Questioning Knowledge

Procedural knowledge = knowing how

Declarative knowledge = knowing that

Schemata = thinking structures crafted from connected knowledge enabling us to think critically.

Substantive knowledge = facts, concepts, rules - the building blocks of subject e.g. understanding the process of evaporation. This “substance” is central to thinking scientifically (or mathematically, historically etc).

Disciplinary knowledge = knowledge about how the decisions behind what knowledge “makes it” into the accepted corpus of each subject are made, and, just as importantly, how accepted knowledge can be challenged, superseded or rendered obsolete. A curricular term for what pupils learn about how that knowledge was established, its degree of certainty and how it continues to be revised by scholars, artists, or professional practice.

Neil Postman (1970) Teaching as a Conserving Activity
“Biology is not plants and animals.  It is language about plants and animals. It is a way of talking about planets and stars.”

Disciplinary ways of talking have certain features, e.g. diagrams, tables, formulae in science. Disciplinary knowledge in science also involves knowing about how empirical experimentation is used to test if hypotheses about physical reality can be corroborated or disproved. It involves knowing how scientists go about testing, what might count as corroboration or disproof, and the specific ways scientists communicate their ideas, for example by using diagrams.

Learning disciplinary knowledge makes no sense unless accompanied by swathes of substantial knowledge. It would be like trying to understand the complexities of a football match purely through the application of the offside rule.

Primary school teachers, in particular, are prone to thinking th

Managing Pupils in Science Lessons (2010:173)

Teaching Secondary Science (Ross, Lakin, McKechnie and Baker) Notes - Chapter 19

Starting the Lesson

Enter the lab - establish and maintain routines.

Start work quickly - engage / starter work. Register. Ground rules set and strategies developed to avoid potential dangers.

Variety of activities → achieve learning outcomes

Sts move promptly form one task to another.

Make sure they are clear about what they are learning 'tell each other what you expect to see/have to do'

Identify critical moments - moments or turning points when  comment or action is decisive in determining the flow of the rest of the conversation or interaction, e.g. student indicating complete lack of understanding.  Checj uderstanding with everyone in class 'tell each other what you think'.

Crisis points & critical moments

The unexpected → put to the test

Childern can sense weakness.  Expect higher standard from teacher than themselves or parents.

School bags!  >>> under benches
Eye protection

Disruptive pupils or disruptive behaviour

Know problematic students and the school behaviour management system (e.g. Ready to Learn p48 at CVHS).

Criticise the behaviour and not the pupil. Take the opportunity to praise the pupil as soon as possible after the incident for behaving appropriately.

Rewards and punishments - ratio of 20:1

Provide a purposeful, challenging and useful set of learning activities → happy and well-behaved classroom.

Keep them busy, focused and challenged and they will have little time to be disruptive.

Ending the lesson

Consolidating a good lesson requires the allowance of time to review the outcomes of the lesson. 
→ The pupils and teacher need to know to what extent they have met initial learning outcomes (Formative Assessment!). SHort quiz / true/false questions / mind map etc.

Teacher intuition

LEARN NAMES!

• Seating plan with names written by the students → to know their handwriting;
• School photos → seating plan;
• After correcting work/jotters put in pile so handing out is easier ie follows seating plan;
• Each lesson ask 3-5 pupls something about themselves → record (e.g. dog, brother Joe, football).

Develop a knack for ignorong low-level unacceptable behaviour and praising acceptable and desirable behaviour. 

Summary

Plan and execute a well-prepared lesson.
Reflect.
Ask for advice. 

Essential Teaching Skills - Discipline (Kyriacou 2007:83-104)

Notes on Discipline - Essential Teaching Skills (p83-104)

Discipline = classroom order which permits pupil learning.

> Involves establishing a clear framework to manage pupils' behaviour constructively and to promote pupils' self-control and independence, and requires student teachers to be able to use a range of behaviour management strategies.

