nicholas; Cant, Robyn; Hillman, Elspeth; Chun Tie, Ylona

2015-01-01

Professional nursing practice is informed by biological, social and behavioural sciences. In undergraduate pre-registration nursing programs, biological sciences typically include anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, physics and pharmacology. The current gap in the literature results in a lack of information about the content and depth of biological sciences being taught in nursing curricula. The aim of this study was to establish what priority is given to the teaching of science topics in these programs in order to inform an understanding of the relative importance placed on this subject area in contemporary nursing education. This study employed a cross-sectional survey method. This paper reports on the first phase of a larger project examining science content in nursing programs. An existing questionnaire was modified and delivered online for completion by academics who teach science to nurses in these programs. This paper reports on the relative priority given by respondents to the teaching of 177 topics contained in the questionnaire. Of the relatively small population of academics who teach science to nursing students, thirty (n = 30) completed the survey. Findings indicate strong support for the teaching of science in these programs, with particular priority given to the basic concepts of bioscience and gross system anatomy. Of concern, most science subject areas outside of these domains were ranked as being of moderate or low priority. While the small sample size limited the conclusions able to be drawn from this study, the findings supported previous studies that indicated inadequacies in the teaching of science content in nursing curricula. Nevertheless, these findings have raised questions about the current philosophy that underpins nursing education in Australia and whether existing practices are clearly focused on preparing students for the demands of contemporary nursing practice. Academics responsible for the design and implementation of nursing curricula are encouraged to review the content of current programs in light of the findings of this research.

Another way to learn about teaching: What dogs can tell us about the evolution of pedagogy.

PubMed

Johnston, Angie M; McAuliffe, Katherine; Santos, Laurie R

2015-01-01

Kline argues that it is crucial to isolate the respective roles of teaching and learning in order to understand how pedagogy has evolved. We argue that doing so requires testing species that learn from pedagogy but that rarely teach themselves. Here, we review how one previously neglected species - domesticated dogs (Canis familiaris) - may allow researchers to do just that.

Evaluation of a new eLearning platform for distance teaching of microsurgery.

PubMed

Messaoudi, T; Bodin, F; Hidalgo Diaz, J J; Ichihara, S; Fikry, T; Lacreuse, I; Liverneaux, P; Facca, S

2015-06-01

Online learning (or eLearning) is in constant evolution in medicine. An analytical survey of the websites of eight academic societies and medical schools was carried out. These sites were evaluated against parameters that define the quality of an eLearning website, as well as the shareable content object reference model (SCORM) technical standards. All studied platforms were maintained by a webmaster and regularly updated. Only two platforms had teleconference opportunities, five had courses in PDF format, and four allowed online testing. Based on SCORM standards, only four platforms allowed direct access without a password. The content of all platforms was adaptable, interoperable and reusable. But their sustainability was difficult to assess. In parallel, we developed the first eLearning platform to be used as part of a university diploma in microsurgery in France. The platform was evaluated by students enrolled this diploma program. A satisfaction survey and platform evaluation showed that students were generally satisfied and had used the platform for microsurgery education, especially the seven students living abroad. ELearning for microsurgery allows the content to be continuously updated, makes for fewer classroom visits, provides easy remote access, and especially better training time management and cost savings in terms of travel and accommodations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

E-learning in radiology: an Italian multicentre experience.

