Although previous research provides insights into how gestures function as a pedagogical tool, relatively little is known about how gesture is related to language, together creating a key meaning-making teaching resource. Drawing on the system of logico-semantic relations in Systemic Functional Linguistic theory and McNeill's description of…

This study aims to map the purposes, content and teaching approaches of science teaching aimed at schoolchildren aged 6-12 years outside the regular school setting, as described in previous research. The findings are based on a systematic search in four databases and three journals, resulting in the selection of 51 articles based on specific…

The paper reports how a teacher and her students use drawings as a resource for observations and how such observations are connected to different epistemic practices in science lessons. Interactional data in a 1st grade classroom were analyzed based on Ethnography in Education. Results show that the use of drawings materialized children's…

In the quest to tackle complex societal and environmental challenges, Norway stands as one of the nations that are increasingly incorporating and transitioning to renewable and green energy solutions, particularly solar energy and technologies. In this context, science and technology education, starting from an early age, have been highlighted as…

Learning science in the context of local phenomena and problems can be powerful for young people. Yet, designing place-based instructional materials is resource intensive, limiting broad access. This study investigates how instructional materials designed for widespread use can support teacher localization through phenomenon adaptation, whereby…

Background: There is growing consensus on the negative impacts of food production on the natural environment and planetary viability. UK society is also increasingly concerned about the impact of intensive farming systems on the billions of sentient farmed animals within them. In liberal democracies and capitalist economies, enlightened citizens…

The blended synchronous classroom fosters equitable and balanced educational development; however, challenges persist, including low motivation and suboptimal effects on the deep learning of remote students. This study employs a student-centered learning approach and incorporates the process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) strategy into…

With the critical nature of socio-ecological challenges, the need to empower young people to generatively grapple with these science-related issues is crucial for developing their agentic citizenship. This paper reports on a primary science project that adopted a Socratic Seminar pedagogical strategy to enable student voice and collaborative…

This discussion paper focuses on the purpose of, and vision for, Irish primary science education prior to the redevelopment and publication of the primary science curriculum in 2024. Scientific literacy is broadly accepted as the goal of science education. Despite this, curricular analysis focusing on scientific literacy in Europe is scarce. There…

While citizen science and other participatory approaches to science are increasingly used in schools to promote student science learning, rarely are these students supported to collect, analyze, and share their data with meaningful outside audiences. In this study, we used a Design-Based Research approach to iteratively develop and examine an…

The elementary classroom is a prime environment for leveraging interdisciplinary STEM instruction to facilitate inquiry-based science. Elementary teachers, however, continue to express higher levels of confidence with teaching specific disciplines, such as reading, in isolation. Therefore, science teacher educators should consider…

Science teachers struggle to implement and sustain new curricular ideas from professional development (PD) experiences. These PD opportunities are crucial for enacting real-world changes to teaching practice and address pressing global challenges, such as the teaching and learning of socioscientific topics nested in school communities.…

Language is a fundamental tool for learning science. This study highlights the importance of teacher knowledge in utilising language as a tool for knowledge generation in the classrooms. This case study examines elementary teachers' development of declarative, procedural, and epistemic knowledge related to using language, particularly focusing on…

This study explored the implementation of online repeated microteaching rehearsals (RMTRs) within an elementary science methods course, examining its potential to enhance elementary teacher candidates' (ETCs) instructional development. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data to assess ETCs'…

In this article we report on the initial professional discourse on teaching natural science (NS) in the Foundation Phase among a sample of novice teachers in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The sample comprised 7 novice teachers (NTs) with 3 or fewer years of teaching experience. We investigated the NTs preparedness to teach NS,…