Enhancement of Pre-Service Teachers’ Teaching Interventions with the Aid of Historical Examples

Abstract

This paper focuses on the attempt to include a historical perspective in a preservice teacher education course. It is based on the design research approach and the main aim is the development of a product, a module for student-teachers' actual involvement in the historic teaching design process. Student-teachers were presented and familiarized with the reasons for including a historical component in teaching, and with the meaning and teaching function of three historical examples. They were asked to search for historical materials on the basis of which they had to design teaching interventions justifying their choices. Total of 74 teaching interventions have been analyzed and a systemic network has been produced with the identified categories of their characteristics. Two case studies of students' interventions with their historical materials are also discussed. Findings show that the group of student-teachers studied was able to develop a range of interesting materials. Traditional models of teaching that are held by student-teachers are obstacles for substantiating the historical perspective. Only a few student-teachers succeed in stating meaningful epistemic goals, while some others lack awareness of the potential of their own material for communicating aspects of the nature of science to students. Results appear that can lead to a future module's revision, and further research steps.