Bonnie Shapiro

A case study of change in elementary student teacher thinking during an independent investigation in science: Learning about the “face of science that does not yet know”

This article presents the results of an approach to the study of changes in one student teachers thinking about the nature of scientific investigation during her participation in an elementary science methods course assignment. During a preservice course in curriculum and instruction in elementary science, students were assigned the task of designing an independent investigation to solve a simple question of their own. Using survey data, interviews, and a repertory grid technique, ideas about the nature of knowledge acquisition in science were documented prior to, during, and following involvement in the assignment. In structured interviews following the assignment, participants were shown documented changes in their personal constructs regarding the nature of knowledge acquisition in science and were invited to comment on features of their own investigation which contributed to changes in their ideas. Repertory grid charts and interview data were used to develop 12 “Change Themes” in the larger study that characterize movements in thinking about the nature of investigation in science. Three of the change themes are explored in depth in the individual case report. The article concludes with a discussion on the movement in this students view of scientific investigation, and the challenges and value of the assignment in a science teacher education program.

Time and the Environments of Schooling.

In this article, we explore questions related to the meaning and nature of time in schooling environments. Cultural, historical and ecological images inform our thinking, using concepts from postmodern perspectives such as semiotics and critical pedagogy. We begin by reviewing the historical development of conceptions of time and describe what is meant by framing our research and thinking in a postmodern vision of time. We examine ideas about other potential meanings of time using semiotic and critical pedagogical interpretations. As the research and recommendations are of value to professional educators and policy makers, we discuss the value of nurturing intellectual relationships, the value of collaboration, and the importance of developing new ways to give voice to teachers to allow them to articulate their views about what is most meaningful and significant in the organization of learning environments.

An Approach to Consider the Semiotic Messages of School Science Learning Culture

(1998). An Approach to Consider the Semiotic Messages of School Science Learning Culture. Journal of Science Teacher Education: Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 221-240.

Studying lifeworlds of science learning: A longitudinal study of changing ideas, contexts, and personal orientations in science learning

AbstractThis article presents results from a long-term study of science learning that began with 6 children during their Grade 5 study of the topic light and has now followed the original participants for 18 years. This report features details of the story of 1 participant, Donnie, and provides information on the approach to the larger program of research. The research takes three main thrusts: First, it studies how concepts in science, in this case, light, are developed over a lifetime of learning. Second, it studies the nature of the experience of science learning in school and now into the adult lives of participants. Third, the research seeks to understand the nature of changes in personal orientations to science learning over the years, from elementary education to adult life, a construct developed in the original case studies to describe features of each individual’s approach to learning science (Shapiro, 1994a). Research insights highlight concept development and the importance of building self-reflection opportunities into the curriculum and address the career and lifetime impacts of school-science learning experience.Sommaire exécutifDans cet article, nous présentons les résultats d’une étude à long terme sur l’apprentissage scientifique, étude qui a commencé avec 6 élèves de cinquième année, et porte sur leur étude de la lumière. Les participants ont été suivis, pendant toute leur formation scolaire et une partie de leur vie adulte, au cours des 18 dernières années. Ce compte-rendu fournit un résumé des données relatives à un cas, celui de Donnie, jusqu’à l’âge de 28 ans. La recherche suit trois directions principales. D’abord, elle analyse la façon dont les concepts-ici le concept de lumière-évoluent au cours d’une vie d’apprentissage des sciences. En second lieu, elle étudie l’apprentissage des sciences dans un contexte plus vaste, car elle tente cerner la signification et la valeur de la science au cours de la vie d’un individu, de la formation scolaire aux autres expériences vécues, d’abord en milieu scolaire puis à l’extérieur en tant qu’adulte. Enfin, elle s’intéresse tout particulièrement à la nature des changements qui affectent l’orientation personnelle de l’individu par rapport à l’apprentissage des sciences, dans les années qui vont de l’école primaire jusqu’à la vie adulte. Cet aspect a d’abord été développé dans les études de cas décrivant les approches qui caractérisent chaque individu devant l’apprentissage des sciences (Shapiro, 1994). Poursuivant la même réflexion, l’étude fournit de riches observations, des récits et des commentaires des participants sur leur propre vécu en matière d’apprentissage des sciences, et explique en quoi les résultats remettent en question l’image actuelle de l’apprenant en sciences. La recherche souligne d’une part l’importance de réfléchir sur l’expérience d’apprentissage dans la planification pédagogique et la création d’une culture de l’apprentissage des sciences, et d’autre part l’importance d’aider les étudiants à réfléchir sur leur propre façon d’aborder l’apprentissage des sciences.Le présent projet exploite les mêmes questions que la première étude (Shapiro, 1994), auxquelles plusieurs autres se sont ajoutées: 1.Comment les idées sur la nature de la lumière, chez les participants, évoluent-elles pendant les années qui suivent les expériences vécues au cours de leur cinquième années scolaire? Comment leurs définitions et leurs idées sur la nature des sciences évoluent-elles au fil des années?2.Comment les sentiments des participants sur l’étude des matières scientifiques évoluent-ils?3.Comment les construits personnels sur l’apprentissage des sciences évoluent-ils?4.Comment l’opinion qu’ils ont d’eux-mêmes comme apprenants en sciences évolue-t-elle?5.Comment leurs choix de programmes en sciences évoluent-t-ils?6.Quelle expérience de la science, à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur du contexte scolaire, les participants font-ils au fil des années?7.Quelle est leur opinion sur la valeur des études et des connaissances scientifiques au cours de leurs études et de leur vie d’adulte?8.Que pensent-ils du type et de la qualité des cuniculums scientifiques et de l’enseignement des sciences à l’école?9.Comment réagissent-ils à l’expérience d’avoir participé à cette étude longitudinale?10.Comment les parents et la famille réagissent-ils au fait que les élèves participent à cette étude? S’ajoute à chacune de ces 10 questions la sous-question suivante: ≪Comment l’évolution des idées des participants est-elle conditionnée par leurs expériences en apprentissage des sciences à l’école? Quels sont les autres facteurs susceptibles de les influencer à cet égard?≫La recherche a été conçue de façon à donner aux enseignants des connaissances qui leur permettront d’aider les apprenants à remettre en question leurs idées, de chercher des moyens d’aider les participants à réfléchir sur leur apprentissage et à canaliser leurs efforts pour améliorer la qualité de l’apprentissage. Cette recherche conteste l’image que les didacticiens se font de l’apprenant et encourage l’inclusion de facteurs autres que la cognition dans notre analyse du développement des signifiés, des orientations et des cadres personnels utilisés par les apprenants pour acquérir des connaissances scientifiques. Ce compte-rendu vise à fournir une source d’informations et de données détaillées sur les façons dont on apprend les sciences, source qui se fonde sur deux prémisses. D’abord, la recherche individuelle de signifiés influence un apprentissage des sciences multidimensionnel, tel qu’entendu dans le construit ≪Orientation per-’sonnelle en apprentissage des sciences≫. Ensuite, dans la vie d’un individu, il existe de nombreux éléments susceptibles d’influencer l’apprentissage, y compris toute une série de cadres sociaux et culturels dont il se sert comme ressources et qui influencent ses choix en matière d’apprentissage scientifique. Le but de cette recherche est d’attirer l’attention sur la nature et l’impact de ces éléments, d’en analyser la valeur pour l’enseignement et pour la planification des cuiriculums, et de construire le savoir sur l’apprentissage des sciences

