Working to meet the needs of school pupils who are gifted in science through school-university initial teacher education partnerships.
One of my publications is:
Taber, K. S. (2017). Working to meet the needs of school pupils who are gifted in science through school-university initial teacher education partnerships. In M. Sumida & K. S. Taber (Eds.), Policy and Practice in Science Education for the Gifted: Approaches from diverse national contexts (pp. 1-14). Routledge.
Access the chapter on the publisher's website.
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Abstract:
This chapter considers the potential role of initial teacher education (ITE) in bringing about change in educational practices, drawing upon the example of preparing new teachers to meet the challenge of providing educative science learning activities for the most able and advanced learners they will meet in their classes. It considers in particular the former route, which has potential to influence teachers' practices throughout their careers, and operates before teachers have become fixed in comfortable classroom habits or have assimilated the culture of custom and practice within specific schools. In school science the nature of the curriculum, and its associated assessment apparatus, has constrained effective teacher practice in working with gifted learners. Two of the major potential routes for research findings to influence teaching practice, without being overtly channelled by political ideology, are through initial preparation and continuing professional development for teachers. Time in schools includes seminars and observations, but is based around a phased induction into professional practice.
Content:
- Setting the context
- The impact of research on educational practice
- The role of initial science teacher education
- The context of the work discussed in this chapter
- Preparing the fully professional teacher – engaging with research
- Involving the new teacher in opportunities to learn about gifted learners in science
- Project 1: Teaching about ideas and evidence in science – preparing student teachers to undertake their own classroom research
- Project 2: 'ASCEND' – involving student teachers in a funded development project with local schools
- Project 3: The Challenging Science Day – student teachers organising an event for pupils from local schools
- Discussion – in praise of ITE partnerships
Figure 1: The university-school partnership context of initial teacher education common in England
[Download a copy of the chapter]
