scholarly journals Teachers’ approaches to genetics teaching mirror their choice of content and avoidance of sensitive issues

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuomas Aivelo ◽  
Anna Uitto
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Genetically Modified Organisms ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Human Genetics ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Biology Textbooks ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Hereditary Disorders

AbstractThe skills required to understand genetic phenomena and transfer knowledge to real world situations are an important part of 21st century scientific literacy. While socio-scientific issues (SSI) are increasingly emphasised in science curricula, teachers have low interest in adopting SSI in teaching. Little is known about how teachers choose content for their teaching, although this process translates curricula to teaching practice. We explored how teachers choose content and contexts for biology courses on cells, heredity, and biotechnology by interviewing ten Finnish upper-secondary school teachers. We studied how the teachers described teaching on genetically modified organisms, hereditary disorders, and human traits. Teachers’ perceptions on genetics teaching were classified to Developmental, Structural and Hereditary approaches. The approaches were connected not only to the teachers’ perceptions of the more important content, but also teacher inclinations towards teaching genetics in the human context and perceptions of students’ interest in different topics. Teachers’ justified their choices by national, local school, and teacher’s personal-level factors. While teachers mentioned that SSI are important, they were never mentioned among the important contexts. Nevertheless, some teachers embraced teaching genetics in the human context while others avoided them. Teachers justified their avoidance for personal and pedagogical factors, such as their competence in dealing with these contexts. Experience played a part in the approach that teachers had, and contrary to the results of previous research, the less experienced teachers were more open to discussing human genetics. We conclude that curriculum development is important to encourage teachers to adopt more SSI-oriented teaching.Disclosure statementTuomas Aivelo has participated in writing biology textbooks for upper-secondary school biology for eOppi Oy. None of the teachers involved in this study used biology textbooks from eOppi Oy.

scholarly journals UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE INTEGRATING MECHANISMS AND IMPORTANCE OF STEM EDUCATION

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 546-557
Author(s):  
Eman A. AlMuraie ◽  
Norah A. Algarni ◽  
Nidhal Sh. Alahmad
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
School Science ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Secondary School Science ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Integration Mechanisms

This study aimed to recognize upper-secondary school science teachers’ perceptions of the meaning, importance, and integrating mechanisms of science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) education, taking in to account the differences between the science teachers’ perceptions according to their specialties, years of experience, and degrees. A closed-ended questionnaire was distributed among 700 science teachers (biology, physics, and chemistry) in Riyadh, and 255 teachers responded. The results showed a strong alignment in the upper-secondary school science teachers’ perceptions of the meaning and the importance of STEM education, although there was less of a consensus regarding the integrating mechanisms. There were statistically significant differences in the physics teachers’ perceptions of STEM meaning, although there were otherwise no significant differences by specialty in the science teachers’ perceptions of the importance of STEM education and its integration mechanisms. Furthermore, the teachers showed no statistically significant differences in STEM’s meaning, importance, or integrating mechanisms according to their years of experience. Based on the results, recommendations included intensifying professional development programs on utilizing technology, engineering, and mathematics in learning science concepts and application. Keywords: integration mechanisms, science teachers, STEM education, teachers’ perceptions, upper secondary school

scholarly journals Genetic determinism in the Finnish upper secondary school biology textbooks

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuomas Aivelo ◽  
Anna Uitto
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Genetic Determinism ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Genetics Education ◽  
Biology Textbooks ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Education Needs ◽  
Gene Models ◽  
School Curricula

Genetics is a fast-developing field and it has been argued that genetics education is lagging behind. Genetics education has, for example, been suspected of indoctrinating strong genetic determinism. As the updating of the national upper secondary school curricula is about to start, we decided to study how the current curriculum manifests in Finnish biology textbooks. We studied the main four textbooks for historical gene models and definitions of genes using content analysis. Hybrid models were pervasive in textbooks. The textbooks expressed sometimes even strong genetic determinism, which might be linked to the dominance of older historical models in the textbooks. We also found instances of determinism which we call ‘weak determinism’: genes were depicted as more important factor than environment in relation to the expressed properties. Subsequently, there were no modern gene models found. We suggest gene models should be presented explicitly to reduce misconceptions about genes. We argue that genetics education needs to take more into account than environmental effects and there needs to be more emphasis on the temporal and developmental aspect of genotype-phenotype link. Specifically in Finland this could be done by a more explicit formulation of the national curriculum.

