ERIC Number: EJ993850
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-0693
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Developing a Community of Practice to Support Preservice Elementary Teachers' Nature of Science Instruction
Akerson, Valarie L.; Donnelly, Lisa A.; Riggs, Morgan L.; Eastwood, Jennifer L.
International Journal of Science Education, v34 n9 p1371-1392 2012
This study explored "To what extent will preservice teachers with adequate nature of science (NOS) conceptions and who participate in a community supporting NOS instruction teach NOS in their internship settings?" Using a combination of focus group discussions and peer feedback, five preservice teachers met with university personnel bi-monthly during their internships to share NOS teaching and assessment ideas and ask questions. Field notes and voice recordings were used to track conversations at focus group settings and videotapes were made of science instruction in each internship setting. None of the preservice teachers had cooperating teachers who taught NOS, yet results showed that all five preservice teachers were able to explicitly teach NOS in their science lessons, albeit in different ways and to different degrees. (Contains 3 tables.)
Descriptors: Cooperating Teachers, Feedback (Response), Science Instruction, Communities of Practice, Focus Groups, Scientific Principles, Preservice Teacher Education, Preservice Teachers, Elementary School Teachers, Internship Programs
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A