Leading team:
- Prof. Anat Yarden
Project team:
- Dr. Ronit Rozenszajn
Brief
The Life Sciences group has characterized the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of biology teachers, and its possible expansion in the course of the Rothschild-Weizmann Program for Excellence in Science Education. Retention of major parts of the expanded PCK, measured a year after the program’s end, suggests that the program provides a powerful means for PCK expansion. Group members have also found that the content knowledge (CK) of biology teachers is by and large distinct from their PCK – indicating that the relationships between biology teachers’ CK and PCK should be strengthened continuously, as increasing their CK will not necessarily lead to an improvement in PCK. Interestingly, a similar analysis – carried out with teachers participating in other paths of the Rothschild-Weizmann Program – revealed that most of the chemistry and physics teachers, like biology teachers, do not integrate the new subject matter CK that they acquired during the program into their practice; however, in the case of mathematics teachers, CK with PCK are connected. In other words, while mathematics teachers do not teach high mathematics contents in class, their PCK can nonetheless be meaningfully expanded by studying such contents.
Further reading:
- Rozenszajn, R., and Yarden, A. (2015). Exposing biology teachers' tacit views about the knowledge that is required for teaching using the repertory grid technique, Stu. in Educ. Evalu., 47, 19-27. doi:10.1016/j.stueduc.2015.06.001.
- Rozenszajn, R., and Yarden, A. (2014). Mathematics and biology teachers' tacit views of the knowledge required for teaching: Varying relationships between CK and PCK, Intl. J. STEM Educ., 1(1), 11. doi: 10.1186/s40594-014-0011-7.
- Rozenszajn, R., and Yarden, A. (2014). Expansion of biology teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) during a long-term professional development program, Res. in Sci. Educ. 44(1), 189-213.
- Rozenszajn, R., and Yarden, A. (2013). Characterizing the tacit relationships between biology teachers’ content knowledge (CK) and other professional knowledge components. In D. Krueger, & M. Ekborg (Eds.), A selection of papers presented at the 9th Conference of European Researchers in Didactics of Biology, Berlin, Germany, pp. 73-85.
- Rozenszajn, R., and Yarden, A. (2011). Conceptualization of in-service biology teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) during a long term professional development program. In A. Yarden, & G.S. Carvalho (Eds.), Authenticity in Biology Education: Benefits and Challenges, A selection of papers presented at the 8th Conference of European Researchers in Didactics of Biology, Braga, Portugal, pp. 79-90.