Recognizing the Child as Knowledgeable Other: Intergenerational Learning Research to Consider Child-to-Adult Influence on Parent and Family Eco-Knowledge

This article presents a review of current research used to shape and guide an investigation into the nature of the influence of children as agents of intergenerational learning in environmental studies. Five children and their mothers were interviewed regarding their views about childrens influences on parent and family eco-knowledge and behavior. Four of the five children and four of the five parents interviewed referred to positive child-to-adult influence. Use of effective communication strategies and examples of new knowledge and action were cited as evidence of influence. Approaches to support intergenerational learning are discussed and areas for future research are identified.

That's Not True--It Doesn't Make Sense: An Approach to Understanding Students' Views of Scientific Ideas.

This paper presents findings from a case study of one grade‐five students efforts to construct meaning in her science class during the study of light. The methods used in the study, stimulated video recall, observation, and conversation, allowed exploration of students’ efforts to grasp ideas and to construct meaning in their science classroom. This approach included incorporation of student insights and views about the worthiness of scientific knowledge into the development of a picture of science learning. The research highlights the importance of self‐knowledge and the benefits of students’ natural interest in attending to ideas presented by other students in the social environment of the classroom. These important features of students’ attempts to construct meaning are not always apparent to the classroom teacher. Stories of students’ efforts to construct meaning may suggest instructional approaches that guide learners to consider and grasp scientific explanations while still valuing their own insigh...

Help-Seeking Experiences of Health Care Learners in a WebCT Online Graduate Study Program

This article presents findings from a qualitative research project that explored health care students’ activities related to seeking help within a masters program offered exclusively through a WebCT online environment. A constructivist theoretical perspective and an action research approach framed the study. Data sources included one question on a program satisfaction questionnaire, focus groups and ten individual audio tape-recorded transcribed interviews. Content was analyzed for themes and confirmed through ongoing member checking with participants. The following four overarching themes were identified and are used to explain and describe significant features of help-seeking experiences of online health care learners: (1) Self-help included reflection and re-reading directions available within the course; (2) A primary source of help was other students in the class; (3) Involving family, friends and co-workers provided important educational support; and (4) Instructors’ first message, involvement in weekly discussions and anecdotal comments were highly valued.

The use of personal construct theory and the repertory grid in the development of case reports of children's science learning

Abstract This article presents the assumptions and methodology used in a study of children learning science in a fifth-grade classroom. Case report results are presented that illustrate both the approach and findings of the research. The implications of a constructivist view of learning are discussed. A practical teaching aid that employs this view and enables teachers to effectively summarize and integrate student ideas in the teaching/learning dialogue is suggested.

From Despair to Success: A Case Study of Support and Transformation in an Elementary Science Practicum

The student teaching experience, even under normal circumstances, is a series of problems, dilemmas, and feelings about teaching for novice teachers to work through. While the majority is successful in the teaching practicum, most encounter at least some challenges in their socialization as teacher. These challenges bring transformation in knowledge, feelings, and changing expectations of what it means to be a teacher (Aitken & Mildon, 1991; Britzman, 1991; Gunstone, et al, 1993; Johnston, 1994; Newman, 2000; Shapiro, 1991, 1996). If we are to help facilitate this transformation, studies of personal meanings that emerge for students during the experience are most worthwhile. This chapter attempts to uncover the nature of these meanings through analysis of the interplay between personal meaning and the goals of science teaching in an elementary practicum experience. The case report of Charly, a student teacher in the final teaching placement, gives details of the initial threat of failure in her final teaching practicum, then explores the resources that allowed her to achieve the dramatic transformation she accomplished to achieve success in the end.