Transforming the Pedagogy of STEM Subjects

本研究旨在探讨如何在一个低收入的发展中国家，埃塞俄比亚，STEM学科的教学方法可以从使用单向授课和封闭的教师问题，对话话语和论证，以及这在改善学生的学习和态度产生的影响。对说教式教学的过度依赖适用于任何国家或学校的科目，但在STEM科目中尤其占主导地位，因为这些科目通常向学生教授“给定”的“事实”。它限制了学生的学习，并对义务教育之后STEM学科的学生招收和保留产生了负面影响。在依赖STEM作为经济成功手段的发展中国家，将教学法转变为积极的方法可能会对提高教育质量产生重大影响。理论上的合理性是，参与社会话语，其中规范和论点是明确的，有助于学生适当的新思想，并内化为心理层面的推理。在STEM教育研究中，一个重点是使用对话话语来探索学生持有的前概念和误解，并使他们能够用新的，科学正确的想法来取代这些概念。另一个重点是发展科学论证，学生在学科和日常话语中使用科学规范和推理策略。收集有关使用对话教学的经验证据的干预研究显示出显着的收益，但大多数研究都是小规模的干预，研究人员与志愿者教师密切合作。拟议的研究将在大规模、现实的干预中测试改变教学法的三项战略：i）向师范学院的讲师推出培训计划，通过初始教师教育改变教学法; ii）在学校的教师群体中使用相同的持续专业发展计划; iii）将初始教师教育和持续专业发展计划相结合。30小时的培训课程向教师介绍了科学教学中的对话教学和辩论，并提出了支架任务，以逐步改变教学。这项研究将为课堂实践的影响提供证据;对学生的学习;以及任何社会，政治，经济和文化因素调节结果。一个重要的目标是建立网络，让埃塞俄比亚的教育工作者参与分析和改进STEM教学。这项研究是由来自阿迪斯大学和达勒姆大学的研究人员以及来自五个CTE的讲师进行的。莫伊也是合作伙伴，研究分两个阶段进行。首先，培训来自五个CTE的讲师，并在2015-16学年为150名职前物理教师实施物理课程对话教学。类似数量的CTE和教师候选人将在一个对照组。第二，跟随教师候选人进入小学工作岗位，在2016-17年度为20所学校约100名物理教师提供持续专业发展。有些教师没有参与第一阶段。教学将为7年级和8年级的学生。来自CTE的讲师将与研究人员一起提供CPD，并作为研究助理收集数据。该设计将允许三种战略（使用ITE，CPD或两者兼而有之）中的每一种在10个学校班级中测试，其中有400名学生。以40所学校1600名学生为对照组，通过对所有班级的两节课进行录像，调查干预对教学的影响。我们会透过职前及职后测验、讨论任务录像及面谈，量度对职前教师及学生学习的影响。学校领导将接受采访，并通过一系列研究会议、一次全国性会议以及报告和研究论文进行传播。

This study intends to investigate how pedagogy for STEM subjects in a low income, developing nation, Ethiopia, can be transformed from using one-way lecturing and closed teacher questions to dialogical discourse and argumentation, and the effects this generates in improved student learning and attitudes. Over-reliance on didactic teaching apply to any nation or school subject, but is particularly dominant in STEM subjects as these typically teach "facts" "given" to students. It restricts students' learning and impact negatively on student recruitment to and retention in STEM subjects beyond compulsory schooling. In developing nations, which rely on STEM as means to build economic success, changing pedagogy to an active approach may impact significantly on enhancing the quality of education. The theoretical rational is that participation in social discourse, where norms and arguments are made explicit, helps students appropriate new ideas and internalise them to reasoning on a psychological plane. In STEM education research one focus is on using dialogical discourse to explore pre- and misconceptions students hold and enabling them to replace these with new, scientifically correct ideas. Another focus has been developing scientific argumentation, where students use scientific norms and reasoning strategies in disciplinary and everyday discourse.Intervention studies gathering empirical evidence about using dialogical teaching demonstrate significant gains, but most studies are small-scale interventions where researchers work closely with volunteer teachers. The proposed study will test three strategies for changing the pedagogy in a large-scale, realistic intervention: i) introducing a training programme to lecturers at Colleges of Teacher Education (CTEs) to change pedagogy through Initial Teacher Education (ITE); ii) using the same programme in continuous professional development (CPD) to groups of teachers in schools; iii) combining the ITE and CPD programmes. The 30h training programme introduces teachers to dialogical teaching and argumentation in science teaching, and presents scaffolding tasks to change the teaching gradually. The study will provide evidence for effects on classroom practice; on students' learning; and any social, political, economic and cultural factors moderating outcomes. An important objective is building networks and involving educators in Ethiopia to analyse and improve STEM teaching. The study is carried out by researchers from Addis Ababa University and Durham University and lecturers from five CTEs. MoE is also a partner.The study is organised in two phases. First, training lecturers from five CTEs and have these implement dialogical teaching in physics course for 150 pre-service physics teachers over the 2015-16 academic year. A similar number of CTEs and teacher candidates will be in a control group. Second, follow the teacher candidates into posts in primary schools and deliver CPD to about 100 physics teachers in 20 schools in 2016-17. Some are teachers not involved in phase 1. Teaching will be for Year 7 and 8 pupils. Lecturers from the CTEs will deliver the CPD together with the researchers and work as research assistants to gather data. The design will allow each of the three strategies (using ITE, CPD or both) to be tested in 10 schools classes with 400 pupils. A control group will have the same number of schools and students (Totally 40 schools and 1600 pupils).Effects of the intervention on teaching will be investigated with video-recordings from two lessons in all classes. Effects on pre-service teachers' and school pupils' learning will be measured with pre- and post tests, video-recordings of discussion tasks and interviews. School leaders will be interviewed.Dissemination will happen in a series of research meeting, a national conference and in reports and research papers.