A man is looking at a picture and muttering “… brothers and sisters – have I none – but this man’s father is my father’s son” Who is in the picture?

Teaching Models

What is your image of “school”? Is it a place? A “thing”? A process? Why does it matter? Task #1

What is your metaphor for “teacher”? Task #2

What models of teaching did you observe during your first practicum week? – How good a “fit” is this with your metaphor? Task #3

Does the Alberta Science curriculum make any “implicit” claims about or valorizations of different teaching styles or methodologies? Task #4

C onstructivism, constructivism and Active Learning Most modern science and mathematics curricula are shifting from a content-driven to a process-driven framework

Radical Constructivist pragmatic Constructivist Knowledge is personally constructed But Socially mediated Critical realism Task # 5 what does it mean to claim that scientific or mathematical knowledge is “personally constructed but socially mediated”? (sometimes called trivial constructivism – reduces Constructivism to a set of methods)

Looking at approaches to Active Learning… Thomas Moore’s Six Ideas that Shaped Physics

Negotiated Learning in Mathematics and Problem-Centred Learning 3-components(task, group, sharing) A rich learning activity should –Accessible to all –Invites decision making –Encourages “what if” questions –Encourages use of “own methods” –Promotes discussion and learning –Has a mathematical conclusion –Has an element of surprise –Is enjoyable –Is extendable (adapted from Wheatley 1993)