Fostering the Development of Chemistry Teacher Candidates: A Bioecological Approach
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Fostering the Development of Chemistry Teacher Candidates: A Bioecological Approach Brian Lewthwaite and Rick Wiebe University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Abstract: This ongoing research inquiry investigates through the analysis of teacher candidate experiences the factors influencing two groups of chemistry teacher candidates’ development during their extended practica in their second and final year of an after-degree bachelor of education at a university in central Canada. The tenets of Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model provide insight into both the identification of factors influencing chemistry teacher candidate progress and methods for systematically documenting and supporting their reflective consideration of the practicum experience. Furthermore, Bronfenbrenner’s suggestion as to what contributes to constructive environments and development, especially pertaining to the construct of proximal processes, is utilized to foster chemistry teacher development. The outcomes of this intervention and ramification of these outcomes for teacher education are presented. R´esum´e. Par le biais d’une analyse des exp´eriences de futurs enseignants de chimie, cette recherche en cours se penche sur les facteurs qui influent sur le d´eveloppement de deux groupes de candidats au cours du stage pratique qu’ils font pendant les deuxi`eme et troisi`eme ann´ees de leur programme de deuxi`eme cycle en sciences de l’´education dans une universit´e du centre du Canada. Les tenants du mod`ele bio´ecologique de Bronfenbrenner fournissent les bases pour identifier les facteurs qui influencent les progr`es des futurs enseignants de chimie et les m´ethodes pour documenter et soutenir syst´ematiquement leur processus de r´eflexion sur l’exp´erience de stage. De plus, la th`ese de Bronfenbrenner sur les e´ l´ements qui contribuent a` un environnement et un d´eveloppement constructifs, en particulier en ce qui a trait au construit des processus proximaux, est utilis´ee pour favoriser le d´eveloppement professionnel des futurs enseignants de chimie. Les r´esultats de cette intervention et les ramifications de ces r´esultats pour la formation des enseignants des sciences sont pr´esent´es.
INTRODUCTION In the foreword to developmental psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner’s last published book, Making Human Beings Human (2005), Richard Lerner laments the limited contribution Bronfenbrenner himself perceived that his own bioecological theory had had “upon theory, research and policy This research project was supported by the Centre for Research in Youth, Science Teaching and Learning (CRYSTAL) at the University of Manitoba, which receives its funding from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. Address correspondence to Brian Lewthwaite, University of Manitoba, 259 Education, Winnipeg, MB R3J 0N5, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]
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pertinent to enhancing the ecology of an [individual] to promote his or her positive development” (Bronfenbrenner, p. v).
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