Most science teachers agree that science education should include more than learning scientific concepts. Students should also learn how science works, how scientific knowledge is developed, why it changes over time, and the differences between observations, evidence, and theories. Yet in practice, many teachers are unsure how to teach these ideas effectively. Even when they have a comprehensive understanding of Nature of Science (NOS), translating that knowledge into meaningful classroom instruction is quite challenging.
In this study, we examined a professional development course for in-service science teachers based on the Pedagogy of Practice framework. Throughout the course, teachers observed examples of effective NOS instruction, analyzed the key components of successful teaching, practiced teaching NOS themselves, and received feedback and opportunities for reflection. We wanted to understand whether this approach could help teachers translate theoretical knowledge of Nature of Science into effective classroom practice. To do so, we analyzed teachers’ written reflections at the end of the course and conducted follow-up interviews one year later.
What did we find?
The findings showed that the course not only deepened teachers’ understanding of Nature of Science but also changed the way they taught it. Teachers expanded their repertoire of instructional strategies for NOS. Alongside adopting new approaches, they refined familiar teaching strategies by making NOS more explicit in their lessons. They also reported using a wide range of teaching methods introduced during the course. Their choices were guided by several considerations, including their own teaching style, the characteristics of their students and classrooms, the potential to spark students’ curiosity and engagement, and the need to prepare students for future academic studies.
Overall, the study presents a practical framework for science teacher education that helps bridge the gap between understanding Nature of Science and knowing how to teach it, a challenge faced by teacher education programs around the world.
Link to the full article: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-026-00750-8
Authors: Haya Ben-Simon, Anna Pshenichney-Mamo and Prof. Dina Tsybulsky
Research group’s website: https://biologygroup.net.technion.ac.il/
