TOWARDS CREATING EFFECTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR SCIENCE TEACHERS- THE ROLE OF A SCIENCE EDUCATOR IN THE TERTIARY SETTING

The paper examines a relatively neglected area: the role of the scienc e education tutor in creating an environment that will encourage and e nable teachers and student teachers to learn effectively. The discussi on is based on the experiences of the authors in working in preservice and inservice courses for both secondary and primary teachers-courses which have adopted a constructivist view of science learning. The ass umptions that we have made in developing and maintaining effective lea rning environments have at their core the view that only through deep- seated change in teacher beliefs, values and feelings about learning a nd teaching, science and technology will teachers substantially change their science teaching practices. The paper examines components of th e science tutor's role in assisting teachers through these changes whi ch are likely to be marked by challenge, resistance, insecurity and so me confusion. The inevitable tensions in the tutor's role are explored including those associated with assessment, making oneself vulnerable as a tutor, and conflicting expectations of teachers and tutor. An im portant issue raised is the critical need for science tutors to change their own roles and the conditions under which they are likely to do so.