PubMed

Carriero, A; Bonomo, L; Calliada, F; Campioni, P; Colosimo, C; Cotroneo, A; Cova, M; Ettorre, G C; Fugazzola, C; Garlaschi, G; Macarini, L; Mascalchi, M; Meloni, G B; Midiri, M; Mucelli, R Pozzi; Rossi, C; Sironi, S; Torricelli, P; Beomonte, B Zobel; Zompatori, M; Zuiani, C

2012-12-01

The aim of this study was to design, deliver and evaluate an e-learning teaching programme for post-graduate radiodiagnostics training that would involve various post-graduate schools throughout Italy. All of the Directors of Italian post-graduate schools of radiodiagnostics were sent an e-mail on 27 September 2010 informing them of our willingness to set up an e-learning project for the academic year 2010-2011 in the form of single-subject teaching seminars. The proposed subjects were the semeiotics of the various organs and apparatuses in the context of "Urgent/Emergency Pathology". After having received registrations, a calendar of lessons was planned to be held between 10 November 2010 and 12 October 2011. The validity of the project was tested by means of a multiple-choice questionnaire covering the technical and didactic quality of the entire project, to be completed by the students. Fifty-one percent of the universities in Italy participated in the project: Trieste, Udine, Verona, Milan-Bicocca, Novara, Varese, Genoa, Sassari, Rome Campus, the Catholic University of Rome, Chieti, Foggia, Catania, Modena, Florence, Palermo, Bologna, Pavia, Parma and Ferrara. The lessons were attended by a total of 10,261 post-graduate medical students, for an average of 513.1 students per lesson. Seventy percent of the students judged the didactic content "excellent", 25% "good", and 5% "satisfactory"; none said it was unsatisfactory. In terms of visual quality (particularly the details of the radiological images proposed in the form of slides and/or video clips), 73% judged it "excellent", 20% "good", 6% "satisfactory", and 1% "poor". The audio quality was judged "excellent" by 71%, "good" by 22%, "satisfactory" by 6% and "poor" by 1%. In relation to judgement of audio and video quality, it has to be underlined that this was greatly affected by the hardware/software configuration and the band speed and technology of the Internet connection. Technological evolution is overcoming all barriers, and technology is also having a positive impact on the approach to teaching. Our multicentre teaching experience merits the following considerations: the quality of the teaching product was certified by the students' judgements of its didactic content and the quality of reception; the economic cost of the teaching had a minimal impact on the post-graduate schools (€ 18 per lesson). In terms of breaking down national barriers, it is to be hoped that the coordination and integration of diagnostic imaging e-learning projects, with the participation of post-graduate schools in different European countries, can be developed not only in a spirit of "cultural sharing" and the exchange of teaching experiences. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

FTA Training Programs: Searching for Appropriate Teaching Styles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byrd, Patricia; Constantinides, Janet C.

1988-01-01

In addition to acquiring communicative competence, teaching assistants who speak English as a second language must learn human relations skills, and how to teach content through appropriate teaching methods and skills that will help them bridge the cultural and language differences they experience in U.S. institutions of higher education. (CB)

The Popcorn Book: A Diagnostic Teaching Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bock, Marjorie A.; Barger, Rita.

1998-01-01

Presents a diagnostic teaching unit designed to identify effective teaching strategies for fourth- or fifth-grade students with learning or behavior disorders. The unit uses "The Popcorn Book" (de Paola) for activities to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching strategies across the content areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. (CR)

Creating Cultures of Teaching and Learning: Conveying Dance and Somatic Education Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dragon, Donna A.

2015-01-01

Often in teaching dance, methods of teaching and learning are silently embedded into dance classroom experiences. Unidentified and undisclosed pedagogic information has impacted the content of dance history; the perpetuation of authoritarian teaching practices within dance technique classes and in some dance classes deemed "somatics";…

Teaching Highs and Lows: Exploring University Teaching Assistants' Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Jennifer L.

