To cite this version:Karin Stolpe, Lars Björklund. Seeing the wood for the trees: Applying the dual memory system model to investigate expert teachers' observational skills in natural ecological learning environments. International Journal of Science Education, Taylor This study aims to investigate two expert ecology teachers' ability to attend to essential details in a complex environment during a field excursion, as well as how they teach this ability to their students. In applying a cognitive dual memory system model for learning we also suggest a rationale for their behaviour. The model implies two separate memory systems:the implicit, non-conscious, non-declarative system and the explicit, conscious and declarative system, respectively. This model provided the starting point for the research design. However, it was revised from the empirical findings supported by new theoretical insights. The teachers were video and audio recorded during their excursion and interviewed in a stimulated recall setting afterwards. The data was qualitatively analysed using the dual memory system model.The results show that the teachers used holistic pattern recognition in their own identification of natural objects. However, teachers' main strategy to teach this ability is to give the students explicit rules or specific characteristics. According to the dual memory system model the holistic pattern recognition is processed in the implicit memory system as an unconscious match with earlier experienced situations. We suggest that this implicit pattern matching serves as an explanation for teachers' ecological and teaching observational skills. Another function of the implicit memory system is its ability to control automatic behaviour and nonconscious decision-making. The teachers offer the students firsthand sensory experiences which provide a prerequisite for the formation of implicit memories that provides a foundation for expertise. IntroductionThe purpose of the present study is to describe and suggest a rationale of expert ecology teachers' ability to attend to essential details in a complex natural environment as well as how 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 F o r P e e r R e v i e w O n l y 2 they teach this ability to their students. This ability is referred to in this paper as observational skill.Natural environments, such as forests, consist of many features on different levels of scale. A typical forest is composed of plants, trees, flowers, animals and other objects.However, the forest as such, is not possible to recognize only by looking at the different constituents, for example the trees. Rather, we need to observe the forest as a "whole". In fact, research has shown that humans are able to categorize natural scenes rapidly, using what are known as "global properties" (Greene & Oliva, 2009). For example, humans are able ...

Recent research on science education has increasingly focused on the role of exploratory talk for learning science in school. This study was conducted in third grade in the Swedish compulsory school and shows how difficult exploratory talk in science is to achieve. The recordings of each lesson focused mainly on the teacher but included the pupils as the teacher interacted with them. The empirical material was analysed from two different perspectives: ways of communicating the science content and communicative approach. The analysis of the classroom practice showed that scien¬tific descriptions were dominating ways of communication. Only in a few cases explanations of scien¬tific phenomena were in focus. Those situations caused turning points into more interac-tive/dialogic communications or exploratory talk. One main conclusion is that exploratory talk and scientific explanations are not easily achieved when working in primary school. These skills are not automatically attained by the use of inquiry-based material – it needs to be trained! Key words: exploratory talk, inquiry, primary school, science.

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A Light Oscillation Control Unit System (LOCUS) has been developed for the purpose of monitoring Reflexion High Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED) oscillations and to use the oscillations to control the crystal growth with single atomic layer resolution. The system can be used for phase-locked epitaxy, i.e., shutters controlling the growth are actuated when monolayers are completed. To reduce the usual damping of the RHEEDoscillations, the system can also use the method of synchronization of nucleation, i.e., periodically varying the surface supersaturation by changing the substrate surface temperature during each oscillation. Four shutters can be operated automatically and the superlattice composition can be chosen in a number of different ways. LOCUS gives fast response on intensity oscillation maxima and minima beyond a programmable discrimination level. Relevant crystal growth parameters can be changed during the run of the program, which implies that even quasi-periodic superlattices can be grown. There is also a possibility to switch from automatic to manual control. The shutters and substrate heater have been designed to reduce the influence of shifts of the diffraction pattern as the growth conditions are changed.