Learning by Teaching: Co-teaching to Enhance Nature of Science Pedagogy

Abstract

This study aimed to give insights of in-service teachers’ experiences of nature of science (NOS) learning and NOS teaching through a co-teaching professional learning context. For this purpose, the co-teachers were encouraged to share and discuss ideas and improve NOS science teaching through reflection and collaborative interaction in the context of Saturday Science Teaching program. The Saturday Science Program provided local students in grade K-2 with hands on activities covering various science topics over 5 weekly 2.5-hour sessions. One of the cooperating teachers was an experienced university teacher while the other cooperating teacher was an experienced primary teacher without experience teaching NOS. Data were collected by use of pre- and post -instruction of Views of Nature of Science questionnaire, follow-up interviews, written artifacts, and videotapes of teaching sessions. Results showed that co-teaching contributed to the teacher’s NOS learning as well as NOS teaching. The teacher recognized subjective NOS, creative NOS, empirical NOS and socio-cultural NOS. Regarding improvement of NOS teaching the teacher started to use NOS vocabulary more comfortably such as use of words observation and inferences. She developed NOS teaching strategies such as creating observation/inference table to address observation and inference, developing examples for socio- cultural NOS.