Abstract
Experiences shows that the knowledge of species among teacher students has decreased the last twenty years, and recent research from different parts of the world shows the same: The knowledge of species is decreasing. As an introduction to their science teacher education 39 students followed a course over seven weeks, where they learned more about plant and animal species in three different biotopes: forest, mountain and freshwater. The students replied to a questionnaire five weeks after the course. Both the three days field course and making their own collection of different plants and animals had great positive impact on the students learning of species. The students expressed that the practical work with plants and animals has increased their interest in science, will have positive impact on their work as science teachers and has increased their pleasure to be out in nature. The author ask for a discussion about species knowledge, biodiversity and field work in teacher education.
Highlights
The biggest challenge for teachers during the course of implementation of students' scientific inquiry is to acquire teaching methods/techniques which would help develop students' scientific inquiry skills and facilitate their joint work, and through this make real changes happen in the classroom
The implementation of scientific inquiry, which forms the basis of FP7 Science in Society projects of which one is PROFILES, started in Latvia in 2008
As the change of teachers’ opinions lies at the core of the progress of teachers’ learning, it was important to find out if the teachers were aware of the need to develop their analyses and reflection skills
Summary
The biggest challenge for teachers during the course of implementation of students' scientific inquiry is to acquire teaching methods/techniques which would help develop students' scientific inquiry skills and facilitate their joint work, and through this make real changes happen in the classroom. The initial research carried out in Latvia on teachers’ progress of implementation of a scientific inquiry philosophy showed a contradiction between the actual teaching process in the classroom and teachers’ opinion of their performance. Analyses into the cause of the contradiction revealed the need to improve teachers’ instructional skills as well as their analyses and reflection skills through the implementation of new teachers’ learning models. This article will focus on the ways that teachers can benefit from mutual learning to facilitate their reflection skills. Each workshop gave the teachers an opportunity to observe and analyze two lessons – one of the subject they were teaching and the other of a different one. The aim was to encourage reflection on transferring different subject teaching practice to teachers’ own particular subject as well as immersion into learning from the students’ point of view
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