Actions and discourses for transformative understanding in a middle schoolscience class

Citation
Sm. Ritchie et K. Tobin, Actions and discourses for transformative understanding in a middle schoolscience class, INT J SCI E, 23(3), 2001, pp. 283-299
Citations number
40
Categorie Soggetti
Education
Journal title
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION
ISSN journal
09500693 → ACNP
Volume
23
Issue
3
Year of publication
2001
Pages
283 - 299
Database
ISI
SICI code
0950-0693(200103)23:3<283:AADFTU>2.0.ZU;2-L
Abstract
So that we might understand better how the discursive practices of classroo m participants lead to students' transformative understanding, we immersed ourselves in a Grade 8 science class for an extended period of observation. Our observation and interview data were interpreted from two overlapping p erspectives, namely, an action orientation and a discourse orientation. We found that the teacher's actions encouraged univocal discourse between stud ents and their reproductive understanding of scientific concepts. We argue that before a class can become more like a scientific discourse community, teachers need to promote dialogic discourse and transformative understandin g. The contextual descriptions and interpretations presented might help tea chers form images of classroom practices that will be conducive to students ' transformative understandings of science.