Skilful + Effective teaching → Management of behaviour

♡ If learning activities are well planned and prepared; and presentation elicits and maintains pupil's attention, interest and involvement; and if the activities are challenging and offer realistic opportunities for success; then the necessary order will be established as part of these qualities.

HOWEVER, even the most skilful teacher will have to deal with misbehaviour.

Dominating and engendering fear - NOT good.

CONVENTIONS, ROUTINES and EXPECTATIONS - Pupil/Teacher/School ethos

Mutual Respect and Rapport.

Teachers' task is to make it as easy as possible for pupils to sustain good behaviour.

Causes of misbehaviour include: boredom, prolonged mental effort, inability to do the work, being sociable, academic self-esteem, emotional difficulties, poor attitudes, worries and anxieties, and lack of negative consequences.

Captive audience → coerced to participate → tension + frustration ∴ great sensitivity required

Assert authority via management of learning rather than as a power relationship. 

USEFUL ANALOGY → Tour Guide. One obeys instructions about where/when to go & what to do because of trust and expectations.  This relies on expertise and skills.

• convey status - act appropriately (relaxed, self-assured, confident - tone of voice, posture, facial expression, eye contact);
• teach competently - knowledgeable, interested, lessons well planned and prepared, manner.  Being taught competently can engender a feeling of pride and self-respect, and affirms a sense of worth and importance;
• exercise managerial control - prompt starts, keep them involved, transitions, rules, routines. Smith and Laslett (1992:3-12) 'Get them in, get them out, get on with it, and get on with them!';
• deal with misbehaviour effectively - well-thought out rertoire of techniques.

 Wragg (2005:24) Eleven classroom rules explicitly stated by teachers:

1. No talking when teacher is talking (public situation).
2. No disruptive noises.
3. Rules for entering, leaving and moving in classrooms.
4. No interference with the work of others.
5. Work must be completed in a specified way.
6. Pupils must raise hand to answer, not shout out.
7. Pupils must make a positive effort in their work.
8. Pupils must not challenge the authority of the teacher.
9. Respect should be shown for property and equipment.
10. Rules to do with safety.
11. Pupils must ask if they do not understand.

Wagg also found that primary teachers were generally characterised by a friendly smile, business-like manner and benign firmness, whereas secondary school teachers are more aggressively assertive.

Misbehaviour: Prevention is better than cure!

Careful monitoring → misbehaviour nipped in bud.

Investigating and Counselling

Choice to investigate or reprimand misbehaviour.

Effective counselling → allow pupil to do most of the talking.

Pastoral care - general behaviour and attitudes, personal and social development.
Be alert to behaviour giving cuase for concern that may not undermine discipline or be considered misbehaviour e.g. excessive shyness, working slowly, day-dreaming, inattentiveness, unwillingness to participate. These could be signs of PERSONAL PROBLEMS (bullying/illness).
→ GIRFEC
→ SEN

Reprimands

Reprimand = an explicit verbal warning or comment which indicates disapproval of misbehaviour.

Skilful and effective use:

• Target correctly;
• Be firm - tone and content;
• Express concern;
• Avoid danger → undermines positive classroom climate;
• Emphasise what is requires;
• Maintain psychological impact;
• Avoid confrontations;
• Criticise the behaviour not the pupil;
• Use private rather than public reprimands;
• Be pre-emptive;
• State rules and rationale;
• Avoid making hostile remarks - avoid deprecating remarks → disaffection/alienation; 
• Avoid unfair comparisons - 'Your sister's work....' / stereotypes;
• Be consistent;
• Do not make empty threats.  Explicitly stated consequences → maintain credibility;
• Avoid reprimanding the whole class - used as last straw.  Try discussing with whole class;
• Make an example.

Reprimands → the oil to the engine (a few drops!)

Punishment

Misbehaviour consists - punishments may be effective.

Punishment = a formal action which the pupil is intended to experience as unpleasant, as a means of helping the pupil to behave appropriately in the future.

