María Eugenia Podestá

The use of questions in early years science: a case study in Argentine preschools

ABSTRACT The use of effective questions is an essential attribute of successful early years science teaching. In this case study, we analyse the questions and dialogues generated by four preschool teachers from two schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina, of contrasting socioeconomic contexts (one privileged and one underprivileged). We looked at the implementation of two identical enquiry-based science curricular units after a two-month professional development programme. We found that teachers at the more privileged school asked an average of 22% more productive questions, i.e. those aligned with lesson goals (Martens, M. L. 1999. “Productive questions: Tools for supporting constructivist learning.” Science and Children 36 (8): 24–53. http://search.proquest.com/openview/0fbd77105695538253f998eae1d38ff4/1.pdf?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=41736). There were also significant differences between the types of questions asked, with teachers from the lower socioeconomic status school asking more ‘attention-focussing’ and fewer ‘evaluation’ questions. Qualitative analysis of the teacher-student dialogues showed that students from the privileged school were exposed to higher-quality learning experiences, despite teachers apparently performing the same activities with the same materials. Our findings highlight the importance of focussing early years science professional development efforts on questioning practices, especially for those teachers working in underprivileged settings, to foster meaningful learning opportunities for all children.

From inception to implementation: an Argentine case study of teachers enacting early years inquiry-based science

Abstract This study aimed to understand the process of implementing an early years inquiry-based science unit, focusing on the challenges teachers faced. A two-month professional development programme was implemented in two preschool classrooms. Two teachers with no inquiry-based science experience were provided with structured curriculum units and weekly pedagogical coach. Teachers observed coach-led model lessons (which were filmed and used during subsequent training) before implementing four 30-min lessons. Lessons and teacher interviews post-programme were filmed and their verbatim transcriptions analysed. Overall, teachers executed most basic elements from the units, providing students with opportunities to engage in scientific explorations. However, they struggled to use the activities for the collective construction of knowledge and development of scientific skills. Analysis of student–teacher dialogues shows that teachers rarely used student inputs to articulate prior knowledge with new concepts or to inform teaching, sometimes constructing misleading ideas about the nature of science as a result.

LA EVALUACIÓN EN LA FORMACIÓN DE LOS PROFESORES DE CIENCIAS

This research analyzes the final evaluations of the major in Biology Teaching in an institution in northeastern Argentina. The evaluation circumstances were observed, and the professors were subsequently interviewed. The questions formulated by the professors in the test were analyzed according to the objective of their speech and the dimension of the evaluated sciences, by using the categories of science as a product (set of knowledge) and as a process (ways to know). 78% of the questions correspond to the category of science as a product compared to 22% as a process. Most of the formulated questions aimed to lowcomplex cognitive processes such as the enunciation of definitions or descriptions, and simple scientific skills as classifying. These results contradict professors’ concern about their students’ low level of reading comprehension and their stated objective of ‘teaching them to think’. This paper brings evidences as for the imperative need of strengthening the work with teacher trainers in learning evaluation aspects.