Enacting Co-Designed Socioscientific Issues–Based Curriculum Units: A Case of Secondary Science Teacher Learning

• In Event: Science Teaching and Learning: Socioscientific Issues (SSIs)

Abstract

This is a multiple case study of eight teachers who participated in a socio-scientific issues (SSI) professional development in which they co-designed and enacted SSI units. Clarke and Hollingsworth’s Interconnected Model of Professional Growth served as the theoretical framework. Data analysis resulted in three teacher profiles: Embracers, Dismissers in Practice, and Explorers. Embracers foregrounded the SSI, attended to relevancy, and included an SSI culminating activity. Dismissers equated the approach to using a current topic to introduce a unit and did not attend to social dimensions. Explorers used the SSI to introduce their units and included limited social dimensions of the issue. For each profile, we elaborate teaching beliefs, learning, perceived salient outcomes, and PD implications.

Authors

• Troy D. Sadler, University Of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Patricia Friedrichsen, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Laura Zangori, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Li Ke, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill