A Competence-Oriented Approach to Models and Modelling in Lower Secondary Science Education: Practices and Rationales Among Danish Teachers

Sanne Schnell Nielsen; Jan Alexis Nielsen

A Competence-Oriented Approach to Models and Modelling in Lower Secondary Science Education: Practices and Rationales Among Danish Teachers

Sanne Schnell Nielsen, Jan Alexis Nielsen

3 Citationer (Scopus)

Abstract

A new science curriculum, with a significant emphasis on modelling, was recently adopted in Danish lower secondary education. The theoretical intentions behind the new curriculum include substantial changes to how teachers should address models and modelling in their practice. The purpose of this study is to analyse the alignment between the intentions and arguments for integrating models and modelling into science education, on the one hand, and teachers’ practices and rationales for integrating models and modelling into their teaching practice, on the other. First, this study outlines a theoretical competence-oriented modelling framework. This framework describes what kind of knowledge and practice of models and modelling needs to be integrated into teaching to accomplish a competence-oriented approach in this regard. Second, against the background of this framework, we conducted an empirical study of three teacher-teams’ talk about modelling and their practice of integrating models and modelling in their teaching. Our findings suggest that the participating teachers’ practices and rationales for integrating models and modelling into their teaching are characterised by a product-oriented approach that is not well aligned with competence-oriented teaching. Finally, we provide ideas for improving the alignment between theoretical intentions and teachers’ practice, targeted at science educators and curriculum designers.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	Research in Science Education
ISSN	0157-244X
Status	Udgivet - okt. 2021

Citationsformater

@article{68832001905a4127820c1bb3342c5524,

title = "A Competence-Oriented Approach to Models and Modelling in Lower Secondary Science Education: Practices and Rationales Among Danish Teachers",

abstract = "A new science curriculum, with a significant emphasis on modelling, was recently adopted in Danish lower secondary education. The theoretical intentions behind the new curriculum include substantial changes to how teachers should address models and modelling in their practice. The purpose of this study is to analyse the alignment between the intentions and arguments for integrating models and modelling into science education, on the one hand, and teachers{\textquoteright} practices and rationales for integrating models and modelling into their teaching practice, on the other. First, this study outlines a theoretical competence-oriented modelling framework. This framework describes what kind of knowledge and practice of models and modelling needs to be integrated into teaching to accomplish a competence-oriented approach in this regard. Second, against the background of this framework, we conducted an empirical study of three teacher-teams{\textquoteright} talk about modelling and their practice of integrating models and modelling in their teaching. Our findings suggest that the participating teachers{\textquoteright} practices and rationales for integrating models and modelling into their teaching are characterised by a product-oriented approach that is not well aligned with competence-oriented teaching. Finally, we provide ideas for improving the alignment between theoretical intentions and teachers{\textquoteright} practice, targeted at science educators and curriculum designers.",

author = "Nielsen, {Sanne Schnell} and Nielsen, {Jan Alexis}",

year = "2021",

month = oct,

language = "English",

journal = "Research in Science Education",

issn = "0157-244X",

publisher = "Springer",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - A Competence-Oriented Approach to Models and Modelling in Lower Secondary Science Education: Practices and Rationales Among Danish Teachers

AU - Nielsen, Sanne Schnell

AU - Nielsen, Jan Alexis

PY - 2021/10

Y1 - 2021/10

N2 - A new science curriculum, with a significant emphasis on modelling, was recently adopted in Danish lower secondary education. The theoretical intentions behind the new curriculum include substantial changes to how teachers should address models and modelling in their practice. The purpose of this study is to analyse the alignment between the intentions and arguments for integrating models and modelling into science education, on the one hand, and teachers’ practices and rationales for integrating models and modelling into their teaching practice, on the other. First, this study outlines a theoretical competence-oriented modelling framework. This framework describes what kind of knowledge and practice of models and modelling needs to be integrated into teaching to accomplish a competence-oriented approach in this regard. Second, against the background of this framework, we conducted an empirical study of three teacher-teams’ talk about modelling and their practice of integrating models and modelling in their teaching. Our findings suggest that the participating teachers’ practices and rationales for integrating models and modelling into their teaching are characterised by a product-oriented approach that is not well aligned with competence-oriented teaching. Finally, we provide ideas for improving the alignment between theoretical intentions and teachers’ practice, targeted at science educators and curriculum designers.

AB - A new science curriculum, with a significant emphasis on modelling, was recently adopted in Danish lower secondary education. The theoretical intentions behind the new curriculum include substantial changes to how teachers should address models and modelling in their practice. The purpose of this study is to analyse the alignment between the intentions and arguments for integrating models and modelling into science education, on the one hand, and teachers’ practices and rationales for integrating models and modelling into their teaching practice, on the other. First, this study outlines a theoretical competence-oriented modelling framework. This framework describes what kind of knowledge and practice of models and modelling needs to be integrated into teaching to accomplish a competence-oriented approach in this regard. Second, against the background of this framework, we conducted an empirical study of three teacher-teams’ talk about modelling and their practice of integrating models and modelling in their teaching. Our findings suggest that the participating teachers’ practices and rationales for integrating models and modelling into their teaching are characterised by a product-oriented approach that is not well aligned with competence-oriented teaching. Finally, we provide ideas for improving the alignment between theoretical intentions and teachers’ practice, targeted at science educators and curriculum designers.

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0157-244X

JO - Research in Science Education

JF - Research in Science Education

ER -