scholarly journals «Det handler om å finne sin egen form» Læreres profesjonelle handlingsrom - hvordan det blir forstått og utnyttet

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Helleve ◽  
Marit Ulvik ◽  
Kari Smith
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
International Study ◽  
Professional Role ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Pedagogical Beliefs ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

Målet med denne studien er å undersøke hvordan lærere forstår og tolker sitt profesjonelle handlingsrom og hvordan de, basert på denne erfaringen, har opplevd å nå sine egne mål over tid. Studien, som er del av en internasjonal studie, bygger på observasjoner, intervjuer og story-lines fra seks lærere ved tre videregående skoler. Lærerne er av ledelsen utpekt til å være lærere som utnytter det handlingsrommet de har og som selv tar styring på hvordan de praktiserer lærerjobben. Funnene viser at lærerne langt på vei tolker og endrer rammer og regelverk i tråd med egne mål – også lærere innenfor samme kontekst. De fleste lærerne opplever at de utnytter og har utnyttet et større handlingsrom enn de erfarer å ha med bakgrunn i rammer og pålegg. Dette resultatet skiller seg fra de to andre landene som deltar i den internasjonale studien. Konklusjonen er at kunnskap om læreres forståelse av sitt profesjonelle handlingsrom kan bidra til refleksjon over egen lærerrolle og til ny innsikt i skoleutvikling.Nøkkelord: profesjonelt handlingsrom, videregående skole, lærereTeachers’ professional space – How it is experienced and utilizedAbstractThe aim of the study is to examine teachers’ understanding and interpretation of their professional space, and how they experience having possibilities to practice their pedagogical beliefs throughout their careers. The study, which is part of an international study, is built on observations, interviews and story-lines from six teachers in three Norwegian upper secondary schools. These are teachers viewed by their principals as independent teachers exploiting their professional space when practicing teaching. Findings show that to a large extent teachers interpret and change frames and rules according to their own pedagogical beliefs. Teachers working in the same schools respond differently to school regulations. Most of the teachers claim to have more space than what they perceive external rules and frameworks allow for. This finding differs from the two other participating countries in the international study, in which obedience to external regulations was strong. The conclusion reached in this paper is that additional knowledge about teachers’ perceptions of their professional space will contribute to ways in which reflection of practice and professional role can be enhanced, and thereby support school development.Keywords: professional space, upper secondary school, teachers

scholarly journals Implementation of the 2012 upper secondary school curriculum in Mexico: a 21st-century framework enquiry

2022 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Jimena Hernández-Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
21St Century ◽  
21St Century Skills ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Learning Capabilities ◽  
Secondary School Curriculum ◽  
Skills Learning

Objective. This study aims to analyze how the new upper secondary school curriculum in Mexico captures 21st-century skills and teachers’ perceptions of success. Method. The design of the study complies a comparison analysis between the Mexican upper secondary school curriculum and a 21st-century skills framework. Additionally, qualitative data on teachers’ perceptions of success is collected through eight focus groups with 72 participants in 4 States of Mexico. Results. The findings show that the curriculum is short in strategies for the development of 21st-century skills. Moreover, although teachers welcome them, they perceive a lack of support and doubt about students’ learning capabilities. Conclusions. Although Mexico has progressed in providing a 21st-century skills learning environment through the new curriculum, the educational system remains with the opportunity to offer a more suitable and adequate framework as well as support and training for teachers.

