scholarly journals The Effect of Self-Reflection Activities on Preservice Science Teachers’ Classroom Teaching Practices

2020 ◽  
pp. 28-40
Author(s):  
Didem KARAKAYA CIRIT ◽  
Selçuk AYDEMİR
Keyword(s):  
Science Teachers ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Classroom Teaching ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Preservice Science Teachers

Prompting Reflections for Integrating Self-Regulation into Teacher Technology Education

2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tova Michalsky ◽  
Bracha Kramarski
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Single Type ◽  
Lesson Design ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Preservice Science Teachers ◽  
Improve Model ◽  
Reflection Prompts

Background Technology represents a major topic in educational research. Nevertheless, a gap in the research remains concerning how teachers can bring technology into the classroom. This study focuses on the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) framework, which aims to consolidate the multidisciplinary professional knowledge related to technology, pedagogy, and content that teachers need so that they can teach and students can learn effectively using technology tools. Purpose The goal of the present study was to investigate the value of modification reflection prompts (“think ahead”) as a complementary reflective framework during the teacher preparatory program, beyond the more traditional judgment reflection prompts (“think back”). In particular, we examined how preservice science teachers may capitalize on learning from modification prompts versus judgment prompts versus both (“think back” and “think ahead”), compared with learning from generic prompts (“stop and think”) based on the IMPROVE model oriented to TPCK. We examined these four treatments’ effects on preservice teachers’ actual design of science lessons and development of their own self-reflection abilities. Participants Participants were 199 first-year preservice science teachers in their preparatory programs at a university in central Israel. Research Design We created a quasi-experimental opportunity for four groups of preservice science teachers to systematically contemplate ready-made TPCK-oriented lesson designs. Each used one of four different reflective methods (the independent variable): modification, judgment, combined modification+judgment, or generic prompts. Then we examined the differential contribution of these treatment methods to the two dependent variables: (1) preservice teachers’ skills for designing actual science lessons and (2) their judgment-type and modification-type self-reflection ability regarding the planning, monitoring, and evaluation phases of their lesson-design process. Data Collection and Analysis Data were scored by coding schemes and were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance and follow-up analyses of variance with repeated measures. Findings Results indicated that preservice teachers who contemplated a combination of both judgment and modification reflections in treatment improved more in their lesson-design skills and in their self-reflection ability (of both types at the three phases), compared with preservice teachers who contemplated only a single type of reflective prompt (generic or only judgment or modification). Lasting effects (after a semester without the IMPROVE model, prompts, or TPCK focus) revealed that the combined approach continued to significantly outperform the single approaches. Recommendations The current study reinterprets the instructional-reflective framework of teacher education programs to include modification reflection too as a means of developing preservice teachers’ capacity to integrate technology in their lesson designs.

scholarly journals Education for Sustainable Development: Experiences from Action Research with Science Teachers

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heba El-Deghaidy
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Classroom Teaching ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Spring Semester

Abstract This study reports on Egyptian science teachers’ experiences in collective action research projects with a focus on education for sustainable development (ESD). Science teachers were enrolled in a study course “Teaching Strategies” that had been revised with a focus on sustainability. The course was introduced in the spring semester of the academic year 2011/2012. Throughout the course, 29 teachers worked in groups to develop projects that promote sustainable development through classroom teaching practices that encourage involvement with local communities around school premises. The framework that guided the study was based on experiential, constructivist and transformative learning theories known collectively as ‘ExConTra’. A mixed methods methodology was used where teachers’ responses to three open-ended reflective questions produced qualitative data that were analysed by identifying themes and patterns. The author developed two quantitative instruments: a Concept Mapping Rubric and a Sustainable Development Questionnaire. The former was to probe the cognitive organisation participants had in relation to the concept of sustainable development before and after developing the action research projects. The latter instrument was used to identify participants’ attitudes towards teaching for ESD and their knowledge of classroom pedagogical practices. Statistical data analysis using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences indicates that teachers in their post-tests had developed: better cognitive organisation for the concept of sustainable development; positive attitudes towards teaching for sustainable development and ESD classroom teaching practices. Involvement in the action research projects where teachers were experiencing, reflecting, conceptualising, constructing, acting and transforming within the context of ESD may be responsible for these results where there are promises to help achieve successful implementation to include ESD in science education.

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