Vanashri Nargund-Joshi’s research while affiliated with New Jersey City University and other places

The purpose of this chapter is to reflect on the promise and challenges to translate the research findings, presented in the empirical chapters, into the preparation of future science teachers, through the lens of a science teacher educator. In doing so, the author draws some themes about how some of these ideas can be implemented in training pre-service teachers and in shaping teacher education programs, mainly in the urban settings. The author views contextualization as a guiding framework to design and transform science methods courses. By utilizing a contextualization framework, we can develop our pre-service teachers’ understanding of what it means to learn science within context, allowing voice to their students (and their families). By including contextualization as a leveraging practice in teacher education programs, we can hope for a better scientifically literate generations of students, fulfilled teachers, and content families.

This chapter presents a comparative case study of the concepts and behaviours, otherwise referred to as orientations, of two primary science teachers. We have utilised a theoretical framework of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Differences in teachers’ orientations according to school types (public versus private) are examined to further understand how contextual factors may influence this alignment with practice. To assist with this understanding, profiles of teachers are presented depicting their science teaching orientations based on interviews with each teacher and several observations of their teaching. These profiles provide a point of reference for understanding the kinds of orientations these teachers hold for teaching science. We analysed the teachers’ orientations along a continuum from traditionalist in nature to inquiry/constructivist in nature. The analysis of teachers’ orientations led us to suggest that teacher(s) had partial knowledge regarding students’ scientific thinking, curriculum design, instructional strategies, and assessment. Several contextual factors contributed to teachers’ orientations, including environmental constraints, such as limited resources and large class sizes, pressures from a cultural of testing, and limited access to professional development. We conclude the chapter with implications for various stakeholders. We also provide suggestions for future research to understand the complex interaction between teachers’ orientations, PCK and the overall support available in a classroom for a teacher.

Our goal in this article is to provide research-based strategies for embedding Nature of Science (NOS) into science instruction at the elementary level. We thus intend to aid researchers, professional developers, and teachers in noting that not only is it important and possible to teach NOS at the elementary levels, but also that elementary students can learn ideas about NOS. The manuscript reviews research from the past two decades on what students of ages 5 to 12 understand about NOS after appropriate instruction. Research-based teaching strategies are then shared to provide methods for researchers, professional developers, and teachers to improve students’ NOS understandings. These strategies include embedding NOS into existing curricula, using classroom interactions, using visual representations, and using students’ written work.

This book brings researchers from across the world to share their expertise, experience, research and reflections on science education in India to make the trends and innovations visible. The thematic parts of the book discuss science education: overviews across K-16 levels; inclusivity and access for underrepresented and marginalized sections; use of innovations including technology in the teaching; and implications for research, practice, innovation and creativity. The book should be of special interest to researchers, school administrators, curriculum designers and policymakers. A timely compilation for current and future generations of academic researchers, teachers and policymakers who are interested in examining the issues facing one of the largest education systems in the world. The book offers unique insights into contemporary topics such as girls in STEM subjects, curriculum reform and developing a generation of future creative thinkers. -Professor Vaille Dawson, The University of Western Australia, Australia. It provides a panorama of challenges in a country of more than 1.3 billion people, 50% being below the age of 25 years. The book arrives at a time in which there are discouraging trends, including a decrease in funding for education. The book chapters are centred on issues that warrant debate to foster awareness of the roles of science education in India and priorities and possibilities for expanding horizons on the road ahead. -Professor Kenneth Tobin, The City University of New York, New York, USA.

This article presents an approach to supporting ELLs’ language growth in a constructivist-oriented science classroom. We compare and contrast a framework for inquiry-based science instruction called the 5E Learning Cycle and a framework for language instruction called the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol. Then, we provide a lesson using both frameworks.

As a former elementary science teacher, Valarie wanted to return to a third grade classroom as a teacher to learn how to integrate nature of science (NOS) concepts into the science program for children at a “failing” school. With some success in her endeavor, she now is able to teach other teachers successful ways to integrate NOS into elementary classrooms. As a full-time teacher of third graders in the fall semester, and a returning science coteacher during the following spring semester, Dr. Akerson was able to evidence through pre/post interview data that instructional experiences improved her students’ conception of the tentative nature of science. More broadly, she gained insights about children and schools that she could not have fully understood as an outside researcher.

This study explores the development of professional identity as a teacher of nature of science (NOS). Our research question was ‘How can a teacher develop a professional identity as an elementary teacher of NOS?’ Through a researcher log, videotaped lessons, and collection of student work, we were able to track efforts in teaching NOS as part of regular classroom practice. A team of four researchers interpreted the data through the Beijaard et al. professional identity framework and found that it was not as simple and straightforward to teach NOS as we predicted. Development of professional identity as a teacher of NOS was influenced by contextual factors such as students, administration, and time, as well as personal struggles that were fraught with emotion. Development took place through an interpretation and reinterpretation of self through external factors and others’ perceptions, as well as the influence of sub-identities.

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