New Perspectives in Science Education

The “project practical” is a biology teacher education course at University of Vienna with more than 15 years of development and experience. The overall aim of this course is to work on specific teaching and learning approaches with teacher students including teaching practice in schools (e.g., Inquiry Based Science Education, teaching and learning in Student-Scientist Partnerships, Project-Based Science Learning). The latest development is biology learning in Natural History Museums.

Teaching and learning at museums has already been in focus of comprehensive research. Many studies show a lack of consciousness by the teachers about the possibilities of artefact- and collection-based museum – like natural history museums – as unique learning environments. Very often the teacher’s conception of learning in school is transferred directly to learning at the museum, thereby preventing pupils from in-depth engagement with the unique objects of the museum, the authentic artefacts, and in general the museum as a different activity system from school with its own objectives, instruments, rules and division of labour.

In our pilot teacher education course we would like to investigate teacher students’ orientational frameworks when integrating the learning environment Natural History Museum in biology teaching at school.

In the pilot course taking place in winter term 2015 six teacher students are planning, implementing and reflecting school projects which include a visit to the Natural History Museum in Vienna (beside the visit to the museum for three hours they teach four school lessons dedicated for preparing and debriefing the museum visit in class). The authors are going to analyse teacher students’ project plans and the audio recordings of their discussion and presentations during the whole teacher education course. Analysis will be conducted with documentary analysis. Based on our research finding we will present a theory- and research based model for teacher education courses which aims at the comprehensive integration of the out-of school learning environment Natural History Museum in biology teaching.