Elementary Teachers’ Curriculum Design and Pedagogical Reasoning for Supporting Students’ Comparison and Evaluation of Evidence-Based Explanations

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Abstract

Elementary teachers face challenges attempting to engage elementary students in authentic scientific practices, including the use of curriculum materials that may not embody all the essential features of reform-based science learning environments. This nested mixed-methods study investigates how inservice elementary teachers adapt existing science materials to better engage students in one essential feature of classroom inquiry - evaluating and comparing evidence-based explanations (NRC, 2000) – that is critical to promote students’ sense-making. The results show that evaluating and comparing evidence-based explanations was the least emphasized feature of inquiry observed. The teachers struggled to define this feature, were more easily able to recognize it than plan for or enact it, and articulated diverse pedagogical reasoning for engaging students in it.

Authors

• Mandy Biggers, The Pennsylvania State University - University Park

• Cory T. Forbes, University of Iowa

• Laura Zangori, University of Missouri - Columbia