2010-01-01

Recent reforms in statistics education have initiated the need to prepare graduate teaching assistants (TAs) for these changes. A focus group study explored the experiences and perceptions of University of Nebraska-Lincoln TAs. The results reinforced the idea that content, pedagogy, and technology are central aspects for teaching an introductory…

Models of Teaching: Connecting Student Learning with Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dell'Olio, Jeanine M.; Donk, Tony

2007-01-01

"Models of Teaching: Connecting Student Learning with Standards" features classic and contemporary models of teaching appropriate to elementary and secondary settings. Authors Jeanine M. Dell'Olio and Tony Donk use detailed case studies to discuss 10 models of teaching and demonstrate how the models can incorporate state content standards and…

Teaching and Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitton, Diana

2015-01-01

"Teaching and Learning Strategies" is a practical guide for pre-service teachers who know and understand the content of the curriculum and are looking for additional tools to teach it effectively. This book will help students to develop a comprehensive knowledge of teaching and learning strategies, which is essential in ensuring lessons…

Teaching Children Science. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abruscato, Joseph

This book focuses on science teaching at the elementary school level. It includes chapters dealing with various science content areas and teaching processes including: (1) what is science; (2) why teach science; (3) process skills as a foundation for unit and lesson planning; (4) how to plan learning units, daily lessons, and assessment…

Analysis of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) ability of science teachers in planning and reflecting on environmental pollution content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwianingsih, W.; Mardiyah, A.

2018-05-01

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is a blend of content knowledge and pedagogy knowledge, which can illustrate the ability of teachers to design and to teach a content by accessing what they knows about the material, students, curriculum and how best to teach the content. Description of PCK ability of science teachers can be accessed through an analysis of their ability to plan and reflect on learning. This study aims to provide an overview of teachers’ PCK skills on environmental pollution materials through use of Content Representation (CoRe) and Pedagogical and Professional-experience Repertoires (PaP-eRs). Descriptive method used in this study with six of science teachers on 7th class from three different schools as subject. The results show that teachers’ PCK skills in planning through CoRe and reflecting through PaP-eRs are in fairly good category. The teacher’s ability in implementing environmental pollution learning materials is in good category. However, there is still a discrepancy between planning through CoRe and the implementation of classroom learning. The teacher’s PCK is influenced by teaching experience and educational background.

Evolution 2.0. The Unexpected Learning Experience of Making a Digital Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersen, Casper; Bek-Thomsen, Jakob; Clasen, Mathias; Grumsen, Stine Slot; Hjermitslev, Hans Henrik; Kjærgaard, Peter C.

2013-03-01

Studies in the history of science and education have documented that the reception and understanding of evolutionary theory is highly contingent on local factors such as school systems, cultural traditions, religious beliefs, and language. This has important implications for teaching evolution in primary and secondary schools. No universal strategy can be applied in overcoming the barriers of learning that exist and that are part of the practical and daily life in classrooms all over the world. In light of this, a huge challenge is to make high standard teaching materials fit to specific target audiences readily available. As more and more schools require teachers to use low cost or free web-based materials, in the research community we need to take seriously how to facilitate that demand in communication strategies on evolution. This article addresses this challenge by presenting the learning experience of making a digital archive of Danish Darwin editions that marked the beginnings of a series of public engagement and teaching initiatives including, among other things, comprehensive new websites, exhibits, lecture series, television documentaries, and a computer game.

Under one big sky: Elementary pre-service teachers use inquiry to learn about the moon, construct knowledge, and teach elementary students around the world via the Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Luann Christensen

This study examined the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) constructed by a group of 24 pre-service elementary teacher participants as they learned about the moon's phases, inquiry learning, and use of the Internet message boards as a teaching tool as a part of their science teaching methods course. The MOON Project (More Observations On Nature), an exploration of inquiry teaching via e-learning, matched the pre-service elementary teacher participants with schoolchildren in grades 4-8 around the world. Upon completion of a 4-week moon observation phase, the participants led the schoolchildren in a discussion of their observations via Blackboard(TM). This mixed methods study followed a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design. The participants' content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and perceptions about their knowledge were documented using questionnaires, essays, and tests as they entered this experience and again as they exited. Qualitative and quantitative methods and analysis established that the increase in pre-service teachers' content and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) as well as their perceptions of the knowledge gained was statistically significant at the conclusion of the project. However, they took away understandings of why the moon changes shape that were basic at best and fraught with a statistically significant increase in misconceptions. None of the instruments supported the pre-service teachers' perceptions of increased PCK. The pre-service teachers had mixed perceptions about teaching over the Internet, mostly due to the degree to which their elementary student groups responded with focus to questions and discussions or, in some cases, participated at all. The findings and recommendations speak to teacher educators about the methodology used in teacher education programs.

