The process of change in a science teacher's professional development: A case study based on the types of problems in the classroom

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The processes of change in teachers' practice have been the subject of many studies in educational research. We here describe a case study of long duration (in a course of time of 9 years) that has allowed us to gain some insight into how they occur and the underlying obstacles making the processes so slow. We take the professional development of a science teacher as involving the integration of reflection and classroom practice. In this theoretical framework, the so-called complexity hypothesis is of particular significance. The teacher was immersed in diverse learning environments, including an action research program. The results showed her reflections and classroom practice to be in constant evolution, as also were the obstacles to her professional development and an obdurate core of practical theories that she brought with her about the exclusive use of closed problems strictly within the discipline being taught. By the end of the study, her use of activities focused on socioscientific issues was in its beginnings. Continued learning in practice with the community of her fellow teachers with the emotional support they provided and a

El cambio en las emociones de maestros en formación inicial hacia el clima de aula en una intervención basada en investigación escolar

“…Partimos de la Hipótesis de la Complejidad (Vázquez-Bernal et al 2012), el profesor moviliza emociones a través de su modelo didáctico y CDC que influyen en reflexión, práctica y clima de aula; donde cambian las emociones de los futuros maestros en el transcurso de la intervención y en el aprendizaje sobre enseñanza de ciencias, particularmente sobre ecosistema. El conocimiento académico se integra y transforma en el CDC durante la enseñanza en el contexto particular (Mellado et al 2014) y los cambios dependen de las emociones que experimentan los docentes durante la enseñanza de los contenidos científicos (Melo, Cañada y Mellado 2017).…”

Skill development in experimental courses

“…To reach the objectves of the European convergence process, a fundamental strategic queston arises: how can a teacher atain the pedagogical knowledge necessary to provide efectve and high-quality instructon (Dierking & Fox, 2012;Gibbs, 2001;Michalsky, 2012;Miguel Díaz, 2003;Vázquez-Bernal, Mellado, Jiménez-Pérez & Leñero, 2012)? According to Cruz, today, quality university teaching is impossible without specifc training that provides the knowledge, skills, attudes, values, and virtues needed by university-level teachers (De la Cruz Tomé, 2003).…”

Learning Ecological Concepts in Secondary Schools of the Northeast of Spain

“…In Spain, some studies analyze the initial background of secondary education professors [17], others detect the beliefs and limitations of primary school teachers regarding environmental education as a critical point to be implemented in the syllabus [18] or the evolution on the teacher's work, method and background over time [19]. Some studies focused on the students and their knowledge of nature such as the study proposed by Jaén and Barbudo [20] where they studied the evolution or changes in the perceptions regarding the environment in an academic year based on the ENV scale-which measures the environmental perceptions, both in attitude and behavior, as proposed by Bogner and Wilhelm in 1996 [21]-where no differences were detected; other work studies the evolution in the students' attitudes towards the environment as a result of working on a monographic assignment [22].…”