Supporting teachers to negotiate uncertainty for science, students, and teaching

Eve Manz; Enrique Suárez

doi:10.1002/sce.21343

journal article May 06, 2018

Supporting teachers to negotiate uncertainty for science, students, and teaching

Eve Manz

Enrique Suárez

Science Education Vol. 102 No. 4 pp. 771-795 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/sce.21343

Abstract

AbstractThis study addresses how to help elementary science teachers explore the uncertainty inherent in scientific activity and support elementary students to engage in more complex and authentic investigations. We describe a district partnership focused on understanding how to support elementary teachers to adapt curricula to promote science practices. We then present a close analysis of how teachers navigated ideas about uncertainty during their work exploring tools to adapt their curriculum. We argue that an essential aspect of the teachers’ work was developing a more nuanced view of scientific uncertainty, including more precise goals for students’ engagement in scientific activity and a repertoire of strategies for supporting students to engage with scientific uncertainty without unduly increasing uncertainty for teachers. We trace three strategies that appeared to help teachers negotiate and develop this more nuanced view: beginning with complex phenomena, iterating on investigations, and leveraging variability in students’ ways of conducting investigations. The findings have implications for the design of professional development programs for elementary teachers, particularly the support that teachers might need to negotiate a nuanced set of teacher and student roles when seeking to engage students more authentically in science practices.

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Metrics

128

Citations

89

References

Details

Published: May 06, 2018
Vol/Issue: 102(4)
Pages: 771-795
License: View

Authors

E

Eve Manz

School of Education Boston University Boston MA USA

E

Enrique Suárez

College of Education University of Washington Seattle WA USA

Cite This Article

Eve Manz, Enrique Suárez (2018). Supporting teachers to negotiate uncertainty for science, students, and teaching. Science Education, 102(4), 771-795. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21343

Supporting teachers to negotiate uncertainty for science, students, and teaching

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