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Table 2 Course B topics and assignments

From: Toward narrowing the theory–practice gap: characterizing evidence from in-service biology teachers’ questions asked during an academic course

Topic

Reading assignment (4)a (individual, short)

Planning assignment (3)a (small groups, long, individual reflection)

“Learning for understanding” (Perkins & Blythe, 1994)—first lesson and organizing theme

B-R1b: pre-course on “Learning for understanding” approach (Wiske, 1997)

Understanding and misconceptions

B-R2b (choose one paper on): cognitive conflict in biology (Dreyfus & Jungwirt, 1992), understanding photosynthesis (Amir, 1993), micro-macro levels and understanding of genetics (Marbach-Ad, 1998), analogies to solve micro-macro difficulties (Dreyfus & Jungwirt, 1991)

B-P1b: Planning a teaching and learning unit3 to better understand a biological concept or process, using appropriate strategies and the “Learning for understanding” framework (Perkins & Blythe, 1994), including analysis of misconception type and probable sources

Central biological ideas

B-R3b: Applying structure–behavior–function (SBF) model to biology learning (Liu & Hmelo-Silver, 2009)

B-P2b: Planning a teaching and learning activityc to better understand a biological concept using the SBF model, and the “Learning for understanding” approach. Including a description of former ways of teaching the concept and the SBF components

Inquiry teaching and learning

B-R4b (choose one paper on): students’ research questions and curiosity in inquiry project (Zion & Sadeh, 2007), teachers experiencing open inquiry (Sheinin & Zion, 2010), history of inquiry and present situation in schools (Dvir, 2000), teaching biology as inquiry (Ofrat, 2002)

B-A3b: Analyzing the levels of inquiry in one of the teachers’ learning activities (Table 2.6 in Olson & Loucks-Horsley, 2000), planning to increase the degree of inquiry openness and to incorporate the “Learning for understanding” approach (Perkins & Blythe, 1994)

  1. aThe number of assignments appears in brackets
  2. bThe assignment code: for example, B-R4 means the fourth reading (R) assignment of course B
  3. cLearning unit consists of elaborate plan of 1–3 lessons including all activities, while the learning activity is usually a part of a lesson