Formal & unpleasant :/

Three main purposes:

• Retribution - justice requires wrongdoing to be followed by punishment;
• Deterrence
• Rehabilitation - the most important!!!

p92.

References

Smith and Laslett (1992) Effective Classroom Management: A teacher's guide

Wragg, E.C. (2005) Art and Science of Teaching and Learning

NOTES - Article Review for School Experience 30-9-19

Harlen (2005) Teachers' summative practices and assessment for learning - tensions and synergies

Assessment for learning vs assessment of learning (formative vs summative) → +ve & -ve
↑ teachers' judgements in summative assessment
Summative assesment → 'some seriously detrimental effects'
BUT ∴ issues with reliability and validity

Assessment systems shld be planned and implemented enabling evidence of sts' ongoing learning to be used formatively and summatively.

Intro

Summative assesment  → internal (record keeping, choosing course, parents' meetinsgs) / external (certification, vocational, employment, FE/HE)

HIGH STAKES → pressure → learning experience and assessment

Impact of Summative Assessment on Teaching and the Curriculum

High stakes testing → focus on test content, repeated practice tests, training sts to answer test Qs, & transmission style teaching ↓ formative assessment

↑ Test scores ↓ achievement

Gordon Rees (1997) - teachers can train students to pass any test, even those intended to assess higher thinking skills.

Kellaghan et al. (1996:53) threat to test validity

Black and Wiliam (1998) achievement can be raised without teaching to the test.  Formative assessment requires lots of support and courage ↑ learner-oriented ↓ test-oriented

Impact of Summative Assessment on Student Motivation

Direct impact = ↓ anxiety, ↓ self-esteem.  Indirect = teacher & curriculum

MOTIVATION includes aspects relating to learning, incl. self-esteem, self-regulation, interest, effort, self-efficacy, and a person’s sense of themself as a learner.

Harlen and Deakin Crick (2002) Main findings:

• Ts resort to transmission style teaching;
• High stakes test become rationale classroom focus / dominate ts' own assessment interactions;
• Repeated practice test ↑ low self-image of lower-achieving learners;
• Sts misinterpret teachers intentions ↑ summative assessment;
• ↑ test anxiety;
• Judgemental feedback may influence sts' views;
• Teacher collegiality;
• Emphasis on evaluation & selectivity produces sts with strong extrinsic orientation towards grades and social status.

Suggested action:

• explaining to sts the purpose of tests and involve them in decisions about tests; 
• use assessment to convey sense of progress in their learning to students; 
• provide explanations to sts about the purpose of tests & other assessments of their learning; 
• provide feedback that helps further learning; 
• develop sts’ self-assessment skills & their use of criteria relating to learning, rather than test performance.

Implications:

• use wider range of indicators of school performance;
• more valid approach to tracking standards at national level - sample testing sts;
• more valid info about individual st performance required;
• more use of teachers' judgements. 

Issues and opportunities of using Teachers' assessment for summative purposes

Issues

+ve potential advantages - Ts make judgements about Sts attainment in  the course through normal interactions → attainment across full range of activities and goals = broader and fuller account than tests. This info can be used to help learning.  ∴ more open and collaborative approach to summative assessment → learning goals rather than performance goals.

This practice already evident in Queensland and Sweden - Ts' judgements used for assessment on which important decisions for students are based.

-ve arguments against - unreliability and bias.  Additional work required when considering external use → external moderation procedures. Requiements of moderation wld constrain ts' use of full range of evidence available e.g. ephemeral evidence.

Harlen (2004a, 2004b)

Summative assessment = The process by which teachers gather evidence in a planned and systematic way in order to draw inferences about their students’ learning, based on their professional judgement, and to report at a particular time on their students’ achievements.

Dependability - the interdependence between the concepts of reliability and validity means that increasing one tends to decrease the other.


>Is that so???

= a combination of the two, defined in this instance as the extent to which reliability is optimized while ensuring validity.