Motivating teachers’ commitment to change through transformational school leadership in Chinese urban upper secondary schools

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 735-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Context ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Commitment To Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of transformational school leadership on teachers’ commitment to change and the effects of organizational and teachers’ factors on teachers’ perception of transformational school leadership in the Chinese urban upper secondary school context. Design/methodology/approach – The paper mainly uses quantitative methods to explore the relationships between different constructs. The author asks: to what extent can transformational school leadership practices in the urban upper secondary schools of a particular Chinese city explain the variation in teachers’ commitment to change during curriculum reform? What are the effects of organizational and teachers’ factors on teachers’ perceptions of transformational school leadership? Findings – The results of multiple regression analysis showed that the effect of transformational school leadership was moderate when transformational school leadership and teachers’ commitment to change were treated as single variables. Four dimensions of transformational leadership practice together explained the moderate effects on four dimensions of teachers’ commitment to change, among which the effect of managing the instructional program was the most prominent. The results of multiple regression analysis also revealed that variables like culture, strategy, environment, and teachers’ age had significant relationships with teachers’ perceptions of transformational school leadership. Culture, environment, strategy, structure, and teachers’ factors such as age and grade taught had moderate effects on different dimensions of teachers’ perceptions of transformational school leadership. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to explore the effects of transformational school leadership on teachers’ commitment to change in the Chinese urban upper secondary school context. The findings contribute to educational management in China and similar contexts, and this study advances knowledge and furthers the understandings of the transferability of theories to different contexts.

scholarly journals Reading and the Profession: On the Literary Education of English School Teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Katherina Dodou
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Literary Reading ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Upper Secondary Education ◽  
Upper Secondary

AbstractThe article addresses the question of how English departments best can teach literature and literary reading to future upper secondary school teachers of English. It approaches the question in terms of the literary scholar’s contribution to the professional education and practice of school teachers in Sweden. The article combines metacognitive analyses of disciplinary ways of thinking with profession theory to reflect on the literary content knowledge upper secondary school teachers need for their teaching practice. It outlines key differences between the understanding of what reading literature entails in academia and in upper secondary education, respectively, and it points out that current academic practices for teaching literature rely on a narrow understanding of what school teachers need to know about literature and literary reading to exercise their professional judgement concerning literature in the language classroom. Advocating a change in our academic teaching practices, the article proposes that literary debates over reading also be incorporated and that the principles and procedures underpinning professional modes of reading literature be explicitly articulated. This means verbalising underlying theoretical assumptions about the value of literature and of reading it and explicating interpretative conventions and tools, alongside the skills involved in literary reading. Such a teaching practice, the article posits, is not merely key to developing school teachers’ content knowledge regarding literature and reading. It is also a prerequisite for the development of their pedagogical reasoning when it comes to the uses of literature and to the affordances and limitations of literary reading in the school classroom.Keywords: literary reading, teacher education, metacognition, professional practice, disciplinary thinking, content knowledge, upper secondary schoolLäsning och professionen:Om litteraturutbildningen för skollärare i engelskaSammanfattningArtikeln tar sig an frågan om hur akademiska engelskämnen bäst kan undervisa litteratur och litteraturläsning för gymnasielärarstudenter i engelska. Den närmar sig frågan i termer av litteraturvetarens bidrag till gymnasielärares professionsutbildning och -utövande i Sverige. Artikeln kombinerar metakognitiva analyser av ämnesspecifika tankesätt med professionsteori för att resonera kring de ämneskunskaper som framtida gymnasielärare behöver för sin lärargärning. Artikeln belyser viktiga skillnader i förståelsen av vad litteraturläsning innebär inom akademin respektive i gymnasieskolan, och den granskar kritiskt förhärskande akademiska praktiker för litteraturstudier inom ämnet. Den påpekar att rådande praktiker bygger på en snäv syn av de ämneskunskaper gymnasielärare behöver och föreslår ett förnyat fokus på ämneskunskaperna som krävs för att gymnasielärare ska kunna utöva sitt professionella omdöme om den engelskspråkiga litteraturens plats i språkundervisningen. Artikeln förordar att akademiska litteraturstudier också inlemmar litteratur-vetenskapliga samtal om litteraturläsning i utbildningen och explicit formulerar de principer och tillvägagångssätt som ligger till grund för professionella sätt att läsa litteratur. Det innebär att verbalisera teoriers underliggande antaganden om litteraturens och litteraturläsningens värde och även ämnesområdets principer och verktyg för texttolkning samt färdigheterna som krävs för litteraturläsning. En sådan undervisningspraktik skulle bidra till en stadigare grund för gymnasielärares ämneskunskaper. Den är också en förutsättning för att lärarstudenter ska utveckla sitt pedagogiska tänkande vad gäller litteraturens och litteraturläsningens möjligheter och begränsningar i gymnasieskolans engelskundervisning.Nyckelord: litteraturläsning, ämneslärarutbildning, metakognition, professions¬utövning, ämnesspecifika tankesätt, ämneskunskap, gymnasieskola

scholarly journals The Swedish mass experiments — a way of encouraging scientific citizenship?

