Developing the Knowledge Base of Preservice Science Teachers: Starting the Path Towards Expertise Using Slowmation

Abstract

“Slowmation” (abbreviated from “Slow Animation”) is a simplified way for students at all levels of schooling and university to make a stop-motion animation to explain a concept or tell a story. We have used Slowmation to prompt preservice high school science teachers to articulate their knowledge of teaching. Initially, the preservice teachers work with high school science students to help these students make Slowmation movies that demonstrate school students’ understanding of particular abstract scientific concepts. When the preservice teachers present their school students’ movies to their preservice teacher colleagues it generates sophisticated discussion among preservice teachers of both school students’ alternative conceptions in science and issues surrounding the pedagogical development of the preservice teachers. Slowmation has offered us a window through which we can look into how preservice teachers think about their developing ideas of pedagogy and how they respond to, react to and grapple with the critical decisions they make in the classroom. By grappling with these ideas and publicly sharing their thinking, the preservice teachers are collaboratively building on and developing their pedagogical understanding.