Biology Teachers Designing Context-Based Lessons for Their Classroom Practice--The Importance of Rules-of-Thumb

Autor/inn/en	Wieringa, Nienke; Janssen, Fred J. J. M.; Van Driel, Jan H.
Titel	Biology Teachers Designing Context-Based Lessons for Their Classroom Practice--The Importance of Rules-of-Thumb
Quelle	In: International Journal of Science Education, 33 (2011) 17, S.2437-2462 (26 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0950-0693
DOI	10.1080/09500693.2011.553969
Schlagwörter	Biology; Foreign Countries; Elementary School Teachers; Science Education; Teaching Methods; Science Teachers; Identification; Interviews; Outcomes of Education; Observation; Lesson Plans; Netherlands + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Biologie; Ausland; Elementary school; Teacher; Teachers; Grundschule; Volksschule; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Science; Science teacher; Wissenschaft; Identifikation; Identifizierung; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Lernleistung; Schulerfolg; Beobachtung; Lesson planning; Unterrichtsplanung; Niederlande
Abstract	In science education in the Netherlands new, context-based, curricula are being developed. As in any innovation, the outcome will largely depend on the teachers who design and implement lessons. Central to the study presented here is the idea that teachers, when designing lessons, use rules-of-thumb: notions of what a lesson should look like if certain classroom outcomes are to be reached. Our study aimed at (1) identifying the rules-of-thumb biology teachers use when designing context-based lessons for their own classroom practice, and (2) assessing how these personal rules-of-thumb relate to formal innovative goals and lesson characteristics. Six biology teachers with varying backgrounds designed and implemented a lesson or series of lessons for their own practice, while thinking aloud. We interviewed the teachers and observed their lessons. Our results suggest that rules-of-thumb, which differed substantially among the teachers, indeed to a great extent guide the decisions teachers make when designing (innovative) lessons. These rules-of-thumb were often strongly associated with intended lesson outcomes. Also, teachers' personal rules-of-thumb were more powerful in determining the lesson design than formal innovative goals and lesson characteristics. The results of this study encourage more research into how rules-of-thumb reflect teachers' practical knowledge, for which suggestions are made. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10