Anne Christine Hume

Promoting higher levels of reflective writing in student journals

This paper traces the development over several years of an initiative involving student journals that was introduced into a tertiary science education course for pre‐service teachers to promote enhanced learning of how to teach science. Very soon after introducing the journals into course work the lecturer began engaging in ‘unplanned’ informal reflection (reflection‐in‐action and reflection‐on‐action) when she witnessed the shallow, often trivial nature of her students’ reflective writing and the lack of pedagogical insights they were gaining from the exercise. Motivated by her own ongoing scholarship the lecturer introduced purposeful coaching of reflective skills into her pedagogy to scaffold students’ learning and promote more useful reflection. The impact of these interventions on students’ reflective capabilities and learning were investigated using a formal action research cycle. Findings indicate that student teachers’ reflective skills improved and resulted in deeper and more focused thinking about how to teach science for learning.

Assessment of learning, for learning, and as learning: New Zealand case studies

Research about the benefits of formative assessment as a means of improving student learning has encouraged policy‐makers and teachers in countries like the UK, Australia and New Zealand to promote and use classroom‐based assessment for learning in the qualifications arena. However, recent research suggests teachers are implementing a narrow interpretation of formative assessment in classrooms using techniques that focus on assessment procedures and practices to assure students comply with criteria and achieve awards for external qualifications. This variation on ‘teaching to the test’ has led to the coining of the phrase ‘assessment as learning’ to indicate the instrumentalism that results from such restricted practice. This paper reports on findings from case studies of two schools in New Zealand where secondary school students are learning how to perform science investigations under direction, for a curriculum standard that is a component of a national standards‐based qualification. The findings reveal that students’ assessment and learning experiences reflect the emerging international trend of ‘assessment as learning’, but strategies for redressing some of the undesirable aspects of this limiting form of formative assessment in this New Zealand context are identified.

Student Experiences of Carrying out a Practical Science Investigation Under Direction

This paper reports on the reality of classroom‐based inquiry learning in science, from the perspectives of high school students and their teachers, under a national curriculum attempting to encourage authentic scientific inquiry (as practiced by scientists). A multiple case study approach was taken, utilising qualitative research methods of unobtrusive observation, semi‐structured interviews and document analysis. The findings showed purposeful and focused learning occurring, but students were acquiring a narrow view of scientific inquiry where the thinking was characteristically rote and low‐level. The nature of this learning was strongly influenced by curriculum decisions made by classroom teachers and science departments in response to the assessment requirements of a high stakes national qualification. As a consequence of these decisions, students experienced structured teaching programmes in which they were exposed to programme content that limited the range of methods that scientists use to fair testing and to pedagogies that were substantially didactic in nature. In addition, the use of planning templates and exemplar assessment schedules tended to reduce student learning about experimental design to an exercise in “following the rules” as they engaged in closed rather than open investigations. Thus, the resulting student learning was mechanistic and superficial rather than creative and critical, counter to the aims of the national curriculum policy that is intent on promoting students’ knowledge and capabilities in authentic scientific inquiry.

Promoting pedagogical content knowledge development for early career secondary teachers in science and technology using content representations

Background: This research addressed the key area of early career teacher education and aimed to explore the use of a ‘content representation’ (CoRe) as a mediational tool to develop early career secondary teacher pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This study was situated in the subject areas of science and technology, where sound teacher knowledge is particularly important to student engagement. Purpose: The study was designed to examine whether such a tool (a CoRe), co-designed by an early career secondary teacher with expert content and pedagogy specialists, can enhance the PCK of early career teachers. The research questions were: How can experts in content and pedagogy work together with early career teachers to develop one science topic CoRe and one technology topic CoRe to support the development of PCK for early career secondary teachers? How does the use of a collaboratively designed CoRe affect the planning of an early career secondary teacher in science or technology? How has engagement in the development and use of an expert-informed CoRe developed an early career teacher’s PCK? Sample: The research design incorporated a unique partnership between two expert classroom teachers, two content experts, four early career teachers, and four researchers experienced in science and technology education. Design: This study employed an interpretivist-based methodology and an action research approach within a four-case study design. Data were gathered using qualitative research methods focused on semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis. Results: The study indicated that CoRes, developed through this collaborative process, helped the early career teachers focus on the big picture of the topic, emphasize particularly relevant areas of content and consider alternative ways of planning for their teaching. Conclusions: This paper presents an analysis of the process of CoRe development by the teacher–expert partnerships and the effect that had on the early career teachers’ PCK. In addition, as the same tools and methodology were applied to both a science and a technology teaching context, differences between the two learning areas are discussed.

