In last post, which explored recent research on girls and science, I ended the entry with the notion that helping teachers transform their practice to incorporate new findings and theories about students, feminist perspectives and learning theory will determine the extent to which progress is made in furthering the participation of girls in science and science courses.
A number of researchers have explored how teacher education can be used to transform practice. In the book, The Art of Teaching Science, we cited and explored somewhat in depth the work of Dr. Brenda M. Capobianco of Purdue University in helping teachers transform their practice from a feminist perspective. In one of her research studies, Science Teachers’ Attempts at Integrating Feminst Pedagogy through Collaborative Action Research, Capobianco conducted an “action research project” with eleven teachers attempting to transform their practice in their science classrooms. What was interesting about this study was the combination of collaborative meetings among the teachers, in-depth readings and follow-up discussions they did on feminist pedagogy, and direct attempts by the teachers to change one or more aspects of their teaching. Teachers kept journals of their work, and reported to each other at regularly scheduled meetings.
We used Capobianco’s research and developed an inquiry activity as part of Chapter 2. Science for All. The inquiry is identified as: Inquiry Activity 2.2: Transforming Your Practice as a Science Teacher. The activity presents the elements for a group of teachers, as part of a course, or within a science department, to carry out an action research study leading to the transformation of some aspect of ones teaching.
We suggest that teachers read one or more of the studies linked below. After reading the studies, you can meet with a team of teachers and discuss the implications for your own practice. Using a brainstorming session, teachers can identify possible pedagogical changes that could be made in their practice. I recommend that teachers make use of each others’ ideas, and then select one aspect of their teaching that they might want to change based on feminist pedagogy.
As in Capobianco’s research (see the link to her study listed below), teachers have to make a (flexible) plan, and then begin to implement the plan for change with a group of their students. For example, one of the teachers in Capobianco’s study wondered how she could get her students to engage a little, connect more, and feel more positive about the (chemistry) class. To increase student engagement, the teacher created a “shared space”, a safe place where respect and fairness reign. Her notion was to increase student motivation, and increase their enthusiasm for chemistry. To create the shared space, the teacher implemented a biweekly “open discussion” session. One example that appeared to result in some success was when students shared personal experiences with smoking habits. This led to more discussions on smoking, heart disease, and other health related issues such as AIDS/HIV.
In this example of an action study, the teacher used the experience to transform one aspect of her teaching practice—the enablement of students to share their own opinions and personal experiences—and use these to bring the students into the world of science based on lived experiences.
What are some experiences you’ve had in transforming your teaching practice? Tomorrow, I share one of mine—the time I was teaching a geology course, through out the curriculum, and worked with students to help them design their own curriculum.
In the meantime, here are the three acticles you might read:
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