The practice of problem-based investigative teaching reform in semiconductor physics course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Aiping; Wu, Gaojian; Gu, Dawei; Jiang, Hongying; Wang, Lei

2017-08-01

Semiconductor physics is an important basic course for the students of the majors of applied physics, optoelectronics, and microelectronics. The authors have been carrying out investigative-teaching reform in semiconductor physics teaching. Firstly, the teaching content was re-structured based on scientific problems. Secondly, the students were placed in groups to discuss different scientific problems and to present a few short science-reports. Thirdly, micro-lesson videos were produced for the students to study and analyze before or after class. With comparative analysis, we find out that the semiconductor-physics curriculum content was greatly enriched. In addition, the students' learning motivation and scientific thinking ability increased, and their innovation ability was improved. Overall, the teaching quality of the semiconductor physics course could be significantly improved.

[The practice and discussion of the physical knowledge stepping into genetics teaching].

PubMed

Luo, Shen; Luo, Peigao

2014-09-01

Genetics, one of the core courses of biological field, play a key role in biology teaching and research. In fact, there exists high similarity between many genetic knowledge and physical knowledge. Due to strong abstract of genetic contents and the weak basis of genetics, some students lack of interests to study genetics. How to apply the strong physical knowledge which students had been learned in the middle school in genetics teaching is worthwhile for genetics teachers. In this paper, we would like to introduce an infiltrative teaching model on applying physical knowledge into genetic contents by establishing the intrinsic logistic relationship between physical knowledge and genetic knowledge. This teaching model could help students more deeply understand genetic knowledge and enhance students' self-studying ability as well as creating ability.

Little Mito: The Story of the Origins of a Cell.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vail, Stephanie; Herreid, Clyde Freeman

2002-01-01

Uses the case study method approach to teach about cell structure, organelle functions, the origin of eukaryotic cells, and evolution. Presents a story in which each structure of the cell is characterized with a personality. Includes teaching notes and classroom management strategies. (YDS)

From Dayton to Little Rock: Creationism Evolves.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelkin, Dorothy

1982-01-01

Traces origins of present-day creationists from their 19th-century fundamentalist beginnings, focusing on past and current objections to the teaching of evolution and efforts to require the teaching of creationism in public schools. Discusses creationist arguments and strategies to accomplish their aims. (JN)

Teaching and learning: Novice teachers' descriptions of their confidence to teach science content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ford, Barbara Ann

Statement of the problem. The problem being studied in this research is the relationship between a specific series of integrated science courses in a science teacher preparation program and the actual needs of the science teacher during the first years of teaching practice. Teachers often report that there is a disconnect between the coursework they have taken in college as pre-service teachers and the reality of their classroom practice during their first years of teaching. The intent of this study was to record the descriptions of three teachers who were members of a cohort and took a series of integrated science courses (NSCI series) during their teacher preparation program as it related to the influence of these courses on their teaching practice. The focus of inquiry is guided by a single question: How do former participants in the series of science courses who are currently novice teachers describe their confidence in their ability to teach science content to their middle school students? The theoretical framework was based on Shulman's (1987) pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). PCK involves the teacher understanding the content of science so thoroughly that ways are identified of representing and formulating the subject matter to make it understandable to others. The teacher who has a strong PCK uses powerful analogies, illustrations, examples, explanations and demonstrations that promote personally meaningful student understandings. Novice teachers' reflections on their confidence to teach science content to their middle school students were observed through the lens of PCK. All three novice teachers reported a high confidence level to teach middle school science and attributed their confidence level to a great degree to the integrated science series of courses (NSCI). Method. A qualitative design, specifically a case study, was used for this study. Multiple forms of data collection were employed including a semi structured interview and a focus group. Data was collected, categorized and analyzed over a six week period. A constant comparative method (Bogdan & Biklen, 1998) was used to examine the data. Triangulation, member checking and a peer reviewer were used to reduce the risk of bias and increase the trustworthiness of the data.

