New Perspectives in Science Education

The Bachelor of Education in Primary Teaching was previously a three year degree programme in Mary Immaculate College. This programme has been re-designed to create an attractive and exciting new four-year programme. The first entrants to the new four-year programme will graduate in 2016.

The design of the new four-year programme has facilitated the faculty of education to provide more specialist elective options for the pre-service teachers. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) recommended that Science should be offered as an elective option for pre-service primary teachers in addition to two compulsory 6 credit (ECTS) modules. 

Five elective science modules were designed; Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Creativity in Science and Environmental Awareness and Care. The first of these electives was developed and delivered to pre-service primary teachers in the Autumn semester 2015. This elective was :Science is all around us 1: Chemistry.

Much research has been carried out investigating pre-service primary teachers’ perceptions of science. Many of these students may have a negative perception of science because they may not have studied it at primary or second level education themselves or perhaps experienced science in a didactic manner. Science subjects are not an entry requirement for the Bachelor of Education in Primary Teaching.

Specialist courses such as this Chemistry course have potential to provide the participants with a specialism in teaching science, which would facilitate teachers in developing the confidence and expertise to develop their own science teaching and also contribute to the whole-school context.

The authors recognise the need to reflect and learn from the participants’ expereinces of this inaugural elective science programme. Some of the challenges faced include the inter-relationship between Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and the pre-service teachers’ perceptions and self-efficacy of science. This challenge has encouraged the reseracher to reflect on the complex relationship between SMK and PCK in this context in the endeavour to find the optimum balance.

The conference presentation will provide details of the Chemistry elective module: the aims, course content and description of delivery as well as an insight into the teachers’ and learners’ expereinces.