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (01) ◽  
pp. Y01
Author(s):  
Dick Kasperowski ◽  
Fredrik Brounéus
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Scientific Output ◽  
Deciduous Trees ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
Interest In Science ◽  
Hazardous Environments ◽  
Upper Secondary

Since 2009 Vetenskap & Allmänhet (Public & Science, VA) coordinates an annual mass experiment as part of ForskarFredag — the Swedish events on the European Researchers' Night. Through the experiments, thousands of Swedish students from preschool to upper secondary school have contributed to the development of scientific knowledge on, for example, the acoustic environment in classrooms, children's and adolescents' perception of hazardous environments and the development of autumn leaves in deciduous trees. The aim is to stimulate scientific literacy and an interest in science while generating scientific output. The essay discusses how the mass experiments can contribute to encouraging scientific citizenship.

scholarly journals Vad behöver eleverna undervisning i för att utveckla sitt skrivande? Förväntningsnormer och didaktiska beslut i svensklärares bedömningssamtal

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Per Blomqvist ◽  
Viveca Lindberg ◽  
Gustaf B Skar
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Writing Assessment ◽  
Text Structure ◽  
Assessment Criteria ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Pedagogical Decisions ◽  
Upper Secondary

I studien samtalar tre lärargrupper om elevers skrivande och skrivundervisning i ämnet svenska på gymnasiet. Det teoretiska perspektiv som läggs på dessa samtal är didaktiskt och inriktas på hur lärare formulerar och använder bedömningsinformation om elevers skrivande för beslut om skrivundervisningens innehåll. Resultatet visar att lärares bedömningar av elevers skrivande behandlar fler och delvis andra aspekter av skrivförmåga än vad deras didaktiska beslut sedan omfattar. De kvalitetsuppfattningar och förväntningsnormer som lärarna uttrycker i sina bedömningar av elevers skrivande inriktas huvudsakligen på texters kommunikativa kvaliteter, den stilistiska utformningen och textuppbyggnaden, följt av ämnesinnehåll och källanvändning. De didaktiska beslut som fattas utifrån bedömningen av elevers texter inriktas däremot i stort sett enbart på att eleverna behöver skrivundervisning i att disponera text och att använda källor. Detta gör att överensstämmelsen är låg mellan lärarnas beslut om skrivundervisningens inriktning och deras förväntningar på vad eleverna ska kunna. De didaktiska besluten omfattar i begränsad utsträckning den bedömningsinformation som lärarna själva har formulerat.Nyckelord: Skrivbedömning, kvalitetsuppfattningar, förväntningsnormer, didaktiska beslut, formativ bedömning, svenskämnets didaktik, svenska på gymnasietAbstractThis article presents an analysis of teacher group discussions about students’ writing in the subject of Swedish in upper secondary school. The study adopts a pedagogical perspective on these discussions and focuses on examining teachers’ expressed assessment criteria and relating them to their pedagogical decision-making. The results reveal that the teachers’ assessments of students’ writing focus on much more, and partly other, criteria than their pedagogical decisions. The quality standards that teachers express in the discussions about students’ texts focus mostly on communicative quality, language style and text structure followed by content and the use of sources. The pedagogical decisions are, on the other hand, almost exclusively focusing on text structure and the use of sources. This means that there is a gap between the teachers’ perceptions of qualities in students’ writing and their pedagogical decisions. The pedagogical decisions cover to a limited extent the assessment information that teachers themselves formulated.Keywords: Writing assessment, assessment criteria, pedagogical decision-making, formative assessment, Swedish in upper secondary school

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