Lifelong Learning Programme

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Database of Publications

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PUBLICATION INFORMATION

TITLE OF PUBLICATION
WHAT TO DO IN SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS PRESERVICE TRAINING?
NAME OF AUTHOR(S)
Jaime Carrascosa Alís, Joaquín Martínez Torregrosa, Carles Furió Más y Jenaro Guisasola Aranzábal
NAME OF PUBLISHER
Revista Eureka sobre Enseñanza y Divulgación de las Ciencias
YEAR OF PUBLICATION
2008
LANGUAGE OF PUBLICATION
Spanish
PUBLICATION TYPOLOGY
Research
TARGET GROUP OF PUBLICATION
Researchers, Teachers
SIZE OF THE PUBLICATION
Over 10 pages
PDF OF THE PUBLICATION
NAME OF THE REVIEWING ORGANISATION
CECE

Comments about this Publication

Your comments are welcome


Date: 2014.09.12

Posted by Ines Alonso (Spain)

Message: In Spain, the vocational training for secondary school teachers has been set in the normative base of General Education Law of 1970. Since 1990, it has been working in-depth through the Pedagogical training course (CAP). With the perspective of time, in general terms, this course, presented some limitations that make complex its effectiveness for teacher´s training. According to the study, now days, those limitations have turned into opportunities to shape the training for school teachers trainees.

The universities of Spain are now responsible to develop a new curriculum that should be translated into action through a Master´s Degree Program of 60 credits ECTS. The curriculum will have to include a specific section with additional training focused on learning, educational innovation and introduction to research. Also a section of practices should be integrated. In both cases, it would be necessary to consider what knowledge will be most effective to include in these sections, to help teachers to solve education and learning problems as a result of the specific scientific contents of its area or subject.


According to the analysis made by the researchers of didactic of science, about teaching and learning of science in secondary, there is a general consensus that the strategies of learning based on reception and transmission of knowledge, have to be changed for others that focus learning as a guided fact-finding and research work that encourages students to participate in an active way.

Despite the progress achieve, education in Spain, would not be leaded in the correct direction, if efforts do not include also a perspective for teachers to have a lifelong training that, would guarantee the updating in educational knowledge. This challenge includes an active involvement of teachers who, through its daily work and contact with students become a valuable source of information to attend their demands and improve vocational training for secondary teachers.

Date: 2013.11.25

Posted by Gamze Özbek (Turkey)

Message: This paper gives a valuable insight of future prospects of pre-service science teachers. The controversial issue of teaching approaches is focused on. The student-centered approach is a object of preference in many countries. In Turkey, there are also implementations towards this direction.
In this research, it is obvious to see that science teachers pass a teacher-based approach through their own education. This affects later the own teaching process. But according to the statistics, it is possible to say that pre-service teachers are aware of student-centered approaches and know the efficiency. The fact that their knowledge is based on a textbook-driven learning approach, challenges the science teachers in applying a student-centered teaching in the classroom.
The statistic is a result of 66 pre-service chemistry teachers from three universities which 40 of them are males and 26 females. The results have shown that 39.4% both of the approaches, 37.9% student-centered, and 22.7% the teacher-centered style. Also, it has been shown that the teacher-based approach is more preferred by male teachers. A Draw-A- Scientist- Test was implemented. The requirement of the test was a self-image of the students which shows them on work. Besides of asking them various questions about personal information, the assessment was made by non-biased teachers.
If one considers the research, it does not provide solutions for a better, quasi student-centered approach but it gives important information about the recent status of the future perspectives of science teachers. It is possible to say that the pre-service teachers know how to teach efficient in the classroom but the curriculum forces the teachers to teach in a textbook-driven way which leads to a teacher-centered education approach. Also the characteristic features of individual teachers determine the teaching process. All in one, student-centered approaches are inevitable for efficient teaching but the circumstances determine the implementation.

Date: 2013.07.09

Posted by José Ángel Ruiz (Spain)

Message: -This piece of research deals with those improvements which should be implemented in the pre-service training course (CAP) followed by prospective teachers, particularly sciences trainees, in order to improve skills and methodology used in the classroom. It highlights the weaknesses of the current system and it also identifies improvement areas in this field. The article offers an exhaustive analysis of the characteristics of the present system and it enumerates a series of specific contents aimed at improving the pre-service training period. The role of laboratory practice, the relationship between science, technology, society and environment, as well as the analysis of specific topics and evaluation systems are particularly remarkable.

-Authors claim that the transformation undergone by the preservice training period (former CAP and present Teacher Training Master) has not been a real help from the perspective of the problems described in the article.

-Focusing on the national context, the article highlights possible improvements of the Teacher Training Master. It particularly claims that laboratory work should be fostered not only as a way to practice but as a research methodology mastered by both teachers and students. Moreover, this methodology should be part of a complete programme aimed at improving Chemistry Didactics which could result in a) an improvement of the effectiveness of formative activities and b) a closer relationship between the world of Chemistry, students´ interests and life reality.

National Reports on successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry The national reports on chemistry successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry are now available on the related section of the project portal. The reports presents examples of successful experiences in the partner countries and the results of testing of ICT resources with science teachers.

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