Discussion ( Secondary Science Education)

1. Discussion (Secondary Science Education)

2. Secondary Science Education • Sytemic Issues • University entrance exams, National curriculum and education reforms, Extension of compulsory education, Poor budget, poor facilities, • Students • Attitudes toward science, Achievement, Creativity and personality, Diversity-, Gender-, Cultural issues, Ordinary students and Gifted students • Teaching • Inquiry-based vs. traditional rote learning, Excessive claim for content knowledge, Assessment & evaluation, Purposes & Aims, Instruction languages, Exam-oriented, Mixed ability classes, Relevancy to daily life • Teacher quality in inquiry-based learning • Older teachers trained older teaching methods

3. Secondary Science Teachers • Quality • Quality Divide: rural vs. urban, Low competence in practical work and in inquiry learning, Content knowledge PCK and assessment skills, Ability to work with at-risk students, ‘Science as human endeavor’ not appreciated, Younger teachers’ lower quality, Usability and capability in ICT & other innovations, Poor communication and cooperation, collaboration between the elder and the younger • Numbers of Teachers • Excess due to low birth rate • Professional development • Undeveloped, unsystematic, discontinuous programs with teachers’ untrustworthy-ness • Other (Extra) Jobs than teaching science • Administrative works, Club activities, Parents’ claims, Poor support in assistant, Limited time for concentrating science teaching • Societal Issues • Lower status with lower salary vs. High status (Finland), Quality teachers soon promote administrative posts

4. Secondary science teacher education programs • Lack of evidence-based teacher education programs • How to increase the number and quality of science teachers • Upgrading teacher education programs • Bachelor’s degree level to Master’s degree level • Mismatching between university major and secondary school teaching • Trained within a single discipline, but teaching plural and/or integrated sciences • Poor teaching practicum • Lack of student teachers’ value, skills, knowledge of, commitment and passion toward teaching • Lack of global sense • Lack of appropriate in-service training programs • Promoting science teachers’ understanding of nature of new (national) science curriculum • The best students do not want to be teachers

5. Quality Science Teachers • Sound ground in science, Integrated content knowledge • PCK (on inquiry-based learning) • NOS • Ample experience in practical work • Understanding of students • Knowledge of assessment • Care for the intellectual development of students • Good teacher as a good role model • Capacity to develop their own teaching materials • Open-mindedness toward new and unfamiliar things • A sense of wonder in students • Helping students develop an identity as a scientist • Interaction with students • Assess students’ prior knowledge • Teachers as reflective practitioners • Students’ cultural relevance, • Participating in action research to improve practice

6. Emphasized Components in Postgraduate Programs • Educational theory (Psychology, philosophy, sociology etc) • Teaching methods • High standards of subject courses and teaching • Content knowledge, PCK • Curriculum development • Alternative assessment • History of science, Nature of Science • Science communication • Inquiry science • Mentorship of trainee-teachers through school • ICT and interactive digital media • Nurturing the whole child • Classroom management • Teaching as a profession • Research oriented, evidence oriented (research knowledge and skills, and qualitative research methodology) • ESD in electives