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An examination of teacher’s goals for a school crystal growing competition: more than having fun

Taylor & Francis
International Journal of Science Education
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Abstract

Non-formal science education provides an ever-growing network of different educational opportunities that makes it a valuable instrument to increase scientific education quality and to promote scientific literacy among students. This study analysed teachers’ conceptions about the goals they set prior to participating in a crystal-growing competition named Concurso de Cristalización en la Escuela. A qualitative-interpretative approach was adopted to analyse educators’ answers and a quantitative evaluation of the influence of two main variables (previous participation in the contest and years of teaching experience) was included to complement and deepen the analysis. Descriptive analysis reveals seven main categories that are not mutually exclusive in which teacher’s objectives can be classified. Several different themes can be identified within the majority of the categories which may be labelled as mainly cognitive or mainly affective. This provides a new insight into educators’ conceptions concerning non-formal education. Quantitative evaluation of the responses showed no noticeable influence of the years of experience in the type of objectives declared by teachers, which may indicate that the settled goals are more dependent of personal and contextual variables. In the light of these findings, it can be concluded that educators value the competition not just as an entertaining experience but as in instrument that addressed the didactic need to put the usual processes of science into practice as a basis for the construction of scientific knowledge.

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... However, educators also recognise the difficulties and challenges associated with this transformation. Similar to findings in other studies [7,58], teachers acknowledged that the implementation of methodologies such as projects is constrained by school-related factors, including limited time, lack of suitable spaces, and insufficient financial resources. They are also aware that resistance to change may arise within the educational community, including students, parents, schools, and even some members of the teaching staff. ...
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... From the students' point of view, it helps them to improve their motivation with respect to science classes and learn to plan and work autonomously [74]. Furthermore, studies have shown that educators highly appreciate the competition as a valuable instrument [75]. This hands-on experience serves as a basis for constructing scientific knowledge, making it an essential aspect of the learning process. ...
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Chapter
This chapter reviews research on teacher-students relationships and their contribution to a positive social climate in science classes. We adopt a communicative systems approach, focusing on the relational aspect of communication and teacher-students interaction. Data- gathering methods for teacher-students relationships are presented. Research on teacher-students relationships and student outcomes and other variables (such as teacher age and experience, cognitions, other learning environment characteristics, teacher instructional strategies and teacher non-verbal behaviour) is reviewed. Special attention is given to research using the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) in over 40 countries. It is concluded that this instrument is helpful in research on communication in science classrooms and for providing teachers with feedback about their teaching.
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Two issues that are widely discussed across the informal science education literature are presented and discussed: freedom of choice and learning in out-of-school settings. The third issue, how the visit is facilitated is associated mainly with school visits to informal science institutions. The objectives of a school visit are different than the voluntary visit. Students are not asked if they want to have a field trip, and commonly, they do not take part in planning the learning experience. Teachers either have curriculum-related objectives or have vague ideas about the visit objectives. Consequently, structured activities are employed. This chapter discusses the subtle balance between well-defined and ill-defined tasks, between scaffolding, structuring and freedom, and between student-centered and task-centered activities.
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Non-formal education is a relevant part of meaningful and holistic science education. This paper describes three programs in science, mathematics and technology education organized by the LUMA (STEM) Centre Finland. These successful programs are research-based and designed to (I) motivate children and youth towards STEM-subjects, (II) help them to learn new skills, and (III) be relevant to the students’ lives. The examples described are: 1) the Little Jippos Science Clubs aimed at 3–6 year olds, 2) the innovative chemistry learning environment Chemistry Lab Gadolin aimed at 7–17 year olds, and 3) the international Millennium Youth Camp aimed at gifted 16–19 year olds. This chapter will discuss how these examples can contribute to relevant science education. Some suggestions are also given regarding why they are able to support children and youth in ways that formal education typically is not. This chapter will also describe how different forms of non-formal education may be used to address the different areas of relevance, and how a system of non-formal educational programs should be built to address all the areas of relevant science education.
