Dr. Douglas Larkin

Department of Secondary and Special Education, Montclair State University

“Deep knowledge: Learning to teach science for understanding and equity”

Abstract: Learning in science is commonly considered to be process of conceptual change, and understanding the ways in which learners’ ideas change—or do not change—in response to instruction has been a cornerstone of science teacher education for the past three decades. In a similar way, understanding how people’s ideas change as they learn to teach science has proven to be just as important. This talk will explore how such change occurs by sharing the experiences of six middle and high school student teachers as they learn to teach science in diverse classrooms, investigating how their experiences change the ways that they think about students, society, schools, and science itself. The findings of this study challenge some commonly held assumptions about learning to teach, and offers new insights for the preparation of science teachers for the student diversity found in the classrooms of the 21st century.