MAIN FINDINGS***

Opportunities

• Importance of non-judgmental feedback to help stst know where they are in relation to learning goals;
• Need for teachers to share with sts the reasons for, and goals of, assessment;
• the value to Ts of using assessment to  learn more about sts and to reflect;
• less emphasis on comparisons among sts & more on individual development;
  
• help sts to take responsibility for their learning & work towards learning goals rather than performance goals;

 Using summative assessment to help learning

Let sts know where they are in their learning - self-assessment and feedback / teacher and peers.
Relies on sts knowing the goals and the quality criteris used in assessing it.
T uses feedback to adjust teaching, create materials and provide opportunities for learning.

Dependibility of assessment is enhanced when Ts have thorough understanding of goals and of the nature of progression towards them.

→ Schools being able to make own work plans
→ Regular paticipation in moderation
→ Time and respect for professionalism of Ts

Three main ways of

The Classroom Experiment

Formative assessment is widely misunderstoood despite it being a fundamental aspect of teaching and the learning.  Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam are important proponents of developing a better understanding of formative assessment; their articles and books are mandatory reading on most teaching courses.

•  Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment (Black and Wiliam, 1998)

I was please to come across these episodes of a recent BBC programme investigating education theory and practice in the high school classroom:

Positivism

From ThoughtCo:

Positivism describes an approach to the study of society that specifically utilizes scientific evidence such as experiments, statistics, and qualitative results to reveal a truth about the way society functions. It is based on the assumption that it's possible to observe social life and establish reliable knowledge about its inner workings.

Positivism also argues that sociology should concern itself only with what can be observed with the senses and that theories of social life should be built in a rigid, linear, and methodical way on a base of verifiable fact. Nineteenth-century French philosopher Auguste Comte developed and defined the term in his books "The Course in Positive Philosophy" and "A General View of Positivism." He theorized that the knowledge gleaned from positivism can be used to affect the course of social change and improve the human condition.

The Queen Science

Initially, Comte was primarily interested in establishing theories that he could test, with the main goal of improving our world once these theories were delineated. He wanted to uncover natural laws that could be applied to society, and he believed that the natural sciences, like biology and physics, were a stepping stone in the development of social science. He believed that just as gravity is a truth in the physical world, similar universal laws could be discovered in relation to society.

Comte, along with Emile Durkheim, wanted to create a distinct new field with its own group of scientific facts. He hoped that sociology would become the "queen science," one that was more important than the natural sciences that preceded it.

Five Principles of Positivism

Five principles make up the theory of positivism. It asserts that the logic of inquiry is identical across all branches of science; the goal of inquiry is to explain, predict, and discover; and research should be observed empirically with human senses. Positivism also maintains that science is not the same as common sense, and it should be judged by logic and remain free of values.

From Wikipedia:

Positivism is a philosophical theory stating that certain ("positive") knowledge is based on natural phenomena and their properties and relations. Thus, information derived from sensory experience, interpreted through reason and logic, forms the exclusive source of all certain knowledge. Positivism holds that valid knowledge (certitude or truth) is found only in this a posteriori knowledge.
Verified data (positive facts) received from the senses are known as empirical evidence; thus positivism is based on empiricism.

Positivism also holds that society, like the physical world, operates according to general laws. Introspective and intuitive knowledge is rejected, as are metaphysics and theology because metaphysical and theological claims cannot be verified by sense experience. Although the positivist approach has been a recurrent theme in the history of western thought, the modern approach was formulated by the philosopher Auguste Comte in the early 19th century. Comte argued that, much as the physical world operates according to gravity and other absolute laws, so does society, and further developed positivism into a Religion of Humanity.

Lesson Planning: Evaluating Learning and Reflecting on Teaching

Students’ tend to compartmentalise their reflections around stimuli emergent from critical incidents or problems that occur within lessons rather than reflecting the positive aspects of the lesson i.e. learning gains by pupils or what they have learned about their own practice.