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This article reports on attitude changes of 300 children, aged 10 or 11 years, from four schools, who visited the UK National Space Centre. Attitudes toward science and space were explored by examining responses to five different attitude scales. These were administered before, immediately after, and 2 months and 4-5 months after a visit to the main exhibition area and Challenger Centre. Observations during the visits and interviews of teachers and a sample of children were carried out. Before the visit girls were more anxious than boys. Immediately afterward, children showed more interest in space and a moderate increase in their views about the value of science in society. Nearly 20% of the pupils showed an increased desire to become scientists in the future. These children also showed a positive advantage over the other children with regard to science enthusiasm and space interest. Two months later, they continued to be more positive about being future scientists but only the girls' scores were still significantly raised. Most children found the Challenger experience positive but had more problems with the exhibition area. Teachers' preparation and support during the visit as well as their personal interest had a significant long-term effect on children's attitudes.
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Student-directed, open-ended scientific investigations and invention projects may serve to deepen and broaden students' scientific and technological literacy, and, in so doing, enable them to succeed in democracies greatly affected by processes and products of science and technology. Science fairs, events at which student-led projects are evaluated and celebrated, could contribute to such positive personal and social outcomes. Qualitative data drawn from a national science fair over succeeding years indicate (after analyses of largely qualitative data, using constant comparative methods) that, apart from positive outcomes regarding science literacy, there may be some significant issues about the fair that warrant critical review. It is apparent from these studies that there are issues of access, image, and recruitment associated with the fair. Qualification for participation in the fair appears to favour students from advantaged, resource-rich backgrounds. Although these students do benefit in a number of ways from the fair experience, it is apparent that science fairs also greatly benefit sponsors—who can, in a sense, use science fairs for promotional and recruitment purposes. These findings and claims raised, for us, some important questions possibly having implications for science education, and for society more generally.
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Science enrichment programmes housed outside traditional school settings offer unique opportunities to access and use authentic scientific tools and practices, especially for urban students whose school science experiences often lack resources. Yet opportunities to access these tools and practices are realized only when science teachers value them sufficiently to take advantage of them. This study examines how eight urban secondary science teachers evaluated a specific out‐of‐school science enrichment programme—a one‐year partnership with a local university science outreach centre, which culminated in a half‐day laboratory experience for their students. Teachers’ perceptions were captured through interviews and surveys. Findings indicate that these teachers came to identify and value many of the potential benefits for out‐of‐school enrichment programmes reported in the literature as well as some additional ones. The teachers’ also showed a shift over time with respect to their perceptions of the value of the out‐of‐school experience, moving from an initial focus on increasing test scores toward a greater appreciation for its impact on students’ motivation and identity development. The study offers insight into secondary science students’ and teachers’ identity needs, and what universities can offer to address them.
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This study offers important insights into the coexistence of multiple discourses and the link between these discourses and science understanding. It offers concrete examples of students’ movement between multiple discourses in sixth-grade science fair presentations, and shows how those multiple discourses in science practices illuminate students’ understanding of science and offer insights into how they engage in the complex thinking and communication of the New Literacies. The findings suggest that classroom teachers should recognize and incorporate students’ everyday science talk as a useful tool in instilling basic scientific concepts. Teachers should also help students develop awareness of the value and appropriateness of drawing on life circumstances in talking about science and the benefit of knowing and talking about scientific phenomena along a continuum of science understanding. Teachers should also build their own understandings of the value of discourse in encoding students’ science understandings.
Article
The responses of 544 10th grade students to a questionnaire indicated that informal/nonformal science activities (discussions, watching TV, listening to the radio, reading, and other activities, such as visits to museums and field trips) were positively correlated with the following: the extent to which school science is conceived to be related to everyday life, attitudes toward science and science learning, parents' occupation, school environment, intentions for further study, and career aspirations. After-school discussion of what was learned in school was rated the most popular science activity, followed by watching TV, reading, engaging in science-related activities, and listening to the radio, respectively. Informal/nonformal science activities were found to be associated with a strong commitment to science and science learning.