In the Shadow of Intelligent Design: The Teaching of Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cleaves, Anna; Toplis, Rob

2007-01-01

The theory of evolution by natural selection is contrasted in the media, and in some schools, with creationist ideas, in which the diversity of life on Earth is said to be the result of direct species-by-species creation, not of evolution. More recently, the Intelligent Design movement has claimed that "certain features of the universe and of…

Preparing Preservice K-8 Teachers for the Public School: Improving Evolution Attitudes, Misconceptions, and Legal Confusion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughn, Ashley R.; Robbins, Jennifer R.

2017-01-01

Evolutionary theory is a central tenet of biological science, and it is essential for all science teachers, early childhood through secondary, to have a clear understanding of not only the science behind evolution, but also the legal precedents for teaching evolution in the classroom. This study examines the effectiveness of a curriculum on…

Evolution in the Southeastern USA: Factors Influencing Acceptance and Rejection in Pre-Service Science Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glaze, Amanda L.; Goldston, M. Jenice; Dantzler, John

2015-01-01

Evolution continues to be a controversial topic around the world but nowhere is this more apparent locally than in the Southeastern region of the USA. In this study, we explored acceptance and rejection of evolution among pre-service science teachers in a teaching college in the rural Southeast and sought to determine (1) what relationships exist…

Knowledge of and Attitudes toward Evolution in a Population of Community College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flower, Patricia

2006-01-01

Much attention has been given to the opposition toward the teaching of evolution at the K-12 level and the movement to include alternative theories, such as Intelligent Design (ID), in the science curriculum. However, very little is known regarding the attitudes of community college students toward the study of evolution and the inclusion of ID in…

The Role of Metaphor in Darwin and the Implications for Teaching Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pramling, Niklas

2009-01-01

This article is about the role of metaphor in scientific knowledge formation and reasoning. These issues are studied by means of an example of the theory of evolution through natural selection. The premise is that the theory of evolution contains a set of problems regarding metaphor. A second premise is that these problems have to be handled in…

Research and Teaching: Factors Related to College Students' Understanding of the Nature of Science--Comparison of Science Majors and Nonscience Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Partin, Matthew L.; Underwood, Eileen M.; Worch, Eric A.

2013-01-01

To develop a more scientifically literate society, students need to understand the nature of science, which may be affected by controversial topics such as evolution. There are conflicting views among researchers concerning the relationships between understanding evolution, acceptance of evolution, and understanding of the nature of science. Four…

The Concept Lens Diagram: A New Mechanism for Presenting Biochemistry Content in Terms of "Big Ideas"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowland, Susan L.; Smith, Christopher A.; Gillam, Elizabeth M. A.; Wright, Tony

2011-01-01

A strong, recent movement in tertiary education is the development of conceptual, or "big idea" teaching. The emphasis in course design is now on promoting key understandings, core competencies, and an understanding of connections between different fields. In biochemistry teaching, this radical shift from the content-based tradition is…

The TeCoLa Project: Pedagogical Differentiation through Telecollaboration and Gaming for Intercultural and Content Integrated Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jauregi, Kristi; Melchor-Couto, Sabela

2017-01-01

The Erasmus+ TeCoLa project (2016-2019) aims to develop and test innovative gamified telecollaboration approaches for secondary schools that address issues of learning diversity in intercultural and Content Integrated Language Learning (CLIL) and teaching. Authentic task-based transnational interactions among peers from different socio-cultural,…

Minding the Knowledge Gap: The Importance of Content in Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christodoulou, Daisy

