A Companion to Research in Teacher Education

bb

BBbBb

BBbBb

bb

BBbBb

bbbbb

Dominant Recessive

Is only

expressed if

the gene is

located in

both pairs.

Is described

with capital

letters (e.g.

B for Brown

eyes)

Is described

with small

letters (e.g. b

for blue

eyes)

Is always

expressed if

the gene is

present

Blue eyes, light

hair, light skin,

firmed ears, no

dimple,

freckles, five

fingers, no red

hair, not able to

roll the tongue,

no freckles chin

cleft

Brown eyes,

dark hair, dark

skin, red hair,

six fingers,

rolling the

tongue, dimple,

freckles

Before the lesson ended the teacher asked the students to discuss (individually
and in pairs) if two brown-eyed parents can have a blue-eyed child. He also asked
the students to draw a cross-scheme that showed how brown, respectively, blue
eyes are inherited.

51.6 Students’Experiences and Perceptions of Their

Learning from the Lesson

The result highlights several aspects that the 12 students identified as important for
their learning of science. For example, the teachers’ability to link the content to
students’everyday experiences (which might differ from the teacher’s everyday
experience); to highlight similarities and differences between the concepts; to use
knowledge of students’previous understandings and engagement in the teaching
activities; and, the teachers’subject matter knowledge and enthusiasm for the content.

51.6.1 Linking the Content to Students’Everyday

Experiences

Being confronted by why something is important to teach can have important
benefits not only for what is taught, but also how that teaching is conducted;
another crucial aspect of a PCK. An important factor that the students raised was
how the teacher helped them see the connections between the various science
concepts and phenomena and their everyday life experiences. A common problem
in science education is that the students do not alwaysfind science as meaningful
and relevant. In the lesson, the teacher used analogies and examples from his own
family, friends and from famous sportsmen such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

51 Capturing Science PCK Through Students’Experiences 759