Jari Lavonen

A Professional Development Project for Improving the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Science Teaching

This article describes a professional development project aiming to develop practical approaches for the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) into science education. Altogether, 13 two‐day face‐to‐face seminars and numerous computer network conferences were held during a three‐year period. The goals for the project were based on the general goals of the Finnish national framework curriculum and ICT strategy. Self‐evaluation data showed that participating teachers had used ICT extensively and integrated it into their science education programmes during the project. The ICT competence of the participating teachers increased substantially. Based on the results of the project, it can be suggested that professional development projects for science teachers in the use of ICT should emphasise the following: (i) empowerment (co‐planning of the project and its activities, and dissemination, allocation of resources, and authentic evaluation); (ii) communication (ensuring a flow of ideas and creativity, allowing communication and reflection in small groups and in optimal locations); and (iii) context (integration of ICT into teaching methods and cumulative development of competencies in the teachers who use it).

Collaborative Problem Solving in a Control Technology Learning Environment, a Pilot Study

We have investigated collaborative problem solving in a teaching experiment, which was organised for 34 eighth-grade pupils in a control technology learning environment. The participating teacher was trained by us and pupils had available kits, interfaces and computers equipped with a novel icon oriented programming tool, Empirica Control. Pupil activities were video recorded and the analysis proceeded through writing video protocols, edited into episodes and then classified into categories. Categories were mainly derived empirically. In the analysis, we used concepts such as collaboration and problem solving, in accordance with social constructivism. The data showed that typical learning processes were collaborative (62% of all episodes) as well as dynamic problem-solving processes, in several stages. Pupils worked quite independently of the teacher, as they learned to use the programming tool autonomously in their technology projects. It appears, however, that more teacher support, such as introducing handbooks, planning tools and advanced programming skills, would have been an advantage. Some ideas about further development of study processes in modern learning environments are discussed.

Concretising the programming task: a case study in a secondary school

Empirica Control (EC) is a visual programming platform designed primarily for technology education. Students can use ECs visual tools to construct programs for controlling technological processes or systems, as well as to show graphical representation of program functions on a control flow diagram (flowchart). This means that EC is also a useful tool in learning programming. EC unifies flow diagrams with concrete semantics: each program structure corresponds to a factual event in the learners physical environment, not just as a visual representation on the screen. A teaching experiment for 34 eighth grade (14 years old) students using EC in a learning environment was intended to promote active, co-operative, and problem-centred learning. The data were gathered by teacher interview, observations during a teaching experiment, a questionnaire with a Likert scale instrument, and a test with open tasks. The results indicate that control technology, as implemented in EC, serves as a useful tool for learning principal elements of programming, like control structures, with minimal teaching effort. However, for more complex structures, teacher intervention is clearly required to achieve advanced outcomes. Thus, EC has suggested an important subject for further research: approaching the balance between student-centred exploration and teacher-guided instruction in learning environments.

Questions asked by primary student teachers about observations of a science demonstration

Teacher questioning has a central role in guiding pupils to learn to make scientific observations and inferences. We asked 110 primary student teachers to write down what kind of questions they would ask their pupils about a demonstration. Almost half of the student teachers posed questions that were either inappropriate or presupposed that the pupils would know the answer. For example, they directly asked for an explanation of the phenomenon instead of asking what inferences the pupils could make on the basis of their observations. There was a lack of questions that would draw the pupils’ attention to the variables that may cause the phenomenon to happen. Only about 15% of the student teachers formed questions such as ‘What is happening?’ or ‘How is it happening?’. All in all, primary student teachers seem to need extra practice in forming questions based on scientific observation.

The role of physics departments in developing student teachers' expertise in teaching physics

In physics teacher education the challenge is to promote the development of the expertise needed in physics teachers. To that end, close collaboration between physicists and physics education professionals is needed. This, however, poses many challenges which are not easily met. We describe here some guidelines based on our own experience from a pilot course for pre-service physics teacher education. We discuss how physics departments can meet these challenges by designing a special course and working models, which takes into account the aspect of expected expertise in physics teachers. The positive results and feedback received are presented.

A New Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (2014) and Technology as an Integrated Tool for Learning

This chapter describes the Finnish national core curriculum reform process, its values, and how the role of technology in teaching and learning will be emphasized in it. Approximately every decade a novel national core curriculum for basic education is designed under the direction of the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE).

The Innovative School as an Environment for the Design of Educational Innovations

Teachers’ engagement in Design Based Research (DBR) is analyzed in the context of the Innovative School (ISC) model. The ISC model emphasizes the development of students’ learning and learning environments, teachers’ professionalism, leadership and partnerships. The model engages teachers, students, school principals, parents, and actors of the local community in the design and adoption of educational innovations.

Science at Finnish Compulsory School

In order to ensure the reader understands the reasons for Finnish students’ high achievements in the PISA Scientific Literacy Assessment, this chapter describes the implementation of the national level science education policy through national and local level curriculum and teacher education. We highlight: (1) the science curriculum for compulsory schools and the Finnish approach to implement it through local level curriculum (2) the science teacher education programme, and (3) science teaching and learning at the school level and assessment.

Investigating Situational Interest in Primary Science Lessons.

Pupils’ interest has been one of the major concerns in science education research because it can be seen as a gateway to more personalised forms of interest and motivation. However, methods to investigate situational interest in science teaching and learning are not broadly examined. This study compares the pupils’ observed situational interest and their expressed situational interest. One class of Finnish fourth-graders (N = 22, age 9–10 years) participated in a heat transfer lesson. The lesson encompassed an interactive demonstration with a thermal camera, teacher-led discussions and the conduct and presentation of a collaborative inquiry task. Pupils expressed their interest levels (scale: 1 = very boring, 5 = very interesting) by using an electronic response system called a ‘clicker’. The measurement took place 15 times during the lesson, with 1 measurement being just a rehearsal. The lesson was video recorded, and visible aspects of interest at the measurement time points were analysed. Reported and observational data were compared. In most cases, the observations did not yield data compatible with the pupils’ own evaluations, indicating that most pupils’ expressed interest is not easily interpreted through observation of their facial expressions and behaviour. In general, the interest of the group as a whole seems to diminish during the lesson. We argue that in order to maintain and increase pupils’ interest, their evaluations should be taken into account in lesson planning. Video-based research might also be further enriched and validated by employing the participants’ own expressions. The clicker is a suitable means of collecting primary pupils’ experiences concerning their interest levels.

Using computers in science and technology education

This working group wishes to promote interaction of computer scientists and educational researchers. Such an interaction would benefit not only educational sciences and computer science education but also contribute to computer science e.g. through behaviour metaphors in robotics. We have initiated an analysis of computer uses in education starting from applications especially in science and technology education. Having analysed various roles of computers in educational processes in the above area we have also identified technological requirements of modern learning environments and defined the concept of a rich learning environment. We use the Open Market metaphor to concretise this concept in two different cases. Finally, we present as an outcome of our cooperative analysis basic goals for technological literacy and a description of a technology literate student.