There has been increased attention recently on models and modelling within the global science education field. Research has begun to skew towards a competence-based perspective of models and modelling, as teachers are experiencing challenges and do not have the required competence in modelling from either theoretical or practical perspectives.…

Representations have been widely applied to teaching and learning in Western classrooms and recently in several Asian countries. More and more Asian schools are calling for the application of this approach in teaching science. However, little has been known about how the construction of representations could enable teachers to make changes in…

This article is the second of a two-part series that explores science teachers' and their pupils' experiences of using different pedagogical approaches based on understandings of how brains learn. Part 1 (Torrance Jenkins, 2017) focused on the two approaches rooted in cognitive psychology: Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and Cognitive Acceleration…

Recommendations for science education, including elementary education, highlight instructional practices such as using discussion to promote deep understandings of science. A task facing science teacher educators is to craft instruction to support teacher candidates (TCs) to develop skills that will encourage such practices in classrooms. In 2011,…

This study aims to measure science teachers' perception about their students' practices in science class, and to measure their model of inquiry teaching. The sample consisted of 127 middle school science teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 65 males and 62 females, in the school year 2016/2017, and utilized a questionnaire with two parts, 11 items…

Teaching chemical bonding using the octet rule as an explanatory principle is problematic in many ways. The aim of this case study is to understand the learning and teaching of chemical bonding using a research-informed teaching model in which chemical bonding is introduced as an electrostatic phenomenon. The study posed two main questions: (i)…

Inquiry- and context-based teaching strategies have been proven to stimulate and motivate students' interests in learning science. In this study, 12 teachers reflected on these strategies after using them in primary schools. The teachers participated in a continuous professional development (CPD) programme. During the programme, they were also…

The aim of this research is to determine the effect of the different teaching methods, on seventh-grade students' academic achievement and scientific attitudes. The research was carried out using quasi-experimental methods. The research sample consisted of 84 seventh grade students studying in three different classes. One of these classes an…

This study investigated a professional development model designed to improve teachers' inquiry teaching efficacy as well as the quality of their inquiry instruction through engaging teachers in practice-teaching and reflection sessions. The programme began with a two-week summer Institute focused on both inquiry pedagogy and science content and…

Teaching and learning with history and philosophy of science (HPS) has been, and continues to be, supported by science educators. While science education standards documents in many countries also stress the importance of teaching and learning with HPS, the approach still suffers from ineffective implementation in school science teaching. In order…

This study investigates the beliefs and practices of seven high school chemistry teachers as a result of their participation in a year-long inquiry professional development (PD) project. An analysis of oral interviews, written reflections, and in-class observations were used to determine the extent to which the PD affected the teachers' beliefs…

This study investigated the modalities of science teaching practice and students' pedagogic subject positioning through the linguistic features of science classroom discourse and the discursive interaction. For this purpose, this study sought to develop a methodology for classroom discourse analysis, the TMARC (Triangular Model of Analyzing…

The core idea of the PROFILES project is to support science teachers' continuous professional development. The instructional innovation of the PROFILES is the so called Three Stage Model (TSM) which aims to arouse students' intrinsic motivation, to offer a meaningful inquiry-based learning environment and to use the science learning in…

Despite wave after wave of educational reform in the United States our students continue to lag behind their peers in other industrialized countries on virtually all measures of academic achievement. Effective professional development (PD) is seen as a key to improving instructional practice and therefore student learning, but traditional forms of…

In this study, two middle-school teachers who participated in a professional development program utilizing the transformative professional development (TPD) model are followed as they embarked upon becoming culturally relevant science teachers of Hispanic students. Using Ladson-Billings (1994) theory of culturally relevant pedagogy, teacher…