This study examined the impact of a practice-based approach to in-service science teacher education, using small-group discussions about photovoltaic (PV) science to support teachers' instruction on sustainable energy transitions in response to climate change risks. Ultimately, we aimed to promote teachers' PV science comprehension as well as…

Recent events reveal the impact of systemic inequities on marginalized communities and highlight the importance of critical frameworks in science teacher education. Education theorists and research suggest that lack of sociopolitical, or critical, consciousness among teachers limits their ability to engage students in culturally relevant teaching…

The purpose of "practical work" in chemistry lessons as perceived by teachers varies and does not always correspond with an emphasis on procedural learning. Teachers project various objectives in them. These activities have various characteristics and potential. The goal of this study is to find out the set of characteristics of…

Evolution is a difficult topic to teach; teachers admit not having enough knowledge of evolution and they face student opposition to learning evolution, especially based on religious grounds. Teachers are therefore motivated to gain knowledge in the field of evolution. We conducted a 30-hour evolution teacher training course, which included…

National and international standards documents are calling for science teachers to teach their students how to engage in the practices of science. Previous studies have found that most science teachers do not have the knowledge and skill to do this because they have not had experience engaging authentically in science. One way to overcome this…

Providers of K-12 in-service teacher science professional development programs (PDPs) in the United States are moving to address recent and unprecedented policymaker calls to close achievement gaps in K-12 science learning. Our systematic review of primary, peer-reviewed equity-focused PDP studies is intended to inform this movement. We structured…

Teachers' ability to effectively enact the ambitious vision of the NGSS depends on their understanding of the conceptual and instructional shifts required, and their interpretation of how to implement these shifts in their classrooms. Thus, understanding teachers' practical knowledge regarding the shifts is an important step in supporting them to…

More sustainable environmental behavior and management is necessary if we are to sustain human well-being; however, current educational practices are not well aligned to support the development of environmentally informed citizens, including adequate teacher preparation. Classroom teachers are in a unique position to develop student skills and…

Many high school classrooms in the United States have physics teachers who are teaching the subject outside their certified content areas because of a severe shortage of physics teachers. There is a critical need to improve the knowledge base of these out-of-field teachers. This comparative case study examined the instructional practice of…

Despite the impetus from professional organizations for science and mathematics integration, few teacher training programs provide opportunities for teachers to develop the knowledge and skills in effective content integration. This study reports on the impact of a graduate course on in-service middle school, math, and science teachers'…

Inquiry, central in science education reforms for decades, is a critical element required in many teacher education programs. However, the instruction of inquiry-oriented pedagogies in those programs has limited impacts on science preservice teachers (PSTs) who arefvn the agent of transforming classroom instruction. The challenges include the…

This article is a qualitative study that explored bilingual/ESL science teachers' reflections about subject matter knowledge (SMK) and instructional practice in the elementary grades. Thirty-three teachers were part of a 5-year professional development program designed to enhance instructional quality and effectiveness to teach English learners.…

One major implication of the Next Generation Science Standards is the need to integrate inquiry and practice and incorporate engineering into science education. To support teachers' change efforts in a time of heightened science, technology, engineering, and mathematics standards for all students, effective professional development (PD) is…

During the past decade, early childhood teachers have been faced with new needs to develop their content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for different science subject areas. In order to meet these challenges there is a strong need for professional learning programmes for early childhood teachers that focus on the development of…

In this exploratory study, we use Banks's typology on multicultural curriculum reform as 1 strategy for developing multicultural, culturally relevant science teachers. Banks's typology discusses 4 approaches for integrating multicultural content into the school and university curriculum. In order to support the development of multicultural science…