A School-Researcher Partnership with Pragmatism at its Core

This chapter recounts how a unique partnership addressing a specific educational issue emerged out of a broader relationship that had been previously formally established between a university and local primary schools to support initial teacher education. What is distinctive about this particular partnership is the manner in which university researchers and the teaching staff of a primary school first identified common issues in the context of science education and then used their respective strengths to design and enact possible solutions to the problems these issues presented for the school community and for pre-service teacher education.

Using Collaborative Technology to Enhance Pre-Service Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Science.

Background: Supporting pre-service teacher (PT) collaboration as a means of professional learning is a challenging but essential task for effective practice. However, teacher placements or practicums in schools, which is common practice within teacher education programmes, can often isolate PTs from sharing their experiences with each other. Further, the articulation of effective pedagogical practices by high-quality teachers is limited, restricting PTs’ ability to access such professional knowledge. Purpose: This study investigates how the introduction of a collaborative technology, a wiki, may enhance existing and new opportunities for pre-service teachers’ (PTs) to develop pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Sample: Seven PT chemistry teachers of varied backgrounds participated in this study. Design and method: The PTs were learning to collaboratively formulate and document their early topic-specific teaching knowledge using a pedagogical tool known as Content Representation (CoRe) design. Once scaffolded into this process, the PTs continued and extended this collaborative work online through the introduction of a wiki. Data were collected for qualitative analysis through the CoRe artefacts, a semi-structured focus group interview, and PTs’ reflective essays about their collaborative experiences representing their teaching knowledge in CoRes through the wiki. Results: Data analysis highlighted that while wiki use showed some potential for collaborative representation when participants were not face-to-face, the PTs were hesitant in critiquing each other’s work. As such, the online representations remained relatively static without face-to-face interaction. However, developing artefacts online was favoured over established practice and the access to artefacts of their peers on the wiki enhanced PTs’ consideration for their own PCK. Conclusion: Wikis show some potential in the hosting of CoRes, but issues in simultaneous posting and lack of chat functionality may hinder PTs’ ability to easily critique each others’ work. However, the PTs in this study also demonstrated a broader unwillingness to critique each other’s CoRes that teacher educators need to challenge. The use of technology to support PTs’ CoRes and critiquing warrants further research.

Conquering Content: A Key to Promoting Self-efficacy in Primary Science Teaching

This chapter reports on a design-based research (DBR) study between researchers and primary teachers focused on enhancing the teachers’ science content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) through an intervention known as Content Representation (CoRe) Design. Data from surveys, videoed teacher workshops, document analysis, classroom observations, and focus group interviews revealed CoRe design, along with strategic use of quality resources, had a marked and positive impact on teachers’ CK and, in turn, their PCK. In turn, heightened feelings of self-efficacy for science teaching occurred amongst the teachers along with signs of greater student interest, engagement and achievement in science.

Finding the Means to Initiate and Sustain a Teacher Educator’s Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Development in Science Education

The narrative in this chapter traces my personal continuum of professional and academic learning since my move from classroom science teacher to teacher educator. It chronicles the events that triggered my interest in the scholarship of science teaching, particularly around pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and the realisation that reflective practice via action research was a powerful means of enhancing my own PCK for initial teacher education. This meta-study uses a self-study research approach featuring a focus on my own practice; the use of qualitative research methods; collaborative interactions with my academic colleagues; and validation of my findings based on trustworthiness. The data for the meta-study comes from research articles I have published over a 10-year period. Using PCK as a conceptual framework, I draw data from these articles to track my own development of self-identity as a teacher educator. Designing research approaches that are compatible with teaching and research requirements and agendas and bring no harm to students is challenging. In this chapter I discuss the strategies I evolved over time for embedding action research in my teaching practice to ensure that the research was trustworthy, worthwhile and ethical.