Introducing curriculum innovations in science: Identifying teachers' transformations and the design of related teacher education

Abstract

This paper introduces the four research papers in this paper set, which all derive from a European research project, STTIS (Science Teacher Training in an Information Society). The central concern of the project was to study curriculum innovations in science, and to investigate ways in which teachers transform these innovations when putting them into practice. This work led to the construction of appropriate teacher training materials for use when an innovation is being introduced. The paper describes the mutual research strategy agreed upon by the STTIS partners. Both to avoid repetition and to underline the understanding that the partners share about the issues involved in curriculum innovation and related teacher education, the main theoretical background is to be found here. Themes and conclusions common to all the papers are highlighted. The paper also outlines the common features of the approach the STTIS partners took toward the construction of teacher training materials. These materials build in concrete results from the research, in forms that provoke discussion and reflection aimed at making teachers more aware of their ideas and behavior, with a view to effecting lasting change.

Beginning teachers moving toward effective elementary science teaching

“…Teachers employ their personal resources (such as their knowledge and beliefs) as well as resources within the materials themselves in making changes; their ability to do so is referred to as their pedagogical design capacity (Brown, 2009;Brown & Edelson, 2003). When teachers change high-quality curriculum materials, ideally the changes are principled, maintain the integrity of the original design, and work toward attaining the same goals as the original (Ben-Peretz, 1990;Bridgham, 1971;Davis, 2006b;Pintó, 2005). Some teachers make productive changes to curriculum materials while others-for example, those who do not deeply understand the rationales behind reforms promoted in some materials-may make unproductive changes (Collopy, 2003;Remillard, 1999;Schneider & Krajcik, 2002).…”

“…Teachers are influenced-positively and negativelyin their curriculum use by their knowledge, beliefs, and context (Pintó, 2005). For example, teachers may not recognize adaptation of curriculum as a part of their job (Bullough, 1992;Eisenhart, Cuthbert, Shrum, & Harding, 1988).…”

Preservice elementary teachers' critique of instructional materials for science

“…(p. 97) This broader view of curriculum development is grounded in an assumption that teachers must recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the written curriculum materials they are using (Ben-Peretz, 1990). Researchers, developers, and practitioners who hold this perspective emphasize that when teachers change high-quality curriculum materials, the changes must be principled, maintain the integrity of the original design, and work toward attaining the same goals as were the goals of the original (Ben-Peretz, 1990;Bridgham, 1971;Brown & Edelson, 2003;Pintó, 2005).…”

“…Second, there is not consensus about what criteria to use for making curricular adaptations , though some criteria exist (e.g., Ben-Peretz, 1990;Kesidou & Roseman, 2002). Third, how teachers adopt and adapt any curricular innovation is influenced by a complex constellation of factors including the teachers' knowledge and beliefs about content, teaching, and learning as well as their contextual constraints (Pintó, 2005). Fourth, it is difficult for preservice teachers, in particular, to critique curriculum materials effectively (see, e.g., Lynch, 1997).…”

The development of preservice elementary teachers' curricular role identity for science teaching

“…While a substantial amount of research has focused on in-service teachers' use of science and mathematics curriculum materials (Collopy, 2003;Enyedy & Goldberg, 2004;Fishman, Marx, Best, & Tal, 2003;Lloyd, 1999;Pintó, 2004;Remillard, 1999;Remillard & Bryans, 2004;Roehrig & Kruse, 2005;Schneider et al, 2005), only recently has research begun to explore preservice elementary teachers' use of and learning from science curriculum materials (Davis, 2006;Dietz & Davis, in press;Schwarz et al, in press). The results presented here extend this research by examining preservice elementary teachers' relationships with science curriculum materials through the lens of identity.…”