Finished research projects
Teacher professionalization
Publication
Quality of teaching
Digital media
Publication
Kotzebue, L. von, Franke, U., Schultz-Pernice, F., Aufleger, M., Neuhaus, B. J., & Fischer, F. (2020).
Core competences of teachers for teaching in a digital world
Illustration of the base model on an example lesson in biology
Zeitschrift Für Didaktik Der Biologie (ZDB) - Biologie Lehren Und Lernen, 24, 29–47.
Pre-school education
The basic concepts organize the diversity of phenomena, structure specialist knowledge and guide the search for knowledge. With the help of these recurring points of reference, learners shold develop a holistic understanding of biology in the spirit of cumulative learning.
2014-2019
This project tought science topics from early childhood through to secondary school. Age-appropriate experimants in the field of energy, the environments and health (Experimanto| 4+, 8+, 10+) enabled children to conduct their own research through discovery based learning. In addition teachers received practical training to enable them to use the materials successfully in the classroom.
At the end of 2004, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (abbr.: Kultusministerkonferenz - KMK) passed educational standards that describe competencies pupils should have achieved in the four key areas content knowledge, scientific inquiry, communication and decision making at the end of tenth grade (KMK, 2004). For being able to measure and foster these competencies, it is first of all necessary to devise and empirically evaluate competence models. In science education some competence models in the area of knowledge acquisition by experimentation have already been developed (e.g., Mayer, 2007; Hammann, 2007). However, in biology education experiments are not the only way how knowledge can be acquired. Aristoteles and Darwin are only two personalities from science history whose knowledge is based on scientific observations. Scientific observation is a fundamental method of scientific inquiry. Without this method biological accomplishments such as the theory of evolution, sytematics, histology, and anatomy would not exist. Observation competence is also crucial/ necessary to use other scientific methods successfully, e.g., carrying out experiments.
Hence, the first aim of this project is to develop and empirically evaluate a model describing different levels and partial competencies of scientific observation.
A systematic training and reflection of this scientific method in biology is indispensable. The passing of education plans for preschool starting in 2005 (e.g., Bavarian Ministry of State/ State Institute of Early Childhood Research Munich, 2006) revived the discussion whether and to what extent children’s observation competencies should be fostered in preschool.
However, early promotion of children’s observation competencies does not mean to prepone the teaching of subject matter knowledge in kindergarten, but should rather encourage them playfully in their own interests, foster their creativity and independent thinking, and provide a profound basis for lifelong self-determined learning.
Scientific observations require time, patience, perseverance, concentration and the ability to think divergently, i.e. to be curious, creative, seek actively for information – all these competencies can and have to be fostered as early as at preschool age. Therefore, in the second part of this research project, modules will be developed and empirically evaluated through which observation competence can be trained playfully at preschool age.
Observation is one of the basic methods in science. It is not only an epistemological method itself, but also an important competence for other methods like experimenting or comparing. In preschool age children are already able to observe, but their observations are not on the detailed level that is needed for science (Kohlhauf, Rutke & Neuhaus, 2011). Observation competence consists of 3 dimensions: describing details, inquiry process and interpreting the observations.
The dimension of the model show parallels to prior research from developmental psychology on scientific reasoning. Several studies found out that children in preschool and early school age are able to reason scientifically to some extent, although their success decreases if the evidence contradicts their prior beliefs (Croker & Buchanan, 2011).
Theory of Mind is the ability to attribute mental states to one self and others (Wellman & Liu, 2004). As this understanding of different sources for beliefs and their changeability should be a prerequisite for experimenting, Piekny, Grube & Maehler (2013) found a connection between theory of mind and scientific reasoning in preschoolers. In our study we would like to explore parallels in children’s observation competency and their general scientific reasoning abilities as well as the influence theory of mind.
In a second step we investigate whether children’s observation competency can be trained. For this, we developed age –appropriate, play-based materials that can be used either in a scheduled training program or in a more flexible way in everyday life in preschool. The evaluation of these training materials is also an important aim of this project.
This research is also part of the international graduate program „Reason“, which focuses on investigating specific aspects related to scientific reasoning and argumentation. The research within this program is interdisciplinary and collaborative, linking psychology, education as well as empirical research on learning in specific domains (e.g. medical education, mathematics educations or biology education).