Students often hold a range of personal epistemologies, which manifest the beliefs and attitudes they hold towards what constitutes knowledge.  This impacts upon the range and types of evidence they draw upon and what they perceive to be important within the lesson.

Gibbs (1988) Model of Reflection

Built from Kolb's experiential reflective cycle, it proposes that theory and practice enrich each other in a never-ending cycle.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)

This video was one of the resources on a task developing our thinking regarding inclusion.

BIC = Basic interpersonal communciation.  This includes organisational language such as commands and use of the imperative or simple questions.  It also includes insructions.

CALP = Cognitive academic language proficiency. Using language that involves reflection, evaluation and analysis. High ordeer thinking skills.
Second language aquisition - essential information

"Sensitivity to the need for context support and the cognitive demands of a classroom are important if an individual is to maximise learning in the curriculum"
Baker (2001:180)

Cummins' iceberg comparison. Above the surface are language skills such as comprehension and speaking. Underneath the surface are the skills of analysis and synthesis. Above the surface are the language skills of pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. Below the surface are the deeper, subtle language skills of meanings and creative composition.

Context embedded communication (Good degree of support in communication, particularly via body language.)

Context reduced communication (Very few cues to the meaning that is being transmitted. The words of the sentence exist almost alone in conveying the meaning.)

Colin Baker (2001:176)

Regarding inclusion and how we percieve the world and people in it, I found this section really interesting:

"We make sense of our world by continual classification. People are constantly compared and contrasted. Yet the simplification of categorization often hides the complexity of reality. Sorting often simplifies unsympathetically. Individual differences are reduced to similarities. Yet over-complexity can be unwelcome and confusing. Complications can confound those needing order and pattern. The measurement of bilinguals attempts to locate similarities, order and pattern."
Baker (2001:18)

KEY POINTS FROM Chapter 8

• Two languages acting like a balance in the thinking quarters of a bilingual is incorrect. Instead the Common Underlying Proficiency model suggests that languages operate from the same central operating system.

• The Thresholds Theory suggests that bilinguals who have age-appropriate competence in both languages share cognitive advantages over monolinguals.

• There is a distinction between Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) that concern everyday, straightforward communication skills that are helped by contextual supports, and Cognitive/Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). CALP is the level of language required to understand academically demanding subject matter in a classroom. Such language is often abstract, without contextual supports such as gestures and the viewing of objects.

• On average, it takes about two years for a new immigrant to acquire Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills in a second language, but five to eight years to achieve Cognitive/Academic Language Proficiency in that second language.

Colin Baker (2001) Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, Multilingual Matters. 

Teach like a Champion - Doug Lemov

Technique 32: SLANT

OR:
Sit up straight, Listen, Ask and Answer questions, Nod you head, Track the speaker.

I might go with 'Nod your head' with younger learners and 'Note key info' with older students.

Approaches

There are many approaches which can be taken by teachers in the delivery of their lessons.  Some of the terms which are used to describe these ways of teaching are:

Inquiry-based Learning / Inquiry Model

aka: guided inquiry, open-ended inquiry, inductive thinking, creative thinking, discovery learning, the scientific method.

Dewey (1933): Inquiry is "active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further consideration to which it tends."
→ reason, evidence, inference, and generalization.

The National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy
→ observing, measuring, predicting, inferring, using numbers, using space-time relationships, defining operationally, formulating hypotheses, interpreting data, controlling variables, experimenting, and communicating.

In the context of learning, students engage in inquiry when faced with a "fork-road situation" → a perplexing problem that causes some discomfort → the essence of science inquiry activities.

Scientific literacy = the accumulated knowledge, skills, habits of mind of the scientific community.

Anderson, Holland, and Palinscar "from a sociocultural perspective, acquiring functional scientific literacy is not simply a matter of mastering and using a canon. It requires appropriate scientific discourse - learning to use language, think and act in ways that identify one as a member of a community of scientifically literate people and enable one to participate fully in the activities of the community."
→ teacher's role is to create a community of practice within the science classroom, engage learners in collaboration and problem solving activities, and to select problems and activities that interest students.

