Changing the Subject: Retraining Teachers to Teach Science

Abstract

This paper reports the experiences of teachers involved in a novel retraining scheme designed to meet a short-term crisis in numbers of teachers of physics. Teachers trained in other subject areas underwent an intensive six-month training in physics and were then placed in schools. During the first year of teaching some support for ongoing learning in science was provided. A study of these teachers' experiences found they lacked content knowledge in areas of the curriculum other than physics and were unprepared for the reality of the science classroom. Their existing classroom management skills were of only limited value in the new context. For those graduates who were supported by experienced staff in schools, the transition to science teaching was hard but ultimately worthwhile. For some, whose qualifications to teach science were never accepted by their peers, retraining was a bitter experience.

Tailoring Mentoring for New Mathematics and Science Teachers: An Exploratory Study

“…This problem is even more serious in secondary mathematics and science classrooms, already hampered by the low number of graduate teachers in these disciplines (Oliver, McConney & Maor, 2009;Ormond & Sherriff, 2009;McKenzie et al, 2008;Riley, 2008;Rice, 2007;Watson, Steel et al, 2007;Yates, 2007;Croasman et al;Guarino, et al, 2006).…”

Challenges and Recommendations for Improving Chemistry Education and Teaching in the Republic of North Macedonia

“…Therefore, different ways of improving the quality of education and teaching are constantly sought. A number of measures are taken to improve the quality of teaching and the overall development of the educational process in schools: improvement of the curriculum (Metz, 1997), continuous professional development of teaching staff through in-service education, training and advisory work (Watson, Steele, Vozzo, & Aubusson, 2007;Wilson, 2000), introducing information technology in teaching (Ardac & Akaygun, 2004;Barbour & Reeves, 2009;Carvalho-Knighton & Keen-Rocha, 2007), improving textbooks and other literature, improving working conditions and providing teaching and learning resources and other equipment (Vosniadou, Ioannides, Dimitrakopoulou, & Papademetriou, 2001), extending the duration of regular institutional education, as well as empowering pupils and developing self-education habits (Demirdogen & Cakmakci, 2014). Certainly, the teacher has a key role in overall educational work, especially in the planning, organisation and realisation of teaching, and thus in the process of forming conceptual, quality knowledge among pupils.…”

Knowledge of copyright issues and strategies used in solving copyright queries among academic librarians in Kenya

“…The study of expertise has been undertaken in diverse domains of study such a medicine (Kinga et al, 2008), education (Watson et al, 2007), nursing (Bobay, Gentile, & Hagle, 2009), psychology, library science (Tabatabaia & Shoreb, 2005), ergonomics (Kobus, Proctor, & Holste, 2001), auditing (Russo Jr, 2002), criminology (Garcia-Retamero & Dhami, 2009). However, there are few studies that have tried to measure level of copyright expertise among information professionals and especially librarians.…”

“…Expertise tends to be domain specific. Whenever one moves from one domain to another, even in instances where the person is an expert in one field and gets retrained to carry out tasks in another field, that particular person might not be as effective in the new field (Watson et al, 2007). This means that the level of expertise can change over time.…”

“…Because libraries are now exchanging information through interlibrary loan, a librarian who tries to be updated with the different policies of partner institutions is likely to appreciate copyright issues better. After undergoing a six month retraining of teachers in other subjects so that they can teach Physics, Watson et.al (2007) found that these teachers lacked content knowledge of physics and could not manage to effectively handle issues that were considered as normal occurrence in a Physics laboratory. It is evident that they lacked the ability to transfer the skills from previous teaching experience into the new environment where they had to teach Physics and handle laboratory work.…”