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Science Teaching Methods Course 3
Readings about inquiry teaching and learning, among other topics, were also assigned in this third course. The university students peer-taught two lessons, with one being an inquiry lesson. The field experience for this course was one class period a day for 10 weeks in length. In this way, the prospective teachers experienced a “mini-student teaching” experience by adopting this one class, gradually moving from the role of teacher assistant to becoming the teacher for a specified period of time. Usually this included the prospective teacher teaching one lesson in week 2, two lessons in week 3, three lessons in week 4 and so forth, easing into the teaching role and then tapering off again by giving the teaching responsibility back to the mentor. Active learning was always encouraged, with feedback being given by both the mentor teacher as well as the university instructor. Inquiry lessons were encouraged but not necessarily required, due to variation in mentor teacher comfort. The prospective teachers revisited their RBFs for science teaching, adding appropriate references to support their professional choices of teaching strategies. By this time, the prospective teachers must do more than profess to “talk the talk” of science reform: they are expected to demonstrate these practices in their field experience.
Science Teaching Methods Course 4
Student teaching seminar took place once every two weeks after school. Two instructors taught this course, allowing prospective teachers to reflect upon their practice, discuss issues in their classrooms, and examine their practice in relation to reform-based teaching practices. The student teachers were required to submit a videotape of an inquiry lesson that they implemented.