A Reading Group for Science Educators: an Approach for Developing Personal and Collective Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Science Education

dc.contributor.authorCooper R
dc.contributor.authorFitzgerald A
dc.contributor.authorCarpendale J
dc.date.available2022-03-05
dc.date.issued2022-03-05
dc.description.abstractReading, at its core, is a basic yet critical way to undertake learning and growth. This paper shares a professional learning and development initiative for science educators, which was underpinned by the popularity and premise of the reading group. In moving from simply being a vehicle for targeted discussion, the reading group facilitators sought to support the participants in taking a deeper dive into their practice with the impact ultimately being changes to their personal pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for science. This small-scale qualitative study was informed by the voices of three science educators at different stages and career trajectories, who participated in interviews. The data revealed that their participation in the reading group informed the development of their personal and collective PCK by (a) creating conditions that encouraged meaningful links to be made between theory and practice, (b) encouraging the adoption of an inquiry stance as a means for engaging purposively with professional knowledge, and (c) initiating a transformation in their contemporary understandings of science and science education. By drawing on the participants’ narratives, this study brings to the fore both the simplicity and depth of complexity that can be achieved through a reading group focused on professional learning and development. The implications of this research are wide reaching as the reading group as a concept can be applied to a variety of contexts and shaped to reach a variety of educational needs.
dc.description.confidentialfalse
dc.identifier.citationInternational Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 2022
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s10763-022-10260-y
dc.identifier.elements-id451509
dc.identifier.harvestedMassey_Dark
dc.identifier.issn1571-0068
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.relation.isPartOfInternational Journal of Science and Mathematics Education
dc.relation.urihttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10763-022-10260-y
dc.rights(c) The authors
dc.rights.uri(CC By 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject.anzsrc1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy
dc.titleA Reading Group for Science Educators: an Approach for Developing Personal and Collective Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Science Education
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.notesNot known
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Humanities and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Humanities and Social Sciences/Institute of Education
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