TY - GEN
T1 - Tailoring Delivery to Preservice Science Teachers Using Student Voice to Gauge Conceptual Framework: Comparing Australian and Canadian Perspectives
AU - Moore, Leah
AU - Nashon, Samson
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - One of the greatest tensions in teacher education programs is that the expectations of the students and of the teacher educator are commonly different. One reason is that teacher educators may have difficulty in accessing a true picture of the skills and knowledge (conceptual framework) the students bring to the .classroom. Preservice senior science teachers were asked to discuss what they needed to become effective science teachers. A thematic analysis of the responses identified eleven areas of concern including: refreshing and broadening science content knowledge; ensuring clarity of delivery; development of desirable personal attributes; learning techniques to motivate students; increased knowledge of appropriate teaching methods; enhanced knowledge of child development; acquiring skills in course planning and school logistics; learning how to manage the classroom; providing entertaining delivery; learning how to design experiments; and, linking the science with the real world. This information was coupled with results from a "nature of science" questionnaire, content knowledge test, dispositional survey and concept mapping exercise to provide an overview of preservice science teacher attitudes and competencies. The derived information allowed teacher educators to tailor a cohort-appropriate preservice program. This "snapshot" cohort profile provides a foundation for planning, and a pre-program benchmark for subsequent evaluations. Keywords: science education, preservice teacher education, conceptual framework
AB - One of the greatest tensions in teacher education programs is that the expectations of the students and of the teacher educator are commonly different. One reason is that teacher educators may have difficulty in accessing a true picture of the skills and knowledge (conceptual framework) the students bring to the .classroom. Preservice senior science teachers were asked to discuss what they needed to become effective science teachers. A thematic analysis of the responses identified eleven areas of concern including: refreshing and broadening science content knowledge; ensuring clarity of delivery; development of desirable personal attributes; learning techniques to motivate students; increased knowledge of appropriate teaching methods; enhanced knowledge of child development; acquiring skills in course planning and school logistics; learning how to manage the classroom; providing entertaining delivery; learning how to design experiments; and, linking the science with the real world. This information was coupled with results from a "nature of science" questionnaire, content knowledge test, dispositional survey and concept mapping exercise to provide an overview of preservice science teacher attitudes and competencies. The derived information allowed teacher educators to tailor a cohort-appropriate preservice program. This "snapshot" cohort profile provides a foundation for planning, and a pre-program benchmark for subsequent evaluations. Keywords: science education, preservice teacher education, conceptual framework
M3 - Conference contribution
T3 - AARE conference proceedings
SP - 1
EP - 15
BT - Proceedings of the International Research Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education 2007
PB - Australian Association for Research in Education
CY - Australia
T2 - AARE 2007 International Education Research Conference: Research Impacts: Proving or Improving?
Y2 - 25 November 2007 through 29 November 2007
ER -