Enriching primary student teachers’ conceptions about science teaching: Towards dialogic inquiry-based learning Ilkka Ratinen, Sami Lehesvuori, Otto Kulhomäki,

Enriching primary student teachers’ conceptions about science teaching: Towards

dialogic inquiry-based learning

Ilkka Ratinen, Sami Lehesvuori, Otto Kulhomäki, Jousia Lappi and Jouni Viiri

Outline S-TEAM in University of Jyväskylä Dialogic inquiry based science

teachingResearch questionsMethodsResultsDiscussionLiterature

S-TEAM in Jyväskylä

Developing science education course 140 students, 28 of them focused on

dialogic inquiry based teaching of global warming

Six students and their science thinking was more thoroughly examined

Focus on S-TEAM project is to plan, implement and evaluate science education course

In order to improve our primary student teachers’ abilities to use inquiry teaching we redesigned our science education course

Study projectThe core of the course is a study project

which the students prepare in groups.

The project includes: the content analysis,

finding out pupils’ ideas about the topic,

finding, selecting or creating the most appropriate presentations and teaching strategies and

making a plan for a teaching-learning sequence of

several lessons.

Inquiry based science teaching

Inquiry is the intentional process of diagnosing problems, critiquing experiments, distinguishing alternativesplanning investigations,researching conjectures, searching

for information,constructing models,debating with peersand forming coherent arguments.

Linn, Davis and Bell, 2004

Essential features of classroom inquiry1.Learners are engaged by scientifically

oriented questions.2.Learners give priority to evidence, which

allows them to develop and evaluate explanations that address scientifically oriented questions.

3.Learners formulate explanations from evidence to address scientifically oriented questions.

4.Learners evaluate their explanations in light of alternative explanations, particularly those reflecting scientific understanding.

5.Learners communicate and justify their proposed explanations. (NRC, 2000)

Dialogic teaching (Alexendar, 2004) CollectiveReciprocalSupportivecumulativePurposeful

Communicative approaches (Mortimer & Scott, 2003)

PresentationQuestion & Answer

routine

IRF

IRF-Pattern

Presentation

Lecture

ProbingElaboratingSupporting

I-R-F-R-F

Review

Interactive Non-interactive

Authoritativefocus on science’s

view

Dialogicdifferent points of

view are considered

I = initiation, R = response, F = feedback

PresentationQuestion & Answer

routine

IRF

IRF-Pattern

Presentation

Lecture

ProbingElaboratingSupporting

I-R-F-R-F

Review

Interactive Non-interactive

Authoritativefocus on science’s

view

Dialogicdifferent points of

view are considered

I = initiation, R = response, F = feedback

Inquiry-based learning Communication Dialogic teaching

Initiation-phase

Problem-based approachConsidering pupils’ pre-conceptions

Opening up phase: Dialogic and interactiveDialogic and non-interactive

SupportiveInteractiveCollectiveCumulativePurposeful

Inquiry-phase

PlanningMaking hypothesesCollecting informationExecuting the inquiry

CollectiveCumulativePurposeful

Reviewing-phase

Comparing the results to science’s viewCreating modelsArgumentationReinforcing the scientific view

Closing down phase:Dialogic and non-interactiveAuthoritative and interactive/non-interactive

SupportiveInteractiveCollectiveCumulativePurposeful

Phases of dialogic inquiry based learning

Resarch questions

What are primary student teachers’ ideas of science teaching?

How a course about inquiry-based science teaching effected on student teachers’ (6 cases) conceptions about teaching science

MethodologyThe data consists of three different

inquiries from student teachers: pre-conceptions (n=28), mid-interview (n=6), and post-interview (n=6).

Pre-conceptions about science teaching : Essay by continuing the following sentence “I think

good science teaching should be taught…”

The data-driven analysis included creating categories and key words

MethodologyMid-interview (n=6)

aimed at inquiring students’ conceptions about science teaching, inquiry-based learning and dialogic teaching.

included background questions, instructions for drawing a concept map and the actual interview.

The open ended interview initiated with the similar question than in pre-conception inquiry and continued with questions about inquiry-based learning and dialogic teaching

MethodologyPost-interview (n=6).

semi-constructed individual interviews

inquired students’ conceptions about dialogic inquiry-based learning and their willingness to use it in service

Methodology

Categories we made included concepts of communicative approach and concepts related to inquiry-based learning (e.g. pre-conceptions of pupils, problem-based approach, making hypotheses).

After categorisation the data was interpreted based on the exemplary model of dialogic inquiry-based learning and used in creation of learning profiles for six cases.

Results

Three main categories were created from the key words:

Teaching methods (51%), Pedagogy (37%) and Communication (12%).

Key words in teaching methods -category Frequency

Outdoor education 15

Researching 14

Examples 12

Inquiring 10

Project work 8

Experiences 6

Integration to other subjects 5

Observation by different senses 4

Textbooks 2

Activities 2

Comparing 2

Examples of science research 1

Causality 1

Textbook based introduction of class 1

Total 83

Key words in pedagogic-category Frequency

Practical applications 12

Pupils’ pre-experiences 8

Pupil centeredness 6

Problem-based learning 4

Teacher attitudes 4

Pupils thinking/understanding 4

Variety in teaching methods 3

Pupils as active participants 3

Learning styles 3

Inquiry-based learning 3

Critical approach 2

Content knowledge 2

Becoming aware of 2

Teacher oriented 2

Integration within subjects in science 1

Clarification of concepts 1

Total 60

Key words in communication-category Frequency

Conversation 6

Group works 5

Presentations 2

Teacher as a tutor 2

Collaborative learning 2

Teacher led introductions 1

Peer to peer interaction 1

Participatory learning 1

Total 20

The creation of the learning profiles

The levels were created based on the data in order to describe the changes in conceptions as detailed as possible.

We analysed dialogical and inquiry aspects as separate, since there were differences in students’ understanding of these concepts.

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ

Anniina

0

1

2

3

4

5

pre-conceptions conceptions in themid-course

conceptions in theend

interaction inquiry-based learning

Anu

0

1

2

3

4

5




Eija

0

1

2

3

4

5




Oona

0

1

2

3

4

5




Siiri

0

1

2

3

4

5




Viivi

0

1

2

3

4

5




Learning profiles

Case AnniinaAnniina

0

1

2

3

4

5




Discussion

Pre-conceptions: The most frequent category, teaching methods,

considered that teaching should include especially outdoor education and methods related to experimentation.

Most frequently emerged topic in pedagogy and instructional decision making was practicality.

Inquiry-based learning is not sufficiently present in primary student teachers’ understanding.

Also, classroom communication was not explicitly considered.

Discussion

Learning profiles:

Six student teachers revealed that except of two cases there was a progress in conceptions concerning inquiry-based learning and dialogic teaching.

In the end four of the student teachers reached the standards for inquiry-based learning. And some student could be considered to have established a basis for implementing this kind of teaching in practice.

Literature

Alexander, R. (2004). Towards Dialogic Teaching: Rethinking Classroom Talk. Cambridge: Dialogos.

Linn, M. C., Davis, E. A., & Bell, P. (2004). Internet environments for science education. Mahwah, NJ:Erlbaum.

Minner, D., D., Levy, A., J.& Century, J. 2009. Inquiry-Based Science Instruction—What Is It and Does It Matter? Results from a Research Synthesis Years 1984 to 2002. Journal of research in science teaching 47 (2).

Documents

Enriching primary student teachers’ conceptions about science teaching: Towards dialogic inquiry-based learning Ilkka Ratinen, Sami Lehesvuori, Otto Kulhomäki,