Exploring Elementary Teachers' Knowledge and Practices for Model-Based Science Instruction About the Water Cycle

• In Event: 33.027 - Powerful Practices in Science Teaching

Abstract

Elementary teachers need support to effectively engage students in scientific modeling, a core scientific practice highlighted in the Next Generation Science Standards. However, little research has thus far been conducted to explore the interplay between elementary teachers’ conceptions and instructional practices around scientific modeling. This exploratory qualitative multiple-case study investigates six 3rd-grade teachers’ conceptions of scientific modeling, how they cultivate model-centric science learning environments, and how they support students’ model-based reasoning about water. Study findings indicate teachers a) emphasize model construction and revision over evaluation; b) largely to not attend to epistemic considerations underlying these modeling practices; and c) engage in divergent forms of instruction to support students’ use of models to make sense of water-related phenomena.

Authors

• Cory T. Forbes, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Tina Vo, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Christina V. Schwarz, Michigan State University

• Laura Zangori, University of Missouri - Columbia