Four Models:

• inductive inquiry
• deductive inquiry
• discovery learning (collaborative inquiry)
• project-based inquiry

Inductive Inquiry

J Richard Suchman: 

Inquiry is the active pursuit of meaning involving thought processes that change experience to bits of knowledge. When we see a strange object, for example, we may be puzzled about what it is, what it is made of, what it is used for, how it came into being, and so forth. To find answers to questions such as these we might examine the object closely, subject it to certain tests, compare it with other, more familiar objects, or ask people about it, and for a time our searching would be aimed at finding out whether any of these theories made sense. Or we might simply cast about for information that would suggest new theories for us to test. All these activities—observing, theorizing, experimenting, theory testing—are part of inquiry. The purpose of the activity is to gather enough information to put together theories that will make new experiences less strange and more meaningful.

→ Problem-focus events e.g. demonstrations or films. The demonstration is designed to present a discrepancy or a problem (NOT illustrate concepts or principles). Inquiry demonstrations are referred to as discrepant events.

The Art of Teaching Science pp 237

Didactic

Didactic method provides students with the required theoretical knowledge. It is an effective method used to teach students who are unable to organize their work and depend on the teachers for instructions. It is also used to teach basic skills of reading and writing. The teacher or the literate is the source of knowledge and the knowledge is transmitted to the students through didactic method.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didactic_method

Functions of didactic method

· cognitive function: to understand and learn basic concepts;

· formative-educative function: to develop skills, behaviour, abilities, etc.

· instrumental function: to achieve educational objectives;

· normative function: helps to achieve productive learning, attain required results, etc.

Method of teaching

In didactic method of teaching, the teacher gives instructions to the students and the students are mostly passive listeners. It is a teacher-centred method of teaching and is content oriented. The content or knowledge of the teacher is not questioned. 

The process of teaching involves the teacher who gives instructions, commands, delivers content, and provides necessary information. The pupil activity involves listening and memorization of the content. In the modern education system, lecture method which is one of the most commonly used methods is a form of didactic teaching. 

Direct teaching

Direct instruction (DI) is a general term for the explicit teaching of a skill-set using lectures or demonstrations of the material to students. A particular subset of direct instruction, denoted by capitalization as Direct Instruction, refers to a specific example of the approach developed by Siegfried Engelmann and Wesley C. Becker. DI teaches by explicit instruction, in contrast to exploratory models such as inquiry-based learning. DI includes tutorials, participatory laboratory classes, discussion, recitation, seminars, workshops, observation, active learning, practica, or internships.

DI relies on a systematic curriculum design, delivered by implementation of a prescribed behavioral script. On the premise that all students can learn and all teachers successfully teach if given effective training in specific techniques, teachers may be evaluated based on measurable student learning.

In some special education programs, direct instruction is used in resource rooms, when teachers assist with homework completion and academic remediation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_instruction 

Taken from Lumen learning

Direct instruction is the use of straightforward, explicit teaching techniques, usually to teach a specific skill. It is a teacher-directed method, meaning that the teacher stands in front of a classroom and presents the information.

Experiential

Experiential learning is the process of learning through experience, and is more specifically defined as "learning through reflection on doing". Hands-on learning can be a form of experiential learning but does not necessarily involve students reflecting on their product.

Whole class

Whole group instruction is direct instruction using traditional textbooks or supplemental materials with minimal differentiation in either content or assessment. It is sometimes referred to as whole class instruction. It is typically provided through teacher-led direct instruction.

