A sociocultural reading of reform in science teaching in a secondary biology class

Abstract

Adopting activity theory as a theoretical and methodological framework, this case study illustrates how a teaching and learning situation is planned and implemented over a series of nine 75-min biology classes by a high school science teacher in the context of pedagogical reform. The object of this study emerges within a favourable context of science education curricular reform in Quebec, Canada. By examining the interaction between the poles of an activity system sharing the same object, this case study illustrates how one teacher's teaching practice is redefined and how some aspects of her teaching personality orient the ways in which she contextually mobilizes new tools and members of her school community in order to implement an awareness campaign on the risks of tanning salons.

La formation de la pensée critique revisitée par l’approche historico-culturelle

“…Ceci mobilise les processus cognitifs de haut niveau impliqués dans la pensée critique (Engeström & Sannino, 2013). À titre d'exemple, on peut citer le renouvellement de pratiques en éducation aux sciences au secondaire au Québec entrepris par Barma (2011) qui inclut la dimension contextuelle de l'activité d'enseignement, en comprenant que les actions des acteurs sociaux (enseignants, élèves) sont redevables aux conditions de réalisation du milieu scolaire.…”

L’enseignement ayant comme visée la compétence à résoudre des problèmes mathématiques : quels enjeux ?

“…Dans notre cas, l'unité d'observation n'est pas l'enseignant seul, mais l'enseignant dans le contexte d'un enseignement visant le développement de la compétence à résoudre un problème (Barma, Lacasse et Massé-Morneau, 2015). Les travaux de Barma (2011) (Barma, 2008a;Engeström, 1987).…”

A new lens for supporting and studying science teacher reflections: situating the self in the [activity] system

“…Her analysis was built from a single case study and focused on critical incidents in the school activities of the student (Helen) around which the story revolves. Sylvie Barma (2011) also posited how new forms of participation could be created in science classrooms, but she viewed it from the stand-point of a teacher trying to enact curricular reform. A significant outcome of this work is her recognition of how tensions play a role in the way reform becomes enacted: ''The findings from this research support one of the principles of the 3rd generation of activity theory developed by Engeström (1999), namely that the introduction of new practices is an outcome of the process of resolving the tensions occurring among organizations'' (p. 636).…”