Teacher–pupil interaction: A study of hidden beliefs in conclusion phases

Abstract

This article is a contribution to the characterization of teacher-pupil interactions during scientific inquiry. Attention is paid to conclusion phases, as it is at this point in the interaction that a pupil's production is to be accepted or rejected. Sixteen sessions taught by eight teachers in junior high and high schools were recorded, transcribed and analysed. In interpreting the teacher-pupil interactions, the presence of hidden epistemological and pedagogical beliefs in the conclusion phases have been discerned. The conclusion phase corresponds to a dogmatic (vs. constructivist) view of science and the teaching of science if the pupil's production is judged for its veracity in relation to the teacher's scientific knowledge (vs. its validity in relation to knowledge shared by both pupil and teacher). A discussion follows on the conditions for the teacher's building a relationship between this aspect of his practice and his beliefs. The impact of this research on teacher training is also considered.

The Design and Validation of Equip: An Instrument to Assess Inquiry-Based Instruction

“…Five tightly aligned indicators were identified in the ecology construct, which we renamed discourse to better reflect the identified indicators (see Appendix): (1) questioning level (Krathwohl, 2002;Vygotsky, 1978),(2) complexity of questions (Chin, 2007), (3) questioning ecology (Morge, 2005;Mortimer & Scott, 2003), (4) communication pattern (Kelly, 2007;Lemke, 1990;Moje, 1995), and (5) classroom interaction (Lampert, 1990; van Zee et al, 2001).…”

Teachers’ Transformation to Inquiry-Based Instructional Practice

“…Some key components of discourse in science classrooms include the level and complexity of questions, the environment created for questioning, and the pattern of teacher-student and student-student communication (Ball & Cohen, 1999;Kelly, 2007;Moje, 1995;Morge, 2005;Van Zee, Iwasyk, Kurose, Simpson, & Wild, 2001). Teachers' questioning strategies are central to inquiry instruction yet often differ from questioning in more traditional contexts (Duit & Treagust, 1998).…”

Investigating the levels of teachers’ use of student thinking in mathematics classrooms

“…In the studies focusing on the reactions teachers give about the difficulties and challenges that students experience in the lesson, it is seen that teachers generally ask for an explanation for student's answer; ask the question to the class; criticize; give the correct answer; repeat the question; laugh or just disregard [4,7,12,21,24]. It may be difficult for teachers not to remain unresponsive to the difficulties and mistakes of students in the lesson, to slow down the pace of the lesson and give detailed explanations and examples so that the challenging points can be understood.…”