Teacher-centred (or teacher-led)

Pupil-centred

Resource-based 

Dewey (1933) How We Think: A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to the Education Process

The Importance of Assessment

Effective testing enhances a teacher's instructional effectiveness.
(Popham, 2018:1)

Educational assessment is a formal attempt to determine students’ status with
respect to educational variables of interest. (Popham, 2018:10)

 Purpose of testing:

- to provide feedback about learner progress;

- to provide pupils with educative feedback;

- to motivate learners;

- to provide a record of progress;

- to provide a statement of current attainment;

- to assess learners' readiness for future learning;

- to provide evidence of teacher and school effectiveness.

(Kyriacou, 2007:105-106)

Traditional Reasons That Teachers Assess Students:

• To determine students’ current status
• To monitor students’ progress
• To assign grades to students
• To determine instructional effectiveness

 (Popham, 2018:17)

 High-stake tests have an impact on classroom instructional practice.

Today’s Reasons for Teachers to Know about Assessment:

•  Test results determine public perceptions of educational effectiveness.
• Students’ assessment performances are increasingly being included as part of the teacher evaluation process.
• As clarifiers of instructional intentions, assessment devices can improve instructional quality.

 (Popham, 2018:17)

A wide variety of assessment instruments is important.

How to create classroom assessment approaches to measure students’ achievement (the knowledge and/or skills students acquire) and affect (the educationally pertinent attitudes, interests, and values influenced by school).

How to judge the quality of the assessment devices created is important.

References

Kyriacou, C (2007) Essential Teaching Skills.

Popham, W. James (2018) Classroom Assessment.

The Classroom Dynamic as a Complex Adaptive System

Taken from chapter 6 of Mental Health and Well-Being in the Learning and Teaching Environment (2016).

Teacher identity = complex multifaceted construct.
Affected by temporal and transient events which fluctuate over time under the influence of a variety of factors which are internal (emotions, moods, attitude) and external (job & life experiences).

Also influenced by teachers' collective conceptualisations of professionalism, as well as individual views of themselves.

Teacher identity is both a product and process > CAS

Not only pedagogical content knowlegde (PCK, Lee Shulman), subject knowledge or classroom management & emotional aspects but also...

"interaction between the personal experiences of teachers and the social, cultural and institutional environment in which they function on a daily basis." (Sleeger and Klechtermans, 1999)

Collegiality - key role, influences culture within educational establishments and functions as either support or stressor.

Teaching demands a significant personal investment and commitment + there is undoudtedly a significant relationship between  the personal and professional self.

Geert Lelchtermans (1993). Professional self evolves over time and consists of 5 interrelated components:

• Self-image
• Self-esteem
• Job motivation
• Task perception
• Future perspective

AGENCY

Teacher agency = sense of empowerment to be able to move ideas forward, to reach or to transform their professional context.  Realisation of one's identity; a heightened awareness of one's identity which may lead to a stronger sense of agency.

Lesson planning = systematic development of instructional requirements, arrangement, conditions, resources and activities, as well as the assessment and evaluation of teaching and learning.

Lesson planning requires analysis of learning needs of students and the development of a delivery structure to meet those needs.

Schon (1983) lesson planning is the proactive decision-making that takes place before instruction

Curriculum for Excellence

Sciences - Experiences and outcomes

The sciences framework provides a range of different contexts for learning which draw on important aspects of everyday life and work.

Learning in the sciences will enable me to:

• develop curiosity and understanding of the environment and my place in the living, material and physical world;
• demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of the big ideas and concepts of the sciences;
• develop skills for learning, life and work;
• develop the skills of scientific inquiry and investigation using practical techniques;
• develop skills in the accurate use of scientific language, formulae and equations;
• apply safety measures and take necessary actions to control risk and hazards;
• recognise the impact the sciences make on my life, the lives of others, the environment and on society;
• recognise the role of creativity and inventiveness in the development of the sciences;
• develop an understanding of the Earth’s resources and the need for responsible use of them;
• express opinions and make decisions on social, moral, ethical, economic and environmental issues based upon sound understanding;
• develop as a scientifically-literate citizen with a lifelong interest in the sciences;
• establish the foundation for more advanced learning and future careers in the sciences and the technologies.