Policy and the Planned Curriculum: Teaching High School Biology Every Day

Abstract

Carolyn Wallace, a veteran science educator, returned to the classroom during the 2005–2006 academic year to teach high school biology full time. This chapter describes and analyzes her experiences as she attempted to teach science using inquiry- and other reform-based strategies in the current climate of school accountability. Dr. Wallace uses critical realist social theory (Archer, M. (1995). Realist social theory: The morphogenetic approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) to highlight the ways in which societal influences, including structural and cultural influences, mediated her teaching actions. She weaves together multiple examples and teaching vignettes with theoretical analysis from the critical realist perspective to explain the evolution of her own thinking about science teaching. Wallace also gives examples of lessons in which she was able to enact her own teaching beliefs, resulting in what she considered to be high-quality science teaching. This chapter concludes with a synopsis of the ways the experience has influenced Wallace’s own teaching and research agenda, as well as advice for novice teachers.KeywordsScience TeachingPreservice TeacherScience TeacherNovice TeacherBiology TeacherThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.