Ecological literacy is important in supporting the development of the knowledge, skills and attitudes to make decisions, which will minimise the human impact on ecosystems. School science can provide the foundations for students’ development of ecological literacy by assisting students to understand interactions in complex systems like an ecosystem. To achieve this, teachers need the knowledge, understanding and skills to select and implement sequences of activities to engage their students in the practices of science as they relate to complex systems. There are a limited, but growing number of studies, examining the impact of classroom practices on the development of students’ engagement in science practices such as argumentation (Hmelo-Silver et al 2015; Yoon et al 2015).
Teachers face challenges in teaching science practice where they move students from the perspective that there is one ‘right’ answer to developing their ability to recognise the multiple factors that should be considered in addressing an ecological problem. We provided middle school science teachers with an integrated program, incorporating a virtual world and a modelling program (Netlogo), which they used over 8 lessons. We explored how the teachers’ use of these resources assisted students to consider issues in a complex ecological system.
Results/Conclusions
A case study was selected for five teachers, and their beliefs and approach to teaching were collected in individual interviews prior to the intervention. Their work in the classroom was videoed for the eight lessons. Finally their comments about the resources and their use were recorded in a group debriefing session.
Overall the teachers appreciated how the computer supported technological resources supported their students’ engagement and development of science practices including their ability to deal with multiple factors impacting of an ecological system. Most teachers indicated these resources provided them with alternative ways of teaching ecology. Beyond their experiences in using technology, the teachers’ initial beliefs about science teaching significantly impacted on how they used these resources. This suggests that a consideration of teachers’ beliefs is important the development of effective professional learning.
This paper contributes to a developing body of knowledge by considering how teachers’ initial beliefs and practices impact on their use of computer supported technological resources to engage students in complex thinking.