ERIC Number: EJ852356
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2003
Pages: 14
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0737-5328
EISSN: N/A
Secondary Science Emergency Permit Teachers' Perspectives on Power Relations in Their Environments and the Effects of These Powers on Classroom Practices
Moscovici, Hedy
Teacher Education Quarterly, v30 n2 p41-54 2003
Various major publications such as the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996) and the collection of research results regarding the use of inquiry methodology in the teaching and learning of science edited by Minstrell & van Zee (2000) recommend that science should be taught in the same way that it is constructed--using inquiry. The National Research Council (2000) takes a step forward and provides practitioners examples and illustrations of how inquiry science looks in the classroom. During inquiries, students ask questions and plan ways to answer them, collect, represent, and organize data to create knowledge, and then test the reliability of the generated knowledge. During this process, students learn to cope with difficulties, and react to constructive criticism provided by the teacher and peers. As a result, students re-examine their research, and decide if more data needs to be collected in order to enhance the generalizability of their findings. But, the question is, can students feel empowered to take such a meaningful role in their learning? How do teachers cope with such a change in the teaching and learning roles and how do they solve their discomfort once they get out of their "comfort zone"? And, how much support for implementing and sustaining inquiry in the science classroom do these teachers get from their schools and their districts? This study explores the effect of a teaching module that encourages secondary science teachers working on emergency permits (EPTs) to analyze their power positions within the classroom, their school, district, and community. This study reinforces the idea that educators need to school the future generation of teachers to be able to analyze their teaching conditions, and, with the help of theoretical and practical ideas on teaching, make the necessary changes that will lead to improved students' learning. This study concludes that teaching and exploring power relationships in science teachers' lives is essential if everyone wants the teachers to change their practices toward inquiry science.
Descriptors: Teacher Education, Science Teachers, Teaching Conditions, Secondary School Science, Alternative Teacher Certification, Inquiry, Science Instruction, Teaching Methods, Power Structure, Teacher Student Relationship, Student Empowerment, Teacher Role, Student Role, Teacher Influence, Teacher Shortage, Constructivism (Learning), Methods Courses
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: High Schools; Higher Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A