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The article describes a study of teachers’ and museum personnel's perceptions of class visits to an education centre at a large science museum in Israel and follows up their communication and interactions before, during, and at the completion of a museum visit. We identified three levels of communication: administrative, content, and pedagogical‐content, and observed three patterns of teachers’ behaviour: involved, follows school's tradition and passive. A major difference was found with regards to the teachers’ school. Elementary school teachers tended to rely completely on the museum staff in planning the visit, and rarely prepared their students in advance or took an active part during the class visit. Secondary school teachers on the other hand, were found to be more active while planning the visit and during the class visit. The museum staff preferred more involved teachers, but did not make any explicit attempts to encourage the teachers to be more active. It appears that “the teachers get what they want” or what the museum staff believes the teachers want.
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This article reports on the agenda of an exemplary teacher as she planned for and implemented a visit to an interactive science center by her class of 12-year-old boys. Pre-visit preparation involved the students in the creation of a mini-science center in their classroom, and spanned almost a full term. The students appropriated their teacher's agenda, which was that they exploit the unique facilities of the center to learn about science and technology, and to have fun in so doing. Post-visit activities and reflections on the visit by the teacher and six of the students are discussed, and suggest that the outcomes were largely in accord with the teacher's agenda. During the visit, a critical episode involving the teacher, several of the students, and two of the center explainers occurred, and this episode serves to illustrate some consequences for outcomes when there is a lack of congruence between the agendas of key stakeholders involved in such a visit. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed84:524–544, 2000.
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This investigation sought to identify the motivations that comprise teachers' agendas when leading student fieldtrips to science museums or similar sites. A survey distributed to upper elementary teachers resulted in a variety of open-ended responses that were analyzed and coded to identify recurring themes. In addition, ten teachers planning to lead a school trip to a natural history museum were interviewed and observed. Interview and observation data were used to triangulate findings and refine descriptions of actual practice. Eight fieldtrip motivations were identified including to connect with the classroom curriculum, to provide a general learning experience, to encourage lifelong learning, to enhance interest and motivation, to provide exposure to new experiences, to provide a change in setting or routine, for enjoyment, and to meet school expectations. Results indicated that ‘connecting to the classroom curriculum’ was an important consideration, although teachers had different interpretations of what this meant. Further examination of the teachers' agendas suggested the influence of different contexts, including that of the school and the museum site. These findings lead to suggestions for facilitating school visits to informal settings by considering the teachers' fieldtrip perspectives and agendas. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed89:936–955, 2005
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What kinds of knowledge do teachers need in order to be effective in their classrooms? This question has received much attention recently. This paper outlines a framework for teachers' knowledge, consisting of six major categories, namely: general liberal education, personal performance, subject matter, general pedagogical, subject matter specific pedagogical, and foundations of the teaching profession. Suggestions are provided on ways in which three of the categories, subject matter knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, and subject matter specific pedagogical knowledge can be dealt with in teacher education, especially at the preservice stage. These suggestions are based on actual courses which have been taught in various countries. The outcomes of one such course, which was taught and supervised by the author, are reported in terms of the students' perceptions of the knowledge they have acquired.
El currículo de geología a través del Concurso de Cristalización en la Escuela
  • J Martín-García
  • M E Álvarez
Anales de La Real Sociedad Española de Química
  • J M García-Ruiz
Actividades no formales como estrategia para abordar el currículo de física y química: [Non-formal science activities and the Physics and Chemistry curriculum: The Concurso de Cristalización en la escuela.] El Concurso de Cristalización en la escuela
  • J Martín-García
  • M E Álvarez
  • Martín-García J.
Cristalización en la escuela. [crystallization in the school]
  • J M García-Ruiz
  • García-Ruiz J. M.
El currículo de geología a través del Concurso de Cristalización en la Escuela [Geology curriculum through the school crystal growing competition]
  • J Martín-García
  • M E Álvarez
  • Martín-García J.