S. Lizette Ramos De Robles

The Role of Language in Modeling the Natural World: Perspectives in Science Education

This chapter departs from previous handbooks’ chapters on language in science education, such as those written by Sutton (1998) and Carlsen (2007), in that it introduces a research program that specifically addresses the relationship between language and modeling processes in science education. The field will be reviewed taking into account the science education research work from Brazilian, French, Spanish, and British schools and other contributions. This review will consider the perspectives used to understand and depict language, models and modeling in science education. In addition, examples will be offered from the research work that point to the ways language and modeling are related in the science classroom. The international handbook (Fraser and Tobin 1998) contains a chapter on models and modeling in science education (Gilbert and Boutler 1998) that was not included in the most recent handbook, published in 2007. We would like to revive this perspective and propose a model-based view of science education in which language is central in science teaching and learning processes.

Silencing of voices in a Swedish science classroom

Abstract From a sociocultural perspective, I discuss data from a Swedish science classroom presented in María Gómez’s article “Student Explanations of their Science Teachers’ Assessments, Grading Practices, and How they learn Science”. In this discussion, I focus on the need to change existing conceptions of assessment in the teaching and learning of science. Next, I talk about the importance of taking into consideration the dialectic between agency and passivity as filters in order to understand what student silence may signify in science classes as well as in relation to their perceptions of assessment. I conclude with the importance of the teacher’s role in developing formative assessment, along with the challenges in developing assessments which transform science education into a relevant field of knowledge for both students and society at large.ResumenDesde una perspectiva sociocultural se analizan y se discuten datos presentados en el artículo “Student explanations of their science teachers’ assessments, grading practices and how they learn science”. Primero se abordan aspectos generales en torno a los cambios en las concepciones sobre la evaluación dentro de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de las ciencias. Posteriormente y con la finalidad de reflexionar en torno a los datos, se aborda el par dialéctico agency/passivity para poder re-significar los silencios de los estudiantes en clases de ciencias así como sus percepciones sobre la evaluación. Finalmente se analiza el papel del profesor en el desarrollo de una evaluación formativa, así como los retos pendientes para el logro de una evaluación que transforme la educación de las ciencias en un campo de conocimiento relevante y pertinente tanto para los ciudadanos como para la sociedad.