Methods for Improving Teaching Strategies in Science

最近的研究表明，在科学的许多基本主题中实现概念性理解是令人惊讶的困难。这个项目的主要重点将是旨在促进概念理解的学习研究，在这个学习过程中，每个人或几个学生被带到一个课程序列中，并鼓励他们在这个序列中大声思考。该项目的一个具体目标是发展可促进困难地区观念转变的模范经验教训。一个更普遍的目标是在成功的科学课程中确定关键的学习过程和教学策略，以指导其他科学领域的课程开发人员和教师培训人员。在前期研究的基础上，我们提出了一套描述性和实验性相结合的学习研究方法。除了学生是否从课程中学习之外，这些研究还将侧重于确定哪些教学策略是关键的，以及学生为什么要从这些策略中学习。该项目的主要成果将包括：(1)一套促进观念转变的示范性科学课程；(2)在教育研究中开展学习研究的新方法；(3)关键学习过程的描述；以及(4)在其他领域科学课程中使用的一般教学策略的描述。

Recent research has indicated that it is surprisingly difficult to achieve conceptual understanding in many fundamental topics in science. The primary focus of this project will be learning studies aimed at fostering conceptual understanding, where individuals or pairs of students are taken through a lesson sequence and encouraged to think aloud during the sequence. A specific goal of the project is to develop exemplary lessons that can foster conceptual change in difficult areas. A more general goal is to identify critical learning processes and teaching strategies in successful science lessons that can guide curriculum developers and teacher trainers in other science areas. On the basis of preliminary studies, we propose to develop a set of learning study methodologies that use a combination of descriptive and experimental methods. In addition to whether students are learning from the lessons, the studies will focus on identifying which teaching strategies are critical and why students are learning from them. Major outcomes of the project will include: (1) a set of exemplary science lessons for promoting conceptual change; (2) new methodologies for conducting learning studies in educational research; (3) descriptions of critical learning processes; and (4) descriptions of general teaching strategies for use in science lessons in other areas.