IBSE Final

Chapter 1 The Teaching of Science: Contemporary Challenges

tHE tEACHING OF SCIENCE: 21 st-CENTURY PERSPECTIVES 23

no full set of curriculum materials exists, when a small foray into a new approach

to teaching and learning is called for, or when units are being purchased and

introduced one at a time for budgetary reasons. The third strategy, curriculum

implementation, is most relevant when discussing the use of a full set of curric-

ulum materials such as an integrated science program.

Implementing New Curriculum

Curriculum implementation uses different kinds of professional development

as teachers’ concerns, knowledge, and skills change. Early in implementation,

professional development through a workshop format can help teachers learn

“how to do it” from those experienced in using the curriculum. By experiencing

the student activities as a learner, teachers learn the content they will teach their

students. For some who learned science as a set of facts to be memorized, this

method helps them learn what a “big idea” (fundamental science concept) is and

how facts fit into conceptual understanding. Science teachers also may experi-

ence an inquiry-based approach. They learn to develop explanations for what

they observe and defend their explanations using evidence. They learn to chal-

lenge each other’s ideas in an educational context and report on their own using

effective methods of communication.

In effective professional development, teachers learn to wear two hats:

a hat of a learner and that of a teacher. They practice doing science through

the student activities and reflecting on what and how they are learning. Then

they learn to step back and view their experiences as a teacher. What ideas did

they struggle with learning? What helped them in their struggles? What ideas

will their students struggle to learn? Discussions of questions such as these go

beyond management to concerns and the consequences—student learning—of

new science programs.

These activities in initial workshops will prime teachers to teach the science

curriculum. In the most supportive settings, they have coaches who visit and

look for ways to help them make their classroom and material management

more efficient. They have opportunities to share their successes and problem

solve with other teachers, including those experienced in using the curriculum.

Professional development changes when management concerns decrease

and teachers can focus on instructional practice. Strategies for teacher learning

include examininations of student work, case discussions, and action research

(Loucks-Horsley et al. 2003). Teachers can share student work that raises ques-

tions for them: How can I help my students realize the role of inquiry in the study

of science? What are the current conceptions of these students? Other issues that

student work may illustrate include the development of inquiry abilities and

the use of technology in science and in school programs. Similarly, teachers can

view a video from one of their classrooms or a video collection, write and share

teaching cases, or read cases that have been developed by others, and talk about