Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Science and Mathematics Education Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 3 of 3
Full-Text Articles in Science and Mathematics Education
Overcoming Challenges In Assessing Mathematical Reasoning, Sandra Herbert
Overcoming Challenges In Assessing Mathematical Reasoning, Sandra Herbert
Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Despite mathematical reasoning being necessary for in-depth understanding of mathematical concepts, many teacher experience difficulty in assessing it. Data were collected from 34 primary teachers at 4 Victorian government schools at two post- lesson reflective sessions following lessons with a focus on reasoning. These sessions facilitated teachers’ collaborative efforts to assess their students’ reasoning from students’ work samples. The data included transcripts of all the reflective sessions; written work samples; and associated completed rubrics. Analysis of these data enabled identification of seven challenges teachers experienced in assessing reasoning: Limited guidance provided by curriculum documents; Teachers’ knowledge of reasoning; Teacher noticing …
Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Teaching Science In A New Zealand Intermediate School, Yvonne Ualesi, Gillian Ward
Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Teaching Science In A New Zealand Intermediate School, Yvonne Ualesi, Gillian Ward
Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Concern has been raised globally that a lack of interest by teachers towards teaching science has a negative impact on the children they teach. While attention has been paid to the teacher as a contributing factor to students’ attitudes, less has been written about the attitudes of teachers. To bridge this gap, the current study examines six Year 8 teachers’ attitudes towards teaching science in a New Zealand intermediate school. Biographical data was gathered and individual semi-structured interviews were conducted that explored the teachers’ attitudes. van Aalderen-Smeets et al.’s (2012) framework, which takes a multidimensional view of attitudes, is used …
The Changing Roles Of Science Specialists During A Capacity Building Program For Primary School Science, Sandra Herbert, Lihua Xu, Leissa Kelly
The Changing Roles Of Science Specialists During A Capacity Building Program For Primary School Science, Sandra Herbert, Lihua Xu, Leissa Kelly
Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Science education starts at primary school. Yet, recent research shows primary school teachers lack confidence and competence in teaching science (Prinsley & Johnston, 2015). A Victorian state government science specialist initiative responded to this concern by providing professional learning programs to schools across Victoria. Drawing on cultural historical activity theory (CHAT), this paper reports the analysis of transcripts of interviews with 17 science specialists from eleven schools. It presents the various perceived and enacted science specialist roles, and how they changed over time. The CHAT analysis of the transcripts revealed seven different stages describing trajectories of the science specialism. The …