2013-01-01

In this article, author Daisy Christodoulou, a former teacher in the United Kingdom, debunks the myth that teaching facts prevents understanding, and she explains why teaching content knowledge is part of the primary mission of education. Throughout this article, she tries to stress that she shares the aims of many of the people whose methods she…

The Integration of Teacher's Pedagogical Content Knowledge Components in Teaching Linear Equation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yusof, Yusminah Mohd.; Effandi, Zakaria

2015-01-01

This qualitative research aimed to explore the integration of the components of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in teaching Linear Equation with one unknown. For the purpose of the study, a single local case study with multiple participants was used. The selection of the participants was made based on various criteria: having more than 5 years…

Implementation of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of Mathematics Teachers in Teaching Practice: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maryono; Sutawidjaja, Akbar; Subanji; Irawati, Santi

2017-01-01

This study aims to describe the implementation of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of mathematics teachers in the teaching practice of the material system of linear equations of two variables (SLETV). The approach used is a qualitative case study. The main instrument is the researchers themselves and the supporting instruments is a vignette…

Literature-Based Teaching in the Content Areas: 40 Strategies for K-8 Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Carole

2011-01-01

Grounded in theory and best-practices research, this practical text provides teachers with 40 strategies for using fiction and non-fiction trade books to teach in five key content areas: language arts and reading, social studies, mathematics, science, and the arts. Each strategy provides everything a teacher needs to get started: a classroom…

Handing It Over: Giving Students Responsibility for Teaching in a Sheltered Content Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heuser, Linda; Tabet, J. Sirena

1998-01-01

To expand cognitive knowledge, increase language competency, and promote active learning, a content instructor and a language professor collaborated to develop a final unit in which teams of Japanese college sophomores, studying in a 10-month program in the United States, teach their classmates in English about a topic of interest concerning…

Text-Selection for Teaching Reading to ESL Tertiary Students: A Study on Genre and Content Preferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordin, Razanawati; Eng, Lin Siew

2017-01-01

Most learners studying English language feel that their educators use irrelevant, uninteresting, and culturally unfamiliar reading materials for teaching reading. As a result, most of them struggle to comprehend the English language texts used by the teachers. Therefore, the aim of this research is to investigate the genre and content preferences…

Longitudinal Study of Middle Grades Chemistry Professional Development: Enhancement of Personal Science Teaching Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khourey-Bowers, Claudia; Simonis, Doris G.

2004-01-01

The purpose of this research was to enhance self-efficacy beliefs, chemistry content, and pedagogical content knowledge of middle grades teachers by incorporating specific design elements into professional development. This study analyzed the influence of program design on achieving gains in personal science teaching self-efficacy, outcome…

Creating an Interactive Virtual Community of Linguistically and Culturally Responsive Content Teacher-Learners to Serve English Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Sujin; Song, Kim; Coppersmith, Sarah

2018-01-01

This qualitative case study was framed by an experiential learning approach organized around video resources and linguistically and culturally responsive content teaching. The study explored an overarching research question: How did teacher-learners in a grant project interact with a multimedia learning platform that combined teaching video and…

An Interdisciplinary Inservice Model for Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: Grades 7-9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Granite School District, Salt Lake City, UT.

The model outlined in this document describes the development of an integrated approach to teaching content reading skills to teachers. Methods and materials applicable to texts and media currently used in classrooms were produced by inservice teachers of science, math, and social studies at a Salt Lake City junior high school. This document…

Content and Language Integrated Learning through an Online Game in Primary School: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dourda, Kyriaki; Bratitsis, Tharrenos; Griva, Eleni; Papadopoulou, Penelope

2014-01-01

In this paper an educational design proposal is presented which combines two well established teaching approaches, that of Game-based Learning (GBL) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The context of the proposal was the design of an educational geography computer game, utilizing QR Codes and Google Earth for teaching English…

Developing Pre-Service Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics with the Geometer's Sketchpad through Lesson Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meng, Chew Cheng; Sam, Lim Chap

