Innovative Assessment and Inquiry-based Science Education in an Australian Undergraduate Primary and Middle Schooling Teacher Education Programme.

Dr Jerry Maroulis

Faculty of Education

Co-Director-Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments (ACSC)

University of Southern Queensland (USQ)

Toowoomba Queensland

Australia

Abstract:

Issues of poor quality and limited numbers of dedicated science teachers have been the subject of much recent attention in the media and in the Australian science education community. Much federal and state government funding has been provided over many years to improve the status and the quality of science educators and science education in both primary and secondary schools.

However, despite significant attention being paid to addressing science teaching with practicing teachers and schools, the quality of science education in university pre-service teacher education programs has been largely ignored. Yet it is in the pre-service teacher education programs that the opportunity exists to excite and empower future teachers in the science and technology education disciplines to ensure high quality and highly motivated science and technology educators in schools in the future. 

This paper describes how a science-based subject within the Bachelor of Education (Primary and Middle Schooling) program in the Faculty of Education at University of Southern Queensland (USQ) entitled Educating the Inquiring Person, used innovative approaches to inspire and motivate 186 2^nd year undergraduate students in the teaching and learning of science and technology across 2 campuses (Toowoomba and Wide Bay, Qld).

This was achieved by using innovative assessment pieces and online communication, ensuring that all student learning is contextualised and relevant to a potential Year 1-9 teaching environment and where inquiry-based hands-on, minds-on approaches are practiced in on-campus classes and then deployed in school-based settings.

The effectiveness and innovation displayed in the teaching of this course was the subject of a successful nomination for the 2005 USQ Faculty of Education Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award.

摘要

质量差，讲奉献的科技教师数量有限这两个问题一直是媒体和澳大利亚科技教育社区近期关注的焦点。为了改善这种状况并提高中小学校科技教育质量和科技教师的素质，联邦政府和州政府多年来投入大量资金。

然而，尽管实习教师和实习学校致力于科技教育所做的努力已经得到了极大的关注，但大学职前教师教育中的“科技教育”的课程质量一直被严重地忽略。然而，正是职前教师教育项目存有机会，去激励并赋予未来的科技教育教师们以权力来进行科技教育训练，以此确保未来学校科技教育者具有高素质和强大动力。

本文描述了通过运用创新方法，南昆士兰大学教育系（中小学）教育学学士科技课程“培养探究人员”，在（Toowoomba and Wide Bay, Qld）两个校区的教学中是如何激励学生，并给186位二年级本科生以学习的动力。

通过创新评价和网络交流实现了上述目标，确保所有学生的学习都能联系其实际并和未来可能的中学1-9年教学环境息息相关。大学课堂上探究式的“动手动脑”的方法得到运用。然后，在中小学校的环境下进一步得到发展。

本门科技教育课程教学展示出的效果及其创新是其成功被提名为“2005年南昆士兰大学教育系教学优秀奖”的关键所在。