Reform-Based Science Teaching: Teachers’ Instructional Practices and Conceptions

Abstract

This study aimed at exploring the practices and beliefs physics teachers have about introducing reform-based instruction into the physics class. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews held with 11 experienced physics teachers. The results revealed that the teachers occasionally introduced a small number of enhanced instructional strategies explicitly required by the formal curriculum into their class, such as presenting, analyzing and generalizing experimental results in different forms. However, the teachers used much fewer other strategies aimed at enhancing higher-order thinking, such as asking students to formulate their own questions or introducing them to problem-solving strategies used in class. Although physics is considered a relatively well-established subject in Israeli schools, extensive differences have been identified among teachers in issues such as using rich instructional strategies in class, their self-confidence in utilizing progressive instruction, and their beliefs about students' abilities to develop higher-order thinking. Teachers often regard reform-based instruction as an idealistic view rather than a clear schooling practice; further work is required in teachers' pre-service and in-service training to make the fostering of higher-order thinking a common ingredient in science teaching.

A Case Study of Increasing Vocational High School Teachers Practices in Designing Interdisciplinary Use of Scientific Inquiry in Curriculum Design

“…Based on the NSES (NRC, 1996) (NRC, 1996(NRC, , 2012. Research evidence showed that using inquiry-based instructional approach was beneficial to promote students" understandings of the content taught and their learning outcomes in diverse subject areas and various grade levels (Akerson & Hanuscin, 2007;Barak & Shakhman, 2008;Fishman et al, 2003;Lin, et al, 2014;Luft, 2001;Marx, et al , 2004;Santos-Trigo, 2008). Espinosa-Bueno et al (2011) confirmed the effects of inquiry-based teaching, and that it enabled students to develop habits of observation and reasoning.…”

Developing and Applying a Critical and Transformative Model to Address ESD in Teacher Education

“…Curricula are also usually decontextualised, focusing on knowledge without a "real life" meaning to students (Makrakis & Kostoulas-Makrakis, 2005). These discrepancies seem to be not only an outcome of the difficulty translating constructivism in curriculum development and teaching practice, but also of the misleading conception of constructivism as a homogeneous philosophy (Dancy & Henderson, 2007;Barak & Shakhman, 2008). The view that constructivism is synonymous with approaches to teaching that are learner-centred based on the utilisation of previous knowledge is misleading.…”

Challenging instructors to change: a mixed methods investigation on the effects of material development on the pedagogical beliefs of geoscience instructors

“…The effective implementation of research-validated instructional strategies will be referred to as reformed instruction (see MacIsaac and Falconer 2002). Despite the evidence in favor of the adoption of reformed teaching methods, many instructors in K-12 and higher education institutions have been reluctant to adopt these new strategies (Barak and Shakhman 2008;Henderson and Dancy 2007) and participation in professional development may be insufficient to promote the transition of these alternative approaches to instruction (e.g., Ebert-May et al 2011). University faculty members report several barriers to instructional reform including limited training, insufficient time, and lack of instructional and peer support (Dancy and Henderson 2010;Fairweather 2010;Henderson and Dancy 2007;Sunal et al 2001;Wieman et al 2010).…”

“…Much of the research on this subject has occurred in K-12 or pre-service settings and examined instructors' beliefs regarding their roles in the classroom, how students learn best, and the most effective types of student-instructor interactions (Barak and Shakhman 2008;Fang 1996;Fishbein and Ajzen 1975;Hake 1998;Jones and Carter 2007;Kagan 1992;Luft and Roehrig 2007;Richardson 1996). Beliefs affect action (Guskey 1986;Hashweh 1996;Kang and Wallace 2005) and any steps seeking to promote lasting classroom change must consider a teacher's pedagogical beliefs (Barak and Shakhman 2008;Guskey 1986;Luft and Roehrig 2007). Successfully shifting the pedagogical beliefs of instructors toward a reformed mindset is essential if professional development is to positively influence teaching in STEM classrooms (Keys and Bryan 2001).…”