Pre-Service Teachers Representing Socioscientific Aspects of Scientists’ Work

Abstract

Developing learning sequences focused on socioscientific issues often begins with public controversy and introduces a variety of perspectives—economic, local values, political considerations, as well as scientific and engineering research. Many issues can be considered from a post-normal science perspective, where the involvement of the public in the scientific process and the complexity of the science are acknowledged. However, these issues of complexity and attention to public policy can often be part of the driving force behind scientists’ work. In this chapter, we describe a project in which pre-service teachers (PSTs) and undergraduate science students worked with science researchers to translate their research, focusing on the nature of their practice including personal commitments, into online learning modules for application in lower secondary classrooms. The aim was to enliven and extend classroom practice through the representation of contemporary science. Several scientists, and resulting learning modules, focused on sustainability issues such as top predators in ecosystems, brumbies in sensitive alpine environments, or frontier materials design focused on sustainable practice. Our contention is that, by focusing on sustainability contexts through the experience of scientists, many of whom are passionate advocates, students can come to learn science through the wider context of a socially responsible agenda. We describe the nature of these classroom materials, the process of their creation, the challenges of translating scientists’ work into classroom activity, and the educative potential of this approach for tertiary students and scientists alike.