Preservice sciencie teacher education : Inquiry into professional practical problems

Abstract

We present a proposal for preservice science teacher education entitled “Aprendiendo a Enseñar Ciencias en Primaria -Learning to Teach Primary Science- (APENCIP Workbook)" (Rivero et al., 2012). We take as referents for this workbook: inquiry-based science education; teacher education by inquiry into professional practical problems; the interaction with innovative teaching practices through audiovisuals. In the first part, the students prepare a plan to teach some specific content. The discussion and analysis of their proposals will serve as an initial contrast between the different teams, and an introduction to the professional problems they will have to address during the course (the intention being to clearly relate these problems with elements of the curriculum). In the second part, each curricular element and the problems it raises will be worked on sequentially. We shall begin by analysing the first version, and then compare and contrast it with various documents. The process culminates with work on a script for reflection aimed at setting out each team's position relative to the curricular element being analysed, and the team members' responses to the problems addressed. After analysing all the curricular elements selected, a second version of the teaching plan will be elaborated. In the third part, how inquiry-based science education is actually put into practice in the classroom will be visualized from video material and analysed, and a third version of the plan will be elaborated. The final activity is to compare the three versions, and to evaluate the entire process. Our intention is to investigate the prospective teachers' progression of knowledge in this process, and the possible influence that the course, especially the use of videos, may have had on that progression. Curr