ENACTING PROJECT-BASED SCIENCE - EXPERIENCES OF 4 MIDDLE GRADE TEACHERS

The case studies in this article demonstrate how 4 middle grade teache rs addressed the challenges and dilemmas of enacting project-based sci ence in their classrooms. The teachers attempted to enact several comm on features of project-based science, including student collaboration and ownership and the use of technology. The 4 teachers faced dilemmas with respect to balancing their use of time and content coverage with granting students autonomy. They also needed to solve the problems of addressing their district's curriculum while engaging their students in project-based science and of maintaining order as they attempted th is new approach to teaching science. Project-based science was present ed as a way to think about innovative instruction by providing a possi ble means of enactment and not a method. We found that the potential o f project-based science could be realized through teachers' collaborat ive work with peers, enacting projects in their classrooms, and reflec ting on their enactments. We also found that teachers' understanding t ook the form of practical, not theoretical or propositional, knowledge .