Promoting student-led science and technology projects in elementary teacher education: entry into core pedagogical practices through technological design

Abstract

Future elementary school teachers often lack self-efficacy for teaching science and technology. They are particularly anxious about encouraging children to carry-out student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry and/or technological design projects. Moreover, because this often also is the case with practising elementary school teachers, it is difficult for student-teachers to gain practical experience facilitating student-led project work during practicum sessions. To provide student-teachers with expertise and motivation for promoting student-directed, open-ended project work, therefore, a group of future elementary teachers were taken through a constructivism-informed 'apprenticeship' during their university-based teaching methods course and then invited to make project work the subject of the action research that they were required to complete during their practicum. In this paper, successes that one student-teacher (out of 78 studied) experienced in promoting student-directed, open-ended technological design projects are reported. Although she judged children's designs to be modestly successful, data indicate that her self-efficacy for promoting project work increased significantly. Analyses of qualitative data collected during the methods course and practicum also indicate that aspects of the curriculum, teachers, students and milieu appeared to contribute to this success. Such findings suggest that teacher educators should focus on helping future elementary teachers to develop expertise and motivation that would enable and encourage children to conduct technological design projects before conducting scientific inquiries. Such a tack may be the most pragmatic-and, arguably, epistemologically-sound-approach for helping 'science-and technology-phobic' student-teachers to move from the periphery to the core of practices in science and technology education.

Trends in research on project-based science and technology teaching and learning at K–12 levels: a systematic review

“…Article information (5) Reference (6) Authors' institution of origin (7) Places where the research was carried out (8) Type of paper analysed (only peer reviewed articles were selected for this grid) (9) (18) Which justifications for project-based teaching were put forward? For example: (a) Acquisition by students of specific S&T knowledge and competencies (b) Acquisition by students of non-specific S&T knowledge and competencies (c) Learning is anchored in the real world (d) Student interest and motivation is increased (e) PBSTL is in keeping with constructivist and socioconstructivist perspectives (f ) Other (specify) (19) Copy excerpts from the article that correspond to the answer and paste them in the grid.…”

Innovation learning in comprehensive education?

“…The discussion of economic well-being in business is too narrowly focused. The future challenges in people's everyday life and work life require a discussion of prerequisites for learning to make innovations already in comprehensive education like Bencze (2010), (Zang et al 2011), McLellan andNicholl (2011) have argued earlier. If societies and governments intend and commit to raise and highlight innovations as a form of people's everyday performance as well as economic well-being, they need to invest in the teaching and learning of innovations in comprehensive education.…”

“…Education has long been criticized for not promoting creativity, innovation and technology, despite the need for these skills in society (Bencze 2010;Cropley and Cropley 2010;McLellan and Nicholl 2011). However, many multidisciplinary subjects and crosscurricular themes at school in countries all around the world include the idea of innovation, e.g.…”

“…Technology education places a strong emphasis on making the product (Mawson 2010), which focuses the children's attention on the materials they are manipulating and the task at hand, instead of the broader issues of the relationships between technology, creativity and innovation at a societal level. Bencze (2010) reported that in teacher education only one student-teacher (out of 78 studied) was experienced in promoting student-directed, open-ended technological design projects. Zang et al (2011) maintain that schools must respect the demands of society by producing people who, in addition to being proficient in basic skills, are prepared to learn new things, collaborate in solving new problems, and produce innovations in areas that presently do not exist.…”

Teknologiakasvatuksen haasteet ja mahdollisuudet automaatioteknologian oppimisympäristössä

“…Perusopetusta on kritisoitu siitä, että se ei edistä riittävästi luovuuden, innovaation ja teknologian oppimista, vaikka näiden osaamisen merkitys on yhteiskunnassa kasvanut (Bencze, 2010;Cropley & Cropley, 2010;Lindfors & Hilmola, 2015;McLellan & Nicholl, 2011). Oppilailla on vaikeuksia ymmärtää ja arvioida teknisiä ratkaisuja (Björkholm, 2014).…”