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop pre-service secondary teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) for teaching mathematics with The Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP) through Lesson Study (LS). Specifically, a single-group pretest-posttest design was employed to examine whether there was a significant difference in the…

Primary School Teachers' Interviews Regarding Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and General Pedagogical Knowledge (GPK)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sothayapetch, Pavinee; Lavonen, Jari; Juuti, Kalle

2013-01-01

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and General Pedagogical Knowledge (GPK) are fundamental types of knowledge for a teacher that he or she must use in order to plan, teach in the classroom, and assess students' learning outcomes. This paper investigates experienced primary school teachers' PCK and GPK while teaching science in Finland and in…

Fusing Pedagogic Horizons: Language and Content Teaching in the Mainstream

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arkoudis, Sophie

2005-01-01

One of the central concerns of English as a Second Language (ESL) education within many English-speaking countries has been the relationship between content and language teaching. In Victoria, a state of Australia, the educational policy of mainstreaming ESL is presented as a means of catering to the language learning needs of ESL students within…

Student-Centered Learning in an Earth Science, Preservice, Teacher-Education Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avard, Margaret

2009-01-01

In an effort to get elementary teachers to teach more science in the classroom, a required preservice science education course was designed to promote the use of hands-on teaching techniques. This paper describes course content and activities for an innovative, student-centered, Earth science class. However, any science-content course could be…

An Investigation into the Contents and Aspects of College Students' Reflective Thoughts during Field Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Su, Yuling

2015-01-01

Field experience makes a strong contribution to the learning of students. However, the procedure for conducting training sessions based on experiential teaching methods is relatively unclear, and the contents and aspects of students' reflections during such training are not well known. This study applied experiential teaching methods in a college…

Computer-Assisted Instruction for Teaching Academic Skills to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review of Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennington, Robert C.

2010-01-01

Although legislation mandates that students with autism receive instruction linked to the general education core content, there is limited research supporting the effectiveness of interventions for teaching core content to these students. In this study, the author reviewed research conducted between the years 1997 and 2008 using computer-assisted…

Embedded Simultaneous Prompting Procedure to Teach STEM Content to High School Students with Moderate Disabilities in an Inclusive Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heinrich, Sara; Collins, Belva C.; Knight, Victoria; Spriggs, Amy D.

2016-01-01

Effects of an embedded simultaneous prompting procedure to teach STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) content to three secondary students with moderate intellectual disabilities in an inclusive general education classroom were evaluated in the current study. Students learned discrete (i.e., geometric figures, science vocabulary, or use of…

Relationship between Teacher Knowledge of Concepts and Connections, Teaching Practice, and Student Achievement in Middle Grades Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tchoshanov, Mourat A.

2011-01-01

The mixed method sequential nested study examines whether and how the cognitive type of teachers' content knowledge is associated with student achievement, and correlated with teaching practice. In the context of this study, the "cognitive type" refers to the kind of teacher content knowledge and thinking processes required to accomplish…

Using Literacy Coaching to Promote the Teaching and Learning of English Learners in Content Areas. CREATE Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reutebuch, Colleen K.

2012-01-01

This brief describes the literacy coaching that was provided as part of the CREATE research project aimed at improving the teaching and learning of English learners in seventh-grade content areas. Coaching was intended to extend professional development and increase teacher capacity through multiple layers of support that included lesson…

Declarative and Dynamic Pedagogical Content Knowledge as Elicited through Two Video-Based Interview Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Alicia C.; Kim, Jiwon

2016-01-01

Although pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has become widely recognized as an essential part of the knowledge base for teaching, empirical evidence demonstrating a connection between PCK and teaching practice or student learning outcomes is mixed. In response, we argue for further attention to the measurement of dynamic (spontaneous or flexible,…

Do Variations of Science Teaching Approaches Make Difference in Shaping Student Content and Problem Solving Achievement across Different Racial/Ethnic Groups?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gao, Su; Wang, Jian

2016-01-01

Students' frequent exposure to inquiry-based science teaching is presumed more effective than their exposure to traditional didactic instruction in helping improve competence in content knowledge and problem solving. Framed through theoretical perspectives of inquiry-based instruction and culturally relevant pedagogy, this study examines this…

Teaching Science with Technology: Case Studies of Science Teachers' Development of Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzey, S. Selcen; Roehrig, Gillian H.

