Overview
- Provides a unique perspective on the pedagogy of physical science derived from researching teachers’ learning
- Identifies the nature of explanation and learning in science and supports with research evidence from teachers’ learning in what are considered traditionally difficult and abstract conceptual areas
- Critically informs assumptions about teacher science subject knowledge the nature of learning in science and the presentation of science knowledge in the curriculum
Part of the book series: Contemporary Trends and Issues in Science Education (CTISE, volume 38)
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Table of contents (7 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
In the science classroom, there are some ideas that are as difficult for young students to grasp as they are for teachers to explain. Forces, electricity, light, and basic astronomy are all examples of conceptual domains that come into this category. How should a teacher teach them? The authors of this monograph reject the traditional separation of subject and pedagogic knowledge. They believe that to develop effective teaching for meaningful learning in science, we must identify how teachers themselves interpret difficult ideas in science and, in particular, what supports their own learning in coming to a professional understanding of how to teach science concepts to young children. To do so, they analyzed trainee and practising teachers’ responses to engaging with difficult ideas when learning science in higher education settings.
The text demonstrates how professional insight emerges as teachers identify the elements that supported their understanding during their own learning. In this paradigm, professional awareness derives from the practitioner interrogating their own learning and identifying implications for their teaching of science. The book draws on a significant body of critically analysed empirical evidence collated and documented over a five-year period involving large numbers of trainee and practising teachers. It concludes that it is essential to ‘problematize’ subject knowledge, both for learner and teacher.
The book’s theoretical perspective draws on the field of cognitive psychology in learning. In particular, the role of metacognition and cognitive conflict in learning are examined and subsequently applied in a range of contexts. The work offers a unique and refreshing approach in addressing the important professional dimension of supporting teacher understanding of pedagogy and critically examines assumptions in contemporary debates about constructivism in science education.
Authors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Pedagogy of Physical Science
Authors: David Heywood , Joan Parker
Series Title: Contemporary Trends and Issues in Science Education
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5271-2
Publisher: Springer Dordrecht
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, Education (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4020-5270-5Published: 05 February 2010
Softcover ISBN: 978-94-007-3159-2Published: 04 May 2012
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4020-5271-2Published: 16 December 2009
Series ISSN: 1878-0482
Series E-ISSN: 1878-0784
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XII, 197
Topics: Science Education