Practical, or laboratory, work is a common pedagogical strategy used in school science classrooms, yet its effectiveness for enhancing student learning is contested. Developing teachers' pedagogical knowledge about planning for practical work can improve its effectiveness by ensuring that tasks are well-conceived and effective for linking what…

Learning science is a social enterprise that involves students communicating ideas, observations, and findings. Navigating talk between students about scientific concepts and practices is a complex task for teachers. Traditionally, science educators have used a method called microteaching (teaching to peers) as a context for practicing teaching.…

In this paper, we share an approach to address systemic racism by highlighting a research-practice partnership [RPP] effort between a university and STEM program (I AM STEM) to understand the extent to which centering abolitionist teaching and emancipatory practices in a science methods course supported teacher candidates' virtual microteaching…

This study investigated the nature of the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) development among 22 prospective teachers enrolled in an elementary science methods course. The nature of prospective teachers' PCK development was investigated in relation to their experiences in planning, enacting, and reflecting upon a Physical science lesson. The…

We present an empirically based model for teaching about planning in pre-service science teacher education as part of on-campus courses. Planning is usually taught through the introduction of theoretically based planning models, but these models commonly assume a linear idea of planning that does not match how teachers go about planning. We…

Although microteaching is a common approach to engaging preservice teachers in reflection on teaching in on-campus courses, this reflection is usually carried out as a separate part. We examined how preservice middle school science teachers reflected amid planning a 20-min microteaching unit on sustainable development. Six groups of preservice…

What teachers believe about their own effectiveness in the classroom influences what and how they teach, so teacher preparation programs should work to cultivate strong self-efficacy beliefs (SEBs) in future teachers. I designed a science content course for future elementary teachers around the simultaneous goals of teaching science content and…

This study provides an example of a systematic professional development project designed to build capacity for the teaching of nature of science and scientific inquiry, while not sacrificing the learning of more traditional science subject matter. Specifically, this project examined the impact of a 5-year professional development project on K-12…

This study investigated preservice science teachers' uses of inscriptions in their peer teaching activities and was guided by the following research questions: (1) What kinds of inscriptions and inscriptional practices do preservice science teachers use in their peer teaching activity? and (2) How and for what purposes do preservice science…

Science vocabulary knowledge plays a role in understanding science concepts, and science knowledge is measured in part by correct use of science vocabulary (Lee et al. in "J Res Sci Teach" 32(8):797-816, 1995). Elementary school students have growing vocabularies and many are learning English as a secondary language or depend on schools to learn…

Described are how invitations to inquiry have been used in presentations to effectively demonstrate and explain the notion of inquiry and its role in science teaching and how they can be used in teacher education. An initial segment of an invitation to inquiry script and a list of topics that have been used as invitations to inquiry are included.…

Explains how to use microteaching in an effective way to have students in methods classes plan, teach, and evaluate a lesson presented to a small group of their peers. (PR)

Describes the use of several organized distractions which force preservice science teachers to simultaneously teach and observe students. A variety of activities were developed to serve as additions to microteaching sessions in which the task is to "see" actions, not to redirect wayward students. (LZ)