2009-01-01

This study examines the development of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) in four in-service secondary science teachers as they participated in a professional development program focusing on technology integration into K-12 classrooms to support science as inquiry teaching. In the program, probeware, mind-mapping tools (CMaps),…

Teaching Reading Skills to Learning-Disabled Fourth to Sixth Graders through Content Areas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leung, Esther K.

The study examined the value of teaching reading skills to learning disabled (LD) fourth to sixth graders through the content areas. Four LD resource teachers implemented the year-long program with 12 experimental and 10 control subjects. Experimental subjects were taught specific reading skills through their Social Studies and/or Science…

Examining Preservice Teacher Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge Needed to Teach Reading in Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Sarah K.; Helfrich, Sara R.; Hatch, Lance

2017-01-01

Recently, increased attention has been placed on the importance of having knowledgeable and skilled teachers in order to influence reading achievement. Yet many international reports suggest that large numbers of children are not learning to read. How can we better prepare teachers with the necessary knowledge to teach reading? The current study…

The Use of Analogies in Language Teaching: Representing the Content of Teachers' Practical Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hulshof, Hans; Verloop, Nico

2002-01-01

This study sought to determine how experienced language teachers use analogies to help students comprehend a text on the course of their regular teaching routines. It is assumed that analogies constitute one important component of the content of teachers' practical knowledge in the context of reading-comprehension instruction. The framework of the…

Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK) in Redox and Electrochemistry of Experienced Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Stephanie

2017-01-01

Topic specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK) is the basis by which knowledge of subject matter of a particular topic is conveyed to students. This includes students' prior knowledge, curricular saliency, what makes a topic easy or difficult to teach, representations, and teaching strategies. The goal of this study is to assess the…

Interplay of Secondary Pre-Service Teacher Content Knowledge (CK), Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and Attitudes Regarding Scientific Inquiry Teaching within Teacher Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smit, Robbert; Weitzel, Holger; Blank, Robert; Rietz, Florian; Tardent, Josiane; Robin, Nicolas

2017-01-01

Background: Beginning teachers encounter several constraints with respect to scientific inquiry. Depending on their prior beliefs, knowledge and understanding, these constraints affect their teaching of inquiry. Purpose: To investigate quantitatively the longitudinal relationship between pre-service teachers' knowledge and attitudes on scientific…

Teaching Inferential Statistics to Social Work Students: A Decision-Making Flow Chart

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calderwood, Kimberly A.

2012-01-01

Given that social work research courses are typically built on modernist principles of teaching and content, it is not surprising that the majority of social work students dread these courses. Few attempts have been made to better align the modernist content of quantitative research with the postmodern philosophy and values inherent in current…

The Challenges and Success of Implementing Climate Studies Lessons for Pre-Professional Teachers at a Small Historically Black College to Engage Student Teaching of Science Pedagogy and Content Skill Based Learning.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnold, J.; Wider-Lewis, F.; Miller-Jenkins, A.

2017-12-01

This poster is a description of the challenges and success of implementing climate studies lessons for pre-service teachers to engage student teaching pedagogy and content skill based learning. Edward Waters College is a historical black college with an elementary education teacher program focused on urban elementary school teaching and learning. Pre-Service Elementary Educator Students often have difficulty with science and mathematics content and pedagogy. This poster will highlight the barriers and successes of using climate studies lessons to develop and enhance pre-service teachers' knowledge of elementary science principles particularly related to climate studies, physical and earth space science.