Reading Nature- experienced teachers’ reflections on a teaching sequence in ecology: implications for future teacher training

Abstract

Ola Magntorn is a lecturer in biology and geology at Kristianstad University. He has a teacher education for upper secondary school and he has worked as a teacher in both compulsory school and upper secondary school. Since 2002 he is associated to the national graduate school in science and technology education (FontD) at Linköping University. His main focus of research is on ecology education and the ability to read nature.Gustav Helldén is a professor of science education at Kristianstad University. He has long experience of teaching in schools as well as in teacher education. His main focus of research is on students understanding of ecological processes. OLA MAGNTORNKristianstad University, Sweden ola.magntorn@mna.hkr.se GUSTAV HELLDÉNKristianstad University, Sweden gustav.hellden@mna.hkr.se Abstract This article explores experienced primary teachers views on teaching for 'reading nature'. The concept 'reading nature' has to do with an ability to recognise organisms and relate them to material cycling and energy flow in the specific habitat which is to be read. It has to do with the natural world that we face outside and the tools we have are our experiences from previous learning situations both in and out-of-doors. The teachers were asked to comment on the content of a CD-ROM with teaching sequences from a primary class studying a river ecosystem. Perceptions that teachers held were found to be supportive but complex and varied regarding the possibilities and advantages of implementing this type of teaching design in the everyday classroom. The paper finishes by identifying some implications for teacher training to support fieldwork and ecological literacy in primary schools in the future.

Barriers To Biological Fieldwork: What Really Prevents Teaching Out of Doors?

“…There was acknowledgement that use of a local habitat reduced difficulties related to risk assessment and adult:child ratios. A similar issue was reported by Magntorn and Helldén (2006), who found that a lack of 'high quality nature' was the second most common issue raised by teachers who were attempting to explain the reasons that their colleagues did not engage in fieldwork. The same teachers did not see this as an issue in their own practice, perhaps linked to their confidence in their own experience (see above).…”

“…Subject knowledge per se was not considered to be a significant barrier and teachers described themselves as being equipped to overcome the knowledge barrier if they have the confidence and motivation to do so. Magntorn and Helldén (2006) reported that a sample of experienced teachers in Sweden held a similar view about themselves but believed that a lack of subject confidence did prevent their colleagues from carrying out fieldwork. It is likely that having a combination of practical and subject experience will enhance an individual teacher's willingness to step outside.…”

“…If sceptical practitioners and managers saw a stronger emphasis upon the importance of fieldwork in the National Curriculum and could be shown that fieldwork has a positive impact upon those areas of learning assessed by SATs, they might be more receptive to the promotion of fieldwork in their schools. In Sweden, for example, the pressure to achieve targets is a positive force for fieldwork rather than a barrier to it (Magntorn and Helldén 2006). Lack of time to develop and deliver fieldwork was also highlighted as a barrier, which was not surprising given the work of Lock (2010), who reviewed 13 works on fieldwork published between 1963 and 2007 and found that time was a key barrier to fieldwork in all but one of them.…”

“…It is likely that having a combination of practical and subject experience will enhance an individual teacher's willingness to step outside. The view has also been expressed that a lack of knowledge about local ecology among children is a barrier to effective fieldwork (Magntorn and Helldén 2006). A better understanding of the interplay between these factors would assist the design of appropriate training for teachers.…”

“…Some authors have suggested that the cost of fieldwork is the key barrier (e.g. Waite 2009), others have implicated variable and often inadequate pre-service and in-service teacher training (Kendall et al 2006;Tilling and Dillon 2007), and others put forward lack of teacher confidence, ability and experience (Magntorn and Helldén 2006;Moseley, Reinke, and Bookout 2002;Nundy, Dillon, and Dowd 2009;Tal and Morag 2009). Our own review of the literature linked to primary school teaching has brought to light 11 reasons that are most commonly cited as barriers to fieldwork (see Table 1).…”