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Exploring the skills acquired by mathematics and science teachers through the development of scripted lessons for continuous professional development
By Theophile Nsengimana
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme include community of practice, action research, training, and award-bearing. CPDs also include deficit, cascade model, standard-based model, and coaching and mentoring. These CPD programme have been used in acquiring and disseminating new ideas and practices. In Rwanda, towards the effectiveness of teaching and learning of mathematics and science subjects, secondary schools’ teachers of the aforementioned subjects have been involved in the development of the scripted lessons. This study investigates the skills gained by mathematics and science instructors through the preparation of scripted lessons for continuous professional development. Data were gathered using a qualitative design through rating questionnaire made of Likert-scale and of open-ended questions. Only mathematics and science teachers who developed scripted lessons were targeted for the study. The interpretive technique was employed to analyze findings. Results showed the improved teachers’ subject content knowledge, pedagogical understanding, lesson planning, and collaborative skills. These acquired knowledge and skills improved their instructional efficacy as well as students’ learning results. The study recommends the involvement of teachers in the development of the CPD programme materials to help them gaining more knowledge and skills. Further, additional research is needed to investigate the long-term impact of involving teachers in CPD programme activities. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.
Exploring the Impact of Enquiry-Based Instructional Strategies on Students’ Attitudes towards Biology
By Henriette Manishimwe
Teaching methods dominated by teacher demonstration, chalk and talk, have been attributed as the main source of negative attitudes towards biology. This study aimed to explore the impact of enquiry-based learning on students’ attitudes towards biology. The study comprised 228 students purposely selected from six secondary schools. Focus-roup discussions were used to collect qualitative data with a phenomenological design. Six groups were probed with interview questions, three on the side of the experimental group and three on the side of the group subjected to conventional teaching methods. The data were analysed by using NVIVO software, and later, content analysis was employed descriptively. The study's findings revealed an extensive impact of enquiry-based learning on enhancing students’ attitudes towards biology. Moreover, a remarkable commitment was identified on the side of the experimental group, while exploring biological concepts in their groups. Difficulties, such as insufficient laboratory activities, lack of planning for practical laboratory skills, and the inability to grasp the scientific names of micro-organisms were identified. Learners proposed ways of improving teaching and learning biology, such as providing learning resources, extra time to explore the biological content, more laboratory practical work, access to ICT tools, field studies, and the need for active learning methods. More support in active learning was requested on the side of the control group. The students subjected to enquiry instructions improved their attitude towards biology. Further studies can adopt in-depth interviews, in order to gain more information. © 2022 Society for Research and Knowledge Management. All rights reserved.
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