An internationally renowned Â鶹ֱ²¥ science education researcher is assisting West Australian high school teachers to document their teaching to help students build better scientific understanding.<\/p>\n
Professor David Treagust, of Curtin\u2019s Science and Mathematics Education Centre, is observing nine secondary school teachers across Padbury and Rossmoyne senior high schools, Guildford Grammar and Penrhos College, to see how they use diagrams in the classroom to explain scientific phenomena to students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am interested in how students best learn science, so my research over many years has looked at ways that teachers can optimise their teaching to accomplish this,\u201d Professor Treagust said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this study, we are interested in how and when students change their naive conceptions to more scientific ones following instruction. Students may have an alternative conception about many phenomena, such as how plants grow or how salt dissolves in water.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they learn the science surrounding such everyday phenomena, students get interested and motivated to provide explanations. We are working with the science teachers to try to assist students\u2019 understanding to be more scientifically accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Professor Treagust said the study, funded with a $130,000 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project scheme grant, would involve observing teachers\u2019 use of scientific diagrams, including charts and graphs, in normal lessons. Students would later be interviewed to see how they best made sense of the diagrams in their learning.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the teachers we observe we hope to provide a teaching framework that optimises use of scientific diagrams for student understanding,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also interested in how well students make sense of these diagrams with and without associated text, as well as the use of multiple representations, analogies and models to help them understand abstract concepts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Professor Treagust and his research team, including Curtin research associates, Dr Mihye Won and PhD student, Yang Liu, will present their findings at future national science teachers\u2019 conferences and offer workshops to teachers through the Science Teachers\u2019 Association of Western Australia. Later, they will also present their findings to science education researchers at national and international conferences.<\/p>\n
Professor Treagust is the only Australian to win the American Chemical Society (ACS) award for Achievement in Research for the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry, awarded recently for his investigations of students\u2019 understanding of chemistry content knowledge and chemistry instructors\u2019 methods of teaching chemistry.<\/p>\n
He was recognised by the ACS for identifying learning difficulties in a wide range of conceptual areas and elucidating the role of multiple representations in effective teaching and learning chemistry concepts.<\/p>\n
Professor Treagust\u2019s research papers have been highly influential in shaping the way chemistry is now taught across the world.<\/p>\n
Contacts:<\/p>\n
Professor David Treagust, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, Â鶹ֱ²¥ Andrea Barnard, Public Relations, Â鶹ֱ²¥
\nTel: 08 9266 7924, Email: d.treagust@curtin.edu.au<\/a><\/p>\n
\nTel: 08 9266 4241, Email: andrea.barnard@curtin.edu.au<\/a><\/p>\n