Classroom environment in the implementation of an innovative curriculum project in science education

Abstract

A curriculum project can be positively or negatively influenced by the environment of the classroom in which it is implemented. Analysis of the perceptions of students, teachers, and external observers has allowed us to study the influence of classroom environment in the implementation of an innovative project in science education. The main conclusions indicate that even though the global evaluation is positive, more so among teachers than among students, there are differences between the perceptions of the participants, probably due to differences in interests and needs. Moreover, in the classroom environment, the teacher and the actual dynamic and spatial organization are of great importance, and it can be difficult to maintain interest or to achieve a satisfactory evaluation on the part of those students whose academic performance is lowest.

The Interest of the Diversity of Perspectives and Methodologies in Evaluating the Science Laboratory Learning Environment

“…However, these differences detected are not in line with previous research showing a consistently higher valuation by teachers than by students. Thus, research conducted in USA (Moos, 1979), Israel (Hofstein & Lazarowitz, 1986;Raviv, Raviv & Reisel, 1990), the Netherlands (Wubbels, Berkelmans & Hooumayer, 1991), Australia (Fraser, 1982(Fraser, , 1986, and Spain (Suárez, Pías, Membiela & Dapía, 1998) showed how teachers saw the classroom environment in a more favorable light than their students, and in those cases where the magnitude of this difference is appreciable this can give the teacher a stimulus for change. In our case, the students' perceptions indicate a better assessment as regards the material environment and the integration of activities carried out in the laboratory with the other science classes, while the teacher makes a better assessment of the openness of the practical activities and the clarity of the rules established to work in the science lab.…”

Learning Biology Through Innovative Curricula: A Comparison of Game- and Nongame-Based Approaches

“…However, the game‐based curriculum model leaves out at least one significant element that shapes classroom implementation: teachers. The ways in which teachers interpret curricular materials, provide opportunities for students to engage with the game and other learning materials, structure classroom time, make use of assessment data, and so on necessarily influence the extent to which the intervention successfully promotes student learning (Fogleman, McNeill, & Krajcik, ; Suárez, Pias, Membiela, & Dapía, ; Vos, Taconis, Jochems, & Pilot, ). A number of factors will likely affect teachers’ implementation decisions and practices including the norms and expectations of their schools and districts, their own experiences with the content of the intervention, their experiences with the intervention curriculum and pedagogy, and resources such as technology for supporting the intervention implementation.…”

Investigación-acción en el desarrollo de proyectos curriculares innovadores de ciencias

“…El contraste de los diferentes puntos de vista nos ha permitido hacer una serie de reflexiones que más tarde sirvieron para introducir cambios en nuestra práctica educativa. En consecuencia, se buscaron y pusieron en práctica estrategias para corregir estos problemas e intentar mejorar el trabajo en equipo, tales como no formar equipos de trabajo fijos durante las dos primeras semanas de clase, para dejar que los estudiantes se conozcan un poco y facilitar así la formación de grupos naturales, realizar al comienzo del curso algún juego para favorecer el acercamiento personal o dar a aquellos estudiantes que lo deseen la posibilidad de realizar actividades individuales -La evaluación del ambiente social de las aulas (Suárez et al, 1998) en las que se implementó el proyecto curricular fue positiva para los estudiantes, los profesores y los observadores externos, los cuales mostraron su satisfacción, sobre todo, en cuatro aspectos: la cooperación y cohesión de los estudiantes, tanto dentro de los pequeños grupos como en el grupo-clase; el aprovechamiento eficaz del tiempo de clase, que se utilizó como de aprendizaje real; el apoyo y la ayuda prestados por los profesores; y el carácter innovador de las actividades realizadas. Sin embargo, existían algunos aspectos que, aun cuando tenían una valoración aceptable, podían ser mejorados y deberían ser objeto de reflexión y de cambio.…”