Markwick, Andy;
Reiss, Michael J;
(2023)
Professional learning in primary science: developing teacher confidence to improve the leadership of teaching and learning.
International Journal of Science Education
10.1080/09500693.2023.2288660.
(In press).
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Abstract
The worrying decline in the status of primary school science in schools in England has been linked to low teacher confidence in teaching science and to schools being heavily focused on achievement in English and mathematics. This article reports on a novel professional learning strategy that was provided for 23 primary science leaders over five half-day workshops. Workshops focused on key topics that teachers reported having least confidence in teaching. Through a structured series of learning episodes, each workshop included knowledge and skills acquisition, opportunities to apply new knowledge and skills to primary-focused practicals, the introduction and application of scientific vocabulary, discussion and reflection time. Findings from pre- and post-workshop questionnaires undertaken with all participants and in-depth interviews with eight participants were examined from a phenomenological perspective. Participants reported that the workshops had significant and positive influences on raising their ability to teach science effectively and to build their confidence in leading colleagues. Participants also reported that the status of science in their schools had been improved.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Professional learning in primary science: developing teacher confidence to improve the leadership of teaching and learning |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1080/09500693.2023.2288660 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2023.2288660 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Professional learning; primary science; teacher confidence |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10185026 |
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