12.5.4 Conclusions About Challenges of Technology
Integration in Inquiry Practices
The science education community mostly agrees about the relevance of using ICT,
IBSE, and their integration: ICT in IBSE for pupils exercising inquiry practices,
acquiring inquiry skills, and understanding scientific inquiry. However, ICT in IBSE
is still very much under-used and applied at a relatively small scale in most countries.
When it is used, the use often lacks the basic characteristics of inquiry.
Although integration of ICT into IBSE is relevant, it is cognitively and practically
challenging for both students and teachers. ICT-enhanced inquiry-based strategies
have proved their potential, but not their general efficacy in the hands of average
teachers. Science teachers need effective training and practical guidelines to handle
the complexity of the ICT-enhanced, inquiry-based activity without reducing it to
simple “cookbook recipes”. Furthermore, integration of ICT into IBSE needs sufficient time to be faithfully implemented. An actual impact of ICT in IBSE teaching on
pupils needs both a longer period and consistent incorporation of ICT in IBSE in
regular teaching.
12.6 Development of a Short and Effective Course
for Teachers on Technology in Inquiry-Based
Teaching of Physics
12.6.1 Aim and Research Questions
Factors involved in the under use of ICT and IBSE in teaching practice are among
others: (a) limited curriculum time and limited teacher preparation time;
(b) mismatches of the IBSE goals with commonly used lesson materials; teaching
methods; and assessment and examination (e.g. prescriptive nature of materials and
methods, predominance of content over inquiry goals), and (c) insufficient teacher
preparation and training on integrating ICT into IBSE. All these factors need to be
changed consistently and in concert to realise proper incorporation of ICT and IBSE
into a classroom where manipulation of equipment and software is turned to
manipulation of ideas and concepts for knowledge generation and validation.
Within our recent research project (Tran 2016), we focussed on preparation and
training of science teachers on ICT in IBSE teaching and developed an effective and
relatively short course for student teachers and teachers with diverse teaching
experience. The present research confined the ICT in IBSE teaching to (a) three
Coach tools: data logging with sensors, video measurement, and dynamical modelling and (b) the use of these tools to support inquiry by pupils. In an ICT in IBSE
activity, the pupils should have some role not only in executing the experiment/
model but also to some extent in formulating research questions, designing the
experiment/model, and interpreting the results. We developed a short course so
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T. Ellermeijer and T.-B. Tran
Integration in Inquiry Practices
The science education community mostly agrees about the relevance of using ICT,
IBSE, and their integration: ICT in IBSE for pupils exercising inquiry practices,
acquiring inquiry skills, and understanding scientific inquiry. However, ICT in IBSE
is still very much under-used and applied at a relatively small scale in most countries.
When it is used, the use often lacks the basic characteristics of inquiry.
Although integration of ICT into IBSE is relevant, it is cognitively and practically
challenging for both students and teachers. ICT-enhanced inquiry-based strategies
have proved their potential, but not their general efficacy in the hands of average
teachers. Science teachers need effective training and practical guidelines to handle
the complexity of the ICT-enhanced, inquiry-based activity without reducing it to
simple “cookbook recipes”. Furthermore, integration of ICT into IBSE needs sufficient time to be faithfully implemented. An actual impact of ICT in IBSE teaching on
pupils needs both a longer period and consistent incorporation of ICT in IBSE in
regular teaching.
12.6 Development of a Short and Effective Course
for Teachers on Technology in Inquiry-Based
Teaching of Physics
12.6.1 Aim and Research Questions
Factors involved in the under use of ICT and IBSE in teaching practice are among
others: (a) limited curriculum time and limited teacher preparation time;
(b) mismatches of the IBSE goals with commonly used lesson materials; teaching
methods; and assessment and examination (e.g. prescriptive nature of materials and
methods, predominance of content over inquiry goals), and (c) insufficient teacher
preparation and training on integrating ICT into IBSE. All these factors need to be
changed consistently and in concert to realise proper incorporation of ICT and IBSE
into a classroom where manipulation of equipment and software is turned to
manipulation of ideas and concepts for knowledge generation and validation.
Within our recent research project (Tran 2016), we focussed on preparation and
training of science teachers on ICT in IBSE teaching and developed an effective and
relatively short course for student teachers and teachers with diverse teaching
experience. The present research confined the ICT in IBSE teaching to (a) three
Coach tools: data logging with sensors, video measurement, and dynamical modelling and (b) the use of these tools to support inquiry by pupils. In an ICT in IBSE
activity, the pupils should have some role not only in executing the experiment/
model but also to some extent in formulating research questions, designing the
experiment/model, and interpreting the results. We developed a short course so
148
T. Ellermeijer and T.-B. Tran