Student Work Products as a Teaching Tool for Nature of Science Pedagogical Knowledge

• In Event: Nature of Science and Understanding

Abstract

It is well known that teachers have difficulty converting knowledge about the nature of science into classroom lessons. A parallel mixed methods approach was taken to determine if a professional development course featuring the use of student work products altered teachers’ (n=17) view of the nature of science and if there were any trends in the characteristics of the lessons. The results from the paired samples t-test on the VOSE instrument showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the pre and post responses to items representing empirical evidence, methodologies, socio-cultural, and NOS teaching. Teachers had difficulty teaching NOS knowledge explicitly, but were adept in asking students to reflect on the science discipline after the course.

Author

• Erin E. Peters Burton, George Mason University